Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Ingredients

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• 1.5 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (containing rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch) Shop
• 0.5 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your GF flour blend already contains it) Shop
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar (leave out for savory pies) Shop
• 0.5 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg, cold
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar Shop
• 2-4 tbsp ice water

Instructions

1. 1 In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if using), salt, and sugar (if using).
2. 2 Scatter the cold butter cubes over the flour. Cut them in with a pastry blender or your fingertips, working quickly, until most of the butter is the size of peas with some larger, flattened pieces. Those visible pieces of butter are what make the baked crust flaky, so stop before the mixture looks like sand.
3. 3 In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the lemon juice or vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough starts to clump. Squeeze a handful: if it crumbles, add more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time until it holds together. Press the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
4. 4 If the chilled dough is too firm to roll, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Roll it between two sheets of parchment dusted with gluten-free flour into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Peel off the top sheet, flip the dough into a 9-inch pie plate, and peel off the second sheet. Press any cracks together, trim the overhang to 1/2 inch, fold it under, and press the edge flat with your fingertips. Prick the base all over with a fork and freeze the crust for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 375°F (190°C). For a double-crust or lattice pie, make two batches.
5. 5 To blind-bake, line the cold crust with parchment and fill it to the rim with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift out the parchment and weights. For a partly baked crust that goes back in the oven with a filling, such as pumpkin pie, bake 5 minutes more. For a fully baked shell for a no-bake filling, bake 12-15 minutes more, until the base is dry and golden. Cool on a wire rack before filling.

Tips & Notes

• If the dough cracks as you roll it, it is still too cold. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then press the cracks closed with your fingers. Mend small tears in the pie plate with dough scraps instead of rerolling, which warms the butter.
• Wrapped dough disks keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
• The rim browns first. If the edge is golden before the base is done, cover it with a strip of foil or a pie shield and keep baking.

Common questions