Wheat Free Shortcrust Pastry

I can’t tell you how long I have wanted to post this recipe … but I have had a problem!  This pastry bakes up beautifully as a fully baked crust, ready to be filled and served and it’s beyond delicious when done this way!

But when you par-bake it, fill with a custard like filling (i.e. quiche), then it can be a little troublesome with some of the custard seeping out of the crust due to it’s slightly porous nature.  In my many trials of trying to fix this issue, I have had some success brushing the partially baked shell with egg yolks and then baking again for 5 minutes before filling and finishing off the quiche.  However, what I then found is that the base is not as firm as I would like, but still acceptable according to my family!

So I offer you this recipe to use more as a fully baked crust as I know it is fabulous, but if you wish to try using it as a filled crust (like a quiche), then please follow the directions in the recipe to get the best results.

As fully baked pastry shells you can fill them with whatever takes your fancy … but if looking for inspiration I have served this on numerous occasions as individual 12cm tart shells, always filling the base with a cream cheese spread (see here) along with the toppings suggested in this link.

This recipe is inspired by Elisabeth Prueitt who wrote “Tartine All Day – Modern Recipes for the Home Cook” (see here), a fabulous cookbook released in 2017.  Elisabeth is the partner of Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery fame.  Unbeknown to me when I bought the book, all the recipes are gluten free as Elizabeth is gluten sensitive, and these recipes are ones she uses within the bakery as well as at home.  Her pastry crust called “Cream Cheese Dough” is the one that I have used as inspiration for this recipe.

NB:

(1)    In Australia oats are not approved as being gluten free.  However, I order my oats online from GF Oats in Queensland (see here) who get their oats direct from a dedicated uncontaminated facility in the US.  I have used these oats for a few years now and love them.  So if you know your family or friends (with sensitive tummies) can tolerate uncontaminated oats, then you may wish to consider ordering these as an option.

(2)   As with all gluten or wheat free recipes, the flour component is made up of different flours to obtain the right balance of flavour and flexibility in the dough … I get my brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch from 2Brothers online store in Perth (see here), but you can also buy these from supermarkets, Health Food Shops, independent grocers, as well as some Asian supermarkets.

(3)   Please note that I do not seek or get paid for any suggestions I make for suppliers on my website … I purely offer their information to give you a base of where to start sourcing ingredients, and I only do this if I have been happy with the product and the service.

5.0 from 1 reviews

WHEAT FREE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 920g

Ingredients

• 180g rolled oats
  
  
• 120g brown rice flour
• 60g potato starch
• 60g tapioca starch
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp freshly milled black pepper
  
  
• 250g cream cheese, cold from the fridge, cubed
• 200g butter, cold from the fridge, cubed
  
  
• 1 x 60g egg
  
  
• Cornflour for rolling

Instructions

METHOD TO MAKE DOUGH

1. Place oats into TM bowl and mill 20 seconds / speed 9
2. Add brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch and seasonings and mix 10 seconds / speed 4
3. Add cream cheese and butter and mix 6 seconds / speed 6
4. Add egg and knead 30 seconds (dough will be a little sticky at the base)
5. Lightly dust your hands and bench with cornflour, turn dough out of the ™ bowl (use a firm spatula to remove the dough at the base of the bowl) and bring together into a large rectangle
6. Use a scraper to cut in half (I like to weight each piece to make sure they are even in case I wish to freeze half - they should be approximately 460g each)
7. Shape each piece into a disk, wrap in Gladwrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight
8. Remove pastry from the fridge and use as desired (if held overnight in fridge, stand at room temperature for 20 minutes - depending on weather - until slightly softened to roll easily
   
   

METHOD FOR ROLLING / BAKING

1. Have your chosen tart cases sitting on a baking tray
2. Weigh and portion the dough based on the size tart cases you are making (I use a digital scale for weighing, and it is easier to roll dough individually for the smaller tart cases ... see "Notes" for amounts required for tart tins ... you can cut small pieces off the main dough and add them to what you already have on the scale until you have the amount you need, then press the pieces together into a single portion for rolling ... the dough is very forgiving for doing this)
3. Place dough portion onto a very lightly floured surface (use cornflour), and then lightly sprinkle cornflour on top of dough
4. Use medium pressure to roll pastry from the centre out in one direction, turning a ¼ turn after each roll … do not stretch or press too firmly or the pastry will shrink during baking … if dough tears patch it, pressing gently together and rolling over it
5. Line tart cases with pastry, check corners to ensure the pastry has not split and reinforce with little bits of extra pastry if necessary, prick base with a fork, and place into the fridge for 30 minutes
6. Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan forced, and place rack into middle of oven
7. Remove pastry from fridge, place baking paper and baking beads into pastry case (ensure you go right to the top of the pastry rim) and bake as follows:
   
   

FOR FULLY BAKED SMALLER TART CASES:

1. (a) bake 15 minutes, remove beads, turn tray around and continue for a further 8 to 10 minutes or until golden (baking time will depend on how thick your pastry is ... 2mm or 4mm)
2. (b) Cool shell completely before storing or filling
   
   

FOR PARTIALLY BAKED LARGE TART CASES (i.e. quiche):

1. (a) bake 15 minutes, remove beads, turn tray around and continue for another 10 minutes
2. (b) remove and brush base well with 2 beaten egg yolks and return to the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes until golden (1 yolk is not enough, yet 2 is slightly more than you need, so once you have a decent coating of egg yolk keep the little bit leftover and add it to your filling)
3. (c) Cool completely before filling and baking

Notes

This dough makes enough for:

* 2 x 26cm round tart cases using 460g dough per tart - rolling dough to 4mm thick; or
* 7 x 12cm tart cases using 130g per tart - rolling dough to 4mm thick; or
* 9 x 10cm tart cases using 100g per tart - rolling dough to 2mm thick

Leftover dough can be re-rolled and baked as crackers ... if doing this sprinkle with sea salt flakes and seasoning such as Za'atar before baking for extra flavour

There is no need to grease tart tins as the fat content will stop the pastry from sticking

I make the pastry a day ahead and keep overnight in the fridge before rolling and baking, although it can be used after resting in the fridge for 2 hours

When blind baking ensure the beans/rice/beads in the baking paper come to the top of the pastry shell before baking to keep the sides nice and straight

When making a quiche, fill the pastry case with quiche ingredients and bake at 180 degrees fan forced for 30 minutes, turn tart around and continue for another 10 to 15 minutes until custard is set ... rest for 15 minutes before serving ... delicious cold the next day!

Fully baked pastry shells will keep for four days at room temperature in a sealed container ... cream cheese filling can be placed into tart shells a few hours ahead of time and kept stored in the fridge until ready to finish plating and serving

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