Calling All Serious Bakers Out There!

[PeggyV]

I found this bread recipe below on line. Maybe even from this site. I use it in a bread machine. I love baking regular bread by hand, but gluten-free bread really isnt fun to make. I use butter, eggs and milk when I bake too. Everyones taste is different but I like it for bread. I have done it with and without the gelatin. I havent found a lot of cookies I like. Rice flower taste very grainy to me. But I really dont need cookies anyway......

I also make dinner rolls, and after a couple of days I slice the rolls really thin, lay them on a baking sheet and bake at 175 for about 3 hours. This gives you a "melba toast" craker. I dont like the rice cracker they sell at the store. I use them for humas, melt cheese and top with sun dried tomatoes and with cheese.

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This recipe comes to us from Maria Oostveen. Her comments about it: "My goal is to develop an all-purpose flour, that can be used for most baking purposes. I have not tested this version yet on anything else but bread and it compares 100% with regular light wheat bread. The first thing I made with it was the cheese sandwich I so badly craved and it was like heaven!! No comparison with ANY gluten-free bread I tried before, and I tried them all!!!!!!"

Maria's Bread Flour Mix (makes 9 cups = 3 loaves).

2 cups garfava or garbanzo-bean flour

1 cup sorghum flour

2

[JennyC]

I used to own a bakery/catering business so when I first learned I needed to go gluten-free, first thing I made was Choc chip cookies.

1. I use a mix of brown and white rice about 1/2 each in the rice flour/potato/tapioca mix. THis is the basic flour mix I use.

2. I buy the white rice, and both starches at Asian Markets- MUCH CHEAPER.. Just be sure to refridg- I keep a whole shelf in fridge of premixed flours etc.

3. When I bake I make a number of items cause you have to freeze anyway and there are sooo many ingrediants to pull out - might as well do once.

3. I have good luck using a lot of my pre gluten-free receipes and just substituting gluten-free flour and some xantham gum (guar is very exp) Sometimes you just have to add a little more flour.

I have made Chocolate sheet cake and NO ONE knew it was gluten-free.

4. For bread Bette Hagman's book is the best. For desserts Annalise is really good.

5. Experiment and have fun,.

5. I ususally go to our library or local bookstore and look at the reciepes in a book then get online at amazon and order.

Any chance I could get your chocolate cake recipe? My son's birthday is coming up.

[lcbannon]

This is like a Texas Sheet cake- on the thin but wonderful side.

2 cups gluten-free Flour (I use the Rice/Potato/Tapioca mix)

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum- prob optional

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick oleo

1 cup water

1/2 cup crisco

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk (i usually put the viniger in to sour reg milk)

2 eggs

1 t soda

1t vanilla

Frosting

1 stick oleo

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk or milk

1 t vanilla

pinch of salt

1 cup pecans if desired

Preheat oven to 400, grease and flour or Spray 18 x 11 pan.

Mic flour,sugar,and salt in mixing bowl. Bring oleo, water oil and cocoa to a boil, slowly add to dry mixture. Mix then add the buttermilk, eggs, soda and vanilla, Mix well. Bake for 20 minutes DO NOT OVERBAKE.

For icing, melt oleo remove from heat and beat in other ingreadients.

Frost cake and enjoy...

[luvs2eat]

I love to bake too. I've found Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts to be the best combo of flours for baking and every recipe I've tried has been a winner!!

[suepooh4]

Hi All,

My son has just tested positive with celiac disease. I absolutely LOVE to bake, and I am a little overwhelmed with the volume of gluten-free flours and baking mixes out there.

I have in my pantry, corn flour, sweet rice flour (trader Joe's), tapioca flour, potato startch and xanthan gum.

But they're all really expensive, so I don't want to just start experimenting and end up with a bunch of stuff that I need to throw out.

I have a bunch of questions, and different people may know different answers, so I'll just throw them out there!

What are the combinations of flours that work best for cookies?

What works the best for cakes?

Muffins?

please link to recipes that you've tried and loved. There is a wealth of stuff out there, and I want to start with some tried and true recipes first. I'd love to find a replacement for tollhouse cookies, chocolate and yellow cake.

Are there particular brands of 'flour' that you've had good luck with?

