when i was asked to create a gluten and dairy free pie crust recipe for food 52, i was super pumped! i had been playing around with gluten-free pastry dough for quite some time, but never had the guts to post about it because it can be a somewhat divisive subject; some people stick to age old recipes, others have specific techniques on cutting the butter/oil with a pastry cutter, two knives or using their fingers, etc. so, not wanting to piss people off, i refrained from posting a recipe (because sometimes food bloggers can bear the brunt of some people's deep dark creepy thoughts in the comment section).
just some things i found helpful:
- using a food processor merely butters the coconut oil, making the dough too wet to add all the water that is needed.
- refrigerating the coconut oil in flat disk help to make sure that it's cold throughout, then chop into chunks with a sharp knife.
- i found that using a pastry cutter gets the coconut oil into the perfect sized chunks; just small enough that they're not creamed into the dough, but also aren't too big that the dough around it falls apart.
- the amount of water used always varies - for whatever reason. just remember, you can always add more water at another time, but you can never take back the liquid, so be careful here.
- use lots of dusting flour! lots. i really like sorghum here because it has a super smooth texture.
- and, an angled pie pan works best too; a lip with a 45 degree angle, as opposed to one with a 90 degree angle, is best because less cracks ensue.
like i said, pie dough is touchy subject, so i merely provide you with the basics of what i've found to be the best pie dough and crust, that i ever thought was possible - flaky and light, crumbly but sturdy, and most importantly, full of flavor!
head on over to food 52 for the complete recipe! xo