A few key ingredients and techniques make for a gloriously flaky gluten-free pie crust recipe full of whole grain flours and free of gums. This dough works equally well in sweet and savory pies, tarts, galettes, quiches and turnovers. Adapted from my book Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours.
After I posted this gluten-free apricot mascarpone galette and accompanying pie dough last fall, I got several questions from various friends and readers. (Can I just say how thrilled I am to get questions from readers, or to even have readers at all? When I started this thing four years ago, I didn’t think anyone would ever care about my OCD food ramblings. So THANK YOU for reading and for asking me questions! [Not to mention friends – I’m happy to have those, too.])
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| Sweet rice, millet, and oat flours with corn starch, tapioca starch, chia seed, sugar, and salt |
And I had some questions myself. For one, could it be made without xanthan gum? Secondly, would it make a good pie shell? The answers turned out to be “yes” and “kind of.”
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| Always start with cold, but not frozen, butter |
Gluten Free Pie Crust without Xanthan Gum
According to About.com, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide (science speak for a carbohydrate made up of various types of bonded-together sugar molecules) that forms during a fermentation process involving the bacteria Xanthomonas Campestris and carbohydrates from corn, wheat, dairy, or soy. Xanthan gum has strong binding powers and helps to make gluten-free doughs extensible, or stretchy, mimicking sticky, gummy gluten.
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| European-Style butter, such as Strauss, has a higher fat content that gives it a golden hue and makes the tastiest pastries |
When you tell someone there’s xanthan gum in the charmingly homemade baked good you’ve just given them, an odd look usually crosses their face. The baked good in question suddenly seems a lot less charming and homey. The name and process by which xanthan gum is made both sound kinda creepy. It can be hard to find, most folks don’t have it lying around the house, and some can’t tolerate eating it.
For all these reasons, I like to do without it when I can, using naturally sticky ingredients in its place. Inspired by many of the gluten-free recipes in Aran Goyoaga’s Small Plates and Sweet Treats, I decided to try replacing the xanthan gum with ground chia seed, which, like xanthan gum, is full of polysaccharides. The seeds provide a more natural way to help gluten-free baked goods hold together, plus they’re full of healthy fiber and omega 3s, and they add a pleasant nutty flavor to baked goods. (If you’re chia curious, this article is a wealth of knowledge.)
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| A sturdy pastry blender makes this dough easy as pie |
As for making the galette dough into a pie crust, I tried this several times, with some successes and some fails. The dough was fairly brittle – easy to form into a laid-back galette, but a bit tricky to wrestle into a pie pan, tending to crack apart on its journey from the counter into the pan. Once pressed into place, it sometimes baked up perfectly crisp and flaky; other times, for no apparent reason, it
shrank and toughened in the oven. That would just not do.
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| Big butter chunks make for a flaky, tender dough |
I wanted a bit more dough in order to make a thicker crust, so I increased the flours, butter, and ice water. I tried varying amounts of ground chia seed until I hit on the right amount to help it hold together, but not too much to overpower things. To solve the toughness problem, I added a teaspoon of cider vinegar (and more recently buttermilk). And I increased the sugar a bit to cancel out the edge of bitterness that the millet flour adds.
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| Add the ice water/vinegar mixture tablespoon by tablespoon directly to the dry bits until the dough will just hold together when you squeeze it |
I had tried making the galette dough with tapioca flour in place of cornstarch, but didn’t like the results. I found here, though, that a little tapioca flour in addition to the cornstarch helped to make a smoother dough that held together better. (I also tried potato starch in place of the cornstarch, but since potato starch is hygroscopic [science speak for grabbing water molecules out of the air], this dough became soggy quickly. The dough made with cornstarch browned more readily, and it stays crisp for days.)
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| Using the fraisage method to create flaky layers and bring the dough together |
To bring the dough together, I usually like using the fraisage method, an old-school French technique wherein portions of the dough get smeared quickly across the counter. This has the effect of flattening the butter chunks into thin sheets, in a puff pastry-like manner. When these many layers of butter hit the heat of the oven, they release steam, raising the layer of dough above it, making for flaky pastry. I wondered if this step could be skipped, so I tried simply kneading the dough 10 to 20 times in the bowl. This produced a crust that was not quite as flaky as the one using the fraisage method, but still pretty great, especially for a gluten-free dough.
