Gluten-Free Tart Shell
By Sara MayerPublished on May 23, 2019
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour freezing
Yield
Makes one 9-inch tart shell
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Do not omit xanthan gum; it is crucial to the structure of the tart dough.
Instructions
- Whisk egg yolk and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour blend, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, xanthan gum, and salt together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 10 pulses.
- With processor running, add egg yolk mixture and continue to process until dough just comes together around processor blade, about 15 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon ice water and pulse until dough comes together. If dough does not come together, add remaining 1 teaspoon ice water and pulse until dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 6-inch disk. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling out.)
- Let dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Spray 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with vegetable oil spray. Roll dough into 12-inch circle between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap, then slide onto baking sheet and remove top sheet of plastic. Place tart pan, bottom side up, in center of dough, press gently into dough to cut, making sure to hold tart pan firmly in place. Using both hands, carefully flip over sheet pan with dough and tart pan, setting tart pan right side up on counter. Remove sheet pan and peel off remaining plastic.
- Run rolling pin over edges of tart pan to finish cutting dough. Gently press dough into bottom of tart pan, reserving scraps. Roll dough scraps into 1/2-inch rope. Line edge of tart pan with rope and gently press into fluted sides. Line tart pan with plastic and, using measuring cup, gently smooth dough to even thickness (sides should be about 1/4 inch thick). Using paring knife, trim any excess dough above rim of tart pan. Freeze until chilled and firm, about 15 minutes. Bake and fill as directed in specific recipes.
Time
1 hour, plus 1 hour freezingYield
Makes one 9-inch tart shellIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We began experimenting with our classic tart shell recipe (which combines flour, confectioners’ sugar, an egg yolk, heavy cream, and a stick of butter), substituting our gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour, but found the crust too sweet and fragile. Adding xanthan gum helped reinforce the structure, but our tart shell was still too crumbly and too sweet (since rice flours, unlike all-purpose flour, have a distinct sweetness). Our next step was to go down on sugar and test adding another egg, egg yolks, and more cream. But still the crust was sandy and overly sweet. Our traditional tart crust uses confectioners’ sugar to make the crust more shortbread-like, but since our working recipe was leaning too far in the shortbread direction, so much so that the crust was almost powdery, we decided to try granulated sugar. Unfortunately, the granulated sugar produced a hard, candied shell. In the end we found that reducing the amount of sugar and using a mix of confectioners’ sugar and brown sugar did the trick. We also learned that we didn’t need the cream at all—just a very small amount of water was all that was required to bind the dough together.
Before You Begin
Do not omit xanthan gum; it is crucial to the structure of the tart dough.
Instructions
- Whisk egg yolk and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour blend, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, xanthan gum, and salt together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 10 pulses.
- With processor running, add egg yolk mixture and continue to process until dough just comes together around processor blade, about 15 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon ice water and pulse until dough comes together. If dough does not come together, add remaining 1 teaspoon ice water and pulse until dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 6-inch disk. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling out.)
- Let dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Spray 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with vegetable oil spray. Roll dough into 12-inch circle between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap, then slide onto baking sheet and remove top sheet of plastic. Place tart pan, bottom side up, in center of dough, press gently into dough to cut, making sure to hold tart pan firmly in place. Using both hands, carefully flip over sheet pan with dough and tart pan, setting tart pan right side up on counter. Remove sheet pan and peel off remaining plastic.
- Run rolling pin over edges of tart pan to finish cutting dough. Gently press dough into bottom of tart pan, reserving scraps. Roll dough scraps into 1/2-inch rope. Line edge of tart pan with rope and gently press into fluted sides. Line tart pan with plastic and, using measuring cup, gently smooth dough to even thickness (sides should be about 1/4 inch thick). Using paring knife, trim any excess dough above rim of tart pan. Freeze until chilled and firm, about 15 minutes. Bake and fill as directed in specific recipes.
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