½ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup (120 ml) well-shaken buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
FROSTING
½ cup (130 g) Honey Candied Kumquats in their syrup, plus more for garnish
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (85 g) powdered sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
A few drops of lemon juice, as needed
To make the cupcakes, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line 14 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), beat the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the sweet rice, oat and millet flours with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until just combined, then beat in the remaining flour mixture, beating until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir with a flexible silicone spatula to make sure the batter is homogenous.
Divide the batter among the lined muffin cups, filling them two-thirds of the way. Bake until the tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
To make the frosting, place the kumquats in a strainer set over a bowl and press as much liquid out of them as you can. Reserve the syrup for brushing the cupcakes; you should have 3–4 tablespoons (45–60 ml). Chop the kumquats finely. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2–3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. With the mixer on low, beat in the drained, chopped kumquats. Taste the frosting, adding a few drops of lemon juice if you like to sharpen the flavors.
To finish the cupcakes, poke the tops of the cupcakes several times with a toothpick. Brush with a few coats of the reserved kumquat syrup, letting the syrup soak into the cakes, until you’ve used it all up. Pipe or spread the frosting over the cakes, and top each with a candied kumquat or two. The cakes will keep at cool room temperature for up to a few hours, or refrigerated airtight for a day or two. Serve the cakes at room temperature.
PIE
Whoever coined the term “easy as pie” was clearly not a baker. Pies are one of the more fussy desserts to get right, not just at home but in professional kitchens, too. With pie, so many things can go wrong. Too much liquid in the crust and it turns tough. Too little and the dough cracks all over the place. Underbake and the crust is sodden and pasty; overbake and the edges burn. Custard fillings can leak, adhering the pie to the pan like superglue, and fruit fillings can turn into puddles of soup when sliced.
And yet when pie goes right, it goes so very right. Flaky pastry shatters against fillings of sliceable custard infused with citrus or spice. Chunks of fruit soften in the heat of the oven, their flavors condensing into something greater than the sum of their parts, all wrapped up in a buttery shell.
I’ve adapted my flaky pie dough to be full of alternative flours and free from gluten and gums. Chia seed is the magic ingredient that takes the place of the usual xanthan gum. Cornstarch adds crunch and tapioca makes the dough more pliable. And a trio of flours—sweet rice, oat and millet (as well as a couple of variations)—make a crust that tastes like a perfectly flaky whole wheat pastry and is nearly as easy to work with. The key to flaky pie dough is to leave the butter in large chunks. When worked into sheets through the classic French technique of fraisage and given a few folds in the manner of puff pastry, the pockets of butter give off steam in the heat of the oven, lifting up the layer of dough above it.
This flaky dough makes a buttery base for ginger peach and strawberry raspberry rhubarb pies, a floral lemon buttermilk custard flecked with vanilla bean, and savory-sweet fig and chèvre bites. Teff creates a malty, warm-tasting base for apple pie or hazelnut frangipane and fresh plums. Buckwheat lends an earthy, charcoal hue to a dough with lots of crunch and flake. Try this around walnuts and pears for individual tarts kissed with salty caramel, or in a dreamy pumpkin pie made with maple syrup and crème fraîche.
FLAKY PIE DOUGH
{SWEET RICE, OAT, MILLET}
Flaky pie dough is the holy grail of alternative flour baking, with most recipes turning out heavy, crumbly doughs or requiring loads of gums and starches to bake up well. I tested this dough dozens of times to get it just right, with various ingredients and techniques. A trio of flours—sweet rice, millet and oat—work together with cornstarch, tapioca flour and ground chia seed to create a dough that’s sturdy enough to trap air from steaming butter and flake into layers not unlike puff pastry, all without the use of gluten or gums. When done right, the result tastes like whole wheat puff pastry. All who try this recipe or the resulting product agree—it’s downright miraculous.
I find it all too easy to overmix pie dough in a stand mixer or food processor, so I highly recommend making this by hand the first few times, preferably using a sturdy metal pastry blender. You want the butter kept in large chunks—not the small peas generally asked for by other recipes, but ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces the size of almonds. There will be lots of small pieces of butter, too, but be sure to leave lots of big chunks, as well.
The next key point is that of the liquid. Before you start, fill a ½-cup (120-ml) measure with ice cubes and top it off with water. Stir this together with buttermilk (or vinegar or lemon juice if you prefer) and add the liquid 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, tossing with a flexible silicone spatula until it’s barely moistened and there are no floury bits. A chunk of dough should hold together when you give it a squeeze, but it should not feel wet or sticky. How much liquid you add will vary greatly on a number of different factors, so it must be done by feel rather than a fixed amount. Like any pie dough recipe, it may take a few tries before you get a feel for how much liquid should be added. I do tend to moisten this dough a little bit more than wheat doughs, as this helps it hold together better when you work it.
