This recipe puts together a few of my recipes I’ve tested over the years plus some methods I have read about on the internet.  It ends up being a very tasty and flaky pie/tart /crust!

Pie Dough Flour Mix – No substitutions
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup fine rice flour
1 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 1/4 cup tapioca flour
Mix together in large bowl. Set aside.

Gluten Free Pie Dough Recipe
325 grams (approx 2 12 cups)  Pie Dough Flour Mix (above)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tablespoon sugar – optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine or butter  * I like to use half butter and half margarine. (DO NOT USE                                                           LARD – it totally changes the taste and texture)**
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons cold water
METHOD:
Place 325 grams of the flour mixture into your food processor mixing bowl.  Add the xanthan gum, sugar and salt. Pulse twice.  Cut the cold margarine or butter into chunks.  Add to flour mixture. Short pulse 8-10 times in food processor.  Add vinegar.  Short pulse 3-5 times.  Add the 4 tablespoons cold water.  Short pulse 8-10 times.  Open lid.  Press the crumbs together with your fingers.  If it can be pressed together it has enough water.  If not add up to 1 more tablespoon – no more.  Place the crumb mixture into a zip lock bag and let sit on counter for 30-60 minutes. This hydrates the flour mixture.  Or if the room is warm/hot place in fridge for an hour.  Mixture will hydrate as it sits in zip lock bag and can then be formed into 2 balls of dough.  Roll out for your pie tops and bottoms.  Or use your Birds Hill Enterprises pie machine or tart press to form into pies or tarts.  For a two crust pie bake at 400 for 10 minutes reducing heat to 375 for 40 – 50 minutes or until filling bubbles.  Bake on lowest rack of oven.  For tarts bake on center rack in oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

**I have tried LARD numerous times in my gluten free pie making and for some reason it does not work well at all.  It seems to coat the gluten free flours differently and does not give a nice texture or taste to the pie dough.  The exact recipe made with butter or margarine is 100 times better! Trust me on this one as in my days of baking pies made with wheat all purpose flour I always used lard and found it made the best pies – not so with gluten free pie dough.** All margarine makes a crunchier crust – all butter makes it great with crisp and yet tender.  Depends on what you like best.

Tart Press for fluted Tart Shells

Pie Machine – forms your dough into pie pans