Enjoying a slice of pie is the perfect ending to a delightful summer meal. Many people with Celiac think this is a forbidden pastime…well, think again. Making delicious gluten-free pies your whole family will enjoy is just within your reach. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Open Face Pie

The obvious challenge is the crust. Over the years we have experimented with many different gluten-free pie crusts.  The big key is patience.  Gluten-free pie crusts can be difficult to roll out due to the consistency….but it is possible and there are some tips to make it easier.  We have found if you roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper (lightly coated with gluten-free flour) it helps the dough roll out smooth and you can then remove the top layer of wax paper, invert onto the pie dish  and peel off the bottom layer.

Another challenge is choosing the right gluten-free flour.  We have had success with The Gluten Free Pantry’s Country French Bread flour mix (using it just like you would all purpose flour) and have also had success with Jules All Purpose Flour.  Below is a great recipe for a basic pie crust:

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup gf flour
6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

Directions:

Place the gf flour and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter and shortening into the flour and salt mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and mix just until incorporated. Continue to add more ice water as needed, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a smooth dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Peach Pie

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out the pastry between two sheets of lightly gluten-free floured wax paper.  Roll the pastry to a large round, about 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to a deep 9-inch pie dish, trim to within 1/2 inch of the pan, and crimp decoratively. You may find that the outer edges will break off before you can fold them under and crimp - just use excess dough and press onto the outer edge to form and even edge then crimp. Prick with a fork, cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bake for 15-30 minutes or until light brown in color. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Fill with your favorite pie filling.

Strawberry Rhubarb Open Face Pie

If you prefer not to use a traditional pie crust you can also use a cookie crust with great results as well. Try our Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies as a great base for a cookie crust. We have also had great results with Pamela’s Shortbread Cookies. Just simply place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add about 1 tablespoon of canola oil and pulse until blended. Press cookie mixture into a greased pie pan and fill with your favorite filling.

Make your summer dessert menu complete with one of these delicious pies:

Blueberry Pie with Almond Crumble
Blackberry Crisp Pie
Blueberry Sour Cream Pie
Cherry Lattice Pie
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Mixed Berry Pie
Peach Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Open Face Pie

Enjoy!

- Chef Jessica

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