Food

Gluten Free Apple Pie Recipe

I've been working on this pie for a while now trying to get a pie that's quick(er) to make and gluten and soy free for my wifey. I posted a picture on the Facebook and people were asking about how to make it so I figured I would quickly jot down ingredients and instructions! Yay! Here's what you'll need:


Probably less than, but I would have on hand at least 3 cups of oatmeal flour. I was going to list the ingredients right there, but let's chat about flour for a second. I've learn through experimentation that oatmeal flour is the best gluten free flour out there. It bakes well and tastes great. It does give a bit of an oatmeal flavor to your baked goods - but is that bad? Bob's Mill products you can get at the store have an all purpose gluten free flour that is mostly garbanzo beans and starch. This one you really cant tell the difference taste-wise, but it makes you fart a lot.


There's debate on the interweb whether or not regular oatmeal is gluten free... I would think that it is, but there is possibility of cross-contamination from the factory that it is milled, rolled or manufactured in. Seeing that my wifey doesn't like the reactions that gluten gives her (chest pain, limb numbness, no fun) we don't take chances. We buy Bob's Mill "Gluten Free" Rolled Quick Oats. Then we mill it into flour ourselves. You can get a mill that literally pulverizes the oats into flour for about $200. You may have peed a little just now reading that, but if you use a lot of flour of different kinds, you'll save money in the long run. Last time I bought gluten flour for myself, it was like $7 anyway! What!? I'd rather make some gluten oatmeal flour for like $2! Anyhow, here's the mill that we use:


http://www.amazon.com/Blendtec-52-601-BHM-Kitchen-60-Ounce-Electric/dp/B002LLOKBG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1358041881&sr=8-5&keywords=flour+mill


If I'm making a flour to bake with, I now use 3:1 oatmeal flour and corn or potato starch respectively. Then I toss about a teaspoon of xanthan gum in to keep it from crumbling once baked. BUT, for making a quick crust, all I've used in flour, butter and water if needed.


So then, you will need for the crust:

• > 3 cups oatmeal flour


• 1 stick of butter


• pinch of water maybe


• 1 cup of sugar

Now for the compote:

• about 8 apples


• another cup of sugar


• 2 tbls cinnamon


• 2 tbls nutmeg


• 2 cups of water


• 2 tbls starch

CRUST


Making crust is kind of an art that you can't really screw up too badly. I usually will let a stick of butter sit out for a while to get soft, then put in about 2 cups of flour in it to start. Wash your hands and kneed it together (take of any rings, that's gross!). It should mix and look like crumbles at first but in a few minutes of kneeding it should make a ball. If it doesn't make a ball, add a teaspoon at a time of cold water until it does. If it is sticky at all, add more flour. I read on another recipe site that when you can poke it with your finger and it doesn't crack up too much, that's when it's good. I think that if you can ball it up and there isn't much in the bowl when you pick up the ball, that's when you know you're done. Sprinkle some flour on a dry cutting board and rub some on a dry rolling pin.


Take a quarter of your dough ball out of the ball and put it back in the bowl. The remaining 3/4 of the ball, roll it back up to a ball, slap that puppy down on the cutting board with a bang (get's out frustration!) and flatten it a little with your hands. Sprinkle some flour on top of the ball and roll it out with the pin. If you don't have a pin, you can use your hands, but it will take a while. When it's rolled out to about 1/4 inch thick, take a spatula (as wide as you can find) and carefully slip it under your flattened crust. Rice flour crusts break apart really easily, but I've been really happy with oatmeal flour, but it can (and will) break apart a whole lot easier than regular flour crust so don't get too frustrated if it does all break apart.


COMPOTE


I usually will cook the apples while I'm doing the crust to save time, but if this is your first time, I would do them separately so that you don't feel rushed. Peel up the apples and chop them up into bite size pieces. Using a corer is a great idea. Put the apples in a large sauce pan and add the water. The amount of water can vary as it will reduce as you cook it and apple juice will be naturally added to it, but you do want to have some liquid in it when the apples are done. Add the seasonings; we usually just use sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon, but you can also use ginger, cloves, anything else you want to, it's your pie ;)


Stir often! you have to cook them evenly or you will wind up with half your apples tough and half your apples applesauce! Cook the apples until they are just about soft all the way through. Then before you reduce the heat, whip up the corn or potato starch with some cold water and pour into the mixture and start stirring. I usually will mix in half of the starch water and see how well that thickens and add more if need be. You should keep stirring the apples watching for it to thicken in a few minutes of stirring.


Just before it is think to your liking, reduce heat and pour that deliciousness into the pie crust. For the crumbles, use the leftover crust that you have (that other quarter ball) and mix in about a cup of sugar and kneed it up. It should turn into crumbles; worst case, a dry mixture that isn't sticky. If you want larger clumps, add more butter and kneed it up. Sprinkle on top and bake at 350 to make the crust and crumbles crunchy. About 20 to 30 minutes depending.


Enjoy!

 

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