Gluten Free Goodies For Church Bazaar

[Greta]

My church is having there annual Christmas bazaar and I had an idea of something to sell but I want to make sure it will actually work.

The town I live, and my parish, in is very conscious of celiac disease and being gluten free, we even have gluten-free communion. So I was thinking of making frozen gluten free pie crusts for sale. So many people having family members or friends who are gluten-free but don't know how to cook or bake for them so it could be so easy if they already have a gluten-free pie crust to fill up and pop in the oven. I also love to bake and to the dismay of my husband my kitchen is completely gluten free.

So I have a few question about this.

1. Is is practical? I'm confident of my baking capabilities but will people actually buy them?

2. How long can pie crusts be frozen for before they go bad?

3. If I make the dough in bulk will it turn out as well? Such as if I were to triple the recipe and make three crusts at a time.

Thanks!

So I have

[Juliebove]

I don't have an answer for you on the pie crusts, but I think a lot of people might be wary to buy something that is home baked that is purported to be gluten free. They might fear it is cross contaminated.

[Cypressmyst]

I don't know how to bake for squat but I would buy one for sure! I think its a good idea!

[missy'smom]

Maybe come up with a selling point that makes it distiguished from the other gluten-free pie crusts that are available-price or other selling point. For example, I need a gluten-free, corn-free one for someone who is joining us at T-Giving. I really wanted to make a pie but the ones in the store-WF, Gillian's contain cornstarch so are out and I'm just not up to making a crust from scratch so am ditching the pie and making custards instead. I will save the pie for some other weekend. If you were here and had a corn-free one available, I'd sure buy it!

[Mizzo]

Hi, Wow what an undertaking, I applaud your enthusiasm.

I think if you put up a sign saying gluten-free pie crust taste as good as regular or something to that effect people without Celiac's would buy it as well. Make note that crusts were made in a gluten free home because our biggest fears are cross contamination as someone noted earlier. You also might want to supply a recipe with them for the novice. The hardest part is making them and selling them for a reasonably price cause you can't compare to the frozen ready made ones in the grocers. It costs 3x as much to do gluten-free pie crusts.

I have made 2 pies so far and will make another for T-giving, my family doesn't believe they are good so they are buying a Apple pie for themselves. See even with family it's hard to convince.

I will say this, you have to inform people there is a big difference in texture, it doesn't roll out the same because of the lack of gluten, so getting the top layer on was more difficult . It will be even more so after defrosting because of the extra moisture you get. I guess if you goal is to freeze it in pie pans it will easy enough but you cannot freeze it in sheets it will break apart as defrosting, but as lump dough should be fine though.

I only made them twice, both times were a pain in the butt , but were delicious so it was worth me doing it again on occasion, like now.

good luck.

[mommida]

Give it a try! What do you have to lose? What if people don't buy them? You have your freezer stocked. What if you sell out and start taking orders? What if you are the gluten free "betty crocker" the world has been waiting for?

I would buy some.

I think Gillians says you can keep in the freezer for 4 months. (By the way the lump o dough was pretty difficult to work with but people were making other things out of it. So include recipes/ideas for that kind of stuff too.)

[Greta]

Thanks everyone!

I was thinking that if I made them in the aluminum pie tins it would be easiest and they would turn out best. I also have a recipe that involves using cream cheese as the main ingredient to hold it all together and it is pretty easy to work with plus not to hard to make. However I usually leave the grunt of the work to my kitchenaid mixer so as long as I have the time it shouldn't wear me out too bad.

I was also thinking about marketing them to people who are not gluten-free too. Hopefully this works out.

[Darn210]

Make note that crusts were made in a gluten free home because our biggest fears are cross contamination as someone noted earlier.

I was going to say the same . . . it will help potential buyers know you are a serious gluten free baker.

Good Luck.

[missy'smom]

Maybe bake up a pie and offer samples.

[Monklady123]

I also have a recipe that involves using cream cheese as the main ingredient to hold it all together and it is pretty easy to work with plus not to hard to make.

Umm... isn't there a rule on this board that one must provide recipes?? If there isn't, then I just made it a rule!

But seriously... could you post this recipe? I LOVE cream cheese and the crust sounds yummy. And if it's "pretty easy" to work with then that sounds like my type of crust.