For extra flake, I like to take a cue from laminated doughs (such as puff pastry) and roll the dough out once, fold it up in thirds like folding a letter, roll that into a loose spiral, and then chill it again before rolling it into a round to stick in the pie pan. Called “a turn” when making croissant dough or puff pastry, this helps smooth out the dough, making it easier to work with, and it also creates more flake and layers. I liked the dough that got fraisaged, chilled and folded the best, but you can simply knead the dough in the bowl to bring it together if you prefer.
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| Folding the dough in thirds, then in thirds again, not only creates extra flaky layers, it also makes for a smoother dough that’s easier to work with |
I’ve been tinkering with this recipe since last fall, and I’m 99% happy with this version. It’s a pleasure to work with – smooth and fairly sturdy. It bakes up crisp, with a texture akin to a whole wheat pie dough – a bit denser than a white flour pie dough, and with a nutty, whole-grain flavor. The texture is crisp and buttery, and it stays that way even after a few days of being filled and baked, a feat for any pie dough. I filled this one with a grapefruit custard kissed with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, inspired by The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book (recipe coming soon).
I may continue to tinker, but for now, this is by far the best gluten-free pie dough I’ve ever worked with or eaten. I’ll be curious to know how it goes for you readers out there, and what modifications you try, so please leave a note if you give it a go, and feel free to ask any questions that may arise – I love answering them. Happy baking.
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Dough-licious Tutorials:
Flaky, All-Butter Gluten-Free Pie Dough (version 1.0)
Flakiest, All-Butter Pie Dough
Quick(er) Whole Wheat Puff Pastry
Rye Flour Croissant Dough and Pains au Chocolat
Flaky Gluten-Free All-Butter Pie Dough (Whole-Grain + Gum-Free)
Print Recipe / Pin RecipeIngredients
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water (from 1 cup ice cubes filled with cool water)
- 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour (mochiko) (2.75 ounces / 80 grams)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons GF oat flour (1.25 ounces / 35 grams)
- 1/4 cup millet flour (1.25 ounces / 35 grams)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (1 ounce / 30 grams)
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour (same thing) (.5 ounce / 15 grams)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground chia seed (I grind mine in a coffee grinder) (.5 ounces / 15 grams)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (.5 ounces / 15 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (preferably European-style such as Straus), sliced 1/4" thick (4 ounces / 115 grams)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, combine the rice, oat, and millet flours with the cornstarch, tapioca flour, ground chia seed, sugar, and salt. Scatter the butter pieces of the top, and work in with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles gravel, with lots of butter chunks the size of large peas.
- Stir together 6 tablespoons of the ice water with the apple cider vinegar, and drizzle the mixture into the flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing the dough with a rubber spatula to moisten evenly. Add just enough water for the dough to hold together when you give it a squeeze, and add it directly to the dry floury bits that like to hang out on the bottom of the bowl; you may need up to 8 tablespoons of water, total.
At this point you can do one of two things:
- Knead the dough in the bowl 10-20 times to bring it together.
- Dump the dough out onto the counter and fraisage by dragging portions of the dough across the counter with the heel of your hand (this makes for a flakier dough). Either way, gather the dough up into a ball (a metal bench scraper helps if using the fraisage method) wrap it loosely in plastic wrap, and flatten it into a disk. Chill the dough 30 minutes.
Optionally, for extra flake, roll, fold, roll, or "turn" the dough:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rough square that is about 1/4" thick. Fold it in thirds like you're folding a letter, then roll up from a skinny end into a loose spiral. Gently press to flatten it slightly, and chill for 30 minutes. Optionally, repeat this step once more.
Shape the crust:
- Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12" circle, dusting the dough lightly with oat flour flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9" glass pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1" overhang. (Save the scraps to patch any tears in the dough post-parbaking.) Fold the overhang of the crust under, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork. Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for at least 20 minutes, until solid.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º. If you have a baking stone, put it on the rack. Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper, and fill to the top with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies, pressing the weights into the sides and corners of the crust. Bake the crust for 15-30 minutes (shorter for a metal pan, longer for a glass pan), until the dough will hold its shape when you lift off the parchment. Carefully remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is dry and lightly golden, about 8-12 minutes longer (for a parbaked crust) or until deeply golden, 15-20 minutes (for a fully baked crust). Use the saved scraps of dough to patch any holes, cracks, or tears in the dough, baking for a few more minutes post-patching.
