Gluten Free Pie Crust

A golden, flaky gluten-free pie crust that is simple to make and perfect for making gluten-free pies. You are going to love working with this gluten-free pie crust recipe.

How to make gluten-free pie crust

Ingredients:

Single Pie Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend  already contains it)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, roughly chopped and chilled
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water, iced (ice cubes do not count in volume measurement)

Directions for making Pie Dough.

1. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well.
2. Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients.
3. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger.
4. Add 1/3 cup of water and mix until the dough begins to come together.
5. Add the remaining water by the teaspoon until no part of the dough is crumbly.
6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper and press into a disk. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and roll it out into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick, moving the dough frequently and sprinkling it lightly with flour if it begins to stick. Fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter.
7. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Twice more, remove the top piece of parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with flour, and fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter. This will smooth out the dough and make it quite easy to handle.
8. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Make the pie shell.

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Grease a 9-inch metal pie plate generously and set aside.
3. Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll into a 12-inch round, about 3/8-inch thick.
4. Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate.
5. Press the pie crust gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the excess crust so that only 1/4-inch of excess is overhanging the plate. Tuck the 1/4-inch of excess under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust.
6. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork and place the pie plate in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the pie plate from the freezer and place a large piece of unbleached parchment paper in the center of the crust.
8. Place pie weights or dried beans in a single layer in the center of the pie crust, on top of the paper. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and pie weights.
10. Return to the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until the crust is lightly golden brown all over (8 to 10 minutes more). If you don’t bake the crust until it is golden brown all over, your pie will have a soggy crust once it is filled. Remove the pie crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

Why do I need pie weights?

Pie weights are used when blind baking a pie crust to prevent it from puffing up or shrinking during the initial baking phase, ensuring a crisp and even base for various fillings. When baking pies with fillings that require further baking, such as fruit or quiche, pie weights are not needed as the filling itself provides the necessary weight to keep the crust in place.