If you have been searching for a homemade easy and flakey gluten free pie crust that isn't frustrating to work with, then you have found your recipe! This forgiving pie crust recipe is perfect for even the most beginner bakers! No pie stress here!!
Listen to me when I say, if you hate making homemade pie crust, I understand you.
You are heard and you are welcome here. Pie crust can be one of the trickiest things to work with and to be honest, I don't care how easy a recipe says it is, it never fails for me to get super frustrated at the pie crust falling apart or tearing.
But guess what?! You have met your match. This is gluten free pie crust is flakey, and light and crispy, and absolutely 100 percent stress free.
Can you just imagine the glory of making a pie for that special occasssion and not wanting to chuck it out the window while rolling out the crust?!
This recipe has been in the works since last November and it finally came together when I applied the ratios from the book, "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman**.
I absolutely love this book. Baking is a science and having these ratios has been a game changer when it comes to gluten free baking science.
Jump to:
3 ingredients
You read that right, you only need 3 (ok I lied 4 because, you know, salt) ingredients to make this pie crust. And the best part is there is no xanthan gum.
You are going to need the following:
- all purpose gluten free flour (I only recommend King Arthur for this) this is not sponsored in anyway, but it is my absolute favorite all purpose gluten free flour. And it was only tested with this flour. The bright side to this is, you don't have to use some crazy flour mix to get a great result.
- unsalted butter- your butter needs to be COLD and I am going to tell you this about 5973 more times.
- water- your water also needs to be COLD.
- salt
That's it. It's basically three ingredients right?
How to make a successful stress free pie crust
I don't normally go into a huge amount of detail in my posts about how to make something because I am confident very few of you actually read the posts. That "jump to recipe" is handy!
But today I am going to dive into all the details in case you have any questions about how to make this the least stressful recipe on your agenda.
Start with cold ingredients
This is KEY for pie crust. If you work with warm ingredients your pie crust will a) fall apart and b) not be flaky.
Do not set the butter out before you are ready to use it. Take it straight from the fridge and put directly into the flour.
Your water should be absolutely cold as well. If super cold water doesn't come out of your tap, chill it or use ice water without the ice.
Also be sure not to skip the step of chilling the pastry dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Don't overwork the crust
Again, another super imporatant detail. You cannot overwork a baked good that needs lamination or well, you won't have lamination. Which in turn means you do not have a flaky crust.
I love using my food processor for this crust. It makes it really easy to incorporate the ingredients and not over work them. However, if you do not have a food processor you can still make the crust.
So maybe you are wondering...overwork?! I don't even know how to work a pie crust. I get that. I actually realized this last round of testing that even when I THOUGHT I wasn't overworking, I was still doing it.
So here's what I want from you. When working the butter into the flour, you want to do this with a food processor if at all possible. Use the pulse function and pulse on and off quickly until you get a bunch of crumb clumps. The crumbs should be small pea size or smaller.
If you do not have a food processor, you will use your fingers to work the butter into the flour or use a pastry cutter.
Don't be afraid to patch
I honestly thought it meant I was a terrible baker if I had to "patch" pie crust as I worked with it, until I saw on The British Bake Off, that this is so not true.
The best thing about this pie crust is that it is incredibly forgiving. It patches well and you will not be able to tell.
Roll it evenly and use parchment paper
To ensure your crust bakes evenly be sure to roll as even as possible. Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper try wax paper or even saran wrap.
Don't leave any overhang
When finishing the edge of your pie, don't let any pie crust be left hanging over the edge. For some reason along the way I was under the impression you should have some. Don't do it. That just makes it harder to cut and it will actually melt off and burn on the bottom of your stove.
There are several ways to finish the edge of your pie. I went the super easy route and used a fork around the edges but you can get fancy if you wish.
If you have a kitchen scale-use it
Baking is a science and in science you need exactness. The best way to make that happen is to weigh your ingredients. I have provided both measurements but it is always best to weigh!
Is this a sweet or savory gluten free pie crust?
This crust is perfect for both sweet and savory gluten free recipes. No need to add sugar or anything else. It is absolutely perfect how it is.
How to cook
Now that you have a pastry dough to make a pie you may be wondering what you should do with it.
Fill and bake as directed in pie recipe.
Or for a pie crust that is baked before filling, preheat the oven to 450°F. Prick the bottom of the pie with a fork, thoroughly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden light brown. Cool on a cooling rack.
That's it!
So tell me, what is the first pie you are going to make now that you have a pie crust that is easy to make and tasty?
If you are looking for inspiration, next week the most epic gluten free brownie pie will be live on the blog!
PrintRecipe
Flakey Gluten Free Pie Crust-Easy!
- Total Time: 50
- Yield: 1 9" Pie Crust 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Easy and flakey gluten free pie crust. Homemade pie crust recipe that isn't stressful to make! Only 4 ingredients and no xanthan gum needed.
