Gluten Free Spinach and Feta Crostata
A perfect summer meal made with and easy flaky gluten free pie dough - like spanikopita but simpler
I always stare wistfully at Greek restaurants when I pass. One of the things I miss the most is spanikopita, spinach and feta cheese wrapped in layers of crisp buttery filo. This flaky buttery gluten free spinach and feta crostata is as salty/crispy/buttery as the original, but so much simpler. This makes a fantastic summer meal, a quick crust, that could be mixed up ahead quickly baked around a delectable quick filling. Pair it with a glass of wine and a some beautiful sliced tomatoes and you have dinner!
The addition of both xanthan gum and psyllium give this dough strength. Don’t skip out on either, or the dough will be difficult to roll out and shape. Keeping the butter cold for the crust is crucial, it helps to keep it from smearing on the grater, and the small shreds of butter create little pockets of steam, which is what gives you those flaky layers. If your kitchen is getting warm, pop the butter back in the fridge for 5 minutes then continue. Lemon juice or white wine vinegar would be a lovely substitute for apple cider vinegar if you are out.
When I last made this crostata, I marched out to my garden, wrestled all the greens that were mainly intact away from an army of bunnies and used every single kind, but it is equally delicious with store bought spinach, chard, or even beet greens. If you are using large spinach or chard just be sure to remove the woody stems first, if you’d like to use the stems chop them up very finely and saute them right at the beginning in the olive oil for 5 minutes before adding any of the other ingredients or proceeding with the recipe.
The feta cheese is the highlight of the show so to speak, lending its briny saltiness and richness to the whole affair. It is so much tastier when bought as a block instead of pre-crumbled, which tends to be much drier than the block.
On very hot days I’ve even baked this crostata over indirect heat on my grill, on a baking steel, a cast iron pan would work as well. I have a thermometer on my grill that lets me know what temperature it is inside, so I can control if it gets too hot or cool. It’s so nice to have the option in sweltering heat and I do enjoy the bit of smokiness the crostata ends up with!
Gluten Free Feta and Spinach Crostata
yield: 1 pie (8 slices)
For the crust:
1 ½ cups (210g) gluten free pastry flour (recipe included) or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour
½ tsp (3g) xanthan gum
½ (3g) tsp psyllium husk powder (or the equivalent weight of psyllium husk)
1 tsp(4g) salt
¾ cup(170g) cold butter (or dairy free stick butter)
1 large egg, beaten
1 (16g) Tb apple cider vinegar
¼-1/3 cup (or more) ice water
For the filling:
2 Tb olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, or kale, chopped
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions
1 Tb fresh or 1 tsp dried dill
1 egg
4 oz feta cheese
Mix the flour, xanthan, psyllium, and salt together in a bowl. Grate the cold butter on the large side of a cheese grater. With a fork gently mix the butter shreds into the flour mixture.
Beat the egg with the vinegar, add to the dry mixture. Stir and drizzle in the cold water until the dough comes together and is cohesive, it should be about as sticky as a post-it note. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Roll chilled dough into a 14-inch circle, on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Heat the oven to 450F.
Sauté the garlic and chopped greens over medium high heat in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the green onions, dill, egg, and crumble in the feta.
Mound the mixture onto the middle of the pie dough, leaving a 3 inch border all around. Using the parchment paper fold in the edges of the dough over the m filling, leaving an exposed circle of filling in the middle.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly and the crust is lightly tan.
This flour is the perfect mix for the cookies, cakes, muffins, and quick breads in your life. It’s light and feathery and gives you a light melting mouthfeel. Different brands of the ingredient flours have different grinds. Finer flours might pack into the cup – while courser flours won’t fit nearly as much in a cup, so weighing your ingredients will give you MUCH better results! On a simple scale put a medium to large bowl, shake or spoon on the flours and hit that “Zero” or “tare” button after each one. Voila! Cleanup is nearly nonexistent, and you’ve got a much more reliable flour! Note- this flour is not meant to be used in yeast-based recipes, breads and cinnamon rolls need a bit more strength and not as much tenderness.
Gluten Free Pastry Flour Mix
yield: 8 cups (1,061g)
2 cup (260g) sweet white rice flour (mochi flour or mochiko)
2 cup (256g) fine brown rice flour
2 cup (304g) potato starch
1 cup (118g) sorghum flour
1 cup (113g) tapioca flour
4 tsp (10g) xanthan gum
Scoop all ingredients into a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Store in an airtight container.
