Gluten-Free Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie
Rustic gluten-free pie with a tender buckwheat, rice, and cornstarch crust filled with fresh rhubarb, strawberries, lemon zest, and vanilla sugar. The lattice-free topping bakes to golden in about 30 minutes. Light dusting of icing sugar finishes this naturally tangy-sweet dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups buckwheat flour, sifted
- ½ cups brown rice flour, sifted
- 6 ½ tbsp cornstarch, sifted
- ½ cups sugar, granulated
- 1 tsp baking powder, siftedbaking soda + acidulant0.33 tsp soda + 0.5 tsp citric acidleavening_swap
requires acid adjustment
- ¼ tsp salt, sifted
- 7 tbsp butter, cold, cut into pieces
- 1 whole egg, beatenflax egg1.5 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp waterbinder_swapeggs-free
vegan, slightly denser crumb
Full guide → - 1 ½ tbsp water, cold
- 1 ¾ lb rhubarb, peeled, cut into ¾" pieces
- 9 oz strawberries, halved
- 1 whole lemon, organic, zest and juice
- ½ cups gelling sugarpectin powder1.5 tspthickener_swap
neutral flavor
- 1 sachet vanilla sugar
- icing sugar, for dusting(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Mix buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- 2
Cut cold butter into pieces, add to dry ingredients, and work by hand until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- 3
Beat egg and add with water, gather quickly into soft dough without kneading. Cover and chill for approximately 30 minutes.
- 4
Preheat oven to 400°F.
- 5
Peel rhubarb, cut into ¾" pieces. Halve strawberries. Combine fruits in a large bowl.
- 6
Add grated lemon zest and lemon juice to fruit. Stir in gelling sugar and vanilla sugar.
- 7
Transfer fruit mixture to a greased baking dish.
- 8
Roll out dough into a round between two sheets of parchment paper, approximately 12 ⅔" diameter.
- 9
Gently remove top parchment. Invert dough over fruit filling, carefully peel away remaining parchment, press edges lightly.
- 10
Beat egg and brush over dough.
- 11
Bake in middle of oven for approximately 30 minutes until golden.
- 12
Remove and let cool briefly. Dust with powdered sugar.
Tips
Keep all ingredients, especially butter and water, cold for a tender crust.
Do not overwork the dough to avoid toughness.
Gelling sugar helps thicken the rhubarb-strawberry filling naturally.
If rhubarb is very tart, reduce lemon juice slightly or increase vanilla sugar.
Good to Know
Cover and store at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Not recommended for freezing due to fruit filling.
Dough can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated, wrapped. Filling can be prepared 4 hours ahead, covered.
Serve at room temperature or slightly warm, with whipped cream or yogurt if desired.
Common Mistakes
Overwork the dough to avoid dense, tough crust.
Use warm butter to avoid uneven distribution and dense pockets.
Skip chilling the dough to avoid shrinkage during baking.
Overbake past 30 minutes to avoid dry filling and burnt crust edges.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
Gluten-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
neutral flavor
requires acid adjustment
vegan, slightly denser crumb
Full guide →