Tag Archives: Gluten Free Baking

Inaugural Mixer Exerience

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I can always find an excuse to bake. Always. Even the day after chastising myself for not eating healthily enough…

What can I say? Letting food go bad is just not an option, and when you have 6 extremely ripe plums what other choice do you have?

Exactly. No choice. The decision was practically made for me. I had to make plum cake. So, having never made plum cake before (or even tasted it) I trusted the internet with the fate of my over-ripe plums.

The internet did not let me down.

It provided me with this amazing recipe for Plum Cake from Denise Domning. And I mean seriously amazing. And gluten-free. And amazing.

It also gave me a reason to finally pull out the mixer. After my bad bread making debacle I wasn’t taking any chances on poorly mixed flour. The mixer (as if it would) did not disappoint.

 

Looks pretty amazing doesn’t it?

If only I could somehow use my powers for good? Maybe for their next fundraiser the Capital Chamber Choir will have a bakesale so I can show my support via cupcakes?

 

GFDF Pumpkin Cookies

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So I have to say, these cookies were a huge hit. I really wasn’t expecting much, especially on my first try, but they were amazing. They were like little mini cookie-shaped muffins. Delish!

Everyone in the house gave them a try, and if I hadn’t told them, I’m sure they would not have known they were both gluten-free and dairy-free.

Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose mix)
1tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg
1tsp allspice
1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup coconut milk
1tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Bowl-O-Flour

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Mix all dry ingredients. I strongly recommend sifting the gluten-free flour after measuring. It seems to have a tendency to clump together.

3. Cream shortening and sugar (until light and fluffy of course).

4. Add egg, molasses, pumpkin, vanilla, and coconut milk to the shortening + sugar. Mix until well combined. It might not look pretty. That’s OK.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until they are combined. The mixture will seem very thin for drop cookies, but just go with it. It will thicken up a little if you give it a few minutes.

Taking my new silicon liners and aluminum baking trays out for their first ride. A wonderful Christmas gift from my even more wonderful in-laws :)

6. Drop by teaspoon (if using spoons give a generous scoop, I used a 2tsp cookie scooper) on a greased or lined baking pan. The cookies will not really spread, so you can place them pretty close together.

7. Bake for 10 minutes exactly. You may have to play with the temperature or timing to get them just right. The recipe I started with called for 12 minutes, but by the time my timer went off the bottoms were nice and burnt.  

8. Feel free to add some miniature chocolate chips. I have been told that Chipits are a safe brand. I added some to half of my batter, and it was pretty heavenly. Also, if you substitute the egg you have a wonderful gluten-free vegan cookie recipe :)

Happy Baking!

 

 

*adapted from a recipe posted by Terri Gruss on about.com*

Gluten Free : Day 1

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First day gluten free is off to a strong start with a spinach omelet. I honestly don’t think I could ever give up eggs. They are probably on my top 5 list of favorite “foods” (In quotation because I am giving myself many more options by distinguishing between a “food” and a “dish”). Anyway…moving on….

 

Last night I said my final (not final final, but for the duration of this challenge…which I suppose I haven’t clarified. How about the rest of the winter? OK, done) goodbye to gluten. I went all out, even substituting my regular whole wheat pasta with white. Delish!

 

I also did some shopping at the Natural Food Pantry to stock my cupboards with gluten-free fare. I have to admit, I was pretty impressedwith the gluten-free selection they had at the store. Almost two full aisles labeled gluten free.I’ve heard that most of the “substitute” products taste and feel like cardboard, and if that wasn’t enough to dissuade me from trying them the prices sure would. Holy crumbs! Gluten-free is not cheap!

Please forgive the poor quality of my phone's camera...

I guess I am fortunate that I love to cook and bake, because my first mission is replacing bread. I simply can’t afford to experiment with the expensive substitutes out there, so I’m just going to make my own. I’ve been looking for a good reason to use the new Kitchen-aid mixer anyway. Plus I heard a rumor that baking gluten-free bread is actually easier than regular bread. No kneading? Count me in!

I now have an assortment of flours and other ingredients that I have noticed in a few gluten free recipes. Buckwheat flour, tapioca cereal, guar gum (because I heard I could use it instead of xanthan gum, and it was less than half the price), millet flour, arrowroot flour, pumpkin puree, honey, egg whites, coconut milk and vegetable shortening. I also purchased a “Super Bar” because I tend to like most things in bar form, and was curious. Cranberry-Raisin Crisp, I will see you this afternoon for snack-time (yes, it will come right after nap-time, no lie, I live the schedule of a 4 year old).

Today I will attempt gluten free bread, and gluten-free/dairy-free pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies. I’m even making half the batch of cookies without the chocolate chips, just to be on the safe side for my guest tomorrow, who actually does suffer from Celiac Disease.

Tonight I will face my first major challenge. Fletch has a show, which traditionally means: BEER. Now, I’m not a huge beer drinker, and for most of the year giving it up would pose no challenge. For me it’s all about the social aspect. I like to share a pitcher of beer and some good conversation. Especially on a patio with good friends on a hot summer day. I also DO NOT like cider…but maybe it’s time to give it a second chance.

Oh well…there’s always rum & coke…

Check back tomorrow for pictures and commentary on my first gluten-free baking attempt!

The Gluten Free Challenge

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Wow, have I opened up a can of worms or what!?!

I spent a lot of time before and during the holidays baking. Good, old-fashioned butter, white flour, and white sugar baking.

YUM.

The thing is, making, and as a result eating,  all of those (not to toot my own horn too much, but) delicious treats was not a realistic daily activity.

All I wanted to do was come up with some healthy alternatives that would allow me to bake on a near-daily basis, and still button my jeans.

Sure there are plenty of “healthy baking recipes” out there, but, a) I like to  be creative in the kitchen, and b) I like to use what I have on hand, and what I have on hand is not often what the recipe calls for.

After a few semi-successful (yes, that can also be interpreted as semi-failed) attempts, I admitted defeat. Well, maybe not defeat, but at least ignorance.

Clearly, creating my own twist on a recipe is not as easy as keeping the wet and dry ingredient ratios the same…

I started simple, reading about common ingredient substitutions. Many I already knew, but many (MANY) more were a complete surprise.

Then I moved on to some simple kitchen chemistry.

Now I have been challenged to try gluten free baking.

Sorry wheat, you know I'll always love you, but I think we should spend some time apart..

I started doing some research, and a whole new world appeared to me.

There are so many things I never took into consideration!

Elevation, humidity, protein content, what your pan is made out of….

Sure, tell me any of those things can affect your final product and I can see how that makes sense. I just hadn’t thought about it.

Now I’m looking into gluten free, which could be simple enough (comparatively) on its own, until you add in the other possible variables. Vegan, nut free, soy allergy, lactose intolerance, casein allergy (a protein in dairy that many people who are allergic to gluten are also allergic to), cross-contamination (rolled oats are gluten free, but are usually processed with wheat)….

As Fletch would say…I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat….