Need Recipe Conversion Help

[HiDee]

OK, so my husband has this family Christmas breakfast tradition that we've done without the last few years since going gluten free. I don't usually attempt to convert recipes, I just find a good gluten-free replacement recipe that is sort of like whatever I am wanting to make and that does us just fine. BUT, he really wants this breakfast cake to be just like it used to be and I'm not sure converting it will result in what he wants but I figure I'll give it a go this year and wanted to get some suggestions and help. Do you think that just replacing the flour with a gluten-free mix + xanthan gum will work for this recipe? Or should I add more starches to the flour mixture or more moisture to the recipe or more eggs.....or maybe even some baking powder to help it rise better. I'm guessing the two rises will not work and I'll have to divide it before letting it rise but what are your thoughts? Here's the recipe:

Moravian Sugar Cake

2 pkg yeast ( 2 Tbls)

1 cup warm water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup hot mashed potatoes

5-6 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

5 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

1) Soften yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes.

2) Mix together in large bowl, sugar, salt, beaten eggs. Then 1 cup butter, melted.

3) Add mashed potatoes gradually, beating well.

4) Add 1 cup flour.

5) Beat until smooth.

6) Stir in yeast.

7) Then beat in enough of the remaining flour to form a light, soft dough.

8) Cover with waxed paper and a clean towel.

9) Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2 hours)

10) Divide dough into three portions and press evenly into three greased 9 inch sqaure pans. Cover. Let rise to double.

11) Meanwhile, blend together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

12) Make deep indentations (about 1 inch apart) in each part and spoon some of the sugar/cinnamon mixture in each dip. Dribble remaining 1/2 cup better over sugar mixture.

Bake about 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golder brown.

[Wonka]

OK, so my husband has this family Christmas breakfast tradition that we've done without the last few years since going gluten free. I don't usually attempt to convert recipes, I just find a good gluten-free replacement recipe that is sort of like whatever I am wanting to make and that does us just fine. BUT, he really wants this breakfast cake to be just like it used to be and I'm not sure converting it will result in what he wants but I figure I'll give it a go this year and wanted to get some suggestions and help. Do you think that just replacing the flour with a gluten-free mix + xanthan gum will work for this recipe? Or should I add more starches to the flour mixture or more moisture to the recipe or more eggs.....or maybe even some baking powder to help it rise better. I'm guessing the two rises will not work and I'll have to divide it before letting it rise but what are your thoughts? Here's the recipe:

Moravian Sugar Cake

2 pkg yeast ( 2 Tbls)

1 cup warm water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup hot mashed potatoes

5-6 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

5 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

1) Soften yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes.

2) Mix together in large bowl, sugar, salt, beaten eggs. Then 1 cup butter, melted.

3) Add mashed potatoes gradually, beating well.

4) Add 1 cup flour.

5) Beat until smooth.

6) Stir in yeast.

7) Then beat in enough of the remaining flour to form a light, soft dough.

8) Cover with waxed paper and a clean towel.

9) Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2 hours)

10) Divide dough into three portions and press evenly into three greased 9 inch sqaure pans. Cover. Let rise to double.

11) Meanwhile, blend together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

12) Make deep indentations (about 1 inch apart) in each part and spoon some of the sugar/cinnamon mixture in each dip. Dribble remaining 1/2 cup better over sugar mixture.

Bake about 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golder brown.

I hope you don't mind. I posted your question over at the Delphi Celiac forum. I will collect a few responses and bring then back over to this forum and post them for you. I'm too new at this but there are some women over there that regularly convert recipes, hopefully one of them will come through for you.

[RiceGuy]

This is just a guess, but if I was going to try it, besides using a gluten-free flour blend w/xanthan, I think I'd skip the first rising step. I'd also reduce the butter to 1/4 or 1/5, and make up the difference with some water. Otherwise all that fat will interfere with the binding agents (xanthan and eggs). The exact amount of added water will probably depend somewhat on the flour blend.

[ang1e0251]

I haven't converted a recipe just like this but I have had good luck using my flour blend plus xantham with old recipes. It isn't as flavorful though so I usually add a bit more sugar and something else to up the flavor. Like in pie crust I add a T. of sugar and for certain recipes, cinnamon. For pizza crust a bit of boullion and parmesan cheese.

I'm not sure I would reduce the butter as I use butter in yeast breads and don't reduce that.

