It’s been a miserable week here in Melbourne – a cold front has brought in a lot of rain, and most days have trouble pushing 10 degrees. To top it off, we’ve both had the flu here at our house. I actually made this recipe just before I got sick, but it’s taken me a while to write it up because I’ve been in bed and busy eating plenty of Turmeric and Pumpkin Soup that I made an extra batch off (with extra chilli and turmeric!). Such an easy and quick soup that I was able to make it even when I was unwell! It seems like it’s been raining non stop for days, and there’s nothing better than hunkering down with a good baking project.
This may seem like a bit of an ambitious recipe, and I know that people often steer clear of pastries and pies… I understand, up until recently so did I! Gluten free and vegan pastries are notoriously hard to get good results with, often leaving you with cracks, a dry crumbly texture, and big disappointment. Fear not! This one is actually quite straightforward. The secret to this pastry is (the gluten free baker’s bff) psyllium husks. It gives this dough some elasticity, flexibility and hold. The other trick to this pastry is to grate the coconut oil; dispersing the oil and resulting in a light and crisp pastry (you won’t get the same result with a food processor, which will “butter” the oil).
Whilst it has a slighly crackly appearance, the pastry itself is not crumbly. It holds its shape and is easy to cut into slices. The benefit of it being gluten free is that there’s no gluten to overwork! So it’s quite forgiving and you can batch up holes that appear.
Easily adaptable to other vegetables you have on hand, this is the simplest of pies, and a great place to start with gluten free pastries for maximum “voila!!” results with minimal effort. The sorghum flour has a slight bitterness, which lends well to a savoury tart, but if you have your heart set on a sweet galette, see my recipe over at Loving Earth. Xx
Potato and Onion Galette with Rosemary and Pinenuts
To melt the coconut oil to liquid, stand the jar in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes. Use a mandoline for slicing the onions and potatoes if you have one. This pastry can be used in any 23cm (9inch) savoury pie recipe, double recipe to make a double crust. This is a very versatile recipe and you can substitute in other herbs and vegetables that are in season.
Pastry loosely adapted from Lindsey S. Love (of Dolly and Oatmeal)’s “Gluten- and Dairy-Free Piecrust” on Food 52.
Serves 6.
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Savoury Gluten Free Pastry
170ml | ⅔ cup coconut oil (liquid)
75g | ½ cup sorghum flour
75g | ½ cup brown rice flour (+ more to flour workspace)
30g | ¼ cup almond meal
45g | ¼ cup potato flour (starch)
5g | 2 tsp psyllium husk
½ tsp sea salt
170ml | ⅔ cup iced cold water
Potato and Onion Galette
30 ml | 1.5 tbls olive oil (+ more to serve, if desired)
300g | 2 red onions, thinly sliced
500g | 4 small potatoes (I use dutch cream and midnight blue), thinly sliced
5g | 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
½ tsp sea salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp plant-based milk
1 tbls toasted pine nuts (optional)
Flaky sea salt to serve, optional.
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Pour the coconut oil into a small, baking paper lined bowl or cup and place into the freezer until set.
In a large bowl, add all the dry dough ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate and break up any clumps. Remove the coconut oil from the freezer and peel away from the paper. Grate the block of oil into the dry ingredients using a box (cheese) grater and stir to incorporate.
Start to add a little of the iced water at a time, stirring through, till the mixture can be squeezed together in your hand. Make sure you test the mixture with each addition of water so you don’t add too much – you want a firm dough that just sticks together upon squeezing. Continue to add water till it is no longer crumbly, then discard any unused water. Incorporate the dough into a ball and kneed a few times, then wrap loosely in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 30 min.
In a fry pan (skillet) over medium heat, cook your onions in 1 tbls of olive oil until soft, golden and sweet (8-10 min). Season to taste and set aside to cool.
Set your oven to 180C. Place a large piece of baking paper on your workspace and sprinkle with brown rice flour. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes then place on the prepared paper. Use a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll out to a rough circle shape about .5-1cm in thickness. Sprinkle with flour and continue to dust your rolling pin to prevent sticking (alternatively, you can roll the dough out with another piece of paper on top). Trim messy edges and patch up any cracks with the excess dough. Carefully slide the paper with the dough onto a large baking tray.
Spread the cooked onions on the pastry in an even layer, leaving a blank edge of at least 4cm. Arrange potato pieces on the onions, you can do one or two layers. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper.
Gently fold the edges of the pastry up and over the sides of the filling, smooth any tears that appear and brush the pastry with the milk. Drizzle the exposed potatoes with the remaining olive oil.
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for 50min until pastry is crisp and potatoes are cooked through and crisping at the edges. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and some flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with a zesty green salad.
The galette will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days, but it is best the day it’s made. Warm in an oven to reheat. The pastry can be made in advance: keep airtight and refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge for 24 hours prior to use).
