Category Archives: Gluten Free

Gluten Free, Gluten Free Recipes

GF Baking Adventures: Raspberry scones

Leave a comment

What I miss the most about traditional baked goods is the mouth feel.  The satisfying crunchy outside and soft middle of french bread, the consistent springiness of cake, the crisp resistance of pizza dough.  For three years I have looked for something that feels like normal baked goods.  Something that isn’t mealy or dry enough to sap your body of all remaining water stores and stick to the roof of your mouth forever.

For three and a half years I have tried recipe after recipe.  I finally hit upon it.  Today I made raspberry scones.  They were chewy and consistent.  The outside was crisp and the inside soft.  They didn’t flake apart or crumble to bits. They were just right.

The secret?  Sweetened condensed milk.  I’m not a food scientist so I can’t explain why there would be such a drastic difference in mouth feel using sweetened condensed milk as a replacement for milk, sugar, and butter in a recipe.  I have no idea why it worked so well. I really don’t care why it worked so well.  All I know is I that I finally made a GF baked good that felt normal.

The Recipe:

2 – 21/2 cups Pamela’s Pancake and Baking Mix  (Pamela’s has served me in good staid.  It is the mix for me!)

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Set your oven to 375 Degrees.

Mix the egg, sweetened condensed milk, raspberries and vanilla together in a stand mixer until the raspberries have broken apart and the batter is a light pink.  Add 2 cups of Pamela’s baking mix.  Mix thoroughly.  If the batter seems a little too pancake like and not enough like a dough, add the additional 1/2, 1/4 at a time until the batter is more dough like.

Spray a round pie pan with non-stick spray.  Pour the dough into the pie pan.  Stick in the oven for 35 minutes or until the top is dark golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the pan.  Allow to cool for ten minutes, cut into generous slices and devour.

 

Gluten Free, Gluten Free Recipes, Uncategorized

GF Baking Adventures: no bake granola bars

1 Comment

Anyone eating GF knows two things about store bought goodies.  First, they will likely be nearly twice as much as the regular version.  Second, they will likely not be very good.  As a result of these seemingly universal truths, I have started making my own GF granola bars.  I needed something to bring camping, or to the Renaissance Festival, or just have in my bag in case I get hungry.

I have been experimenting with variations on a no-bake cookie recipe so I didn’t have to turn on the oven.  I have tried three different recipes and the results have been fairly good, but last night I made some delicious no-bake apple pie granola bars.  The kids loved them, my parents loved them, friends who don’t need to eat gluten free loved them. I figured I would share.

Here is the recipe:

No Bake Apple Pie Spice Granola bars.

1 stick butter

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp vanilla

Mix in a pan and bring to a boil.  Stir boiling for 1-2 minutes. Lower heat and add the following, stirring until covered.

2 tsp cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

2.5 cups GF oats

1 cup GF crisp brown rice

1 cup walnuts, cashews, other nuts (Finely chopped)

1/2 cup dried apples and other dried fruit (finely chopped)

3/4 cup crispy GF granola cereal

1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Mix together well and pour into an 8×8 baking pan.  Refrigerate two hours or so, cut into squares, refrigerate overnight.  Remove squares, wrap in parchment paper, store in the fridge for easy snacking.

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten-Free

G(F)rumpy.

2 Comments

I am having a frustrated gluten-free week. There doesn’t seem to be any easy to grab food out in the world that I can eat, except fruit and most dairy, which doesn’t fill me up as well. I have to carry snack bars with me because there are no friggin fast food places that skip the gluten. Taco Bell even puts wheat flour in their meat, so even though many of their bread products, being corn shells, are safe for me to eat, the things they stuff then with aren’t. (Not that Taco Bell is the bastion of fine dining but Come On!! Wheat in the meat?)

I have been hungry this week. Starving. All the time. I eat an apple, and then half an hour later I am listening to my tummy grumble again. I am Grumpy and stressed out too. I am working a lot and I can’t seem to pack enough fruit and granola bars to make up for the lack of available fast food options.My grumpiest evening was the night I ordered Chinese. I had worked hard all week and I wanted to relax, pour a glass of wine, and feed the children and myself something cooked by others. I called the very helpful staff at the take out placce and learned that all I could get were the lettuce wraps because everything else contained soy sauce, which contains gluten. Resigned I sat at home eating rice, tofu, and chicken in lettuce leaves longing for a hot dog on a bun Chicago style, or a thick and steaming slice of pizza, just the perfect mix of gooey and crisp.

This morning I woke up to discover that the kids had polished off my gluten free waffles and that my favorite Easter treat ever is loaded with the evil gluten demon. (Cadbury how could you?)

So I am grumpy. And hungry. And longing for bread.