3 Ways to Make Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry

Directions

FOR THE CLASSIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY:

1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl (as well as the xanthan gum, only if your flour blend doesn’t already contain it).
2. Add the butter (cold, straight out of the fridge) and mix with your hands until you reach a crumb like texture.
3. Add the egg and mix with a spoon until the dough starts to come together and then wet your hands slightly (to prevent sticking) and knead the dough until you reach a smooth ball.
4. The pastry will be quite sticky and unmanageable at this point so wrap it up in cling film or store in a container and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it more solid.
5. Take it out of the freezer, dust some flour over your work surface as well as on top of your pastry dough and carefully roll it out.
6. Use according to the recipe you’re making.

FOR THE YOGHURT SHORTCRUST PASTRY:

1. Just like the classic shortcrust pastry above, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add the butter (it needs to be cold, straight out of the fridge) and mix with your hands until you reach a crumb like texture.
2. Then beat an egg in a separate bowl and carefully pour half in the pastry (keep the other half to use as egg wash later on).
3. Add the yoghurt and stir with a spoon or spatula until the dough start to come together and then knead with your hands (slightly wet them first to prevent sticking) until you have a smooth dough ball.
4. Note: if the dough is way too sticky and hard to manage, add more flour (just a tiny bit at a time) until you can form a sticky but manageable dough ball.
5. Same as above, the pastry will still be too sticky to use at this point so wrap it up or place it in a container and freeze for about 30 minutes to make it more solid and manageable.
6. Lightly flour your work surface and knead the chilled dough until smooth, then sprinkle some more flour on top and roll the pastry with a rolling pin.
7. Use according to the recipe you’re making.

FOR THE COCONUT SHORTCRUST PASTRY:

1. Mix the coconut flour, xanthan gum, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.
2. Add cold butter (still solid, but preferably left to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes) and mix with your hands
3. Add the 2 eggs and mix with your hands, kneading until you have a smooth dough ball.
4. Then add one or two teaspoons of warm water and keep kneading the dough until smooth. It shouldn’t be overly sticky, but it also shouldn’t be so dry that the pastry is impossible to roll without cracking all over the place. Feel free to add more water (1 teaspoon at a time) if necessary.
5. Lightly flour your work surface and sprinkle a bit on top of the dough as well to prevent sticking. Note: be careful not to put too much as it could make the dough too dry. If that happens, don’t worry, just add a tiny bit of water to the dough and restart.
6. Carefully roll the dough as thin as possible and correct any cracks with your fingers as you go along (especially around the edges). Note: as I said above, if the dough is dry and unmanageable, this is a sign that you need to add more water.
7. Use according to the recipe you’re making.

HOW TO ROLL YOUR PASTRY:

1. Dust your work surface with a generous amount of flour, add a handful of pastry (rolled into a ball) and sprinkle extra flour on top. Note: I like to work on a non-stick silicone mat or baking paper.
2. Flatten the pastry with your hands first and smooth the sides a little if necessary. Move it about to make sure it’s not sticking, then take over with a rolling pin and roll until it’s very thin (about half a cm thick). Sprinkle a bit of flour on top at any point if it’s too sticky.
3. To pick up the pastry without it breaking, a good trick is to wrap it around the rolling pin.
4. Grease whatever baking dish/tin you’re using with butter, place the pastry over and carefully squish it in place, then trim the edge.
5. Poke holes all over the bottom with a fork. This will help prevent your shortcrust pastry from puffing up.
6. Finally brush a bit of egg white all over the pastry.
7. Bake your shortcrust pastry alone at 180C (355F) for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
8. Then proceed according to whatever recipe you’re making. 🙂