The only shortcrust pastry recipe you’ll ever need for your GF pies and tarts! This simple dough makes a perfectly soft and light gluten-free sweet pastry, that can easily be made dairy-free too.
If you’re a seasoned gluten-free eater you may well have experienced the disappointment of a bad gluten-free pastry. A tough, floury texture or a dough that falls apart might sound all too familiar. If this is the case, you’re in the right place. After a lot of testing I think I’ve cracked the perfect gluten-free sweet pastry – hurray! This soft, buttery homemade shortcrust is great as a pie or tart crust, and you’ll only need a few simple ingredients to whip it up. And the recipe can also easily be tweaked to make it dairy-free.
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Here are the ingredients you’ll need
- Gluten-free plain flour (I use Dove Farm)
- Unsalted butter (or a dairy-freealternative)
- Xanthan gum
- Light brown sugar
- Salt
- An egg
How to make the gluten-free shortcrust pastry dough
The first step is to rub together butter and flour to make a breadcrumb-like mixture. Then xanthan gum, salt, and sugar are whisked through. Next, egg and water are mixed through until everything comes together into a dough. The dough needs to be chilled for 30 minutes before it’s rolled out and ready to bake.
How to put the pastry into the pie tin
Once the chilled pastry has been rolled out to about 3-5mm thickness, it can be laid over the top of the pie tin. Don’t worry if there are a few small cracks at this point as you can smooth them out as you shape the pastry into the tin. Use your hands to push the pastry against the sides and base of the tin so the dough closely lines it, then simply slice away any overhang with a knife. Prick the base a few times with a fork and it’s ready for the blind bake. Here, baking paper is laid over the past,y and baking beans are placed on top in an even layer, to weigh down the pastry and keep the base flat as the pastry bakes.
Is there an alternative to baking beans?
If you don’t have baking beans, no worries! There are a few simple alternatives that you’ll likely have in the cupboard already. Dry rice, lentils, or beans will all work great. Pour them in and spread them out in a nice even layer to completely cover the base of the tin. Just make sure to discard these after usingthem as they’ll no longer be suitable for cooking.
How do you make gluten-free dough less crumbly?
In ‘normal’ (muggle ðŸ¤) pastry dough, gluten is what gives that elastic texture and helps to stick everything together. That’s why some gluten-free doughs can be a little crumbly and hard to work with. In this recipe, we use both egg and xanthan gum which help to bind the ingredients together and add that elasticity back in. The result is a soft, slightly sticky dough that’s easy to work with and most importantly won’t crumble into pieces before your eyes!
How do you keep the gluten-free pastry from going hard?
Another common problem with some gluten-free shortcrust is the texture. Let’s just say it can often be tougher than desired! I’ve found that the magic ingredient to combat this is brown sugar as it gives a softer, melt-in-the-mouth texture to the pastry, whilst also adding sweetness and a little caramel flavor. Another top tip is to be careful not to overbake the pastry as cooking for too long will result in a much firmer, crisper pie crust.
Can I skip the xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is an important ingredient when it comes to ggluten-freepastry. It helps to replace the elastic texture that gluten would usually give, so definitely don’t skip this here! Xanthan gum can be found in the free-from section of many large supermarkets.
Which is the best gluten-free flour to bake pastry with?
You’ll need to use a gluten-free flour blend that has been designed to replace standard gluten-containing plain flour. This is usually made up of a blend of flours such as rice, tapioca, maize, and potato. I generally use the Doves Farm plain flour. Single-sourcee flours such as almond or coconut have different properties and will not give the same result!
Storing and freezing your gluten-free sweet pastry
If you’d like to make the dough in advance, it can be wrapped up and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, pop it back in the fridge and leave overnight.
The cooked pie crust will also keep well for up to 2 days in the fridge. Again make sure to wrap it in foil or cling film to prevent it from drying out.
I hope you’ll agree that this easy homemade pastry makes the ultimate gluten-free pie crust! If you give the recipe a try, make sure to let me know how you got on by leaving a comment and rating below.
Please note that nutritional information is based on estimated quantities and therefore not always 100% accurate.
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