Gluten free Italian crostata with jam

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I grew up with my nonna’s crostata, baked at home pretty much every other day. When I’ve had to organize my life around gluten free food I’ve thought I could not be able to taste a crostata anymore. Then, with a lot of practice and mistakes I finally found the perfect recipe for a gluten free Italian crostata with homemade jam.

I’ve used plum jam because this is one of the jams we use in Italy when we bake but you can certainly use every type of jam or also some chocolate spread, dark or nuts based.

You can prepare your short crust pastry base using a kitchen mixer or only your hands: the result will be acceptable in both cases. To make your crostata, you will also need a tart pan like this one I’ve found on Amazon.

What you need for a 18-20cm crostata
250 grams Mix Pâtisserie Schär
130 grams unsalted butter
90 grams powdered sugar
5 grams of Xanthan gum
1 egg yolk
350 grams of jam

Method
1. Pour flour and xanthan in a mixer. Also add the egg yolk and icing sugar.
2. Blend jerky then add the butter cut into chunks. Whisk again to obtain a sandy compound (the so-called sand blasting)
3. Pour the “sand” on a hard floor and knead with your hands until you’ll have a smooth paste. Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap paper and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
4. After the 2 hours, take the pastry out of the fridge and divide it into two loaves. Use 3/4 of the pastry for the base of the crostata and then puncture the bottom with a fork and distribute the jam. Use the remaining pastry to add strips on top of on the tart.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 200°C (356°F) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let the crostata cool and serve.

Preparation time: 3 hours

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[Pics by Giuseppe]