Attempt number two at converting my favourite lemon bar recipe to gluten free was a success!

My first attempt went wrong in two ways:

  • First the crust broke apart when I poured the custard over the top
  • Secondly, the GF flour I was using (Cup 4 Cup) had a strong flavour that did not work well with lemon bars. 

That attempt was an abject failure.

Since then, however, my grocery store started stocking King Arthur’s brand of one to one gluten free flour mix, and I did a bit of research before using it to make my shortbread recipe for the first time which gave me an idea for what to do with the lemon bars.

So in my research the suggestion I saw for shortbread was to use softened butter rather than cold. Well, my shortbread recipe already calls for softened butter, so I didn’t need to make any changes to that. But! The lemon bar base is essentially shortbread, and that one does call for cold butter.

So this time, I mixed up the base in the stand mixer instead of the food processor, and kept mixing way longer than I would have with wheat flour, until the mixture started clumping together. The ratio of dry ingredients to butter is different than with my shortbread recipe, so I didn’t end up with the playdough texture I get there, but I kept mixing until it was as close as that dryer dough could get.

Then, when I put it in the baking pan, I used the smallest rolling pin I have (it’s a candy one that’s about 6-8 inches long) to press it down firmly into the pan. Then I chilled it for about half and hour as the recipe calls for before baking it.

Finally, when it was time to pour the custard over the base, I poured it over the back of a spoon, because despite everything, the base did still look quite fragile. 

I did the second bake as normal, and then removed the bars from the pan immediately – I line my pan with a big sheet of parchment paper, so I just loosen the corners, which inevitably get a bit of custard leaking around the back and can get stuck, and then lift it out. With a wheat flour crust, I usually give it ten minutes or so to cool before lifting it out, but for some reason I was worried the crust might crack on this one if I waited too long (needn’t have worried lol, see below)

Once it was mostly cool, I cut it into pieces and then stuck it in the fridge to chill completely, because the crust still felt a lot softer and more delicate than wheat crust does.

Fortunately, once it had fully chilled, both the crust and the curd had firmed up and you can pick up a piece to eat it without worrying that it’s going to crumble in your hands. As for flavour, I can taste a difference in the crust, but it’s mild. I’m guessing it’s the flour that goes into the custard that is interacting with the other ingredients to make itself known, because I can’t taste it at all in my shortbread.

I’ll be taking this batch to the theatre this afternoon. It’s a two show day and we’re going to need snacks.

ETA: Recipe is Best Lemon Bars from Cook’s Illustrated magazine (May & June 1998), which is available online, but is behind a paywall. A friend who wanted me to make these for her gave me a photocopy of the magazine page about twenty years ago.

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