Seasonal Cravings continued...

So part of the seasonal cravings include desserts. Like, apple pie. And we all know that Thanksgiving is coming up, and that Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without apple pie. So I need to perfect an apple pie to eat during that holiday! And let me tell you, we got it.

Over the weekend I made pie dough from scratch, and the filling, and put it all together Monday evening so I could bring fresh pie to Bible study. Sooo good! It's a wheat free, sugar free recipe, and it tastes yummy! The guys said they couldn't tell it was sugar free. I'm just happy because it wasn't an overbearing sweet, or an overbearing tart. A perfect balance was achieved. I'm so thrilled! I altered the crust recipe ever so slightly, because I can't have oat flour, but other than that, it was basically the same as I had found it. I'm thrilled.

5 oz almond flour
2 oz tapioca flour
2 oz teff flour
2 oz sweet rice flour
2 oz TG's all-purpose flour
3 oz potato starch
2 tsp xantham gum
1 1/4 guar gum
1/2 tsp kosher salt
5 TBSP butter, cold, unsalted
4 TBSP leaf lard (it's hard to find, I ended up using pure veggie shortening)
1 egg
6-8 TBSP cold water

Mix all the dry ingredients really well, no one wants to get a mouthful of pure potato starch! I sifted them together, but be forewarned that sifting almond flour can be a bit of a pain...it doesn't sift all that well.

Add the fats. I grated frozen butter into it. Keep the fats as cold as possible. Mix in the butter, and then add the lard.

Again, keep them as cold as possible, and mix as thoroughly and quickly as you can. Mix the dough by hand thoroughly. Pick up the dough with your hands, let it fall through your fingers. Feel the sandy texture. Rub it together, feel the fats become one with the flours. You'll feel when you're done.

Combine the egg with 3 TBSP of water and whisk. Pour into the dough and start mixing it in. You have two choices-you can keep mixing it by hand, or you can put it in a food processer to finish the job. Food processers do an AMAZING job with gluten-free pie crusts, but by hand is so much more enjoyable. Your call. Add water as needed to make it not dry dough. If you add too much water, add some potato starch til it's back to a more dry consistancy.

Once the dough itself is done, wrap or cover and put in fridge for about 15 minutes.

Pull out that dough and get ready for fun! Place it between two wax papers, we're gonna roll it out! When you think its as thin as you can get it, go thinner. Carefully flip onto the pie pan you're using. If it breaks, don't worry! Gluten-free food isn't as elastic-y as gluten foods, so it's not unusual. On the plus side, it's rather easy to finger it back together. Do so now. See? It's fine. ^_^

Crimp the edges if you want to, and prepare for the pie making part!

THE PIE PART:

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup water
3 TBSP TG's all-purpose flour mix
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup honey
3 TBSP maple syrup
6 granny smith green apples

Melt the butter on the stovetop in a small saucepan. Add water and flour, stir. Slowly add in nectar, honey, and syrup. Heat all the way through. Lay off the heat.

Skin and slice the apples. Arrange them in the pie pan in a mound, and carefully build a lattice with the pie crust. The dough will break easily, but can be easily put back together.

Crimp edges together when the lattice is finished. Slowly pour the sauce through the lattice into the apple pie. (don't let it pour quickly, or the sauce will run out the lattice-work!) Once it's all in there, bake in a preheated oven of 375 for about an hour or until the apples are tender. Serve warm.

I sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg on top

ENJOY!