Gluten Free Short Crust Pastry is a gluten free way to make the pastry dough used in most Guyanese pastries. When I first discovered my gluten sensitivity in 2015, I was devastated that I would no longer be able to enjoy Guyanese pastries like, cheese rolls, pine tarts or cheese pies. Although I didn't make these often they were some of my favorite things to bake and eat. Through trial and error I created the perfect gluten free short crust pastry dough that mimics the dough used in traditional Guyanese pastries. It is so good you won't believe it is gluten free!

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Making the Pastry Dough
Not all gluten free flours are created equal but for this pastry dough recipe, I've tried a few different gluten free baking flour and they all yielded similar results. For this recipe I am using Betty Crocker Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, but I've also used King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour and Krusteaz All Purpose Gluten free flour. All of these worked to make a tasty pastry dough, but I prefer the taste and texture when using the Betty Crocker Gluten Free All Purpose Flour the most.

Similar to when making traditional pastry dough, you will need really cold butter. I cut the butter into the flour using a fork, but you can also use a pastry blender if you have one. I don't recommend using your fingers as this adds warmth to the butter and affects the overall end results.


Bringing the dough together
Unlike regular pastry dough, I used eggs to bind the gluten free flour. The eggs I used for this recipe were pasture raised and had a rich yellow color, which in turn gave the dough a deep rich color. Depending on the size of the eggs you may also need to use two to three tablespoons of ice cold water to pull together everything into a soft smooth dough ball.

This gluten free pastry dough is versatile. You may use it with any of the traditional fillings to make amazing Gluten free Guyanese pastries that taste very much like the real thing!

Using the gluten free pastry dough

I used the filling from my Guyanese Cheese Roll recipe and added it to the gluten free pastry dough and made perfect gluten free cheese rolls. I added 1 teaspoon of arrow root flour to the filling to prevent it from spilling out of the dough during baking.
The dough is best when rolled between parchment paper as no additional flour is needed for dusting. When I tried rolling the dough without the parchment paper, the cheese rolls had a grainy taste from the flour used for dusting. Like most gluten free baked products these are best enjoyed fresh.
Store your gluten free pastries in a zip top bag to preserve the freshness. Refresh day old pastries by popping in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before eating. After 3 days these pastries were really dry, so I would try to enjoy within 2 to 3 days!
Printable Recipe Card

Gluten Free Short Crust Pastry
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Gluten free flour I used Betty Crocker All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1 very cold stick butter or ½ cup
- 2 medium sized eggs whisked
- 3 tablespoons ice cold water
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Add flour and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together. Then using a fork, cut the butter into the flour until a crumbly texture forms.
- Next add the whisked eggs to the flour and bring together squeezing with your finger tips. Then add the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time continuing to squeeze the dough together
- Then turn onto a clean surface and gently squeeze together to form a dough ball. Place pastry dough in a zip top bag. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag, seal up and refrigerate for an hour before using
Notes
Nutrition
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Mez says
Omg I finally found a gluten free recipe for pastry . Thank u. Will try this
Althea Brown says
You’re welcome