Are there different conversion ratio's that you use when you've converting a recipe depending on whether or not it's a cookie, cake or muffin recipe?

As of right now, we have no troubles with eggs or dairy, so I'd prefer to use recipes that use butter and eggs.

Thanks in advance,

Margaret

Hi Margaret,

I have a wonderful recipe for gluten free Texas sheet cake (chocolate cake with chocolate icing) it is so good(even our four children love this gluten free texas sheet cake and they do not have celiac). My husband has celiac and before he was diagnosed (April 2006) this was one of his favorite cakes and since he has been diagnosed I have learned to make this cake along with pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing, peanut butter cookies, whoopie pies, banana muffins, cupcakes and white cake. If you would like any of these recipes please let me know by responding to this message.

Thank you and good luck

Sue

[Belinda Meeker]

Hello & Welcome

I usually use my regular recipes (wheat flour ones) & just use the gluten-free flour blend from Annalise Roberts cookbook. I never have a flop with it. By the way her cookbook is wonderful, worth every penny.

There are many recipes in this section & you can spend months looking them up.

I also buy the Betty Hageman four flour blend & never had a flop with .

I cook for 2 adults & 2 kids that are gluten-free. I supply them for all school treats & special occassion stuff. In Annalise' cookbook she even has a recipe for ice cream sandwiches... I haven't made anything from this book we didn't like...

For a great bread mix you might want to try Anna's bread mix....if you have a Whole Foods they have several ready made breads that are good. Also If you are in the New England states there is a company called Against the Grain that I hear has wonderful breads & rolls.You can google them they have a website..

It all takes time to get the gluten-free lifestyle down to a science but it does fall into place....

You may want to get a subscription to Living Without magazine. It has alot of info & vendors,plus recipes. I look forward to receiving my copy....

If you care to feel free to send me a personal e-mail with any ?????.... I mentor a few in my area.....

blessings'

mamaw

mamaw,

Hi I too am new at this baking from scratch "The New gluten-free Way"

and so far mine has been a dissaster

Do u say that this bread u quoted is better then the other cardboard tasting ones?

So far we don't like the ones made with just rice flour (brown or white)

they taste too yukky

So if u have the web site for this book u metion could u plz send it my way ?

Thanks !

Belinda

[irish daveyboy]

Any chance I could get your chocolate cake recipe? My son's birthday is coming up.

Hi JennyC,

Noticed you are looking for a chocolate cake recipe,

.

Here's a link to one I developed and posted on the Irish Site

It even has photo's so you can see what it should be like !

.

Open Original Shared Link

.

.

My favourite is the version with the chocolate - coffee buttercream !!

.

Hope this is of some use to you.

.

Best Regards,

David

[ElizabethN]

If you like pumpkin bread, go to allrecipes.com and search for 'Super Moist Pumpkin Bread'. I make it with Pamela's flour and it is SOOOOO good. It makes two large loaves, so I have always intended to freeze one but usually eat it all up before then.

[ViewsAskew]

What are the combinations of flours that work best for cookies?

What works the best for cakes?

Muffins?

Are there particular brands of 'flour' that you've had good luck with?

Are there different conversion ratio's that you use when you've converting a recipe depending on whether or not it's a cookie, cake or muffin recipe?

As of right now, we have no troubles with eggs or dairy, so I'd prefer to use recipes that use butter and eggs.

Margaret

So, how is it going? You've had lots of suggestions for recipes. . .I'll just throw out my 2 cents about baking in general.

There is no flour that works best for everything, to me. And, we all have slightly different taste buds, etc. Some people LOVE a bean-based bread - it's lighter, it's softer, it's bendable - but some people just can't stand that taste. And, as already was pointed out, using white (or even brown) rice, tapioca starch, and potato starch is truly empty calories (and more of them, because our products are more dense - hence the weight gain so many of us experience). So, to me, any new baker needs to do at least a little experimenting if they are going to bake more than once every few months. Sure, start with rice flours and the 3 easy to get starches: potato, corn, and tapioca. But, then try slipping in some new things. Sorghum is so wheaty in texture and rise. Flax adds taste and nutrition. Montina adds nutrition and taste. Then there are bean flours, amaranth, quinoa, mung bean and many more to try. Just don't buy them all at once - start small and add some things here and there. Oh, last thought on this: different brands have different "grinds." Some are very coarse and then they taste gritty. Asian store rice flours have the finest grinds for white rice. Authentic Foods has the finest grind brown rice.

