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This super flaky lighter gluten free crust is made without any butter at all. But it still browns beautifully!
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Last night I made a really lovely, robust chicken pot pie, but I had at least half of my favorite tried-and-true ingredients tied behind my back: no cream, no butter, no mascarpone, no roux. It was still so thick & satisfying. And it still had a rich-tasting, flaky crust.
Since the crust is the most important part, I’m sharing the recipe for Savory Olive Oil Crust from page 42 of My First Cookbook with you. Oh, and here’s a tip: use this crust for the Spinach Pie on page 134.
The secret’s in the fat – it’s olive oil instead of butter. This crust is a bit more delicate to roll out than a traditional gluten-free pie crust, but the same principles apply. And it comes together in a snap. Just you, a few ingredients, a bowl and a spoon. And one ingredient is water!
Plus, this crust it comes together in a snap. Just you, a few ingredients, a bowl and a spoon. And one ingredient is water! Use it for every single savory application you can think of, and you won’t be sorry!
Lighter No-Butter Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (please click thru for appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) cold water, plus more as necessary
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum and salt, and whisk to combine well.
- Pour in the olive oil and then the vinegar, and stir with a fork to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup of cold water and stir until the flour absorbs the water, then mix or knead until the dough comes together.
- If the dough is crumbly, add more water by the tablespoon, mixing after each addition, until the dough is smooth but not very wet to the touch.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts (about 8 ounces each), flatten each into a disk and cover each tightly in plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to sit tightly wrapped at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the moisture of the oil and water.
- Place each piece of dough between two pieces of unbleached parchment paper, and roll until it is about 1/8 inch thick (the thickness of a nickel).
- The dough is ready to be draped over a souffle dish or pie plate filled with a thick, savory filling (such as chicken pot pie or vegetable stew), trimmed and cinched tightly.
- Bake at 375°F until the crust is set and lightly golden brown. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
how can I save the second crust if not needed right away? Can I freeze it?
Hi, Deb, I’ve never tried freezing this crust, but if you roll it out into a rectangle and wrap it tightly, then defrost fully before shaping it, that should work fine. You can also just reduce the recipe yield by half and make only one crust.
Hi Nicole..?
Can you replace the oil with spectrum shortening & will it make it more flaky? Also, I have histamine issues so can I use white distilled or apple cider vinegar?
Thank you❣️ Have a blessed baking day❣️
?????
I honestly don’t know, Dayna, since I haven’t tried substituting shortening for the oil. You may need more moisture if you do that, but you’d have to experiment. You can try apple cider vinegar.
Do you have recipes that are egg free, dairy free, wheat free in your recipe books?
I am definitely going to try the pie crust recipe above…
Thanks for posting this – it looks easy enough for even me to make! Two questions – do you still recommend Better Batter flour? and, would this work as well with melted coconut oil?
Hi, Marilyn,
I still use Better Batter when I use a commercially-blended flour, which is often but not always. They are currently not a paid sponsor of the site, but Better Batter will work in all of my recipes. As for coconut oil in this recipe – that sounds intriguing. I bet it would work great – just be sure to replace the olive oil gram for gram. It will taste like coconut, though!
xoxo Nicole