Notes
Omit the vinegar. For the liquid in the recipe, stir together 4 tablespoons cold buttermilk with 4 tablespoons of ice water. Proceed with the recipe, adding more ice water if needed to moisten the dough after all the buttermilk mixture has been added. Variation with sorghum flour:
Omit the millet flour, using 1/4 cup (30 g) sorghum flour in its place. Variation with buckwheat flour:
Omit the millet flour, using 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (45 g) buckwheat flour and decreasing the oat flour to 1/4 cup (25 g). Variation in a food processor:
Once you've made this dough a few times by hand and have a feel for how it comes together, you can throw caution to the wind and make it in a food processor. Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of the processor and scatter the butter slices over the top, but don't pulse them in yet. Place the bowl on the food processor, put the lid on, and open up the pouring spout. While pouring in the ice water mixture, pulse the processor in short bursts. By the time the liquid is added, the butter should be broken down into the size of peas. Give the dough a squeeze to make sure it's properly hydrated, pulsing in more ice water if needed. Wrap and chill the dough, making the turns if you like for extra flake. A few notes on ingredients:
This is the flour blend that works for me, but do feel free to experiment as you see fit. If you can't find sweet rice flour, which is widely available in Asian markets, try a GF all-purpose blend in its place, such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking mix, which is made largely of sweet rice flour. (I would hesitate to substitute regular rice flour, which is less sticky and will make for a brittle dough). Chia seed can be found at any health food store or upscale market; I use the lighter colored seeds, grind a bunch ahead of time, and keep them in a jar to use as needed. If you can't find chia seeds, try using an equal amount of ground flax seed (these have a slightly stronger flavor), or 1/2 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum in their place. European-style butters have more fat and less water, and will make for the most rich and tender crust; Strauss and Plugra are two widely available brands. A few notes on timing:
If your dough has chilled for a while and cracks when you go to roll it, let it warm up a bit; this will make it easier to work with. Give yourself three hours to complete a parbaked crust if you plan to give your dough a puff pastry-esque turn (which I call roll, fold, roll), or two hours if you're skipping this step. Most of this time is inactive. The ideal timeframe for making this crust is as follows:
10 minutes to mix and fraisage the dough
30 minutes to chill 10 minutes to roll out and fold 30 minutes to chill
10 minutes to roll out the dough, get it in the pan, shape it, and dock it
20 minutes to chill
20 minutes to freeze
30-40 minutes to par-bake the crust Do ahead: You can make the dough up to two days ahead; let it soften up a bit before rolling it out. You can also wrap a frozen shell, baked or unbaked, for up to several months. Nutritional values are based on one of nine servings.
Nutrition
Wizardry I say. Wizardry! Bravo, friend! Sharing this one with my GF friends for sure.
Ha – thanks, Dana! From the wizardress herself. ;)
Oh my goodness. I'm sending this to my dear friend, Kate, who received a diagnosis of celiac last year. Thank you for the beautiful work here, my friend!
Thanks, Monet! I'm so sorry for your friend Kate – celiac sounds like no fun. I hope this pie dough helps. Pie helps most things. Thanks for sharing it along, my dear.
Wow, what a gorgeous crust and pie! Sadly, butter and other dairy products do not agree with me. I'll have to try a vegan adaptation of this. Thanks for the details, so helpful!
Thanks, Dawn! Please let me know if you try this sans dairy – I've been wanting to give that a go myself.
Your painstaking research for the cause is SO admirable … a real scientist in the kitchen! Thanks so much for this!
Thanks for the kind words, moragsmum! It is one of my favorite things to do. I am weird like that.
I'm always so excited to read your new posts. Everything I've made from your site becomes an instant favourite and your photos are lovely to boot. I made your GF buckwheat chocolate chip cookies last night and they are EXCELLENT. It's been almost a year since I had a decent cookie (since the GF always fall short) and I'd kind of given up hope of finding one. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipes; you've made what I thought was going to be a horrible, if necessary, dietary change so much easier for me.
