Gluten-Free Shortbread Tart Crust
From Cannelle et Vanille. Makes one 10-inch tart crust. I like using this crust to make a lemon curd tart with olive oil.
From Cannelle et Vanille. Makes one 10-inch tart crust. I like using this crust to make a lemon curd tart with olive oil.
- Carbohydrate 1758.13037016959 g
- Cholesterol 483.75 mg
- Fat 184.34819225318 g
- Fiber 3.15993972607514 g
- Protein 2.36092126589945 g
- Saturated Fat 115.941836192913 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (2017g)
- Sodium 1315.5776450636 mg
- Sugar 1754.97043044352 g
- Trans Fat 12.7890513092065 g
- Calories 8480 calories
Step-by-step
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar together. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Press the dough into your tart mold, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake the empty tart shell for about 12 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown, lightly pressing down with the tines of a fork to deflate. (Alternately, you can use pie weights or dried beans and foil to keep the tart's shape.) Remove and cool slightly before filling and re-baking (if needed for your recipe).
Golden edges crumble cleanly under the fork while the center holds a tender, sandy bite. Achieving structural integrity without wheat gluten requires managing starch gelatinization and fat distribution precisely. Standard pastry doughs rely on gluten networks for elasticity, but this formulation uses a blend of superfine brown rice flour, cornstarch, and tapioca starch to mimic that structural stability.
Without gluten development, unbaked tart doughs often slump down the fluted sides of a metal pan during baking. Butter must be maintained at a cool room temperature so it incorporates smoothly with the powdered sugar without breaking into liquid oil. Once pressed uniformly into the 10-inch tart mold, the pan requires a strict 30-minute refrigeration period. This chills the dairy fats, solidifying them so they release steam slowly rather than melting instantly in the oven.
Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the shell for 12 minutes until it appears puffy and light golden brown. Pressing down gently with the tines of a fork deflates any internal air pockets that form during baking. Alternatively, line the unbaked crust with foil and fill it with dried pie weights to preserve sharp fluted edges.
Lemon zest and vanilla extract add aromatic compounds that interact with the high butter content, neutralizing any chalky starches present in the flour blend. Fill the cooled crust with citrus curds or chocolate ganaches.
