Simple gluten free pie crust

…using only historical ingredients! 

  
I made some tiny peach tarts using a recipe from Good Housewife’s Jewell, and made half of them gluten free. This crust was very easy and handled incredibly well, for both the small (in a ramekin) and mini (in a mini muffin tin) versions. 

Recipe:

• 5 oz brown rice flour
• 2 oz chestnut flour
• Pinch salt
• Optional: double pinch sugar, for sweet pies only
• 1 oz butter (or lard — Elizabethan pastry recipes tend to call for butter and this was otherwise vegetarian)
• 3/8 cup boiling water
• 1 egg

1. Mix together dry ingredients.
2. Combine the butter and boiling water (I used a kettle to heat it — you can also use more water and heat the butter and water together) until the butter is fully melted. A glass measuring cup is ideal. 
3. Add butter-water mixture to dry ingredients and mix vigorously. 
4. When cool enough to handle, add the egg and knead until it forms a smooth dough. 
5. Roll out and use as desired. Makes enough for a single standard crust. (Double recipe for a top crust.)

If you can’t find chestnut flour locally, I order mine from nuts.com. 

Author: eulalia

I'm a foodie, medievalist, crafter, and gardener living in beautiful Portland, Oregon. View all posts by eulalia