Gluten Free and Vegan Peach Pie: Mother Dome Style!

All things in the Motherdome are special, this pie is very special, because it adheres to my personal dietary needs, and my childs. Gluten free for him, vegan for me. I tooled around a little to get this pie crust (pastry) work for me. I basically took a gluten free cookie recipe, and made some changes so that it worked more like a crust, and less like a chewy cookie. The cookie recipe (which I am sure is also lovely) is from Babycakes in NYC. Which if you have lived in NYC, and know much about childcare and allergies, it's the best place to order your gluten free and allergy free needs for your little ones if you live in the city.

Mix Dry Ingredients

If you purchase Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour, it's on the back of the bag. I was thoroughly impressed with the pastry dough I was able to make, and how great it tasted! Keep in mind, gluten free pastries are much more fragile, they crumble easier, and burn faster in an oven, so if you are making a pie with this dough, or a turnover, please cover the item with foil, until the last 10 minutes, otherwise you WILL wind up with some brown edges. I also recommend that you roll out the dough right away and place into pie plate, and place in the freezer for 20 minutes before placing filling and putting in the oven. You do not have to do this, but this ensures that it will not over cook.

Ok here's what you will need for the Gluten Free Pie Crust (this makes 2 crusts, or one (if you are making a top and bottom crust:
2 1/2 Cups Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

Form Dough

1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Flaxseed Meal
1/4 Cup Arrowroot Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda (or powder)
1/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Melted Organic Vegetable Shortening

5 Tablespoons Apple Sauce
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
One Non-Stick Rolling Pin

Step One: Mix all dry ingredients together thoroughly.
Step Two: add Vanilla Extract, melted Vegetable Shortening, Apple Sauce
Step Three: Mix all together with a large spoon until it's mixed well, then take hands, and finish mixing with hands, and forming dough.

Roll out Crust

Step Four: Sprinkle clean counter with gluten free flour, press the dough down with your fist, and lightly dust the top with more gluten free flour mix. Then roll dough out with a non-stick rolling pin (it's important it's a non stick pin, because the wooden ones absorb oils, and moisture, and will rip up the dough). You may need to fold the edges from time to time and re-roll to form an even circle for you pie plate.
Step Five: Once you've rolled it out, fold the dough in half, and transfer to the plate and then open it up. Why do this? Because the crust pastry is very fragile, and if you try to lift the whole thing up you run the risk of it ripping. You can also roll out your crust on floured wax or parchment paper and transferred this way to the plate. If you are making a top crust, you can place it on parchment until needed. Place the crusts in the refrigerator or freezer for 20 minutes (optional, see tips above).

Place in Pie Plate

Gluten Free Peach Pie Filling:
5 Cups of Freshly Pealed, Cleaned and Sliced Peaches
1 Cup of Cane Sugar
1/3 Cup Gluten Free Flour
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Tsp of Earth Balance (butter replacement)

Preheat Oven to 425
Step One: Peal, Cut, and Clean your peaches! Basically you can slice off the peal with a paring knife, and cut out the pithy middle.
Step Two: Combine peaches and sugar, gluten free flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and mix together.
Step Three: Pour filling into pie crust.
Step Four: Dot the top with pats of the Vegan Earth balance butter.
Cover with foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes, remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes, checking periodically to ensure the crust remains golden not brown. Let cool, serve, and enjoy!