Apple Crumb Pie

This is one of my favorite holiday pies.  It works for most holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, etc. Best of all, I usually have at least one person say, “This is gluten free?” If you’ve ever made something gluten free, you know that that is a compliment.  So, here it is, and I hope you get to surprise someone that it is gluten free :-).  Also, do yourself a favor and make the crumb topping I have listed below rather than trying to make a top crust.  In the picture I used gluten free oatmeal, but it is just as good with pecans or walnuts.

 

Crust:

1 c. brown rice flour

1/2 c. potato starch

1/4 c. tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1-2 T. sugar (granulated)

1/2 c. oil (I usually use canola or vegetable- whatever I have around)

3-4 T. cold water

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the oil and stir until it is all incorporated, but don’t over stir.  Add 3 Tablespoons water and begin stirring.  If it looks like it’s going to be dry, add the 4th or part of the 4th.  Stir just until it’s all stirred in.  Place the dough ball in the pie shell and press it into the pan.  Don’t bother trying to roll it out.  You want the depth of the shell to be fairly uniform, but it doesn’t have to be perfect as there will be apples on top of it to cover any unevenness.   If there’s extra, I just pinch it off and eat it :-).  Yum!

 

Filling:

1 c. sugar (granulated)

1/3 c. brown rice flour

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

dash salt

3 T. melted butter (I use Earth Balance or Smart Balance dairy free)

8 c. thinly sliced apples, unpeeled and tart (I use mainly Granny Smith but I usually use one or two red apples like Gala.)

Directions:

Slice apples (I use a food processor on the slicing setting).  Mix dry ingredients in a very large bowl.  Add in butter and apples and stir until they are completely coated.  Put filling in pie shell.

 

Crumb topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. brown rice flour

2 T. butter (Earth Balance or Smart Balance dairy free)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts, pecans, or gluten free oatmeal (I use Chex or Bob’s Red Mill Brand- make sure they say gluten free.)

Directions:

Stir ingredients together and press onto top of filling in pie shell.

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cover the edges of the pie with foil or a pie shield.  Bake 35-50 minutes until the sides are bubbling and top is lightly browning.  Remove foil for the last 15 minutes if the crust isn’t looking cooked.

 

This pie is good served still warm.  It reheats well and it also freezes well.  If you look closely at the picture, you can actually see a few ice crystals where it hadn’t quite defrosted yet.  Oops!