For many of us, Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without pie ... and that means we need a gluten-free pie crust. So where can we come up with one?
Well, it's a choice between finding a safe pie crust in stores or making one from scratch. I just did a quick survey of the market, and here are the details of what's available this year.
For store-bought frozen gluten-free pie crusts, there are three options:
- Whole Foods' Gluten-Free Bakehouse frozen pie crusts, tested to contain fewer than 5 parts per million of gluten (GF-5). Not all Whole Foods stores carry these; you'll need to check to see if yours has them.
- Kinnikinnick Foods frozen gluten-free pie crusts, also tested to GF-5 levels. Kinnikinnick doesn't ship its pie crusts, so you'll need to find one in stores (or possibly ask your store manager to order it).
- Wholly Wholesome, which launched gluten-free pie crusts earlier this year as the start of a new gluten-free product line. The crusts are made in a gluten-, nut- and dairy-free environment, and are available in select health food stores. Like the other companies, Wholly Wholesome doesn't ship.
If you can't find a frozen pie crust locally, you'll need to make one from a mix or from scratch.
There are a couple of choices in mixes, including Gluten-Free Pantry's Perfect Pie Crust mix (tested to 20ppm/GF-20 levels) and Williams-Sonoma's Gluten-Free Pie Crust Mix (also tested to GF-20 levels). Namaste Foods also makes a mix it calls "Biscuits, Piecrust & More!" that you can use to make a pie crust; Namaste products are made in a dedicated facility that's free of gluten, soy, corn, potato, dairy, casein, peanuts and tree nuts.
Finally, we have the "from scratch" options for gluten-free pie crusts:
- Gluten-Free Pie and Tart Crust Recipe, a good traditional pie crust recipe from Teri Gruss, About.com's Guide to Gluten-Free Cooking
- Gluten-Free Ginger Snap Pie Crust Recipe, using gluten-free ginger snaps (Mi-Del, Mary's Gone Crackers and Trader Joe's all offer safe ginger snaps)
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Tart Crust Recipe, another great recipe from Teri Gruss
- Pecan Nut Pie Crust, from Laura Dolson, About.com's Guide to Low-Carb Diets (this recipe would suit you well if you're grain-free or generally prefer to eat a lower-carb diet, even around the holidays)
You'll obviously need to plan ahead for your gluten-free pie, but you do have plenty of choices. When you get to the point of deciding what to fill that crust with, check out my list of great gluten-free pumpkin recipes. Enjoy!
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Photo © Teri Lee Gruss
