Pie Crust Help Please!

[AVR1962]

What do you use to make your pie crust? I made one yesterday, held together for kneading but then cracked while I rolled it out. I managed but then it burned real easy too. I used 3/4 Bob's Red Mill pizza crust mix to 1/4 all purpose gluten-free flour which was mostly rice flour.

[Roda]

I made my last one with brown rice flour blend and some buckwheat flour mixed in. I measure about two heaping tablespoons of buckwheat flour into a cup measure and fill the rest of the way with brown rice flour. I use the following mix ratio except I use the brown rice flour instead of the white rice flour:

Bette Hagman is a noted celiac cookbook author. The following mix from _The Gluten-Free Gourment_ from Henry Holt & Co. is a staple in many celiac kitchens.

Two part white rice flour

Two thirds part potato starch flour

One third part tapioca rice flour

Parts can be any unit of measure, cups, pounds, gallons, etc.

I had the same problem with my last pie crust cracking. I did not have any trouble the time before. I think I needed to add more moisture to it. It worked out though.

[kareng]

This makes a great crust for pumpkin pie. Probably good for apple, too.

2 cups gluten-free gingersnap cookies

2 TBLsp sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine, diced small

1 Tblsp rice flour (I just used Pamelas)

Put the cookies, flour & sugar in a food processor (I used my blender) and pulse until you get fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until crumbs form. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased pie plate. Bake in the oven at 350F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

[RiceGuy]

I find I get better results with a dough that is pressed into the pan rather than attempting to make it perform like a wheat crust dough. Like many other types of gluten-free baked goods, the recipe and method of preparation needs to be different than simply trading wheat flour for gluten-free flour. Try less fat, so the dough will hold together more. Keep in mind that the fat used in a wheat-based crust is there to prevent the gluten from sticking so much, otherwise you'd get a flat-bread. Since gluten-free flours already don't stick together much on their own, using the traditional amount of fat will only work against you. If there's one thing gluten-free flours are good at, it's being crumbly! Use it to your advantage rather than attempting to fight against it.

[kareng]

Emeril just had a gluten-free pie crust on GMA. Recipe on the website. He said to press it into the pie pan.

Open Original Shared Link

[Reba32]

I've used the coconut flour recipe in Bruce Fife's Cooking With Coconut Flour book. I have made strawberry rhubarb pie, and had to roll out the pastry for the top, and I've also made pumpkin pie and just pressed the dough into the pie plate (I use glass pie plates, not metal!). Rolling it out and getting it into the pan or over the top of the pie was tricky, but I wasn't too concerned with it looking pretty. I made them for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone loved them.

[Marilyn R]

I find I get better results with a dough that is pressed into the pan rather than attempting to make it perform like a wheat crust dough. Like many other types of gluten-free baked goods, the recipe and method of preparation needs to be different than simply trading wheat flour for gluten-free flour. Try less fat, so the dough will hold together more. Keep in mind that the fat used in a wheat-based crust is there to prevent the gluten from sticking so much, otherwise you'd get a flat-bread. Since gluten-free flours already don't stick together much on their own, using the traditional amount of fat will only work against you. If there's one thing gluten-free flours are good at, it's being crumbly! Use it to your advantage rather than attempting to fight against it.

Wow. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Meatballman]

Sorry,not much of a baker.My wife buys ready made pie crust from Whole Foods.I think it tastes great.

[lpellegr]

I don't use any of the premade mixes, but I can give advice on making your own. For the graham cracker crust, find any good gluten-free cookies and crush them. I used Pamela's pecan shortbread for a cheesecake and it was really good. As far as real pie crust, are you used to making your own, so you understand how to cut the shortening into the flour and then add water a little at a time to pull it together? If you can do that, this will work for you. The best gluten-free crust recipe I found that actually compares well with a normal pie crust is the Vinegar Pastry (Revised) from the Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman, with my version of the instructions below.

1c white rice flour (I recommend the fine kind you get at Asian markets)

3/4c tapioca flour

3/4c cornstarch

Note: you could probably substitute a commercial gluten-free flour mix for the above.

1 rounded teaspoon xanthan gum (check to see if this is included if you use a mix)

3/4t salt

1T sugar

Mix all the dry ingredients above in a medium bowl. Cut in with a pastry blender:

3/4c shortening (like Crisco) until crumbs are like rice in size, maybe a little smaller.

Mix together:

1 egg lightly beaten

1T vinegar

Add these to the flour/Crisco until blended. Then sprinkle in, 1T at a time, 2-3 T ice water. It may take more or less, the goal is to add just enough that you can gather the dough in a ball that doesn't break apart into dry crumbs and isn't wet and slimy. After adding 2 or 3T, gather the dough with your hands and decide if it needs more. It's okay to squeeze it a little. When all the dry crumbs are incorporated, you're done. Divide it in two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 min to firm it up. When ready to use, roll each out between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap dusted with gluten-free flour. Peel off the top sheet, lay your pie pan on the dough, upside down and centered, then put your hand underneath and flip it over so the dough is in the pan. Pat it into place, then peel off the plastic. Now you can shape the edge and follow your recipe for the filling of choice. If you're going to prebake it, use 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. You can also freeze the balls of dough and thaw them later - they still work fine. All the gluten-eaters proclaimed this pie crust as good as my old ones at the last two Thanksgivings. Hope this helps!

[AVR1962]

Thanks for all the replies. You guys have some wonderful ideas.

[mamabear272]

I agree that it needs to be pressed into the pan. I use Pamela's baking mix for my crust (there's a recipe on the bag) and it is delicious! I had a couple of get-togethers at my house this summer and made a couple of strawberry pies and all my friends loved them!