Trial #1
Method of Preparation- I used the same gluten free flour mixture for my pie that I used for sable diamantes, muffins, and choux pastry trial #5, however, I increased the amount of sorghum flour by 1/4 cup and added sweet rice flour. I mixed all ingredients together by hand. I used sweet rice flour because it contributes elasticity and a sweet flavour to gluten free products.
My first mistake is that I mixed the flour with butter that was too warm. The butter is supposed to be cold when rubbed into the flour so that it doesn't melt and become too soft to roll out. I added some lemon juice to the dough since acid provides strength to weaker flours. By the time I finished kneading the dough, it was way too mushy to roll out in one solid piece. I covered it with cling wrap and refrigerated it for two hours to let it firm up again.
After I took it out of the fridge to re-roll, it got soft again very quickly and felt grainy and mushy in my hands. The lack of gluten makes the dough sticky and difficult to pin out. My cooking environment was not ideal because I had limited space on my small kitchen table to pin out the expanse of dough to a thin target width of 3mm. I probably rolled it to a 5mm thickness.
When I rolled the dense dough sheet over the pie tin, it tore and fell apart. I had to stick the pieces together like play dough to fix it. Since there is no gluten in the dough, I don't have to worry about over-working the flour in the dough. I sauteed five Granny Smith apples with butter and sugar until they were tender and darker in colour.
The dough smelled sour before I put it in the oven from the addition of lemon juice mixed with the smell of the gluten free flours in my cabinet, some of which are over a year old. It is recommended to keep gluten free flours stored in the fridge to prevent them from going rancid. I don't have a large enough refrigerator to keep it stocked with tens of flours, but if I did, I would suggest it for optimal preservation of my key ingredients.
Method of Cookery- I baked the pie on 180 degrees celcius until the base was a light golden brown hue. Then I filled the case with my sauteed apples and baked the pie for another 10 minutes. When it was in the oven, one of the flaps of dough drooped down and fell off. Had I rolled the crust out thinner and cooled it down in the fridge prior to baking, it would have firmed up and may not have folded like so in the oven.
Texture/Flavour- The pie flavor is very sweet and delicious. It even tastes like there is some vanilla extract in the crust. The texture of the crust is a bit sandy and more cakey/fluffy tasting than a traditional crust. I attribute the sandy qualities to the abundance of sorghum flour in the base mixture. Sorghum is a popular gluten free flour because unlike many other gf flours, it has a very neutral taste. The downside is that it has a slightly grainy texture. The fluffy consistency is a result of my pie crust being closer to the thickness of a biscuit than a pie. The thick base was light in colour and yielded a moist texture and flavour that reminded me of a butter cookie. Since I was able to roll out the ends much thinner than the base, the ends got golden and crispy and resembled the flavour of an actual pie.
Conclusion:
I was not so much focusing on the aesthetics of the pie this time but rather the flavour of the base. Once I get the flour mixture down pat, I will work on the presentation.
For fruit pies, it is advisable to add ¼ tsp nutmeg or cinnamon to the pie crust. For chocolate tartes, replace 2 tablespoons of the gf flour mix with 2 tblspoons of cocoa.
My first mistake is that I mixed the flour with butter that was too warm. The butter is supposed to be cold when rubbed into the flour so that it doesn't melt and become too soft to roll out. I added some lemon juice to the dough since acid provides strength to weaker flours. By the time I finished kneading the dough, it was way too mushy to roll out in one solid piece. I covered it with cling wrap and refrigerated it for two hours to let it firm up again.
After I took it out of the fridge to re-roll, it got soft again very quickly and felt grainy and mushy in my hands. The lack of gluten makes the dough sticky and difficult to pin out. My cooking environment was not ideal because I had limited space on my small kitchen table to pin out the expanse of dough to a thin target width of 3mm. I probably rolled it to a 5mm thickness.
When I rolled the dense dough sheet over the pie tin, it tore and fell apart. I had to stick the pieces together like play dough to fix it. Since there is no gluten in the dough, I don't have to worry about over-working the flour in the dough. I sauteed five Granny Smith apples with butter and sugar until they were tender and darker in colour.
The dough smelled sour before I put it in the oven from the addition of lemon juice mixed with the smell of the gluten free flours in my cabinet, some of which are over a year old. It is recommended to keep gluten free flours stored in the fridge to prevent them from going rancid. I don't have a large enough refrigerator to keep it stocked with tens of flours, but if I did, I would suggest it for optimal preservation of my key ingredients.
Method of Cookery- I baked the pie on 180 degrees celcius until the base was a light golden brown hue. Then I filled the case with my sauteed apples and baked the pie for another 10 minutes. When it was in the oven, one of the flaps of dough drooped down and fell off. Had I rolled the crust out thinner and cooled it down in the fridge prior to baking, it would have firmed up and may not have folded like so in the oven.
Texture/Flavour- The pie flavor is very sweet and delicious. It even tastes like there is some vanilla extract in the crust. The texture of the crust is a bit sandy and more cakey/fluffy tasting than a traditional crust. I attribute the sandy qualities to the abundance of sorghum flour in the base mixture. Sorghum is a popular gluten free flour because unlike many other gf flours, it has a very neutral taste. The downside is that it has a slightly grainy texture. The fluffy consistency is a result of my pie crust being closer to the thickness of a biscuit than a pie. The thick base was light in colour and yielded a moist texture and flavour that reminded me of a butter cookie. Since I was able to roll out the ends much thinner than the base, the ends got golden and crispy and resembled the flavour of an actual pie.
Conclusion:
I was not so much focusing on the aesthetics of the pie this time but rather the flavour of the base. Once I get the flour mixture down pat, I will work on the presentation.
For fruit pies, it is advisable to add ¼ tsp nutmeg or cinnamon to the pie crust. For chocolate tartes, replace 2 tablespoons of the gf flour mix with 2 tblspoons of cocoa.