Pie Crust: Flaky, Tender, Workable, Gluten Free

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or 2 knives until it looks like small peas.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing it in with a fork, until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. There’s a wide range on the water amount because humidity affects gluten free flours greatly. I’ve had times when I only need 6 tablespoons of water and other times when I’ve needed closer to 12.

Form it into two equal sized balls. Flatten each into a disc using your hands, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Can you skip the chilling? Yes, and I have on many occasions but it does make it easier to work with if you chill it. If you’re making a lattice top please chill it first before working with it.

Roll out the dough as you normally would with any pie crust (be sure to use gluten free flour to flour your surface of course).

My no-fail way to roll out pastry dough: lay a sheet of plastic wrap down on the work surface, place one disc of dough in the center and then cover with another sheet of plastic wrap (you’ll need 2 sheets to make it big enough to roll out). Then roll it out with a rolling pin. Peel the top layer of plastic wrap off.

Next, lift the entire thing up, plastic wrap and all, and place it face down in the pie plate. I know it sounds tricky but it’s really not because this crust doesn’t fall apart any more than a gluten crust falls apart. If you lose a little piece it’s easy to repair. Then, simply, and carefully, pull off the plastic. Do the same with your top layer after adding your pie filling.

Bake according to your filling recipe’s directions.