Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 C. King Arthur Flour (KAF) brand Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix*
½ tsp. salt
8 Tbs. unsalted butter, well chilled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
8 to 10 Tbs. iced water

Instructions

Measure the KAF brand Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix into a large bowl. Whisk the salt into the gluten free flour. Make a well in the center of the mix. Using a box grater positioned over the well in the center, run the chilled butter through it to shred the butter into the well. Use a clean hand to gently toss the shredded butter into the flour mix until it is evenly distributed throughout. Add the beaten egg to the center, gently working it in with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Use a gentle hand but work quickly so as to keep the dough as flaky as possible.

Add the iced water to the center, one tablespoon at a time, working it in by hand until a moist, crumbly dough forms. The crumbles should compress in shape and stick when squeezed together. In my experience, a gluten free crust should be made with more water than a traditional pie crust, or else it will become very dry and difficult to manipulate.

Shape the dough into a large ball. Cut the ball in half, placing each half onto a sheet of parchment paper that has been sprinkled with additional gluten free all purpose flour mix. Form each half of dough into a smooth disk. Sprinkle a small amount of gluten free flour mix over each disk before covering them with another sheet of parchment paper.

Roll each disk between the parchment paper until it is 2-inches larger that the pie plate. Carefully peel off the top layer of parchment. Pick up the rolled pie crust by the under layer or parchment, center it over the pie plate, and quickly flip it over into the plate. Carefully pull the bottom layer of parchment off of the pie crust. If the crust breaks apart in a few spots, and it likely will, just pinch the dough back together in those spots.

For a Double Crust Pie – fill the bottom crust with the desired filling. Flip the second crust over the filling, and crimp the edges of the two crusts together. Vent the top crust and bake as directed by the pie recipe.

For a Single Crust Pie – Crimp the edges of the gluten free crust, as desired. Fill the crust and bake as directed by the pie recipe.

To Blind Bake a Single Crust – Crimp the edges of the gluten free crust, as desired. Freeze the crust in the pie plate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line the frozen crust with a double thickness of aluminum foil. Fill the foil with 2 cups of dried beans or ceramic pie weights. Bake the crust for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights. Continue baking for another 2 to 3 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling.

To Par-Bake a Single Crust – Crimp the edges of the gluten free crust, as desired. Freeze the crust in the pie plate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line the frozen crust with a double thickness of aluminum foil. Fill the foil with 2 cups of dried beans or ceramic pie weights. Bake the crust for 5 or 6 minutes or until crust begins to set but is not brown. Remove the foil and pie weights. Fill the pie and continue baking as directed by the recipe.

Source : allrecipes.com