BAKING TIPS: SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Shortcrust pastry is BETTER when made with Wellfoods gluten free flour alternative than with ordinary plain flour.

There is a very logical reason for this; what makes pastry tough and unappetising is gluten.

With gluten free flour there is no gluten to get tough so the pastry should always be shorter and never tough.

BUT there lies the problem; the pastry is SO short and delicate that you can't handle it.

It breaks up as you try to roll it or line a pie dish etc. The solution is to use a plastic bag and a chopping board.

METHOD
1. Split a thin ply plastic bag into two sheets.

2. Place one sheet on the worktop and the ball of pastry on the sheet.

3. Place the second plastic sheet on top of the ball.

4. Squash the ball of the dough between the two plastic sheets using a chopping board and all your body weight.

If the pastry is not thin enough for your pie, use a rolling pin (or jam jar as a roller) to flatten further the pastry. BUT keep it inside the plastic sheets.

5. Carefully remove one sheet and then turn the pastry over ( pastry on bottom sheet on top).

6. Line the pie dish with the pastry whilst still stuck to one sheet or plastic.

7. Tease the plastic sheet away from the pastry in the pie dish and fill your pie.

8. Use the same technique to top your pie - only removing the plastic when the pastry is in place.

Two chopping boards can be used as a press -

With the pastry inside the two sheets of plastic and the whole sandwiched in between the two chopping boards - put it in a bin liner, then on the floor and stand on it.

This is very effective and not unhygienic since everything is in plastic… This would make wonderful television.

BAKING TIPS:

STICKY DOUGHS
Gluten free bread and pizza doughs are very sticky.

Using gluten free flour for dusting is fine but as an alternative use vegetable oil.

Especially when making pizzas, using lots of oil makes your pizza "fry" like the deep dish one's in the some pizza restaurants.