Yes, there are different conversion ratios. You really need to pay attention to the function of each ingredient. Does it have a lot of eggs or few or none? Eggs will help add protein and act as a binder. If you don't have them, you need more xanthan gum. If the recipe only calls for one, you might want to add an extra egg or at least an extra white and reduce the liquid a bit. And, the ratio of xanthan varies: 1 tsp per cup for bread, and 1/4-1/2 tsp per cup for cookies, quickbreads, cakes, etc. In terms of the flours you use, as long as you use a minimum of 3 flours/starches together, you can measure 1 for 1 with most recipes. Baking powder may need to be increased slightly. Also, it seems to me that our flours are not as strong, and can't handle as much fat - they get too weighed down. So, sometimes I decrease the fat a small amount - 10 percent or so.

If you have more questions, let us all know.

[jukie]

If you like pumpkin bread, go to allrecipes.com and search for 'Super Moist Pumpkin Bread'. I make it with Pamela's flour and it is SOOOOO good. It makes two large loaves, so I have always intended to freeze one but usually eat it all up before then.

I just looked up this recipe and it sounds soooo good! So are you using the Pamela's bread mix or baking mix? And how much...are you measuring by the bag or by the recipe (3 1/2 cups)? I'd really like to try this!!!

[JennyC]

Hi JennyC,

Noticed you are looking for a chocolate cake recipe,

.

Here's a link to one I developed and posted on the Irish Site

It even has photo's so you can see what it should be like !

.

Open Original Shared Link

.

.

My favourite is the version with the chocolate - coffee buttercream !!

.

Hope this is of some use to you.

.

Best Regards,

David

I just found your post, thanks for the recipe!

[Jo Ann]

The following is the chocolate cake I make for our grandson, but everyone eats and likes it as well as any chocolate cake. I've also tried Namaste Chocolate Cake mix, and it is very good but has gotten pretty expensive at our stores.

2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I use Hagman's)

2 cups sugar

1 cup cocoa

1 tsp. xanthan gum

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

Combine in large bowl of mixer. Then add:

1/4 lb butter or margarine

2 cups boiling water (can heat in microwave)

Beat together. Then add:

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

Blend well with heavy duty mixer.

Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 F. for 25-30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick.

Makes 2 - 9" round pans or 24 cupcakes. Frost with favorite frosting.

Half the recipe makes 8x8 pan or 12 cupcakes. I've never had a failure, and everyone loves it.

For chocolate chip cookies, we prefer Pamela's mix using the recipe on the back. Easy to make and no one can tell the difference.

The following is the best brownies recipe we've tried.

3/4 cup soft butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup cocoa

1 cup gluten-free baking mix*

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease 9x13x2 baking pan. In large mixer bowl, combine butter and sugars and mix until creamed. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well. Combine remaining dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, blending well. Add walnuts, if using. Spread into prepared pan. Bake about 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on rack. Frost with favorite frosting, if desired.

*I use Hagman's mix: 2 c. white rice flour

2/3 c. potato starch

1/3 c. tapioca starch

These flours are much cheaper at an Asian or Oriental market.

For great sugar cookies with an easy to handle dough, I use the recipe from Butter Flavor Crisco with the following changes. For the flour use 2 c. gluten-free flour mix (as above) and 1 c. sweet rice flour. Increase the baking powder to 1 tsp., and add 2 tsp. xanthan gum. This is easy to roll out with a sheet of waxed paper on the bottom and plastic wrap on top. Great for Christmas cutouts or any time of the year.

Get books from the library and copy the recipes you think you'd like; it's much less expensive than buying all those books.

Our daughter, whose son is celiac disease, was tested. She went on a gluten-free diet until the test results came back. She felt so much better on the gluten-free diet, that she is staying on it even though her celiac disease test was negative.

