Tempt your guests with sweet slices that skip butter, cream and nuts but go long on flavor. Use either crust, for instance, as a base for our Dairy-free Cran-Apple Crumble Pie or Lime in the Coconut Cream Pie. Photos: Andrew Grinton
Easy Oil Pie Crust
Makes one 9-inch pie
Free of all top allergens, except wheat
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp grapeseed, rice bran or canola oil
- 1/4 cup cold water, plus additional if needed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
- Add oil and water to flour mixture and stir until dough forms. If the dough is too dry, and doesn’t come together when pinched, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed.
- Bring dough together with your hands into a ball. Roll dough out or press it into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp edge.
Flaky Coconut Oil Variaton
After step 1, whisk 6 tablespoons solid coconut oil (may substitute palm shortening) into the dry mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add cold water until the dough comes together. Continue with step 3.
To Bake
Place parchment paper square in pie crust and lightly press against bottom and side. Add pie weights (e.g. dried beans) until 2/3 full. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake for 20 minutes. Lift paper with pie weights out of crust. Bake 10-20 minutes, or until crust is golden.
Blind baking (without a filling) works best with the Flaky Coconut Oil Variation.
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Makes one 9-inch pie
Free of gluten and all top allergens
Ingredients
1 cup superfine white rice flour
1/4 cup sweet white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tbsp tapioca starch
2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp palm shortening
1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from can of chickpeas)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together rice flours, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, xanthan gum and salt. Add shortening and whisk until crumbs form. Add aquafaba and stir until the dough comes together.
- Place dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out to about 2 inches bigger than pie pan.
- Peel off top sheet of parchment paper. Flip crust into a 9-inch pie pan and peel off remaining parchment paper. Carefully press dough into pan and patch any tears. Crimp edge as desired.
To Bake
Preheat oven to 375° F. Prick bottom of crust several times with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes.
Related:
Dairy-Free Cran-Apple Crumble Pie
Gluten-Free Dutch Apple Pie with Streusel Topping
Allergic Living’s Ultimate Allergy-Friendly Festive Feast
