Rustic Berry Pie, GF

By MaryEllen

Summer always brings with it thoughts of picnics and pie, and living gluten free shouldn’t have to change that one bit! But if you’re one of those folks who shudder at the thought of making a gluten-free pie crust, I have great news for you: the latest “fashion” in pies is the “Rustic Crust,” which simply means that even for fruit pies, only one crust is necessary.
Give this recipe a try with your favorite summer berries — here I used a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

Ingredients

• 1 1 1 cup (16 Tbs.) gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 2 2 Tbs. shortening, butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Shortening Sticks)
• 3 3 3 Tbs butter or non-dairy alternative ( e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
• 2 2 3 – 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 wash (1 egg + 1 Tbs. water) OR milk (dairy or non-dairy) for brushing on crust
• 4 4 4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries … a mixture is best
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1 1 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• to sugar or granulated sugar to sprinkle on top

Preparation

Step 1

Filling:

Wash all berries well, removing stems and leaves. Chop strawberries, then add together with other berries and remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside while rolling out crust pastry.

Pastry:

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening and butter using the flat paddle attachment on a stand mixer OR a pastry cutter. Add the water gradually to make the consistency you need to form a ball – err on the side of it being wetter rather than crumbly. Form a disc with the dough, wrap in plastic and set aside on the counter for 30 minutes while you make your filling.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

After allowing the dough to rest, roll the pastry out onto a surface dusted with gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. A flexible pastry sheet (e.g. Silpat) for that purpose works well. Roll to a diameter at least 1 inch larger than the diameter of your pie pan. Gently lift an edge of the rolled out crust using a butter knife or bench scraper. Lay the edge over your rolling pin so that it is supported by the rolling pin as you lift the crust onto your pie plate. Gently pat into shape and allow the excess crust to lay over the edge of the pie plate until the top crust is finished. (For more tips on how to transfer rolled pastry, watch my pie crust making video!)

Fill the pie with mixed fruit filling, then gently fold the crust edges over toward the center of the pie.

Line the oven rack below the crust with aluminum foil to prevent dripping onto the oven floor. Brush the crust with beaten egg or milk of choice to help brown the crust as it bakes; cover crust with foil to prevent over-drying.

Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and brush top with egg wash or milk again. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and bake for another 35 minutes, or until filling is thickened and bubbly and the crust is lightly browned. Remove to cool on a wire rack and sprinkle pie lightly with sugar (optional).

Serve warm with or without ice cream.