Pie Crust GF, Egg Free, Dairy Free

Pie.  I love pie, it beats cake hands down.  I have always been able to say 'no thank you' to cake, and I really don't miss it now that I'm gluten-free, but pie....  The good news is pie is here, and it is good, like really, really good.  So good, that I have not met a single gluten loving, gluten eating person who has refused a second piece of pie made with this crust.  It is really that good.  It is so good, a gluten-free, dairy-free young lady I know asks her mom for pie with this pie crust over any other dessert, even birthday cake.

And it is simple.  Well, simple in terms of ingredients.  No eggs, no gums, no corn products, no soy.  As far as simple to make, this may require a bit of a learning curve.  It is pie crust after all.  If you are an experienced maker of pie, think back to the first pie crust you tackled.  I remember mine, in my grandmother's kitchen the day before Thanksgiving- pie baking day.  That kitchen pushed out apple pies, pumpkin pies, mincemeat pies, lemon meringue pie, so many pies.  Everyone had a job to do, usually I was on apple peeling duty or pumpkin pie filling, but that year I graduated to pie crust.  Definitely a learning curve for mixing, rolling, and assembling a pie.  Don't over mix, don't roll too much, and yeah- it is nearly impossible to move it into the pie plate, or onto the top of the pie filling- unless you were grandma, or mom.

The learning curve here is no different, but it is not a gluten pie crust, so throw out those preconceived pie baking thoughts and take it one step at a time.  And make sure you have a couple hours to work on this the first few times through.  It will not be rushed.



I promise you this pie crust is worth it though, a flaky, tender, melt in your mouth crust.

If you are a pie newbie, have no fear.  This can be done, and it will be good.  Again, just take it one step at a time, make sure you have plenty of time to tackle it, and you will be making pie like a pro before you know it.

Now, generally over mixing gluten free is not an issue.  It is the gluten that suffers from over mixing, and there is no gluten, but here you do not want to break down your fat pieces too much. The pieces should be larger to make the crust flaky and tender and mixing the moisture in too much will make your pie crust fall apart in the oven- been there, done that.  Nobody likes the 'smoky' flavored pie from the burning crust in the bottom of the oven.

Rolling out your crust is also affected by the fat you use.  This depends on your allergy needs. Crisco contains soy- so that is out for me.  Butter makes a great pie- but that does not work for the dairy allergy.  Palm shortening is a good substitute for Crisco, but the consistency is a bit different and you may want to increase your salt a pinch to increase the flavor of the pie crust.  Coconut oil also makes a good pie, but it is different- this pie crust shrinks more and appears to 'fry' in the oven. Coconut oil benefits from an extra pinch of salt to 'cover' the coconut flavor.  If there are multiple options for you, don't be afraid of a 50-50 blend.  Coconut oil with palm shortening or butter with palm shortening both work well.  And then there is old school- lard is what my grandmother used, and it is becoming more popular and more readily available again, even in the local grocery store.  Thank goodness all those old foods they told us were not good for you are beginning to come back, just as I find I can not tolerate the additives, over processing, or the overuse of soy and corn.

Like with a gluten pie crust- cold is the key to good crust.  Chill, chill, chill.  Start with cold fat. Measure it out and stick it in the fridge with your mixing bowl the night before.  It doesn't hurt to do the same with your dry ingredients- chill them ahead of time.

Chilling time will vary depending on the fat you use and the temperature of your kitchen. I find it necessary to chill longer in the summer when using shortening.  Coconut oil will solidify at a much lower temperature and will not require chilling as long, but it will also melt quickly so you will need to catch it at the perfect temperature between liquid and solid.

Once chilled, cut your fat into your flour blend.  Toss in the water and lightly mix to form a soft dough.  Combine the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic wrap and, you guessed it, CHILL it again for at least 30 minutes.  Again, this will depend on your fat, the temperature of your kitchen, etc.  You may need to chill for an hour or more.

Once chilled, roll this dough out between two pieces of generously floured waxed paper.  The dough can handle the flour, and you do not want it to stick.  If it is too sticky, you need to chill it more.



