Basic Pastry Crust for Single or Double-Crust
M A K E S O N E 9 - I N C H D O U B L E - C R U S T P I E C R U S T
O R T W O 9 - I N C H S I N G L E - C R U S T P I E C R U S T S
This will be your go-to crust for any pie that calls for a pastry crust. Keep a supply of Sorghum Blend on hand so you're always ready to bake a pie crust. It is very simple to work with and is very soft, supple, and pliable, so it drapes over the pie pan easily. If it does break, simply press the tear with your fingers to mend it. If you only need enough pie dough for a single-crust pie, freeze the remaining half for another pie.
1 cup Sorghum Blend
¾ cup tapioca flour
½ cup sweet rice flour
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon guar gum
½ teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup shortening, such as Crisco or Spectrum Vegetable, or buttery sticks, such as Earth Balance*
½ cup 1% milk (cow's, rice, soy, potato, or nut)
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash (optional)
Directions
1 Place the sorghum blend, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, xanthan gum, guar gum, salt, baking soda, and shortening in a food processor and process until crumbly. Add the milk and vinegar and process until the dough forms a ball. If it doesn't form a ball, use a spatula to break up the dough into pieces and process again, scraping down sides if necessary.
Remove the dough from the food processor and knead with your hands until smooth. Shape the dough into two 1-inch-thick disks, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
For a Single-Crust Pie:
2 Massage a disk of dough between your hands until it is warm and pliable, making the crust easier to handle. With a rolling pin, roll to a 10-inch circle between two pieces of heavy-duty plastic wrap dusted with rice flour. (Use a damp paper towel between ountertop and plastic wrap to anchor plastic.) Move the rolling pin from the center of the dough to the outer edge, moving around the circle in clockwise fashion to assure uniform thickness.
3 Remove the top plastic wrap and invert the crust, centering it over a 9-inch nonstick (gray, not black) pie pan. Remove the remaining plastic wrap and press into place. Trim the edges to an even overhang all around the pan. Shape a decorative edge around rim of pan if you are making a single-crust pie. If not, leave the over-hang in place.
For a Double-Crust Filled Pie
4 Follow Steps 1, 2, and 3. Add filling as directed in your recipe. Roll remaining disk of dough to a 10-inch circle, invert, and center on the filled crust. Do not remove the top plastic wrap until the dough is centered. Trim the top crust to the same over-hang as bottom crust. Press the two crusts together and shape a decorative edge around rim of pan. Freeze 15 minutes. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Prick the top crust several times with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Place the pan on a nonstick baking sheet.
5 Place a rack in the bottom position and another in the middle position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375ºF oven. Bake 15 minutes to brown bottom crust. Move to middle position and bake 25 to 35 minutes more or until the top crust is nicely browned. Cover loosely with foil if the edges brown too much. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
*Nonhydrogenated shortenings, by Spectrum Vegetable or Earth Balance, are available at natural food stores.
