Beef and Ale Pie, Gluten Free

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the pastry

   Whisk the gluten-free blend, xanthan gum, and salt together in a wide bowl. Check your blend's label first: if it already lists xanthan or guar gum, skip the added gum or the crust will turn gummy. Drop in the cold butter and flatten each cube between your fingertips into flakes, leaving pieces from pea-sized to almond-sized.

2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Beat the egg with the vinegar and 1/3 cup ice water, then drizzle it into the flour while tossing with a fork. Gluten-free dough should feel slightly wetter and tackier than wheat dough, closer to soft modeling clay, so add water a teaspoon at a time until it does. There is no gluten to overdevelop here, so knead it briefly to make it smooth. Divide into two discs, wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. 3

   Sear the beef

   Pat the beef dry and toss it with the gluten-free flour blend, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers, then brown the cubes in two or three batches with space between the pieces. The starch coating browns a shade faster than wheat flour does, so watch it and move each batch to a plate as it finishes.

4. 4

   Build the base

   Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same pot. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the onions are soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes, until the paste darkens to a brick red.

5. 5

   Deglaze and braise

   Pour in the stout and scrape the pot clean with a wooden spoon, letting it bubble for 3 minutes. Return the beef and juices along with the stock, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and hold at the barest simmer or in a 325°F oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a cube of beef collapses under a spoon.

6. 6

   Reduce to gravy thickness

   Remove the bay leaves, then simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon thickly. Gluten-free starches thicken more aggressively as they cool than wheat flour does, so stop while the gravy still looks a touch looser than you want. Season to taste.

7. 7

   Cool the filling completely

   Spread the filling in a shallow dish, cool to room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Gluten-free pastry is especially unforgiving about this, since it relies on starch structure rather than gluten and goes soft the moment warm filling touches it. If the chilled gravy has set up stiffer than you expected, loosen it with a splash of stock before filling the pie.

8. 8

   Roll and par-bake the bottom crust

   Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third. Let the dough sit at room temperature 10 minutes, then roll the larger disc between two sheets of parchment into a 13-inch round. Peel off the top sheet, invert into a deep 9-inch dish, and press it in gently. Gluten-free dough tears rather than stretches, so patch any splits by pressing the edges together with a damp fingertip. Trim, prick the base, chill 15 minutes, then bake with weights 18 minutes, and 8 to 10 minutes more without, until the base is dry and pale gold.

9. 9

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the cold filling into the warm shell. Roll the second disc between parchment into an 11-inch round and invert it over the top. Trim, fold the edge under, and crimp with a fork rather than pinching with your fingers, which tends to crack this dough. Cut a 1-inch cross plus a few short slashes to vent, then brush all over with the beaten egg and milk.

10. 10

    Bake and rest

    Bake at 400°F for 45 to 55 minutes. Gluten-free crust browns earlier than it crisps, so go by firmness as much as color: the lid should sound crisp when tapped and the vents should be bubbling steadily. Shield the edges with foil if they darken early. Rest the pie 25 minutes before slicing, a little longer than the wheat version, so the crust can set.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Make the filling a day ahead. It tastes better, the gravy sets firmer, and it breaks a long recipe into two manageable sessions.

• 2.

  If your gravy refuses to thicken, mash 1 tablespoon of soft butter with 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk the paste into the simmering liquid a little at a time.

• 3.

  A glass or ceramic dish lets you check the bottom crust's color before you commit to pulling the pie out.

• 4.

  Flour your rolling pin rather than loading more flour onto the dough, which dries the pastry and makes it crack at the crimps.

• 5.

  A splash of the braising liquid tasting bitter is normal with very dark stouts. A teaspoon of brown sugar rounds it right out.

• 6.

  Dough scraps re-roll fine once. Cut leaves or a lattice strip, brush with egg wash, and use them to patch any thin spots on the lid.