So I have been trying to create a delicious pie crust that is gluten free and grain free, taste great, and is flakey! After many attempts, I realized that I would have to use a combination of flours to accomplish my desired flakey pie crust. One of the flours I am using is quinoa flour. I grew quinoa over the summer and had great success with it.
A lot of people refer to quinoa as a grain, but technically quinoa is not a true grain but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it’s cooking characteristics. The name comes from the Greek words, chen (a goose) and pous (a foot). This is due to a resemblance of the leaves of the plant to the webbed foot of a goose. The leaves are lobed or toothed and often triangular in shape. The succulent-like plant grows from 4 to 6 feet high and has many angular branches. The flower heads are branched and when in seed looks much like millet, with large clusters of seeds at the end of a stalk. The plant will grow in a variety of conditions but favors a cool, arid climate and higher elevations. Beets, spinach, Swiss chard, and lamb’s quarters are all relatives of quinoa.
Quinoa flour can be made from milled or unmilled grains. Unmilled grains produce a more coarse, nutritious flour, while unmilled grains are used to make a much smoother flour. In either case, the flour is typically a creamy yellow to an ivory color. Quinoa is gluten-free, so quinoa flour can be safely used in gluten-free baking projects for people with gluten intolerance. Bakers should be careful, however, as quinoa flour may be processed in a facility which contains gluten, in which case it can become contaminated.
The remarkably high protein content of quinoa grains holds true in quinoa flour, with the protein content averaging around 17%. Quinoa flour is also very high in dietary fiber. The high protein content can interfere with some baking, so many bakers recommend mixing quinoa flour with other flours, rather than using it alone.
Grain Free & Gluten Free Pie Crust, Holistic Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: (1) 9" pie crust
Category: side dish
Method: baking
Cuisine: american
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This grain free & gluten free pie crust is flakey, and taste amazing.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup quinoa flour
- 1/3 cup potato starch + 1 tbsp (not potato flour) and some for dusting
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold grass fed butter
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- In a food processor add quinoa flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, blanched almond flour and unrefined sea salt.
- Pulse a few times until well blended.
- Add in cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles a crumbly mixture.
- Add egg and pulse until dough forms.
- If the dough is too soft or sticky, add a little more potato starch.
- Dust some potato starch between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Roll out dough into a 10? circle.
- Carefully place dough into a pie dish and remove parchment paper.
- Crimp the sides of the pastry to build up the sides a bit.
- Add filling of choice and bake according to recipes instructions.
- If you need a pre cooked pie shell then prick pie crust with a fork and bake for about 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Info: Calories: 209.9 Fat: 15.4g Carbohydrates: 15.8g Protein: 2.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of pie crust
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I was totally looking forward to making these pot pies, but I can’t eat tapioca, and it’s in both the crust and the soup recipe… Suggestions for substitution?
Hey Jan, Tapioca is not in the soup recipe , potato flour is what you use for that one. In regards to this recipe, just take out the tapioca and replace it with more potato “starch” not potato flour! Then you can enjoy this too 🙂
Sorry–must have been thinking of a similar recipe I saw… Now to get the potato starch and flour!
both are easy to find and relatively inexpensive 🙂
Where do you get the quinoia and blanched almond flours?
Hey Candice in the recipe you can hover over the word or click on quinoa flour or blanched almond flour(in ingredients) and it will take you where you can purchase them. Also, most high end grocery stores carry them.
Really want to make this today but I couldn’t find the potato starch. Any substitution ideas? I have the potato flour, tapioca flour. I also have arrowroot. Thanks!
@Kimmigaf Potato flour will not work. I would replace it with arrowroot powder.
@hallecottis @Kimmigaf
Thanks for responding. But just realized that i don’t have the potato flour. So any substitutes for that? I do have garbanzo bean flour, the quinoa flour, and some gluten free flour blend. Any ideas?
@Kimmigaf This recipe (the crust recipe) doesn’t have potato flour in it. Are you talking about the homemade cream of chicken soup recipe to make this pot pie? If so, I am not sure what I would substitute that. I like the potato flour because it thickens without being headed. I wouldn’t use garbanzo bean flour/quinoa or gluten free for the creamed soup. If I had to choose one outside of potato flour, I would try the tapioca starch.
5/8 cup?
cup for cup??
Actually 1 cup almonds grinds up to 1 1/4 cup of almond flour.
Wow that’s awesome! What kind of almonds do you use? I’ve had trouble finding raw blanched (I heard that the skins make the flour gritty).
This is what I bought the last time. I try to use blanched because it has less phytic acid. http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Blanched-Almonds-Pound-Bag/dp/B002K62BXG%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAI3MTVFHTNAI5PHOA%26tag%3Dwholelifesn0f-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB002K62BXG