METHOD
The fraisage method may be new to you; it was to me when I came across it in a baking cookbook several years ago. It’s a quick process that takes only a minute or two, wherein you drag portions of dough across the counter with the heel of your hand. This flattens the butter chunks into sheets, creating many flaky layers and helping to bring the dough together. If this sounds intimidating, you can try a method that I learned in a pastry kitchen: after cutting in the butter, but before working in the liquid, go through the dough and squeeze every butter chunk between your fingers to flatten them out. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. Proceed with the recipe, skipping the fraisage, doing the turns if you like. And if none of this sounds like any fun, just give the dough 10–20 good kneadings in the bowl and go from there; you’ll still have a lovely pie dough, just a bit less tender and flaky than the fully flaky versions. For even flakier dough that is smoother and easier to handle, do the optional turns, detailed below. This is the same technique used to give croissants, Danish and puff pastry their flaky layers.
TIPS FOR ROLLING
This dough is more fragile than wheat dough due to its lack of gluten and gums, so you’ll want to baby it a bit. Having the dough at the proper temperature can help. Too cold, and it will crack. Too warm and it will melt and stick. I usually let my dough rest at room temperature for 5–10 minutes prior to rolling if it has chilled through completely. My preferred rolling situation is to use a countertop dusted lightly with oat flour. Other testers have prefer
red rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, which keeps the dough from sticking and makes it easier to maneuver. With either rolling method, be sure to dust the counter with just enough oat flour to keep the dough from sticking, and use a pastry brush to sweep excess flour off of the dough so you don’t end up with chunks of flour.
As you begin to roll out the dough, start by pressing down on the pin gently, lifting it up, moving it outward and pressing down, until you’ve pressed the length of the dough. This helps to soften the dough slightly and minimize the cracking that will happen around the edges.
When the edges crack, use your hands and fingers to press them back together. As you work, use a bench scraper to lift the dough, flipping it over if you can do so without it breaking (or just dusting underneath with flour) and continuing. After a minute or two of this when the dough is flatter, begin to use a gentle yet firm rolling motion, rolling in all directions, continuing to move and dust the dough and countertop frequently, brushing away excess flour, until the dough is the correct shape for the recipe. If it cracks or breaks, just use your fingers to stick it back together. If it begins to soften and stick, drag it onto a rimless cookie sheet and chill it for 5–10 minutes.
DO AHEAD
You can make the dough up to 2 days ahead; it actually benefits from a day’s rest, which allows the starches in the flours to absorb moisture and create a sturdier, smoother dough. I often make a double batch of pie dough, use half in a recipe, and freeze the other half airtight until I’m ready to make another pie. You can also wrap a shaped, frozen shell, baked or unbaked, for up to several months.
TIMING
Give yourself at least 3–4 hours to complete a parbaked crust if you plan to do the turns, or 2 hours if you’re skipping this step. Most of this time is inactive. Ideally, make the dough a day ahead and let it rest overnight.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Pastry blender
• Metal or plastic bench scraper
• Flexible silicone spatula
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush (for sweeping excess flour off of the dough)
• Scissors (for trimming dough)
• Plastic wrap or a large, zip-top bag
• Pie weights and parchment paper (if parbaking)
• Parchment paper, for rolling out the dough (optional)
NOTES
• Once you get a feel for this dough, it can also be made in a food processor. Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl fitted with a steel blade. Scatter the butter pieces over the top, but don’t pulse just yet. Place the lid on and open up the pouring chute. Gradually pour in the ice water mixture, pulsing all the while and adding liquid in a slow, steady stream. Remove the lid and give the dough a squeeze; it should feel moist but not sticky, and hold together, with lots of pea-sized butter pieces in there.
• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, or don’t care to use it, stir 8 tablespoons (120 ml) of ice water together with 1 teaspoon of apple cider (or white) vinegar or lemon juice to use in place of the ice water/buttermilk mixture.
MAKES ONE STANDARD 9-INCH (23-CM) PIE SHELL FOR A SINGLE-CRUST PIE
¼ cup (60 ml) ice water
½ cup (80 g) sweet white rice flour (Mochiko)
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp (40 g) GF oat flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup (35 g) millet flour
¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
2 tbsp (13 g) tapioca flour
2½ tbsp (15 g) finely ground chia seed (preferably white)
1 tbsp (12 g) organic granulated cane sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
8 tbsp (113 g) cold, unsalted butter (preferably European style), sliced ¼-inch (6-mm) thick
¼ cup (60 ml) cold buttermilk
Make the ice water by filling a ½-cup (120-ml) measure with ice and topping it off with cool water.
