I’ve got some friends who, when they first found out that they had a gluten intolerance, were gutted. They didn’t think they’d be able to eat the same delicious baked goods as they had before. I explained that over the last 5-10 years there has been a real recognition of the need for gluten-free ingredients, so it wasn’t as disastrous as they might think! A great example of that is this really versatile and yummy gluten-free pastry recipe. Use it for pretty much anything you would have used ‘normal’ pastry for – pies, quiches, tarts, savoury or sweet treats.
Here we cover the basic ‘entry-level’ shortcrust gluten-free pastry recipe – what you do with it is up to you!
This recipe should make enough pastry for 8 people, takes about 10 minutes to prep and, if you were using it in a quiche for example, will require 25 mins baking,
Ingredients
- 350g (12oz) gluten-free plain flour
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (a popular food thickener)
- 150g (6oz) unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
Method
First measure the sieve the gluten-free flour and xanthan gum into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips – yes you have to get messy for this one!
Do this until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, and you’ve worked any large lumps out.
Add the eggs and mix to form a soft dough.
Place the dough on a lightly floured (gluten-free, don’t forget!) surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to the size required – in this example, for a quiche, you would line the baking tray with the pastry. Leave the raw pastry in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
Line the raw pastry case with some greaseproof or parchment paper, and using baking beans, bake ‘blind’ for about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and take out the baking beans and the parchment paper.
You now have a gluten-free pastry ‘case’ to fill with your favourite ingredients for a pie or a quiche. After filling bake for around 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Take out and enjoy!
Equipment needed for this recipe:
Ceramic Baking Beans
This is a brilliant thickening and binding ingredient which is worth keeping in the cupboard for occasions such as this, making gluten-free baked goods. You will use less than cornflour but achieve the same result, it thickens almost immediately (so take care!) and doesn’t taste grainy. It helps to bind low carb and keto flours together when baking, and is itself gluten-free.
Rolling Pin
This rolling pin weighs 450g and is made from European Beechwood. It has a revolving centre, which means you hold the handles and the centre pin almost rolls by itself. With a decent weight to the pin, almost no downward pressure is needed. Has a long lifespan and constructed with high quality standards. The rolling pin is eco-friendly, untreated (no nasty chemicals) and made in Europe from local wood. Wood has naturally antibacterial properties, and the rolling pin is hygienic, food-grade and doesn’t absorb smells.
Gluten-Free Xanthan Gum
When baking pastry, as in the above recipe, baking beans (funny name!) are used for ‘blind-baking’ the pastry. This helps to prevent shrinkage and blistering, and allows for an even distribution of the heat. The pasty should come out crisp and even. This pack of ceramic baking beans contains 700g and will cover most standard-sized 8”-10” pastry cases with no problems. They are also environmentally friendly, as they can be used again and again! Wash (by hand, not dishwasher), dry and store safely.
