Gluten Free and Dairy Free Mini Apple Pies



In the season of all things pumpkin, I beseech thee not to forget about our humble, yet fall-tastic, absolutely delicious apple pie. 

If good things come in small packages, can we remove the gluten and dairy from traditional recipes, leaving only tiny but delicious mini apple pies? Can they be cute and taste good? This level of innovation and contribution to society surely deserves serious grant funding. 

Materials and Methods

Materials (Key ingredients)

1) Not trusting myself to make gluten free pie dough from scratch, I found this option from Target:

2) Trader Joe's Gluten Free Flour, featured in this previous recipe 

Procedures and Recipe Adaptation Tips: 

Recipe
I used the filling portion of the apple pie recipe from Preppy Kitchen


1) First, you should probably thaw your pie dough according to the package instructions. I did not read this carefully in advance, or otherwise I would have noted the recommendation to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. However, I was able to thaw it reasonably enough by letting it sit on the counter for several hours, then some very careful low-power microwaving. Please, do I as I say, not as I do, but rest assured it is feasible even if you have not decided to start your pie process a day in advance. You do not want your pie dough to get too warm, otherwise whatever fake butter is used will start to melt, which will affect rolling and texture. 

2) When ready, I rolled out about 2/3 of my dough, and cut into circles to line a 12-muffin tin. I used muffin liners for extra insurance. Be careful as you press the dough into the edges, and try to get an even thickness. 


3) Make the filling with the recipe from Preppy Kitchen. To begin, you'll be letting your apples drain off some of the juice.  

4) Then, you'll add your flour and other dry ingredients. Here is where I substituted gluten free flour for the all purpose flour. 


4) Fill your cups. I found that the recipe made just the right amount of filling for each of the mini pies. 


5) Top your pies. I opted for a lattice crust. Cutting the remaining pie dough into strips, I laid each out in a cross-hatch pattern and then trimmed the remaining. 

6) Optional, but for that extra sheen and sweetness I brushed with an egg wash and raw sugar. 


Results 







They seemed to please the dinner party I had joined, and the leftovers (safely guarded) were equally delicious the next day. 

Discussion

Thanks to innovations in the food manufacturing industry, it is getting easier to take some shortcuts to adapting recipes for dietary restrictions. Results demonstrate that apple pie can be relatively easily adapted to be free of gluten and dairy while remaining perfectly autumnal and delicious. The crust was flaky and perfectly cooked, and the filling was soft and warm yet held together.




I recently learned from the Great British Bake Off, that choices of pie crusts style, such as fully covered or not, may be driven not just by aesthetics but by function. For instance, with an apple pie, I may have dried out the filling or lost some of the steam required to cook the applies to a soft perfection with a more open style top. Fortunately, I think this lattice still provided decent coverage. The apple filling retained some structural integrity, held together when cut or bit into, but remained soft and cozy. 


My sister likes to say, things are cute when they are unexpectedly tiny. I think these mini apple pies exuded style and substance. Did I make enough a case for you to give them a try? For future grant funding? Let me know what your favorite pie is!

 


























 

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Quick, Customizable, Dairy and Gluten Free Almond Cookies

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Dairy Free "Reese's"