In a large bowl, combine the rice, oat and millet flours with the cornstarch, tapioca flour, ground chia seed, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top, and work in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles gravel, with lots of butter chunks the size of large almonds and some smaller bits.
Stir together ¼ cup (60 ml) of the ice water with the buttermilk, and drizzle the mixture into the flour mixture 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, tossing the dough with a flexible silicone spatula to moisten evenly. Add just enough water for the dough to hold together when you give it a squeeze, and add it directly to the dry floury bits that like to hang out on the bottom of the bowl; you may not need all the liquid, or you may need to add more ice water.
OPTION 1: KNEAD
Knead the dough in the bowl 10–20 times to bring it together.
OPTION 2 (RECOMMENDED): FRAISAGE
Skip the kneading option, above. Working quickly, dump the dough out onto the counter. Grab a handful of dough, place it on the counter, put the heel of your hand on the dough and push it away from you, scraping it across the surface several inches. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough up off the counter and place it back in the bowl. This is called fraisage. Repeat with the remaining dough. It should only take a minute or two to complete this process.
With either method, gather the dough up into a ball, wrap it loosely in plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk. Chill the dough until firm, 30–60 minutes.
OPTION 3: TURN
This classic technique is used to give puff pastry and croissant dough their layers. Here, it also helps to make a smoother, more pliable dough that will be easier to manipulate. Dust your surface lightly with oat flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rough rectangle that is about ¼-inch (6-mm) thick, lifting and turning the dough, dusting underneath the dough to keep it from sticking, flipping it over and sweeping away excess flour with a pastry brush. (Alternatively, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper dusted with oat flour to prevent sticking.) When the dough is rolled out, fold it into thirds, as though folding a letter, then fold it in thirds again the other way. Gently press to flatten it slightly, re-wrap and chill for 30–60 more minutes.
OPTION 4: ANOTHER TURN
For the absolute flakiest dough, repeat the turning step one more time, making a second turn. This will only be effective if you started out with those big chunks of butter.
You’re done! Chill the dough until cold, at least 30–60 minutes and up to 2 days. Alternatively, slip the dough into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Refer to individual recipes for how to use your beautiful masterpiece. If shaping the dough in a pie pan, continue with the instructions below.
SHAPE THE CRUST
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. If it is very cold, let it soften for 5–10 minutes until malleable; this will minimize cracking. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch (30-cm) round, dusting the dough lightly with oat flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. (Alternatively, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper dusted with oat flour to prevent sticking.) Ease the dough into a 9-inch (23-cm) glass pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang. (Save the scraps to patch any tears in the dough post-parbaking.) Fold the overhang of the crust under itself, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork. Chill the crust for 30 minutes, or until firm.
BAKE OR PARBAKE
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Remove all other racks from the oven. If you have a baking stone, put it on the rack.
Place the chilled crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper, and fill to the top with pie weights, dry beans or clean pennies, pressing the weights into the sides and corners of the crust.
Bake the crust for 15–30 minutes, until the dough holds its shape when you lift off the parchment. Carefully remove the weights and parch
ment and bake until the bottom is dry and lightly golden, about 8–12 minutes longer (for a parbaked crust) or until deeply golden, 15–20 minutes (for a fully baked crust). Use the saved scraps of dough to patch any holes, cracks, or tears in the dough, baking for a few more minutes post-patching.
VARIATIONS
BUCKWHEAT PIE DOUGH
Omit the millet flour, substituting ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (45 g) buckwheat flour and decreasing the oat flour to ¼ cup (25 g).
TEFF PIE DOUGH
Omit the millet flour, substituting ¼ cup (35 g) teff flour.
COCONUT OIL PIE DOUGH (VEGAN)
This dough is more fragile to work with, but doing the fraisage and turns helps make it more cohesive. Since coconut oil is harder than butter when chilled, the dough is easier to handle when slightly warmer than refrigerator temperature. Because the dough is more fragile, it’s easier to use in hand pies and galettes that need less manipulation, as opposed to larger pies. The flavor of the coconut oil doesn’t carry through; this pie dough tastes just like any other fabulously flaky whole-grain pie dough.
Omit the butter. Scoop 8 tablespoons (105 g) of firm, room-temperature (or slightly chilled) unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil over the flour mixture in tablespoon-sized blobs. Chill the whole bowl until the coconut oil is firm, 20 minutes or longer. Work in the oil as you would the butter, but break it up into finer particles the size of peas. Omit the buttermilk, stirring together 8 tablespoons (120 ml) ice water with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and work in the ice water mixture as per usual. Proceed with the recipe.
PIE DOUGH FOR CUTOUT PIES AND PANDOWDIES
Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the sliced butter.
Use a pastry blender to work the butter …
… into chunks the size of almonds and peas.
Alternative Baker Page 9
