Gluten Free Tart Crust Recipe
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The Most Delicious Gluten Free Tart Crust Recipe
I can’t say enough kind words about America’s Test Kitchen. I purchased their gluten free baking book and let it sit around for a very long time, which is unfortunate. The recipes work well, but I especially like this shortbread tart crust.
Gluten Free Flour Mix
I usually use a store bought gluten free flour mix and I make sure it has xanthan gum, which is important.
You can get the ATK gluten free flour mix here.
Mr. Spinach Tiger says, “this isn’t just good for gluten free. It’s good compared to any tart crust and stands alone.”
I have to agree. The only adaptation I made was reducing the amount of brown sugar suggested.
If you want to use their recommended flour mix, I posted that recipe here. However I made the tarts, with both their recipe and with a store bought gluten free flour and both flour blends worked equally well.
Here are a few tips when making this gluten free tart crust recipe.
- Use a food processor or kitchen aid type mixer.
- Freeze the butter for 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes or longer before rolling out.
- Roll out between plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Once place inside the tart pans equipped with removable bottoms, use scraps as needed to make sure there is a half inch of dough on the rims.
- Use a fork to make steam holes on bottom.
- Freeze tart crust. At this point, you can save for a later time, or bake frozen.
My Recommended Baking Supplies Here (amazon)
There are two ways to make a fruit tart with the gluten free tart crust recipe.
- You can pre-bake tart crust and then fill with fresh fruit as I did with the below strawberry tart.
- You can make baked fruit tarts, (much like little pies), as seen here with the cherry berry tart.
Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie/Tart
Use this gluten free tart crust recipe for any of your favorite tarts.
More Tart and Pie Recipes from Spinach Tiger
Gluten Free Baking Recipes from Spinach Tiger
America’s Test Kitchen Gluten Free Tart Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 ounces Gluten Free Flour blend Recipe Here
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar ATK uses 1/2 cup (see notes)
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen for 15 minutes
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ice water
Equipment
- Food Processor or Kitchen Mixer
- Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- 9 inch Tart Pan with Removable Bottom
- Parchment Paper and Pie Weights if baking unfrozen
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- Mix together flour, xanthan gum, salt, sugars in food processor or mixer.
- Add butter pieces and mix until incorporated. I usually pulse or mix about 10 seconds.
- Mix egg wth vanilla.
- Stream in egg mixture.
- Add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time until dough forms.
- Turn dough onto sheets of plastic.
- Flatten, wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
- Once you are ready to roll, take out and, if necessary, let it sit out on counter to soften a little.
- Roll into a 12 inch round. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly round.
- Put dough in tart pan and reserve scraps to press in.
- Place prepared tart pan in freezer for for about 15 minutes, prior to baking.
- Bake and fill as needed for recipes.
- If you need to bake completely without filling (for a fruit tart for example), bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- Cover with Parchment paper that has been greased or sprayed with a baking spray.
- Fill with pie weights (or dried beans). Make sure to cover edges so they don’t burn.
- Cool completely before filling.
Notes
Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe, please tag me #spinachtiger.
If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo
This recipe tastes really good, but I don’t find it to be structurally a great option for fillings that are not baked.
I suggest trying this ahead of time or having a backup option if using for a special occasion, so you won’t be left stranded like I was.
I refrigerated the dough for 2 hours before rolling out, poked steam holes, froze in the tart shell for 30 minutes, filled with pie weights, and after 25 minutes in the oven, the edges were burnt to a crisp and the middle soggy. I removed the weights and baked for 7 more minutes, and the middle was still soggy- and it was rolled out quite thin! The edges that had cooked earliest were also quite crumbly, even though the refrigerated pie dough looked really good.
Really a shame, but I won’t be making this again.
Hi, thank you for the recipe, can I substitute sugars with honey or maple syrup?
That won’t work, but you’d be better off using no sweetener.
This looks great! How long would you recommend blind baking for if you intend to add a wet filling?
It’s mentioned in the recipe to bake for 25 minutes. However, I would still check at 15 minutes.
I made this gluten free tart crust for my daughter’s 40th birthday with just one change to this recipe. I used Earth Balance instead of real butter and eliminated the salt. My daughter who is gluten free and my daughter-in-law who is both gluten and dairy free both loved this crust better than their own. I took this as a huge compliment since they both bake a lot. Thank you for this great recipe!
Should I double for a 9×13 pan?
I probably would. Better to have more than not enough.
I randomly found you and decided to try this recipe. I used BOB’s 1:1 flour and this recipe is dynamite! Can’t thank you enough. Great work Barbara!
Absolutely the best shortbread crust recipe for GF flour I’ve found. Y’all do yourselves a favor and get a food scale. You should also be using it for Gf flours and it’s super handy for recipes anyways (put thing in bowl on scale, hit tare, another thing, hit tare) – its so helpful!
I’ve been asked to make little pecan pies in small muffin tins. Should I bake the crust for a few minutes before filling with pecan pie mixture. Any guidance would be very appreciated. Thank you.
Can I use King Arthur gluten free flour (not the Gluten free baking mix) with this recipe? If I do, the total amount of xantham gum needed is 1 1/2 teaspoon, correct? TIA
Where can I find the combination of flours for the recommended gluten free flour?
You can find them on amazon or at your grocery store. You can also use Bob’s Red Mill one to one.
how much xanthan gum?
Thank you for the recipe.Could you please tell me what’s the benefit of the brown sugar?
Brown sugar has extra moisture due to the molasses and results in a more tender product.
After several back and forth emails, I’ve asked you repeatedly if you measured the flour. Seven ounces of gluten free flour is 1.35 cups. Then you tell me you added hazelnut flour, which is not in the recipe and is an added fat. If you’re going to complain, you have to first follow the recipe exactly. This is a tested recipe from the America Test Kitchen. I’ve made it several times and it’s perfect.
Can this recipe be successfully doubled?
I wish I would have read recipe all the way through a couple times before making it. Under instructions, #5-7, you are instructed to wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour, and also to put it in the freezer, this is all before it is put in pan.
That’s ideal. But if you didn’t do that, you should be okay. The reason you want to refrigerate it, is because there it’s a shortbread crust and it’s best to get it cold before baking. Most pie doughs are always best refrigerated for a while before baking.
I understand the refrigerating part, but then am I supposed to put it in the freezer before rolling it out? I’ve made it and it is in the fridge, waiting for me to finish it this morning. My first attempt at gluten free baking!
You don’t freeze it before rolling out, you freeze the rolled out dough in the tart shell before baking. I re-read the recipe and that was my understanding. Can’t wait to make it.
Barbara. That’s not what it says. It says to refrigerate the dough in plastic. Then to take it out, roll it out and press it in and freeze before filling. This prevents it from getting soggy once you put your filling in.
Is that a 1/4 cup Brown Sugar? Need to make one now!
These look so good – cannot wait to try this recipe!