Hope this encourages you! Jo Ann

[mamaw]

Ok I'm being very lazy right now but is it the four bean B hageman mix or the featherlight blend? I don't have time to read it totally through right now so I just printed off your recipes for a later date,

thanks

mamaw

[ElizabethN]

I just looked up this recipe and it sounds soooo good! So are you using the Pamela's bread mix or baking mix? And how much...are you measuring by the bag or by the recipe (3 1/2 cups)? I'd really like to try this!!!

I use the baking mix, I think... the one for pancakes. And I used 3-1/2 cups. Otherwise I still added the baking soda that the recipe called for but I omitted the extra salt, and it turned out great. I wish I had some right now!

[Jo Ann]

mamaw,

If your question about Hagman's flour mix was relative to my chocolate cake recipe, I keep a batch on hand made of 2 parts white rice flour, 2/3 potato starch and 1/3 tapioca starch (all purchased at an oriental market - their flour is very finely ground). I imagine any good gluten-free flour mix will probably work. I understand Authentic Foods has a very finely ground brown rice flour that can be used, which is more nutritous; however, I've not found it in our area.

Jo Ann

[Jo Ann]

mamaw,

If your question about Hagman's flour mix was relative to my chocolate cake recipe, I keep a batch on hand made of 2 parts white rice flour, 2/3 potato starch and 1/3 tapioca starch (all purchased at an oriental market - their flour is very finely ground). I imagine any good gluten-free flour mix will probably work. I understand Authentic Foods has a very finely ground brown rice flour that can be used, which is more nutritous; however, I've not found it in our area.

Jo Ann

[NewGFMom]

Thanks so much for all your help.

I've done a lot of experimenting and I've found that Annelise Roberts is my gal. I have to special order the brown rice flour, but MAN her recipes work.

Her vanilla cupcakes rise perfectly and everybody loves them. I've never had a dud with any of the muffins I've made either. I really like it because I only need ONE flour mix for everything.

I haven't tackled bread yet, because to tell the truth, I'm not missing it so much. And I can just go get myself a sandwich while my kid is at preschool if I need to.

So, I've been making Annelise's chocolate ricotta muffins (low sugar and low fat) or her blueberry muffins with a few modifications of my own and we've been very happy campers over here.

Thanks again for all your help. Keep those recipes coming!

[dragonmom]

Annalise Roberts Gluten free kitchen was one of the best investments I've made. She uses corn starch potato starch and xantham gum....best tasting cinnamon rolls , corn bread biscuits .....mmmmgood. Sometimes to add a little more texture I'll add a little rice flour or cocnut flour to make a little more likethe real thing.

'

[luvs2eat]

I've noticed a lot of these recipes call for brown rice flour. Is that because they're trying to be healthy, or is it because it tastes better in these particular recipes?

I find brown rice flour much less gritty than white rice flour and the baked product less crumbly.

[dragonmom]

The best book for baking , that I enjoy, is the Gluten Free Kithcen. Cinnamon rolls, corn bread, biscuits and the list goes on, my family that are not gluten-free enjoy them, and they are brutal critics. If they like something it tastes like the real thing. Good luck, enjoy and xanthum gum is the magic ingredient. This book uses corn starch and potato starch instead of expensive alternatives. Sometimes I put in a little rice flour for a little more texture.

[Karen VMM]

Hi Margaret,

My son was recently diagnosed too. He is 21 years old, so it was even more difficult. He knows what tastes good and what tastes bad.

I am similar to you, a great baker, but...gluten free baking was difficult. I bought every kind of flour and baking product I read about.

I am here to tell you, give all that up. Buy Tom Sawyer flour, just do an internet search and it will pull up.

It is just like real flour, measures cup to cup and has no nasty after taste.

Tonight I made drop biscuits, with added parsley and garlic. They were heaven.

The whole family is going gluten free since it is just easier than making two batches of things.

I am not sure how old your son is, but if you enter the Message Board and type in things you are trying to find out, say cereal, those kids will tell it like it is.

My son has been on the diet for only 6 weeks. He says he feels better and has more energy. He does not go off of his diet, and even prepares special meals for work.

He even works at a Pizza Parlor while attending college and is not tempted by that food which is off limits.

This weekend I am making pizza crust to freeze and/or yeast bread and will update you on that. We have found online bread, some good, some bad, but all with no taste.

Best of luck, Karen