If the dough is too hard to roll out, or cracks when you try to roll it, you must let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.  Yeah, I know.  Once you've done a few of these and become familiar with the texture it will get easier.

Chilling, and waiting.  Patience.  The chilling is the key to getting this crust to work for you.

Roll out the bottom crust no more than 1/4 inch thick.  You may have crust left over.

Once you roll out the bottom crust, chill again, until you are ready to fill it.

roll out the top crust. This can be thicker than the bottom crust.



Fill the bottom crust with your filling, dot with butter, or butter substitute, and add the top crust. Seal the edges.

When making a fruit pie, do not let your fruit macerate in the sugar any longer than necessary.  Add the sugar to your fruit AFTER your crusts are rolled and ready to go.

If you are a chronic over filler of fruit pie like I am, be sure to increase your thickener (arrowroot, white rice, tapioca, etc..) in ratio to your fruit.  If you are short on thickener, your pie will not set and it will be soggy.

Here you can brush the top crust with milk or milk substitute, or an egg white wash if you can do eggs.  This will help your crust to brown, gluten free baked goods do not brown as well or easily.



Cut 6 to 8 slits in the top of your pie.  Make sure they are wide enough that they will not reseal during baking.  These are important to let steam escape and will help keep your crust bottom from getting soggy.

Bake your pie on a cookie sheet or baking stone covered on the bottom rack of your oven. Again, this will help to brown the bottom crust and keep it from getting soggy.  Gluten free baked goods are slower to brown AND are more susceptible to being soggy or doughy.

It is best to bake at a high temperature initially, 425-450 degrees F for the first 30 minutes, but if you have a recipe for the pie you are making then follow the recipe.

Here is the recipe:

Gluten Free, Allergy Free Pie Crust

Gluten Free
Corn Free

Allergen Free for: Egg, Soy, Nut, Peanut, Wheat, Shellfish, Fish

May Contain Dairy- source: butter for: fat in crust

possible dairy substitutions: palm shortening, dairy-free butter substitute, coconut oil, lard, or a blend of fats

If using your own flour blend:    Flour = 300 grams; approximately 2 cups + 2 TBSP. of a gluten free blend

Fat weights will vary depending on what you use, that is why the weight works the best.  This recipe uses 200 grams or approximately 1 stick of butter + 6 1/2 TBSP.

100 grams of water is approximately 1/3 cup + 1-2 TBSP.

Gluten Free, Allergy Free Pie Crust (2 crust pie)

120 grams Brown Rice Flour

140 grams White Rice Flour

40 grams Tapioca Starch

2 TBSP finely ground golden flaxseed

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

200 grams cold fat- this can be butter, butter substitute, shortening, palm shortening, coconut oil, etc. (Don't be afraid to use a blend either. Part palm shortening part coconut oil or part butter part palm shortening etc..)

100 grams ice cold water

1. Blend dry ingredients

2.  Cut in fat

3.  Sprinkle in water 

4.  Toss with a fork

5.  Form dough into two disks; wrap in saran wrap; chill for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator 

    (longer may be necessary depending on your fat and the temperature of your kitchen)

6.  Roll out bottom crust no more than 1/4 inch thick with silicone rolling pin on generously floured silicone mat (or between two pieces of generously floured wax paper or parchment paper) -I use tapioca flour for all my rolling

7.  Place crust in pie plate; if it breaks or cracks don't scrap it- it can be saved. Seal the pieces together and patch as necessary. This will get better the more times you try.

8.  Chill bottom crust

9.  Preheat oven

10.  Roll out top crust, this can be slightly thicker; chill

11.  Prepare filling

12.  Fill bottom crust, dot with butter (or dairy-free substitute), and cover with top crust

13.  Crimp edges to seal

14.  Vent pie with 6-8 vents

15.  Bake in oven at temperature and time for type of pie you are making

If you find your bottom crust is doughy or soggy despite all my warnings, all is not lost.  I have had success putting the pie back in the oven the next day on the bottom rack, on a pizza stone at 400 degree F for 30 minutes.  This just warms the pie and improves the bottom crust.  Just be sure to watch for burning!