Ingredients
As a reminder it is ALWAYS best to weigh the ingredients if you can. Alternate measurements are provided just in case you cannot weigh. Weight is more accurate than volume measurements ie- measuring cups.
- 8 ounces of gluten free all purpose flour, no xanthan gum (I recommend King Arthur) or 1 and ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (spoon and level method)
- 10 tablespoons of unsalted, very cold butter
- 2.4 ounces (by weight not volume) of very cold water or ⅓ cup
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Instructions
Equipment:
- Food processor or pastry cutter or two knives
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper (or plastic wrap or wax paper)
- 9 inch pie plate
Food Processor Instructions
- In a food processor attach your S blade. Place weighed or measured flour into the food processor. Do not remove butter from fridge until you are ready to make your pie crust so that it stays very cold. When ready remove butter and cut into 1 tablespoon cubes and place in the food processor with the flour. Add salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour and salt by using the pulse button. Pulse on and off just until you have small pieces pea size or smaller. Do not overwork.
- Add the cold water through the tube while food processer is running. Pulse on and off until the dough begins to clump together some and just barely leaves the sides of the bowl. Do not overwork at this point, the dough just needs to just barely begin to stick together. You will work it all together in the next step.
- Empty the flour mix onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Scoot and and shape the pastry into a round disc, pushing the dough together to stick and cover tightly with the plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. See note.
- After 30 minutes, prepare two pieces of parchment paper. The bottom piece of parchment paper should be sprinkled lightly with flour. Unwrap the pastry and place it on the floured parchment paper. Place the second piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry and begin to roll out the crust.
- To roll out the pastry, start to roll from the center out. If you notice the pastry sticking to the parchment you can sprinkle more flour lightly. Be sure to use gluten free flour for sprinkling as well. Roll evenly until your pastry dough is round and 2 inches larger than your pie plate turned upside down.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper, leaving the pastry on the bottom parchment paper, overturn the pastry into your pie plate. Press the pastry firmly onto the bottom and the sides, with the parchment paper still on. Be sure not to stretch the pastry. Once the pastry is in place, carefully remove the parchment paper. If your pastry got too warm begins to stick, use a butter knife to help scrape it off, and patch anything needed.
- Trim overhanging pastry from the edge 1 inch from the rim of the plate. Fold and roll the pastry so that it is even with the plate. At this point you can flute the edges or use a fork to flatten the edges of the pie plate. If needed lightly flour the fork.
- Fill and bake as directed in pie recipe or for a pie crust that is baked before filling, preheat the oven to 450°F. Prick the bottom of the pie with a fork, thoroughly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden light brown. Cool on a cooling rack.
By Hand Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add your measured flour and salt. Place cold cubed butter into the flour and use a pastry cutter, two knives or even a whisk to cut the butter into the flour. Cut until you have very small particle size pieces of flour.
- Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and use a fork to toss the flour around until the pastry begins to just leave the sides of the bowl.
- Empty the flour mix onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Scoot and and shape the pastry into a round disc, pushing the dough together to stick and cover tightly with the plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. See note.
- After 30 minutes, prepare two pieces of parchment paper. The bottom piece of parchment paper should be sprinkled lightly with flour. Unwrap the pastry and place it on the floured parchment paper. Place the second piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry and begin to roll out the crust.
- To roll out the pastry, start to roll from the center out. If you notice the pastry sticking to the parchment you can sprinkle more flour lightly. Be sure to use gluten free flour for sprinkling as well. Roll evenly until your pastry is 2 inches larger than your pie plate turned upside down.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper, leaving the pastry on the bottom parchment paper, overturn the pastry into your pie plate. Press the pastry firmly onto the bottom and the sides, with the parchment paper still on. Be sure not to stretch the pastry. Once the pastry is in place, carefully remove the parchment paper. If your pastry got too warm begins to stick, use a butter knife to help scrape it off, and patch anything needed.
- Trim overhanging pastry from the edge 1 inch from the rim of the plate. Fold and roll the pastry so that it is even with the plate. At this point you can flute the edges or use a fork to flatten the edges of the pie plate. If needed lightly flour the fork.
- Fill and bake as directed in pie recipe or for a pie crust that is baked before filling, preheat the oven to 450°F. Prick the bottom of the pie with a fork, thoroughly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden light brown. Cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Be sure you do not skip the step of chilling the pastry. This will help obtain a flakey crust. You can leave the pastry dough in the fridge longer, up to overnight. You will need to let it set at room temperature if the dough becomes too stiff to roll out.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten free pie crust, pie crust, flakey gluten free pie crust, easy gluten free pie crust
Danica
I made this crust for both of my Thanksgiving pies. Overall the flavor was great but it was difficult to roll out without it falling apart. I followed the directions to a T making sure everything was cold, used my food processor and everything. Like I said, it was good, but very crumbly and hard to roll out without constantly patching.
★★★★
Loren
Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad it tasted great! Measuring the flour by weight or spoon and level will help that and rolling between two pieces of parchment paper makes rolling a breeze.