Give Yourself Extra Time To Make Gluten-Free Pie Dough. Here's Why
With the clocks racing toward the holidays, it's officially time to start prepping those festive pie dishes. With endless variations out there, it can be hard to pin down exactly what considerations you need to take into account, especially if you're baking for someone with a dietary requirement. Creating a perfect gluten-free crust can be daunting but the key to achieving those tender flakes we all dream of is simple. Never rush your dough.
Gluten-free pie doughs can be harder to work with than conventional ones due to a number of factors. Gluten is made up of two types of proteins that bind together and provide support for doughs and batters. When you take it away, crusts can lose shape and crumble. Gluten-free flours are also more absorbent, leading to stickier doughs that can be harder to roll out. Rest is particularly important in order to combat all of these factors, as is temperature. Not only does your butter need to be cold to make a good gluten-free pie crust, but you also need to give your dough time to chill before rolling.
For better pie crust, you need to chill out
Pie crusts get their flaky texture from the butter you cut into the batter, which remains in small chunks throughout mixing. The chunks steam during baking to create pockets of air and evaporate into layers, so you want your butter to be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit when you add it to your pie dough.
To keep it cold once mixed in, you need to chill the dough after it's come together. Simply pat it up into a ball and wrap it before putting it into the fridge for at least an hour. This is actually recommended for all pie doughs to help them maintain their structure in baking. Since this is one of the things bakers struggle with most when working with gluten-free doughs, don't skip this step.
After chilling, take the dough out and let it rest for around 10 minutes to make it easier to roll. Bake according to your recipe and enjoy. It might take a little longer when you add these extra steps, but patience will help your gluten-free pie crust, and nerves, remain intact.