I love Thanksgiving but I don't love pumpkin pie. I always looked forward to eating my Grandma's apple pie. I helped her make them when I was little. Shortly after I was married, I asked her to make apple pies and I wrote down every step. I don't know if she ever had a receipe - I hadn't seen her use one ever. I tested out the receipe and was able to duplicate Grandma's apple pie and it became a yearly tradition to make a bunch of apple pies, freeze them, and have the at holidays.
Leading up to this year's Thanksgiving, I was really craving apple pie. The apple pies in the freezer were soy-free, but contained dairy and gluten. I made some substitutions and the soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free apple pie turned out really well.
Pie Crust:
2 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 tsp of xanthum gum
1 cup of palm oil shortening (lard would also work)
Blend with a pastry blender (see photo at right).
Leading up to this year's Thanksgiving, I was really craving apple pie. The apple pies in the freezer were soy-free, but contained dairy and gluten. I made some substitutions and the soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free apple pie turned out really well.
Pie Crust:
2 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 tsp of xanthum gum
1 cup of palm oil shortening (lard would also work)
Blend with a pastry blender (see photo at right).
Make a cup of ice water on the side and let it chill. Add a teaspoon of apple cidar vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup.
Pour ice water into the 1/2 cup with the vinegar already in it to fill it.
Add the water & vinegar mix to blended flour and shortening. Mix with a strong fork until smooth.
The crust was the most challenging part of the receipe. The texture of the dough was not quite as elastic as I was used to and it would not roll out smoothly. The dough mix would normally make two pies, including the bottom and top crusts for both pies. Based on the consistency of the dough, I decided to make two pies, but only with bottom crusts. A crumb topping was used for the top crust (more on this later).
The crust was the most challenging part of the receipe. The texture of the dough was not quite as elastic as I was used to and it would not roll out smoothly. The dough mix would normally make two pies, including the bottom and top crusts for both pies. Based on the consistency of the dough, I decided to make two pies, but only with bottom crusts. A crumb topping was used for the top crust (more on this later).
So I greased the pie tin with the palm oil shortening, formed the dough into a ball and split the dough into two sections. Using one of the sections, I pressed it into the pie tin.
Pie Filling:
In a bowl, mix the following:
1/3 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle a little of the sugar mix on the bottom of the crust.
Peel and cut up the apples. I prefer Honeycrisp or MacIntosh apples. Layer the apples in the pie crust and sprinkle more of the sugar mix on the apples as filling the pie. Not all of the sugar mix should be used - it should be enough for two pies. When the pie is filled, sprinkle a few drops of lime juice over the apples.
Crumb Topping Crust:
For one pie, mix the following with a pastry blender until crumbly:
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup palm oil shortening
Spread crumb mixture over the top of the pie.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
