This flaky and buttery gluten mini free pie crust is made with an almond flour and oat flour blend. The pie crust is full of flavor and rolls out beautifully to make delicious 6-inch pies. Use it to make your favorite pumpkin pie, or apple galette!
4½tablespoonsunsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
½teaspoonapple cider vinegar
3 to 4tablespoonsice water
1 to 2tablespoonsheavy creamfor brushing the crust
Instructions
Fill a liquid measuring cup with at least 1/4 cup ice water.
In a medium mixing whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt.
Add the cold butter cubes to the flour. Using your fingertips, press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs (about the size of a nickel) – making sure they are all coated with flour. You should still see butter chunks in the dough when you are done mixing it.
Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the vinegar and two tablespoons of ice water to the well. Using your fingers (or a fork or spatula), stir the flour around the water, and continue to add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you start to get larger clumps of dough and the dough is moist - like a sugar cookie dough. Note- I find the sweet spot for water to be about 3.5 to 4 tablespoons. But you may need more or less depending on moisture in your butter or the accuracy of measuring the flour.
Form the dough into a ball in the bowl. Transfer it to a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Tightly wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Blind Bake (Pre Bake) The Pie Crust – Remove the cooled dough from the refrigerator and let it sit a room temperature for at least 10 minutes. This will make rolling the dough easier and less cracking. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
Lightly flour your work surface with tapioca flour and dust the top of the dough with tapioca flour. Roll the dough into a 9-inch circle. This will give us enough dough to sit snuggly into the pie pan and for a designed crimp edge. Trim off any jagged edges. Note – If the dough cracks while rolling it, simply pinch it back together.
If making a galette - follow the steps above, but roll the dough directly on the parchment paper and do not blind bake the crust. Lightly flour the parchment paper with tapioca flour, and place the dough on the piece of parchment paper. Let the chilled dough sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to make rolling it easier. Roll the dough into approximately a 9-inch circle. Trim off any jagged edges, and brush off any excess flour. Note - If the dough cracks when you are rolling it, just pinch it back together.Transfer the rolled dough on the parchment to the baking sheet. Lightly cover and refrigerate the dough for at least another 30 minutes. Prepare the galette as the recipe states.
Gently place the dough into the center of the pie dish, making sure it sits snug on the bottom and corners of the dish. Fold over the dough overhang so you still have about a 1/2 inch tall lip of pie dough sticking out of the pie dish. Crimp the edges in any method you prefer.
Use a fork to poke holes into the bottom of the pie dough. This will help the dough from puffing up while it is baking. Place the formed pie crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. By this time, your oven should be heated.
Weigh down your chilled pie crust before blind baking it to keep the dough from puffing up and shrinking too much. Some pie weight options: pie weights, a small oven safe dish that fits inside the pie dish (like a ramekin), uncooked rice, or dry beans. With any method, place a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit inside the pie crust, then add your weight.
Brush the top/edges of the pie crust with the cream and sprinkle sugar over the top/edges. Note - the cream makes the crust nice and golden, and the sugar sprinkles give the edges a little crunch.
Set the pie pan on the small baking sheet. This makes getting the pie in and out of the oven easier. Pre-bake the pie crust for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the edges start to turn lightly golden.
At this point, follow instructions for any pie/filling recipe you choose!
Notes
Flour Substitutions - The only flour substitution I will make is swapping the oat flour for cassava flour. Note that cassava flour is very absorbent and you may need a little more ice water. Additionally, I find cassava flour imparts an earthy flavor into the dough.
Oat Flour - You can make your own oat flour by grinding gluten free rolled oats in a blender or food processor.
Xanthan Gum - The xanthan gum behaves like gluten in the gluten free pie crust. It gives the crust elasticity which contributes to more flaky layers. You can omit the xanthan gum. Just note the pie crust may be more tender and crumbly like a shortbread cookie.
Butter - The butter must be cold to get a light and flaky pie crust. When ready for the butter step, I pull it straight from the fridge versus getting it out ahead of time.
Sugar and Salt - I find gluten free pie crust needs a little extra flavor. You can reduce the amount of each if you prefer.
Bake Time - Gluten free bakes always need a little extra time in the oven, which is why the pre-bake time may seem a little longer than a traditional pie crust.