Perfect Baking Powder Biscuits!

Oct 05
Posted by: Under: Gluten Free Baking

Edited Oct/ 09 to be even BETTER (if you can believe it!)

This is an oldie but a goodie. And one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk milk (1 tsp lemon juice & enough milk to make 1/2 cup)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 cups flour blend for baking
  • 2 tsp guar gum
  • pinch tsp salt
  • 3 tsp baking pwd
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • scant 1/4 cup sugar
  1. Mix dry ingredients together – from the flour blend to the sugar.  Set aside.
  2. Using pastry knife, or 2 knives, or a fork, cut in shortening until the consistency of oatmeal.
  3. Beat wet ingredients together with whisk.
  4. Make a well in dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, mix until JUST blended.
  5. drop by 1/3 c. mounds onto sprayed cookie sheet or muffin tin.
  6. Pop into preheated 375F oven, for 12-15 minutes.

These are my favorite, favorite, favorite!  Especially in the fall with soups and stews!

Enjoy!

7
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Gluten Free Brownies

Mar 19
Posted by: Under: Gluten Free Baking

These are VERY delish!  All the credit goes to the Complete Gluten Free Cookbook (except I substituted my regular gf flour blend instead of the flours in the recipe).

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup flour blend.
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 c cocoa pwd
  • 1/2 tsp baking pwd
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 – 350 F.
  2. In a large bowl or plastic bag combine dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Set aside.  As a matter of point: I actually DID combine the dry ingredients separately this time:  a total act of God.
  3. In a separate bowl combine eggs, oil, water and vanilla until blended.
  4. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined (whatever that means).  I beat until smooth.
  5. Pour into greased 9×13 baking dish.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes until moist crumbs cling to the toothpick inserted in the center.  Do NOT overcook.  A little wet is still good.
  7. Cool complete, cut when ready to serve.
  8. Lasts up to 5 days (maybe in their house).

brownie

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Updated Page: Dear Newbie

Jan 01
Posted by: Under: Menus & Item Lists

A note on grains:

What should our baked goods look like?

We are used to baked goods that have a springy feel, but not spongey, are soft, but not gooey, crumbly, but not dry.  Wheat naturally does this for us.  However, it is a tall order for other grains to do the same thing.

Other cultures have been using other grains for ages, but they don’t expect it to behave like wheat.  For example, there is a Korean bakery in our town.  They use rice flour for the most part, and bake with sugar and beans.  They steam most of their special treats.  And stuff them with sesame seeds.  For Koreans – this is IT for baked treats – a not-very-sweet, slighty gooey, very jelly-like dough, that is wet on the surface.

And other cultures have been reaping the benefits from other grains too.  Wheat is one of the least healthy grains.  I know that Amaranth, Quinoa, and Teft are widely used for their wonderful protein, and fiber content.

How to select new flours:

So about a year and a half ago when my husband was newly diagnosed with celiac sprue, I went all out and changed our diets 180 degrees – thinking we were going to get “healthy”.  Unfortunately none of us would eat the stuff, so it wasn’t making anyone healthier by sitting in the cupboard.  My advice – stick to as-close-to-wheat flours as you can until everyone adjusts to the new flavors & textures.  Use already tested GF recipes for your baking, such as the ones on this site.  And leave the “healthy” grains for later.  By the way, when going for those “other” grains be sure to find their shelf lives, and store in the freezer or refrigerator as needed.

If I can do it, so can you!

The thing is, I actually have to get around to cooking.  This was a huge adjustment at first, but we couldn’t and can’t eat out as often as we used to.  So we spend way less money on groceries & dining out over the long run.  I actually plan my meals two weeks in advance, and make sure that I have all the ingredients on hand.  I have three little girls and there’s no way that I could cook every night, if I had to run off to the store nearly every day!  I’ll post my menu plans, and blank menu’s that you can use yourself, if you feel up to it.

Be sure to leave your comments, suggestions, and questions for me.  I love to hear from you!

1
Comment

My new flour blend

Jun 23
Posted by: Under: Gluten Free Baking

I’ve made a couple recipes with this blend, and here’s the run-down.  It is grittier (courser brown rice flour), has waaaaaay more fiber (flax), and what I LOVE and the reason I changed from my old flour blend, was the tapioca after-taste.  Which I can definitely taste.  This one I have no problems with at all as far as taste goes.  My biscuits held together really well.  The cookies this morning are a bit gritty, as I mentioned.  When I get these recipes fine-tuned I’ll put ‘em up.

  • 2 cups white rice flour
  • 2 cups brown rice flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sweet rice flour (also called glutinous or sticky rice)
  • 1 1/3 tapioca starch
  • 2/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup flax seed, well ground (use a coffee grinder to ground it finer if you like)

So far this has worked with all my recipes so binding properties are approximately the same.  Extra baking powder, egg, and guar gum.

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