I can't thank you enough for this sweetest of comments! It means so much to me that you're enjoying these recipes. I'm so glad you gave the cookies a go and liked them. (You might also like the GF ginger molasses cookies I've posted previously.) Wishing you a lovely week – you've certainly brightened up mine.
Gorgeous Allana and I'm sure just tasty!! I'm a pie person more than a cake, so your blog is ♪ always on ♫ my mind …..
Yes, pie! I'm a pie girl, too. Thanks for the sweet note, Angela!
The only time that "being flaky" is a compliment! This pie crust looks delicious and good for us as well…YUM! :D
Haha! Thanks, Mom!
Looks amazing, Alanna! Alex has been rambling about pie a lot lately, and I promised I'd make him one when I come home next month. Good timing on this recipe. I'll have to give it a shot.
Thanks, Chris! I hope you both enjoy it. I'm on an über pie kick lately myself. Thanks for the note!
Hi Alanna, another great recipe. I always look forward to your post, your instructions are always very clear and your writing just flows. Lovely work, will be making this pie dough soon. Happy-week-end!
Aw, thanks, Cheri! What a nice thing to say – I really appreciate that! Please let me know how you like the pie dough. Hope you have a lovely week.
Wow. I can't believe how perfect this looks! I have GOT to make this sometime!
Aw, thanks, Cathleen! DO IT!
Oh goodness, this crust looks wonderful! The perfect amount of flake and crumb.
Thanks, Kathryn! I'm still hoping for a bit more flake, but that just means eating more pie… :)
I only recently found your blog and I am just in love with it! The delicious recipes, the gorgeous photos, the smart and useful info (I heart science!), the easy writing. Thank you so much for sharing with us! And I can't wait to see what's coming, especially with rhubarb (I'm obsessed)!
Aw! What a sweet note – thank you, Ashley! I'm so glad you're enjoying my ramblings here. :) I'm obsessed with rhubarb, too! So far this year I've only made a shrub, but I just got some more so we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, feel free to peruse the rhubarb recipes on this site. Happy spring.
I don't kno how i'm JUST discovering your blog. Love it. Love this idea.
Thanks for stopping by and for all the sweet comments!
Thank you! I love your cooking science. I always like to know why things do what they do and it helps to understand the reasoning behind baking ingredients.
– Bobbi
Thanks for saying so, Bobbi. :)
I just stumbled upon your blog and am enthralled!
Seeing the care you took to create this GF crust made me wonder if you've ever attempted a GF phyllo dough (a contradiction in terms, I'm thinking). If you have, would you care to share your recipe and/or strategies?
Hi Abby – thanks for the sweet note! I haven't tried my hand at either gluten or non-gluten phyllo dough, but I would surely post about it if I did. :)
Can I double the recipe to make a crust for bottom and top of a pie?
Absolutely! Be sure to cut plenty of vents in the top to let the steam escape as this dough doesn't like excess moisture. Let me know how it goes. :)
i'm loving this detailed tutorial and can't wait to try it out. yum!
Thanks Jaime! Let me know how you like it!
Ok. I have been reading a ton about parbaking pie crust. What I can't seem to find is a guide on how one adjusts the final cooking time of the whole pie. So for example, the pumpkin pie recipe calls for 45-50 minutes of cooking time with a raw pie crust. If I parbake, then how long would I cook the pie? I can't seem to figure out how to make sure the final pie, both the crust and filling are adequately cooked. I don't want to over cook the crust and undercook the filling. Any advice would be greatly appreciated or even just pointing me to a good resource. Thanks for such a great recipe…can't wait to make pie!!!
Excellent question! I don't usually have trouble with the crust overcooking when I parbake it, unless the pie calls for an hour or more of baking. Bake the pie on the bottom rack and use the guidelines for the filling being baked to determine doneness. (Such as "bake until the filling is puffed and set.") If the crust is browning too much, place the whole pie on two criss-crossed pieces of foil and fold the foil up over the edges of the pie to shield it from the heat. (I hardly ever need to take this step.) Hope this helps!
This looks lovely for a one-crust pie. I want a flaky crust for a tourtiere and will need a top crust as well. Lots of air vents–I saw that advice but what about the freezing and par-baking of the top crust. I'm really unsure what to do about that. Has anyone done a top crust? Must have a flakey, gum-free pie crust for New Year's day.
Hi there, so usually for a double crust pie you don't parbake anything, but I would keep the bottom and top chilled as long as possible, then when you assemble it, chill or freeze the whole thing for 20 or 30 minutes to get it really cold. I've never made a tourtiere so I can't be sure. But I did use this crust to make a shaker lemon pie and it worked pretty well. Please let me know if you try it out!
Hello!!
I was ecstatic to discover your website!! Baking is one of my most treasured pastimes, but have to go GF for loved ones. Thank you, thank you, so much for your work!
I have a quick question for you. Bob's Red Mill has both white rice flour and sweet white rice flour. The first is easier to find, from what I've seen. Is there much of a difference between the two, as far as gluten free baking is concerned?
Thank you! <3
Cassy
Hi Cassy! Definitely use the sweet white rice flour if you can find it. It's milled from sticky rice (used to make mochi) and has a naturally sticky texture. If you can't find that, you can give regular rice flour a try, but it will probably make the dough more brittle and less flaky. You can also try using a GF all-purpose blend in its place. Let me know! :)
THANK YOU! Tomorrow we'll find out…..
Sweet! Please come back and tell me how it goes. :)
My first French Canadian Tourtiere turned out great! I wasn't a big fan of the finished dish but in fact, the crust was the best part. It was golden, flaky and delicious! I am so grateful to have a gluten free pie crust that works this well. Probably won't make another meat pie but after giving up on gluten-free crusts WITHOUT xanthan gum, this is exciting! I see lots of pot pies and desserts in our future. I doubled your recipe for a two-crusted pie in a glass pyrex pan and had enough left over for 8 cinnamon rolls. I cut a lot of slits in the top crust and pushed a few of them open about a quarter inch with my knife. Did the fraisage method on my marble "board". Did not fold, I only chilled and then rolled the dough. Made the bottom crust and put it in the pan then chilled it again while cooking the filling. Top crust was chilling all the while. The dough was surprisingly easy to work with using your tip to lift and rotate during the rolling process. The only recipe modification was that I had run out of millet flour–having added all mine to a homemade blend of potato starch/sweet rice/sorghum/millet. I used this blend in place of the millet in your recipe. I had only whole black chia seeds and ground them in the Vita-Mix; they worked just fine. I also froze the whole pie overnight. It tucked neatly into a 2-gallon (jumbo) zip-lock bag. I brushed the frozen pie lightly with egg wash (dipping my brush into 1 egg + 1 Tbs. water). I was worried about cooking times for a frozen pie. I decided on 350° for 30 minutes then raised the oven to 375° for a full hour. Can't remember if I let it go another 10 minutes or so after that. Do remember checking often for over browning. I used a metal pie-crust shield that fits over the rim and put it on for the entire time. Bottom rack. Crust looked, smelled and tasted fantastic! Thank you so much!
I'm so glad you liked the crust – that's fabulous! :)
Well, Alanna, you've done it again. I made this yesterday to use for tonight's quiche. The directions were great! Very easy to follow. I used vinegar, because I didn't have any buttermilk. I did the fraisage method, and two turns. I have a ceramic pie tin, so I wasn't sure about the cooking times. I tried 20 minutes with the weights, and I think that was too short. But, the crust was great! I even got a "this takes just like regular dough!" So flaky and crisp. Can't wait to try it again!
Yay!!! Thanks so much for trying my recipes Daria and for the great feedback! I'm so glad it was a hit!
Singularly the best pie crust I have ever made. Sadly, after too many attempts to admit, with regular pie crust over the years, with chilling, fraisage, leaf lard, high fat butter… the whole good technique bit, my crusts always fell short of what I felt they should be. (anything from, not the best I’ve ever eaten, to so awful, lets just scrape off the filling) I almost gave up totally. With it being GF, I guess I may not have been expecting much from this crust. Boy, was I wrong! Wonderful, flaky, buttery greatness. Thank you for the inspiration to try again and the wonderful recipe.
Hi Alanna, thank you for this GF pie crust recipe. Can arrow root be substituted for the cornstarch?
Thank you,
Melynda
Hello!
