This gluten-free polenta pastry recipe is savoury, buttery and beautifully flaky. Perfect for pies, quiches and savoury tarts. The recipe below makes enough for a deep 20cm pie with a top. I recommend making the whole recipe and freezing what you don’t need if using for a tart base.
Don’t forget to check out the notes below for ingredient recommendations and tips.
ingredients
- 350g plain gluten-free flour, plus extra for rolling out
- ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 50g fine polenta
- 250g vegan butter, cut into small cubes
- 4 -5 Tbsps. cold water
- 1 -2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk, for brushing
process
To make the pastry place the flour, xanthan gum, salt and polenta into a food processor and pulse 2-3 times to combine.
To the flour add the butter in four batches, pulsing 2-3 times between each addition of butter. (The mixture should look like very coarse bread crumbs with some small chunks of butter remaining, do not be tempted to over pulse or the pastry will be crumbly).
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add one tablespoon of cold water before mixing with a butter knife to combine. Repeat with the remaining water until a smooth dough forms. Gently work the dough into a ball, cover and chill in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before using.
NOTES
Flour – I used Dove’s farm plain gluten-free flour.
Butter – I used Naturli Vegan Block. This vegan butter adds a rich flavour and makes an extra flaky pastry. You can use non-dairy margarine but the results will vary.
Xanthan Gum – is a binder that helps gluten-free baked goods hold their shape and prevents them from excessively crumbling (especially useful in vegan baking in the absence of eggs). You can find xanthan gum in most supermarkets in the baking aisle. You can, of course, leave the xanthan gum out but I haven’t tested the recipe without xanthan so I can’t guarantee it’ll work.
Blind baking – if you want to use this pastry for a tart base or open pie bake the pastry with baking beads at 180C for 20 minutes.
Rolling out & shaping – If you find the pastry is cracking excessively, it’s probably too dry. Add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of water to the dough.
