This dairy-free pastry dough is easy to make. Use as a gluten free substitute for puff pastry. It puffs up nicely. Use it for pot pies, hot pocket, hand pies, and more. Traditional Gluten Free Puff Pastry , which creates several layers of buttery dough, takes hours to prepare. Even my Small Batch Puff Pastry Recipe is a bit of a chore. However, this recipe works well for pastries and pies in a snap. There is no need to chill the dough before you roll it out. It is easy to roll, handle, and transfer. It is just a little heavier than traditional puff pastry.
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water) (optional)
Instructions:
To Make the Dough:
Add the flour and baking powder to a food processor. Run a few seconds to combine. Add the cold butter and cream cheese. Pulse until small balls form. Scrape the bottom of the food processor to bring up any flour that did not blend with the moist ingredients. Add 1 tablespoon water and pulse until dough forms. Do not over mix. It's okay if there are loose pieces of dough.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick or less. Keep it in mind that it puffs up quite a bit. Cut as desired. Once in the container you'll be using place in the freezer for about 7 minutes prior to baking.
If baking with a filling, sweet or savory, poke several holes in the bottom dough and parbake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 15 minutes. Fill once cooled. Then baste the crust edges, or top of crust if making a double crusted pie, with egg wash (if not egg intolerant) and bake according to instructions. To get this crust to brown, bake at 425ºF.
If using a no-bake filling, baste the inside with egg wash, if using, poke several holes in the bottom dough, and bake the crust for 20 minutes in a 425ºF preheated oven.
If using in a pot pie with just a pastry dough lid, fill ramekins with pot pie filling and cover with dough. Cut a small hole in the center of each and several slits. Force the slits open to allow steam to escape. Baste the dough with egg wash, if using, and bake for 30 minutes in a 425ºF preheated oven.
To brown crust further, place a shelf in the oven, 4 to 6-inches away from the broiler until it reaches your desired color. Set aside to cool prior to serving.
To Make the Mini Tacos:
Make my Chili Beef Stew Recipe and mince the meat and some of the sauce in a food processor. Cut small circles of dough, transfer to baking sheets and baste the bottoms with melted butter. Refrigerate until the butter is firm. Fill with the saucy meat (not on the buttered side of the circle), and fold like a taco. Place in a buttered 8 or 9-inch cake pan. Fill small empty areas in the pan with dough scraps. Only baste the dough with butter, not egg wash. Baste the dough with additional butter as needed. Bake at 425ºF until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Then place under broiler to further brown. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve as a pull-apart appetizer or main dish.
Tips
When you butter the bottoms of the pastry to make the taco dish, it allows you to pull apart the tacos with ease. Otherwise, they will stick together.