Made Some Fabulous Banana Bread!

[Monklady123]

I recently bought a cookbook called "The Gluten-Free Kitchen" by Roben Ryberg. It's mostly baked goods, plus some food items -- mostly things that involve gluten like quiches, pot pies, meatloaf, soup, et.

I bought this one because the only flours she uses are potato starch and corn starch. She said that she uses just these because they're readily available (and corn starch is dirt cheap in any grocery store -- I bought my potato starch at Whole Foods) and she doesn't like other flours for various reasons -- rice flour can be gritty, soy can have a strong flavor, same with bean flours, and they're usually expensive.

Anyway.. before celiac I had NEVER baked from scratch, except for bread in my bread machine. Never. Yah, I know...

Well, the first thing I made from here was the banana bread because I had all these bananas that got away from us. When I first tasted it -- it was still a bit warm -- I was somewhat disappointed. It was okay, but "meh" (as my kids would say). Well -- now the second day it's WONDERFUL! Moist, kind-of chewy.... I am SO HAPPY!!!!

:wub: this cookbook :wub:

[mommida]

Love that cookbook too!

Make the carrot cake as cupcakes, not as a full cake. I also suggest to peel the first outer layer off of the carrots and discard it, before grating the carrots for the recipe.

(Everyone LOVES this recipe, even kids when their mother swears they don't like cake!)

The sour cream muffins are really quick and easy too.

Many people ask for the recipe for the chicken with white wine and mushroom recipe too.

[sa1937]

I have this cookbook, too, but have not yet made the banana bread. I'll have to try it and see how it compares with the one I make using Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix, which I absolutely love. I did make the pumpkin bread and it was good but not as good as Pamela's...more "bread-like" than "cake-like". Totally edible but not my favorite. BTW, if you are overrun by bananas, they freeze well.

The Gluten Free Kitchen is a ten-year old book so you'll have to take some things from the very front of the book with a grain of salt. A lot has changed in ten years.

I'll have to try the carrot cake cupcakes and the chicken recipe.

I'm a little puzzled by her "flours". In this book she uses cornstarch and potato starch. In You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free, she uses a lot of single flours. I've not had any success with the 3 recipes I tried from it. In fact, they all went in the garbage.

She also has a new cookie book out. I searched the book on "the website that spammed the forum" and she uses even different flours. So it's still sitting on my wish list but I haven't felt like actually buying it...yet at least. It just sorta leaves me with a big puzzle. It seems cookbook authors many times have their own mixes, but she uses different ones for each cookbook.

[Monklady123]

I have this cookbook, too, but have not yet made the banana bread. I'll have to try it and see how it compares with the one I make using Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix, which I absolutely love. I did make the pumpkin bread and it was good but not as good as Pamela's...more "bread-like" than "cake-like". Totally edible but not my favorite. BTW, if you are overrun by bananas, they freeze well.

The Gluten Free Kitchen is a ten-year old book so you'll have to take some things from the very front of the book with a grain of salt. A lot has changed in ten years.

I'll have to try the carrot cake cupcakes and the chicken recipe.

I'm a little puzzled by her "flours". In this book she uses cornstarch and potato starch. In You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free, she uses a lot of single flours. I've not had any success with the 3 recipes I tried from it. In fact, they all went in the garbage.

She also has a new cookie book out. I searched the book on "the website that spammed the forum" and she uses even different flours. So it's still sitting on my wish list but I haven't felt like actually buying it...yet at least. It just sorta leaves me with a big puzzle. It seems cookbook authors many times have their own mixes, but she uses different ones for each cookbook.

Hmm.... I never even looked at the publishing date to see how old it is. lol... Well, I'll just stick with this book and not even look at her newer ones. lol... Anyway, with the internet there are always a wealth of recipes.

I did bake this banana bread with one substitution -- I used the xanthan gum instead of guar. In the beginning she says you can substitute 3/4t for 1t (or something like that.. I forget exactly).

My problem with Pamela's is the cost. At least the cost of the bag I've seen around here, at Target and Whole Foods (the two places that seem to sell it). I will check out the price on the "website that spammed us" that begins with "A" and see what that cost is.

I'm just finishing the last piece of banana bread with my coffee this morning and it's still yummy. I threatened my kids with their lives if they ate any.

[sa1937]

Hmm.... I never even looked at the publishing date to see how old it is. lol... Well, I'll just stick with this book and not even look at her newer ones. lol... Anyway, with the internet there are always a wealth of recipes.

I did bake this banana bread with one substitution -- I used the xanthan gum instead of guar. In the beginning she says you can substitute 3/4t for 1t (or something like that.. I forget exactly).

My problem with Pamela's is the cost. At least the cost of the bag I've seen around here, at Target and Whole Foods (the two places that seem to sell it). I will check out the price on the "website that spammed us" that begins with "A" and see what that cost is.

I'm just finishing the last piece of banana bread with my coffee this morning and it's still yummy. I threatened my kids with their lives if they ate any.

Actually of the two cookbooks of hers that I do have, The Gluten Free Kitchen is my favorite. And gluten-free baking remains my biggest challenge (especially bread). Her other cookbook has a lot more recipes but I've been cooking forever so don't really need that type of book. And baking with single flours remains a mystery to me and contrary to everything I've learned about baking gluten-free. She also generally doesn't use yeast in her second book but is big on egg whites. When I feel like experimenting again, I'll try a recipe or two that uses a couple of different flours to see if I have better luck. This is the only cookbook I have where the 3 things I've baked have gone straight into the garbage.

Her cookie book just came out a month ago but there are no reviews yet on "that website". I always like to see what others have to say before plunging ahead and ordering on blind faith especially with the experience I had with the one cookbook.

Pamela's is rather expensive but I can count on it. My local Giant store has it for $6.29 for a 24 oz. bag but with subscribe-and-save on "that website", six bags were $25.89 ($4.31/bag), which I figure will last me six months.

Based on your review, I will definitely try the banana bread and have two frozen bananas in the freezer.

[jerseyangel]

I love The Gluten Free Kitchen! It was the very first gluten-free cook book I bought.

Lots of good, tasty recipes with easy to find ingredients.

[sa1937]

It was my first gluten-free cookbook, too. And I still like it.