This recipe looks gorgeous. I have my dough chilling in the fridge at the moment. One direction I just can’t get my head around though is the ‘roll into a spiral’ after the letter fold, and then how to make it flat. After the letter fold, I have quite a small, high square (1 1/2 – 2 inch thick, about 10 inches in length /width) – and I’m not sure how to roll that into a spiral! Is there any way you could describe how to do this part?
Thanks so much!
Hi Victoria! Sorry for the confusion. If your dough is too tall to roll up the other way, I would just flatten it out a bit with the rolling pin first. Then start with a skinny end and roll it up into a spiral, or you can fold it in thirds; whatever works to get some more folds/layers in there. :)
Can this dough be filled and baked raw?
Yes! Any pie recipe that calls for that will work with this dough; custard-type pies will do better blind-baked.
As a long-term wheat-free baker who first cut her teeth on wheat flour baking, I have been deeply impressed by your book the Alternative Baker. It’s a beautiful book and every recipe I’ve tried has been lovely. I’m a special fan of the tangerine-vanilla madeleines, chestnut financiers and peach brown-butter creme fraiche tart.
I love the flavor and moisture resistance of your pie dough recipe. It’s lovely to work with (especially for a g-f dough) also has great flake (I usually give it the recommended turns.) However, I have been having a problem: it’s always slightly tough/chewey once baked, like an overworked wheat dough. I’ve never had this problem with a gluten free dough before! Have you encountered this issue yourself? Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Bethany! Thank you so much for buying my book and for the sweet note – I’m honored that you’re enjoying the recipes! However I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the pie dough. I used to have this problem with my original version of this dough, but I haven’t had it happen since I reformulated it here. My best guess would be that maybe there’s a little too much liquid in the dough which is activating the sticky ingredients (chia, sweet rice, tapioca). If the dough got too warm during handling, I could see that potentially creating toughness too. Let me know if you want to chat through this more via email, and let me know what you try! -A
Have you/anyone ever tried using frozen grated butter and eliminating the friasage step? Seems like an easier and more efficient way of incorporating the butter. I saw this as a tip on some cooking show, but I am sure it was not in a gf recipe!
Hi Sharon! I tried this once several years ago, and just didn’t like cleaning smeared butter off the grater, but I bet it would work fine! Let me know if you give it a try. :)
Not too crazy about using cornstarch:(
What would be a substitute and keep consistency?
Hi Susan,
The cornstarch really helps give this dough a crisp and tender consistency. I’d recommend trying it as written first if possible. I tried the dough with potato starch instead and it made it soggy. I think adding more tapioca might make it gummy. But if you experiment, please come back and let me know!
Dear Alana,
What I don’t understand is how all the folding, rolling and smearing doesn’t cause the pastry to be tough!?
It’s not that I don’t trust you and all the bakers who rave about this gorgeous looking recipe, I just love to learn. :)
Thank you for being such an incredible teacher for us all.
Excellent question, and thanks for the sweet words!
So first off, it’s the glutens in wheat flour that become tough when overworked, so we don’t have that problem in GF baking – which is a big win! But wheat pie dough actually requires some degree of gluten development. The way you get the flaky layers is from layers of sticky, strong dough being lifted up by the steam coming off the butter beneath the dough layer. When you have that happening in dozens of different layers, that’s what makes for flaky pastry.
Working this GF dough creates the same effect, helping the dough hold together so that layers of dough can be lifted by buttery steam. If you try making it with all the steps, you’ll see how after the final roll out, it’s much smoother and less prone to cracking, almost like magic, and it bakes up crisp and flaky. My hunch is that since the proteins in the GF dough are much weaker than those in wheat dough, there’s less of a chance of overworking the dough and making it tough – at least, I’ve never had it happen. Let me know if that makes sense or if you have more questions! :)
Your answer was perfectly understandable…..of course it’s the glutens!!!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer so thoroughly!
What would you suggest as a substitute for the oat flour?
I think a GF all-purpose blend would be a safe substitute. Oat flour is fairly unique in its soft, starchy texture and I’ve never tried the pie dough without it. I do think chestnut flour could be a good sub if you want a flavorful flour, but it can be tough to find. If you find a sub that works, please come back and let me know!
