Gluten-free Gourmand

What kind of recipe would you like to have in gluten-free form? Last spring I took a poll on my Facebook page asking what kind of GF recipes people wanted to see on my blog.  I had some really intense challenges set before me, things that were highly technical and required a steep learning curve.  You know, the kinds of challenges that I love to take on.  Nine batches of croissants later at 22 hours per batch, and I had my first recipe challenge completed.  That was only the beginning.  I quickly realized that a whole new flour formula would be needed.  Croissants, technically, are a bread, not a pastry, and the ultimate request came from my mom, who wanted Danishes.  Who can deny their mom cheese Danishes? My gluten-free challenges last year made for some really prolific recipe invention.  I made a bread flour blend, learned how to make laminated pastries , and made the best-looking, fluffiest, hole-i-est gluten-free baguettes you've ever...

Here's a recipe that uses traditional methods for a traditional round loaf (or boule) with a crisp crust and a chewy center.  I have a bunch of quick and easy bread recipes on this site.  Now it's time for a more traditional take on making bread.  The beauty of my bread flour mix  is that the dough can be handled a lot like traditional bread dough; it can be handled, kneaded, and shaped. You will get better, more consistent results with this recipe if you weigh everything - including the water.  However, I have given you volume measurements just in case you haven't yet bought a digital kitchen scale. Traditional Round Loaf Recipe makes one 1-pound loaf Mix in the bowl of your stand mixer or whisk together by hand: 225g (about 1 cup) warm water, 110-120 degrees 15g whole psyllium husk (or 10g ground psyllium husk) 2 tsp apple cider vinegar Add to the bowl: 225g GF Bread Flour ,  1 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp yeast (about half a ...

My last post on the Best Gluten-free Sandwich Bread Ever generated a flurry of interest and responses. All of them were about wanting to try the recipe.  Most of them, however, were from people who couldn't.  They really, really wanted to.  However, they can't get the unique Gluten-free Gourmand No. 7 Bread Flour .  It's not their fault!  It's just that due to things like food regulations and exorbitant shipping prices I only ship my specialty baking mixes within the United States.  What's a gluten-free baker to do if she lives in Australia (or Canada, or New Zealand)? Now, I'm all about promoting my beautiful, artisan flours that are lovingly tested in small batches to make sure they have fewer than 10 ppm gluten.  I'm also very dedicated to bringing my customers more recipes to enjoy.  However, my blog didn't start out to sell flour.  I started blogging to share what I know about gluten-free baking, about how rewarding it can be to make ...

Whenever I see that a recipe has been made vegan, I'm immediately suspect that it has been made to be flavorless.  This is not the case with vegan bread.  After all, a traditional french baguette is only water, flour, yeast, and salt.  Bread is supposed to be made vegan.  Once you get the gluten-free part down, the vegan part should be easy, right? Well... it did take me several tries to get this.  For my baguettes and small round loaves I can get it to rise just fine without the eggs.  However, sandwich loaves have more volume and need a little something extra for the vertical lift I was looking for.  Fortunately, by the time I got done with it I'd crafted the best gluten-free sandwich bread I'd ever made. To make it egg-free, this recipe calls for just a little bit of flax seed to give the dough some extra structure so it can rise well.  It also gives the bread great flexibility, so your sandwiches can stay together.  I ended up lik...

I'm not one for buying a million different cookie cutters.  I like to think of myself as way more DIY than that .  I can cut my own heart-shaped scones!  And I'll waste less precious scone dough with my method, too.  I decided that this Valentine's day is going to bring some beautiful heart-shaped scones to my plate, and they should be topped with a raspberry glaze. To make heart-shaped scones, you can use a traditional scone recipe , my vegan recipe , or the recipe below, a quick and easy egg-free recipe which is another old traditional recipe I love called Cream Scones.  You can even use my Scone Mix .  If you're not into raspberries, you can use any kind of jam to top these or just brush them with cream and serve them plain.  I also have a recipe for a kumquat glaze which is really pretty. To shape the scones, first cut them out as usual.  Form the dough into a circle, then cut the circle into eight triangles. Carefully place the ...

With Valentine's day coming up, you might be looking for a treat you can make for yourself - or your loved one, if he likes cookies.  But mostly yourself, right?  Most sugar cookie recipes make an ungodly number of cookies, but I for one never need 3 dozen of these guys.  This recipe is pretty easy and makes about a dozen cookies, so you can still fit into your Valentine's day outfit, sort of. Are you a gluten eater, or do you have a different GF flour on your shelf?  Just sub out cup-for-cup the flour that you have for my blend.  This recipe is very forgiving! Easy Sugar Cookies makes 1 dozen cookies With an electric beater or in a stand mixer, cream: 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar Cream these together for several minutes.  The blend should lighten and look fluffy.  Add: 1 egg 1/4 tsp vanilla Beat until creamy.  Add: 1 1/4 cup  Deluxe Pastry Flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp salt Slowly beat the...

I had never made naan before last week.  The only reason?  I had no idea how easy it is!  It's really one of the fastest breads you can make.  I can start making naan when my boyfriend calls in the take-out order and have it ready when he comes back with the food.  You don't really need to let it rise - the bread is leavened with baking soda as well as yeast.  The yeast adds flavor, the baking soda adds fluffiness.  The result is a very chewy, flexible flatbread.  Now you no longer have to be jealous if your boyfriend gets bread with his Indian food.  In fact, he'll probably want some of your naan hot off the grill. Gluten-free Naan Recipe makes 4 large naan In a large bowl, whisk together: 250g - about 1 Cup - warm kefir or yogurt 15g whole psyllium husk (or 10g ground psyllium husk) 2 tsp apple cider vinegar When the mixture has thickened, add to the bowl: 225 g  GF Bread Flour Blend 12 g sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp...