Gluten-Free Peach & Strawberry Welcome Home Hubby Pie

Since ancient times, thyme has been said to bring courage.
The Greeks considered thyme a symbol for bravery.

Today I needed thyme. I needed courage for the feat of making a gluten-free pie crust from scratch.

I wanted to make a perfect one.

Because this isn’t just any old pie we’re talking about –
this is to be a very special pie, an extraordinarily special pie.

This pie is for my husband. It’s a welcome home pie.

The love of my life (amazing, wonderful husband, whom I have not seen for six and a half months) pulls into port today and tomorrow he flies home! Hallelujah! Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day.

Oh, I can’t wait to see him – I can’t wait for our Little One to see his ‘dada’! It’s been much too long.

So you see, this is indeed a special pie.  Especially that my husband is a pie connoisseur. He was born and raised in Tennessee and knows a thing or two about pies.

But I’ve got a plan to woo him with this sweet tasting pie. Yesterday I went out looking for the freshest, ripest, juiciest peaches I could find around here.. they came all the way from Georgia – which is perfect, because when I think of peaches – I think Georgia.

I still remember the very first time I saw a peach tree – it was in Georgia.

Now peach pie alone is tasty… however, taking those fine Georgia peaches, squeezing fresh lemon juice over them, adding in some sweet strawberries and topping it all off with a little secret ingredient, such as coconut – and I think you can start feeling the pie magic that’s happening here.

But we were first talking about crust, right?

Yeah, I don’t know if there is a fool-proof pie crust recipe and I really don’t know if there is a gluten-free one. Goodness knows the flours we use are tricky business, to say the least.

I really didn’t know where to start on this, other than gut instinct, an old recipe from an old book and a bit of common sense.  I decided to do a few google searches and was intimidated by some of the recipes I found….5, 6, 7 flours? eek.  I’m a simpler sorta gal.

My recipe definitely needed some tender love and care, it was finicky and resisted some -but it worked in the end and I’m quite happy with it. I hope you’ll try it and tell me what you think.

But the real verdict will be coming from the pie man himself! haha


This time apart has demanded a lot from our little family, especially a lot of thyme.
The next couple of weeks we plan on reconnecting and cherishing the present

Pie is nothing but a thing – but when it’s made from the heart it can also be just another way of saying; I love you, I’ve missed you, welcome home.

Gluten-Free Peach & Strawberry Pie
Makes 1 pie, with enough dough for top crust, strips or hearts


Crust

1 cup gluten-free oat flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup almond flour
3 Tbsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup salted cold butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup water

Mix flour & xanthan gum together – blend well. Cut butter into small cubes/pieces and work into the flour. It’s best to work with cold butter and let it soften as you work it into the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat two eggs and add cool water. Slowly pour this mixture in with the rest.

You will begin to get the consistency of pie dough.  If the mixture is not gluing enough together, add a bit more water (if you add too much water, add more tapioca flour)

Turn mixture into a ball, cover with parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

When you’re ready to bake the pie,
pull out the dough, cover rolling pin with a bit of loose flour and roll it out until about a 1/2 inch thickness. I prefer it a bit thicker, and then I pat it down with my fingers once it’s in the pie dish… otherwise, there is more chance of it breaking on it’s way there! As you can see in the picture, mine isn’t nice and smooth, because I patted it down a bit – no worries, because you’re going to fill
it with fruit!

Once you’ve rolled it out into a nice big circle, lift it off and place over pie dish, clip all the excess off and shape the edges. Use the extra dough to make the top crust, using the same method, or create strips or shapes if you wish – using cookie cutters. You may also wish to brush the top dough with a little bit of egg yolk to help it golden.

Filling

2 cups of cut peaches (I cut them closer to diced than slices, but that’s just a preference)
1 1/2 cups of quartered strawberries
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup organic sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

In a large bowl, cover fruit in lemon juice. Sprinkle with cinnamon and tapioca flour. Pour in sugar
and coat fruit. Add in shredded coconut. Mix is ready to pour into pie shell.

Bake pie at 325F for 45 minutes. Broil top for 5 minutes if you want a golden crust – watch it VERY closely! Let stand & cool until the filling has settled before serving. Enjoy!

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Emily Smith

Emily Smith is the Editor of The Best of This Life who has been writing in the lifestyle niche and creating delicious recipes for over 10 years. Her work has been featured on BRIT + CO, Today's Parent, Chatelaine, Huffington Post, The Pioneer Woman, and Food Bloggers of Canada. She writes about family, food, entertaining, home decor, wellness, travel and a litany of other topics. She loves sharing her three core values - love life, live well, share the beauty - and encourages her readers to enjoy the best of their lives every day. She lives in Ottawa with her loving husband, two darling children, and dreams of one day owning a puppy. 

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