Is there any chance you could make a sample batch before Christmas? It could take a practise run to get it right as none of us have made this particular one. Besides your dh will be impressed that you care enough to work that hard for him. Brownie points, right?

[Wonka]

Here are two replies to your question:

Add 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Add 1 egg white

I think you may need up to 6 cups of flour, as our flours seem to need less water often, but I'd start with the 5. I'd use my standard mix and definately NOT use one that had lots of flours with flavor (like bean or sorghum)...

I'd add up to 2 TBLS (6 teaspoons) of xanthan and no less than 4 teaspoons. Alternatively, half xanthan and half guar....from what I've read, guar add a bit more bounce than xanthan would (and its good for cakes).

Another totally outrageous though, but if I had it I'd try it: gluten-free Pantry's French Bread Mix as the flour (it is sold in 5 lb bags so you can get it in bulk)---and then add half the salt, and add 2 tsp of xanthan, just in case.

In addition to Jen said, I would add 1 tsp of cinnamon, or 1 tsp nutmeg, as our flours are so bland, they "eat" the flavor.

Mireille, Waterloo Qc, gluten-free since Dec. 97

[HiDee]

Thank you all for the replies so far, and thanks Wonka for checking elsewhere for help. I think I will try to make a half batch maybe on Sat. or Sunday and see how it goes with maybe a little vanilla or something for the flavor, a little added baking powder and a regular white rice flour mix with xanthan/guar gum. I'll report back then.

[JNBunnie1]

OK, so my husband has this family Christmas breakfast tradition that we've done without the last few years since going gluten free. I don't usually attempt to convert recipes, I just find a good gluten-free replacement recipe that is sort of like whatever I am wanting to make and that does us just fine. BUT, he really wants this breakfast cake to be just like it used to be and I'm not sure converting it will result in what he wants but I figure I'll give it a go this year and wanted to get some suggestions and help. Do you think that just replacing the flour with a gluten-free mix + xanthan gum will work for this recipe? Or should I add more starches to the flour mixture or more moisture to the recipe or more eggs.....or maybe even some baking powder to help it rise better. I'm guessing the two rises will not work and I'll have to divide it before letting it rise but what are your thoughts? Here's the recipe:

Moravian Sugar Cake

2 pkg yeast ( 2 Tbls)

1 cup warm water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup hot mashed potatoes

5-6 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

5 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

1) Soften yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes.

2) Mix together in large bowl, sugar, salt, beaten eggs. Then 1 cup butter, melted.

3) Add mashed potatoes gradually, beating well.

4) Add 1 cup flour.

5) Beat until smooth.

6) Stir in yeast.

7) Then beat in enough of the remaining flour to form a light, soft dough.

8) Cover with waxed paper and a clean towel.

9) Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 2 hours)

10) Divide dough into three portions and press evenly into three greased 9 inch sqaure pans. Cover. Let rise to double.

11) Meanwhile, blend together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

12) Make deep indentations (about 1 inch apart) in each part and spoon some of the sugar/cinnamon mixture in each dip. Dribble remaining 1/2 cup better over sugar mixture.

Bake about 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golder brown.

Ok, a few suggestions.

Your batter will need to be more fluid and wet than what you're used to. This will be a CAKE batter, not like bread. I would make the only change be three eggs, four if they're small. You will also only do one rise, I would just pour it into the three pans and let it rise for a while. You may also need to bake it longer than the recipe says to, you can always do the knife test.

Flour substitutes. Hmmm.... Well, here's what I would do, get some other input though.

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup fine white rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1 cup arrowroot starch

1 cup pancake mix

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

I know it sounds weird, but this kind of mix always works for me when I'm subbing instead of creating recipes.

[SisterAB]

Hey HiDee

 

did you find a successful gluten-free Moravian sugar cake recipe?  If so do you mind sharing it with me?

 

thanks 

SisterAB

[psawyer]

This is a very old topic. None of the original participants are still active here.

[mbrookes]

On ‎12‎/‎18‎/‎2008 at 10:03 AM, Wonka said:

I hope you don't mind. I posted your question over at the Delphi Celiac forum. I will collect a few responses and bring then back over to this forum and post them for you. I'm too new at this but there are some women over there that regularly convert recipes, hopefully one of them will come through for you.

What is Delphi Celiac forum? Where can I find it? I am always on the look-out for new resources.