Well, I was able to use oat flour. I used American butter, flax instead of chia, and only 4 Tb water. I did the fraisage and turning, but the final crust was not flaky at all. Very crumbly and tasted good (but a bit bitter), but not flaky. :(
FYI, in case you’re curious, I have made a (semi) flaky gluten free crust before, using America’s Test Kitchen’s gluten free pie dough recipe with their whole grain flour mix recipe. Have you checked it out?
My dad has made many pies and has perfected his (glutenous) dough recipe. I’m a novice, so he’s a tough act to follow, with gluten free flours too!
I’m going to try this for thanksgiving, and I’m wondering what you think about swapping arrowroot powder for the tapioca. Also, curious if you’ve ever tried using egg for a binder instead of tapioca.
Hi Emily, I haven’t worked with arrowroot much, but I think it should work as a sub? I’ve never tried egg in the dough, but if you do, please let me know how you like it!
Thank you Alanna for this very promising recepie. I am so excited since your other recepies turned out wonderful!!,
I don’t have a cornstarch or potato starch. Can any of the other flours be increased to substitute ? I understand I may not get the same result but I would like to make the pie today and no time to look for the starches.
Also , I am making a pumpkin pecan pie which requires over 60 min baking time because of the pumpkin layer on the bottom and pecan filling on top.
I an supposed to bake a pumpkin layer first in parbaked crust and add pecan filling and bake again . It seems very complicated and I am afraid I will burn the crust.
Help , please😩
Hi Magdalena, I’m sorry for the delay, I was away from my desk over the holiday. Did you end up trying the crust? I would increase the sweet rice and tapioca flours to replace the cornstarch, but it will probably end up more chewy and less flaky/crispy. That filling sounds delicious! I would bake the pie in the lower third of the oven, and maybe err on underbaking the crust in the first parbaking step? Let me know how it goes!
Hi Alanna! Do you have any tips for making this without dairy? I tried making it for my sister who can’t have gluten or lactose with a vegan “buttery spread” instead of butter, but that softened too quickly and made the dough difficult to work with. And thanks as always for your wonderful recipes :)
Aw, thanks Shirley – so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I have a coconut oil version in my book (I believe you just sub cold coconut oil for the butter – you’ll want to cut it in more finely than regular butter, and you’ll want to work this dough more than the buttery version to help it hold together better). This one’s a bit more fragile than the butter/buttermilk version, so it may be harder to form into a pie shell (I use it in hand pies in the book). I’ve also been loving Miyoko’s vegan butter – it’s closer in texture to real butter than buttery spreads. I haven’t yet tried it in this pie dough but I’m guessing it would be the closest thing to real butter. Let me know if you give any of these a go!
Thanks! When I tried this before I ended up freezing the dough in between turns which made it a bit more manageable, but I’ll give coconut oil or Miyoko’s vegan butter a try next time!
I found myself wanting to bake another pie before I got my hands on Miyoko’s vegan butter, so I used part buttery spread and part coconut oil, and it worked pretty well! It did tear easily so I flattened it with my palms first each turn and had some trouble transferring it to the pie pan, but it’s a big improvement :)
Perfect! I’m so glad those substitutions worked out. Let me know if you give it a go with the Miyoko’s too. :)
Hi Alanna,
I’m a little late to the party here and am wondering about tricky substitutions. I was hoping to make this for a friend (frozen pie crust holiday present) but she can’t eat oats or millet! Is there any hope of trying a pie crust for her? (She cat eat sorghum or buckwheat either so the variations listed didn’t get me much farther.) I know those are pretty big things to switch out – any advice? Should I give up and find another present?
Thank you so much for this – a few people on my list ARE definitely getting these for presents (with no substitutions).
Hi Robin, Never too late! What a sweet holiday gift, that’s genius! Which flours can your friend have? Maybe I can make some suggestions. :) Or maybe my tart crust would be a better place to start? https://bojongourmet.com/2017/12/pomegranate-tart-hibiscus-lemon-almond-flour-crust-gluten-free/
Please let me know how you like the substitution-free version! :)
Thanks so much for responding so fast! She says rice-based things, corn, potato, and tapioca are all ok. (No buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, spelt, rye, barley, millet, or oats!)
