How to Make the Most Incredible Gluten Free Filo Pastry

Recipe Video

The hunt is over! This is the gluten free filo pastry of your wildest dreams. Thin, flaky, golden and delicious, this pastry is worth every little bit of the effort that goes into making it. Plus, it's made with simple ingredients you might already have in the cupboard!

This gluten free filo pastry is just a little bit mind blowing. It's strong enough to roll it paper thin (as you can see!), it's flexible enough to fold obligingly around whatever filling your heart desires, it bakes up beautifully golden brown and crisp and it has a great flavour all by itself! I've already used it to recreate some of those wonderful pastries I've been missing, like crisp parcels full of spiced lamb, little triangles filled with cheese and spinach and Gluten Free Apple Strudel - heaven!

How do I make Gluten Free Filo Pastry?

I won't lie to you, this pastry does take a bit of time and elbow grease to make, especially if you don't have a pasta machine. What I can tell you, though, is that it's super easy once you get the hang of it, and the delicate result you'll get is well worth the effort!

Here are the steps involved in making gluten free filo pastry:

Mixing the dough

First of all we need to measure all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk them well to combine. Then, we'll add our softened butter and honey and start adding the water a couple of spoonfuls at a time. It's ready to go once you can squeeze a handful of dough and it stays together without crumbling apart easily.

Kneading the dough

When the dough has enough water it's time to bring it together with your hands, then turn it out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. We're looking for a fairly firm, slightly sticky dough. If you dough is very soft and sticky keep kneading it, adding a bit more flour as you go, until it's only a little bit sticky.

Dividing the dough

The number of portions you divide your dough into depends on the recipe you want to use it for - the number of portions you divide it into equals the number of sheets you get at the end. If you just want to make a batch to stash in the freezer I would suggest going for 10 portions as in the recipe, and the same goes for if you want to make my Gluten Free Apple Strudel. If you want to make half a dozen large, main meal size parcels, divide it into 12 smaller portions. My rule of thumb is one sheet of this gluten free filo pastry is roughly the same size as half a sheet of regular filo pastry from the supermarket. Bare in mind that this pastry does better with fewer layers than regular filo - more on that later!

Rolling the dough option 1 - with a pasta machine

A pasta machine will definitely make your life easier when rolling this pastry. We'll work with just one portion of dough at a time, keeping the rest safe under a damp tea towel to stop them from drying out. The first step is to roll the dough through the widest setting on the machine multiple times, folding in half horizontally after each pass through the machine, until it's nice and smooth and a fairly neat rectangle roughly the width of the roller. It's important to dust the pastry often during the rolling process with a pastry brush dipped into cornflour to stop it from sticking.

Once we're happy with the shape and smoothness it's time to feed the dough through each thinner setting on the pasta machine until we get to the thinnest - keep dusting it with cornflour regularly! Once the sheet has been passed through the thinnest setting we'll dust the work surface with more cornflour and lay the sheet down. Then we just use a rolling pin to roll it firmly from the middle out to each long side and thin it out even more. That's how we get such a delicate result! Keep your wonderful sheet of pastry under a damp tea towel while you roll the rest.

Rolling the dough option 2 - by hand with a rolling pin

Don't worry, a pasta machine isn't essential to make this gluten free filo pastry. With a little bit more elbow grease it can absolutely be done with a rolling pin, in fact that's how I made my first couple of batches!

Similar to the pasta machine method we need to smooth the dough out. Roll one portion out into a rectangle roughly 14 x 11cm, then fold it over horizontally and roll it out again. Repeat this step, dusting regularly with your pastry brush dipped in cornflour, until you have a lovely smooth, reasonably neat rectangle. Continue rolling the dough out until you have a super thin sheet something like 18 x 30cm. Make sure you lift it up and dust it and your surface with cornflour often! Keep your wonderful sheet of pastry under a damp tea towel while you roll the rest.

Storing the pastry

You have a few options when it comes to storing this pastry. You can use it as soon as it's rolled, or if you plan to use it later than day just wrap it up so it doesn't dry out and leave it at room temperature. If you want to use it in a couple of days' time roll it up into a loose log, wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap (we don't want it to dry out) and store it in the fridge. To make the pastry further in advance roll and wrap it the same way and store it in the freezer. If you chill or freeze the pastry make sure you warm it right back up to room temperature before you try to unroll it.

You can also assemble your pastries ahead of time and store them (always wrapped tightly) in the fridge or freezer, and put them straight in the oven without bringing them to room temperature. If you have several small pastries to freeze, freeze them covered in plastic wrap in a single layer on a lined tray, then place them in a bag once frozen.

Using the pastry

You can use your gluten free filo pastry much the same as you would use regular filo pastry, with a couple of adjustments. Firstly, as hard as we work to get the pastry super duper thin it is still slightly thicker than the stuff you buy from the supermarket. For that reason I find it better to layer at most two sheets of pastry on top of each other, where normal pastry recipes will often direct you to layer several sheets at a time.

Secondly, this pastry performs better with just a little bit of butter brushed between the sheets. It seems to get bogged down a bit with too much butter. Lastly, the pastry needs a bit more love in the oven than regular filo. Try baking it for longer and at a slightly higher temperature than you normally would for a wonderfully golden, crisp and delicious result. Just bake it until it looks absolutely delicious!

What ingredients do I need for Gluten Free Filo Pastry?

This is a pretty simple recipe. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• Gluten free plain flour - I use White Wings. Try to choose a blend with as few ingredients as possible.

• Xanthan gum - xanthan is essential for holding this pastry together so we can get it super thin.

• Salt - we need great flavour!

• Honey, or vegan alternative - this is to help the pastry brown and to help with the flavour.

• Butter, or dairy free alternative - again, butter gives us flavour and better browning as well as great texture.

• Water - cool tap water brings the pastry together into a workable texture.

What equipment do I need for Gluten Free Filo Pastry?

Here are the bits and pieces you'll need to make a batch of gluten free filo:

• large bowl and spoon

• digital scale (essential for accuracy and a wonderful result)

• measuring spoons

• whisk

• rolling pin

• pasta machine (optional)

• pastry brush

• damp tea towel

What can I use this Gluten Free Filo Pastry for?

You can use this pastry for whatever you want! Spanakopita, delicate little finger food pastries, baklava, or my Gluten Free Apple Strudel, this gluten free filo will leave you speechless.

More tips for handling Gluten Free Filo Pastry

Let's not beat around the bush - handling gluten free dough can be a daunting task sometimes. In my years of wrangling all different types of dough I've landed on one main tip: be confident and decisive in your movements.

It's almost like gluten free dough can smell fear. If you're nervous and fumbling around a little bit it can start to stick and tear, but if you're organised and confident (or at least pretending to be confident!) I find it always goes a lot better. Just remember to dust your pastry often with a little cornstarch and have faith that the pastry is sturdier than it looks. If you have a total disaster it can always be scrunched up into a ball and rolled out again - not having gluten to deal with can be a bonus sometimes!