Classic Pumpkin Pie with Flaky Gluten-Free Crust

pumpkin

Looking for a lightly spiced pumpkin pie with a flaky gluten-free pastry crust? We’ve got the sensational pie for you. Sample the filling before you spread it into the crust, and adjust the spices to your taste. Now let’s get baking – pumpkin perfection awaits.

Makes: 8 servings
Free of: gluten and all top allergens

Planning a Thanksgiving feast? Take a look at our selection of 61 allergy-friendly, gluten-free recipes perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups sorghum flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour, plus more rolling the dough
  • 1/4 cup quinoa flour (see Recipe Tip)
  • 3 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea or Himalayan salt
  • 3/4 cup dairy-free, soy-free ‘buttery’ spread (such as Earth Balance) cut into pieces and put in freezer for at least 10 minutes
  • 3 tbsp ice water
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar, chilled
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling

  • 2 1/2 cups mashed pumpkin (canned or homemade puree)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp sorghum flour
  • 3 tbsp tapioca flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea or Himalayan salt

Recipe Tips

If you don't have quinoa flour, another high protein flour, such as teff, buckwheat, or chickpea can be used. However, quinoa flour delivers the best flakiness, and will produce the best results.

Instructions

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place a piece of waxed paper on a work surface, at least 12-inches square. Dust with tapioca flour. Lightly coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish with buttery spread.
  2. To make the crust: Put the sorghum flour, tapioca flour, quinoa flour*, 2 tablespoons of sugar, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk well.
  3. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut buttery spread into flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix water and cider vinegar together and drizzle over the flour mixture, a little at a time. Use just enough for dough to start to come together.
  4. Transfer dough onto prepared wax paper, and knead until it comes together. It should not be dry or too sticky. Divide into two pieces, one about one-third of the dough, the other about two-thirds of it. Wrap the small piece in plastic wrap and put in freezer. Place larger piece on waxed paper and, using a rolling pin dusted with tapioca flour, roll the dough to form a circle about 12-inches in diameter. Use the waxed paper to carefully invert dough onto pie dish. Pat dough into the bottom and up sides. Poke bottom of crust with a fork about 20 times. Flute your crust and place pie dish in freezer for 30 minutes.
  5. To make decorations: Removed smaller dough pieces from the freezer and roll about 1/8-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut this dough into desired shapes. Brush shapes with the non-dairy milk. Put remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle sugar mixture over your shapes. Carefully transfer each shape to prepared baking sheet and bake 13 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. After the 30 minutes, remove pie dish from freezer. Gently press a sheet of aluminum foil onto unbaked pastry. Fill with pie weights, such as dried rice, or dried beans. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, and bake about 5 minutes more, until slightly golden. If the crust has puffed up in any areas, gently press it down with a spatula.
  7. The filling: While crust is par-baking, make filling by putting pumpkin, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a food processer. Process until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
  8. Remove the pastry from the oven. Spread the filling evenly. Decrease the oven temperature to 350° F. Bake pie 45-55 minutes, until crust is golden, edges of the filling are browned, and top is dry to the touch. Let cool about 20 minutes, then gently press the cinnamon-sugar pastry shapes onto the topping. Cool completely before serving.

Laurie Sadowski is the author of The Allergy-Free Cook series and specializes in baking recipe development at www.lauriesadowski.com.