I know that’s slim pickins! Totally ok if you dont have a magic fix/suggestions! I’m so appreciative of your blog, thank you for all the recipes and inspiration! :)
You could try brown or white rice flours (or a combination) in place of the millet and oat! Let me know how it works. :)
Awesome!! I will do that! I’ll get back to you when everyone has baked their pies!
Just stumbled on this recipe…can’t imagine where I have been since I really enjoy your ‘work’!. I’m a trained chef/pastry chef whose boundaries have been pushed these past few years in the name of healing.
Question about the corn starch…have you tried arrowroot starch as a replacement for the corn? (can’t have corn in this household).
Thanks for the kind words! I’m sorry you’re having to make dietary changes in the name of health, but kudos for doing it! I haven’t tried arrowroot here, but a few people have asked about it, so if you try it please let me know! It may make the crust more chewy and less crispy/flaky than cornstarch, but I’m guessing it would work well enough. Happy baking!
I super love how you tried using ground chia instead of xanthan–have you used it in other recipes? What’s your conversion ratio: 1 t xanthan is replaced by 5 T/1 oz ground chia?
Yes, I use chia in my pizza crust! That conversion sounds about right, though most of the time I wing it. The two do slightly different things so they’re not always interchangeable. But please let me know if you experiment!
I think this is a really amazing recipe and technique BUT I strongly suggest you post something about how to grind chia seeds because I have had a very hard time doing it effectively
Thanks for the great feedback! I grind mine in a coffee grinder – added a note to the recipe! :)
Hello! I’m in the chilling portion of making this, and I have an awful feeling that I’ve made it too wet. I tried the version in the food processor, ended up using 8T ice water total because it was so dry, and attempted the frissage (for making your apple galette with tomorrow morning). But when I dumped it out of the food processor it was so sticky! I’m worried about having it be terribly damp when I bake it.
I’d hate to throw it away, but is it even worth trying to turn it into something edible?
PS I am assuming this is user error. Your recipes are always so amazing. :-)
Hi Kim! I’m so sorry that happened – I’ve definitely added too much liquid before myself. The good news is that there are no glutens to interact with the liquid, so things might work out! Sometimes the butter is also soft, adding to the wetness, so chilling it can help firm it up. I’d say that if after chilling the dough still feels too wet, and you’re baking this for a special occasion where you want it to be perfect, it might be worth making a new batch. But don’t throw the dough away! Once I overworked the dough in the food processor so much that I thought it was ruined, but I baked a pie with it anyway and it turned out great! It seems to be a pretty forgiving recipe. Please let me know what you end up doing, and thank you for trying my recipe and for the kind words!
You’re awesome! Thanks for replying!!!
I decided that I would go for it (after turning it twice more in the morning and baking a tiny tester off). And it looks to be very good! Crust browned up beautifully and it sounds well cooked. I’ll report back on how it’s recieved.
(I made your chocolate pots as a backup dessert last night just in case!)
Thanks!!!!
I’m so glad it worked out, and now you get to enjoy two desserts! Too much dessert said no one ever, hehe.
Absolutely delicious! I used this recipe for two two-crust chicken pot pies, and the group I served them for loved them! One person commented that if this was how gluten-free tasted, then maybe they should go gluten free!
When I made the first pie I followed the directions as written. I found the crust difficult to handle when it came out of the refrigerator, even after I let it sit a few minutes. For the second pie, I rolled out the crust without refrigerating first, and it was great! Almost as easy to handle as my non-gluten free crust.
That’s a great tip – I’ll try it next time! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks a bunch for the rating and the note. :)
What can i use to substitute corn starch with?
You could try arrowroot starch or more tapioca. Potato starch works but the crust becomes soggy more quickly due to the hygroscopic nature of potatoes. Please let me know what you experiment with!
I am making this tonight. I have celiac and have to be gluten free and it is so hard to find good gluten free baked goods. I used to bake a lot before going gluten free so now i need to experiment and get my mojo back :) thanks for the recipe and inspiration :)
You bet! Please let me know how you like it. I feel you – learning to bake gluten-free is a constant challenge. But it has some benefits too – you don’t have to worry about tough baked goods, and you get to taste so many more delicious flours than just all-purpose! You might also like my book Alternative Baker if you haven’t checked it out already. :)