The Simple Addition To Prevent Gluten-Free Pie Crust From Falling Apart
Pie is a celebration. We eat it during graduation parties, holidays, family reunions, or as a way to say "job well done" after a particularly stressful week at work. Pies can also be a celebration of their contents — spring fruits of summer's harvest, hearty meats, and divine spices. Pie, whether you prefer it sweet and stuffed with pecans, citrusy with lemon meringue, or savory like this classic chicken pot pie, they're to be enjoyed and sweet pies can be topped with whipped cream, cherries, ice cream, and butter. The pie's invention dates back to ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece and has been enjoyed worldwide for centuries (via The Library of Congress). But today, a few things stand in the way of some folks enjoying pie.
According to Science, a rising number of individuals with gluten intolerances and sensitivities are trying to navigate the culinary world. Many of these people simply avoid certain foods due to their dietary restrictions. Luckily, there is something we can do to help them enjoy pies again, and that's by adding one important ingredient to the crust!
Making a comparable crust
Making recipes gluten-free, especially baking recipes, is not always as easy as switching out all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour mix, and pie crust is no exception. Free From Heaven states that gluten-free pastries are much more delicate to work with than glutinous pastries because they are prone to cracking due to a lack of moisture, and often the solution would be to add more liquid to the gluten-free dough.
The problem with this is that pie crust can't have an excess of moisture or it loses its flaky, buttery texture. If a pie crust has too much liquid, it will become cardboard-like and unappealing (via Eating Gluten Free). Instead, Eat This, Not That recommends adding an egg to your gluten-free pie crust. To successfully make a gluten-free pie crust that won't fall apart, add one egg to your dry ingredients before adding any water. Fully combine the egg and then add only the amount of water you need to form the dough. Adding egg into the mixture before water will prevent a loose, wet crust, and the egg's protein will provide structure to your crust so that it won't fall to pieces.