BEST GLUTEN FREE FLOUR MIX FOR PIE
(my current fav, too!)
Yay! I have a new Gluten Free Flour Mix Recipe for you! This one is fabulous and uses a few less flours than this one. My new pie making friend Becca Knox has shared her flour mix with me which I’ve tweaked a bit and I find it to be super wonderful! I still like my original, too, but since I will be using this new one in an upcoming recipe, I want to share the mix with you now.
It’s simple and easy to make! Double or triple the recipe so that you have plenty on hand so you’ll be ready when the urge to make a pie comes upon you. I always try to have some marked and dated in my freezer.
ART OF THE PIE® BEST GLUTEN FREE FLOUR MIX
2 cups tapioca starch
2 cups cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
2 cups Mochiko sweet mochi rice flour or Bob’s Red Mill sweet white rice flour
And, I’m putting it in recipe form so you can print it out as well.
Here is the recipe for my Best Gluten Free Pie Dough. Be sure to read through the complete directions since working with GF doughs is very different than “Gluten-Full” doughs.
Art of the Pie Best Gluten Free Flour Mix for Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups tapioca starch
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup potato starch
- 2 cups Mochiko sweet mochi rice flour or Bob's Red Mill sweet white rice flour
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together well in a big bowl.
- Store in a glass jar or other storage container of your choice.
- Makes 7 cups.
Feel like I need someone to hold my hand and show me how to find all this stuff at the store, or in my backyard, or at least in my neighbor’s cupboard. Help!
Well, hopefully it will be fairly easy for you to find and gather the flour and starches. I should have mentioned that in what I wrote so thanks for the question.
I use Bob’s Red Mill for the starches and then go to the Asian food section for the sweet rice flour. The brand I use is Mochiko and it comes in a white one pound box.
If there is a natural foods grocery near you, I think you will be able to find everything. And, I’m seeing bags of Bob’s products in a lot of mainstream groceries now, too!
Wow. That is so helpful. I really do not spend much time at all in stores. I am vaguely aware that there are different kinds of flour and starches. I have flour in my freezer that has been there for an undefinable amount of time. I can get intimidated very easily at any kind of a recipe that is not straight forward. Thank you for answering so promptly. You have given me the courage to try this.
I send you a bouquet of flours.
My guess is that today I’ll be making up a batch of Kate’s GF flour – I bought the ingredients in December and it’s time to get boxes and bags off the counter!
Kate,
I am interested in knowing what the trade off is between gluten free and regular pie crust. I am guessing it is very tender since there is no gluten, but what other differences are there? Is gluten free a little easier to make?
Thanks
Patty
Patty- Great question. Although one would think that GF would be easier, I have found it to be more challenging as there is no gluten to hold the dough together as there is with traditional gluten-full dough. It is necessary to add something that will hold the dough together. Some use the gums, guar or xanthan, neither of which I use. Egg works well for me. Also, I find rolling out a GF dough to be completely different. A GF dough is softer and can fall apart. But, if it does, one just gathers it all back into a ball, and after a little chill out time, begins again!
Is the mochi rice flour marked as gluten-free or known to be processed on gluten-free equipment? Once in awhile I run into Asian products that seem harmless (like rice) but have been contaminated because of the way they’re made. Thanks.
I use Koda Farms Mochiko flour. If you look at their website, you can see if their standards meet yours! http://www.kodafarms.com/product_glutenfree.html
Sounds like they’re all over it and the product is in fact GF. Thanks for the info. and for posting the link!
My pleasure!
Is there a substitute for the potato flour? My son’s allergic.
Hi Joe- Potato flour really adds the fluffy-ness to the crust. If you substituted more starch it would get too tough. What about trying a bit of millet flour or oat flour and see what happens.
Your recipe calls for potato starch flour. From what I’ve read, potato starch and potato flour are not one in the same. Are you referring to the starch?
Yes, I am referring to the starch. Thanks for your eagle eye in catching that! I’ll make the change on the recipe right now.
chocolate or chocolate espresso pie, Gluten Free
Those pies sound rich and delicious, Margaret. For the most part I make seasona fruit pies but I’m already thinking of ways to adapt these so that they could be dairy free, too.
Can the sweet mochi rice flour be swapped for anything or is it a necessity in the recipe? I have a super tight budget and not a lot of access to products like this but still REALLY want to try this recipe out! It sounds fantastic! Would any other type of rice flour work? Something perhaps by Bob’s Red Mill brand like sweet white rice, etc? I’m open to any and all suggestions 😀
Yes, you should use it. I’ve found boxes for as low a price as $.99/each at my local independent market that has a terrific section of oriental ingredients. Bob’s Red Mill also offers sweet rice flour as you know.
I use this mix for most all of my GF pie doughs along with egg, a bit of a good artisan apple cider vinegar, water, and fats. I make it in the food processor rather than by hand. It has a very VERY soft consistency but chills up well although much softer than a traditional gluten-full dough. It kind if reminds me of the squishy look of a well-known “dough boy”. I never touch this dough directly with my hands but use sheets of plastic between me and it both in the rolling and getting it into the pan. Roll it with a very tender touch and DO NOT ROLL TOO THIN! If the fats get warm when rolling, gather the dough back up in a ball, wrap in plastic, chill again in fridge or 5-10 minutes in the freezer even, and begin again. I use the sweet white rice flour to dust the dough for rolling out, too.
Ahhh! Thank you so much!!! This helps a lot! Unfortunately I live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of food stores that sell products like this but I do have access to Bob’s Red Mill flours. So I’ll definitely be picking up some sweet white rice flour on my next trip to the food store. Super excited to make this 🙂 I’ve been craving a gluten free pie dough that actually works! And I have a really good feeling about this one ^.^
Use plastic wrap and a very light touch when rolling, and remember NOT TOO THIN.
Be Happy, Make Pie!
Hi. Just stumbled onto your recipe/blog…
Gluten free and dairy free for over 5 years…
I also avoid corn starch and tapioca starch. Do you have any suggestions for substitutions for either of these? Would arrow root starch work in place of corn starch?
I am not sure what would replace tapioca starch.
Thanks so much
I don’t think arrowroot would work. But you might try experimenting with Jeanne Sauvage’s flour mix and substituting millet for the tapioca. (I haven’t done this myself.) http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/
Or Shauna Ahearn’s Gluten Free Flour Mix. http://glutenfreegirl.com/2012/07/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix/ http://artofthepie.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form
I’ve just recently stopped consuming wheat flour–a difficult adjustment since my favorite past time is baking. I was very happy to see you had gluten free recipes in “Art of the Pie” (my favorite pie cookbook hands down). I have not tried making a gluten free dough yet as the handling and rolling instructions seem a bit daunting. Do you have a video instruction available? I’ve looked and haven’t found one.
No video but many have made the GF dough using the very detailed instructions in the book with great success.