The Baking Edition - Issue #42

Gluten Free Pie Crust

That first Thanksgiving and Christmas was kind of sad, I'm not going to lie. No apple pie and no pecan pie. Apple pie is my favorite. Pecan pie is my second favorite. The second year, I started experimenting with various gluten free, vegan pie crust recipes. They were sad, abject failures. The third year, I found the holy grail of gluten free pie crust recipes. It actually tasted...amazing.

I will warn you ahead of time, that this is a fussy recipe. I have gone on to modify it a bit after using it multiple times. If I were you, though, I would follow the directions to the letter the first few times just so you get the hang of it. It is also difficult to get this crust from the counter top into the pie pan without it falling apart. Just resign yourself to the fact that it won't be as pretty as a regular crust. Also, roll out the dough on parchment or wax paper. That helps a ton. Gluten free baking is...challenging. And regular gluten pie crusts can be challenging at the best of times. But this challenging pie crust is so worth it. I promise. Friends of mine don't even realize it's gluten free when they eat it.

So, without further ado, follow the link below for the best gluten free pie crust recipe known to mankind:

This Gluten Free Vegan Pie Crust Recipe is so easy to make and it turns out Light & Flakey. Perfect for either Sweet or Savory Pies & It's Egg Free!

I would order the various flours on Amazon she recommends to create her flour blend rather than using any old gluten free flour blend you have on hand.

Butterscotch Brownies

Back when I was thirteen or fourteen, I used to make the most amazing butterscotch brownies/blondies using my mom's old Bettie Crocker recipe. Heavenly. I have been missing those so much. Since the discovery of goat butter (one of our grocery chains carries Meyenburg goat butter) and the addition of A2 dairy and duck eggs, I have been having so much success switching out gluten free flour for regular flour. It turns out, gluten free baking is soooooo much easier when you can have eggs. So for this recipe, I simply subbed gluten free flour for regular flour and it turned out great. They weren't exactly as good as those blondies of old, but they were delicious and chewy even so. I did notice, they were chewier once they had completely cooled. Just a little note in case you are disappointed with the texture while they're still warm, as I was.

I am lucky enough to have received the recipe box of my husband's Grandma. It is stuffed full of handwritten recipes, ones cut from magazines, and ones typed on index cards. I am making a point to go through it and see what I can find to make. When we were invited to a family…

Lemon Scones and Fluffy Biscuits

This one's a two-fer. Once again, I took a normal lemon scone recipe, and with some fear and trembling, simply subbed the gluten free flour and left everything else the same. (Well, I used A2 milk and a duck egg, but you know what I mean.) Guys, they were amazing. After my sister-in-law made them a couple weeks later (and she is by no means a gluten free baking veteran), I realized this recipe was so durable, I might also be able to modify it to make regular biscuits. It worked. The biscuits were fluffy, didn't fall apart, and had a wonderful texture and flavor.

So, to make the scones, just use gluten free flour in place of wheat flour. (I like King Arthur gluten free flour blend the best, but Bob's Red Mill is also really good.)

To make the biscuits, omit the sugar (I think I maybe left 2-3 tablespoons in), lemon zest and vanilla. Use buttermilk in place of whole milk. Press the dough with your hands to about an inch thick, cut into rounds and bake! Voila! The best gluten free biscuits I've ever had.

This is the Best Lemon Scone Recipe around! These easy lemon scones are buttery, moist, and perfectly balanced with fresh lemon flavors.

Keep in Touch

If any of you try these recipes, be sure to let me know how they went. I really hope these recipes, especially the pie crust recipe, help make your Thanksgiving and Christmas extra bright and jolly.

And as a last quick thought, if you can't tolerate any dairy at all, I have found that oat milk and Earth Balance can work really well as milk and butter substitutes. If eggs are a problem, try a flax egg. You just mix up one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons of warm water, let it thicken and then add to your recipe. If a recipe calls for just one egg, that often works quite well. With two eggs that substitution is iffy and with three eggs, usually a disaster. Word to the wise.

That's all for now. Until next time, folks...