Getting your gluten recipes to gluten free

Boy, the month of January seems to be flying by. It's been quite busy! Finally, have a chance to sit down and get the next post out.

Currently I am working on reformatting the recipe book so it can be purchased for digital medium! Unfortunately, my original design files for the book are converting over as nicely as I would like and so I'll have to wait for some "technical" help (from my awesome husband), before I can publish. I'll let you know when it is out and available for purchase. I personally can't use technology in the kitchen as I would probably spill something all over it..but, I know more and more individuals that are using their computers, ipads, tablets, and phones to view recipes on, so I want to make that available for you are are more coordinated and less old-fashion than myself!

So Let's Talk Brands...

As I mentioned in the recipe book, the brand of product you use to create your food will make a big difference in how it comes out! I wish that weren't the case, but it is. I remember as I was looking into making dinner rolls and looking at various recipes, I stumbled upon a gf cheese roll recipe. The author of the site posted pics of what happened based on using different brands of tapioca flour. One was round and puffy and looked yummy, the other...well, it fell flat. Literally! (I was going to put a link to it here, but can no longer find it). Anyway, as I was making bread today I was reminded how much brands seem to matter.

I recently switched sorghum flour brands from Bob's Red Mill to Authentic Foods. I don't know what happened to Bob's. Maybe they switched suppliers or maybe the grain is processed differently, but shortly after we moved a year and a half ago, I started to notice that it wasn't ground as fine and that it was beginning to have a more distinct flavor. Personally, I try and keep my all purpose flours as neutral as possible, and I was beginning to get a "sorghum flour flavor" coming through into the finished food product. That was not what I wanted. As I switched flours right about the time the book was coming out I didn't notice that I would be having to "tweek" every recipe I make now, either by eliminating extra starch that may be in the recipe or by adding a bit more liquid.

I realize this is going to be confusing to a number of people new to gluten free cooking. Shouldn't the recipe just work no matter what brand you use? Yes, that would be nice, but unfortunately isn't the case. I try in my All Purpose Flour Mixes section to make that clear, but until you start working with them, you just don't know how much it can impact the final product. So, if you find yourself having to "tweek" recipes, mine or otherwise. Don't be discouraged. It is normal.

Bread fresh out of the oven!

Also, I have been asked to recommend some premixed all purpose flours. Well, I can make a few suggestions, but as I use my own flour mix I can't tell you for sure how well they work. But, I know that it can be difficult for some people to find the time to mix up their own flour or that they just don't want to be bothered to have to do it. So, with that in mind, if I were to go buy a mix I would probably choose "Pamela's" all purpose blend or "Jules" all purpose blend as both have very similar ingredients to mine. They do have binder in the mix (like my cake flour does) guar gum, in the case of Pamela's and xanthan gum, in the case of Jules, so you will have to adjust the binder in each recipe accordingly. There is also "Mama's blends" (there are several), "King Arthur's," "Arrowhead Mills" and "Authentic Foods" (where I order my sorghum flour) has a couple of mixes as well. What you have available in your area? I don't know. So, you may be limited as to what you can find. You will also need to look to see if the flour contains xanthan or guar gum which will effect how it works in recipes.

The fact is everyone has a different idea what the BEST flour mix is anyway. Just take a look at all the different recipes you can find on the internet! It boils down to taste and texture preferences. I mixed mine originally, to work in my old gluten flour recipes. I wanted the food to taste as close to the original as possible for all the gluten eaters in the house as well as my gluten free daughter. So, although I give a recipe in my book (well, actually two...one is the "all purpose" without xanthan gum and the other is the "cake flour" that is virtually identical except it uses sweet rice flour instead of brown rice and does have xanthan gum in it), I fully expect people to tailor the recipe to their own tastes and needs. Of course, that means that you may have to adjust some of the recipes in my book as well as the blog, to fit the flour mix you are using.

So, I say go ahead and experiment a bit. Find what works for you and your cooking style.

P.S. I have found another correction. Pg 22: "2 teaspoons Ener-G replacer" should read "2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer"

The New Year

It seems appropriate to start this blog the first day of 2014. My idea was that it would be an "accompaniment" to my new recipe book Gluten Free in a Gluten World (available on Amazon.com here). A place where I could make corrections...Yes, I have already found a couple! Like on page 49; 3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence: "Whisk flour.." should say: "flour(s) or "flour, almond meal,...." OR page 50; "(if it seems too sticky add up to 1/2 cup more flour)" OR make clarifications, such as on page 46; in the description where I say: "...most of the time I add 1 egg white..."  with the explanation of: "...one egg white and 1/2 of the Ener-G egg replacer (1/8 cup water + 2 teaspoons egg replacer), making the equivalent of 2 egg whites which the recipe calls for." BUT, really as I thought about it I realized it could be so much more. A place where I could post new recipes, where people could give feedback or ask questions if they were having trouble with the recipes, and where I could sound off on various gluten free issues.

I suppose I should give a bit of an explanation about me. I am quite tempted at this point to just say that you can find it in the first section of the book entitled "Why a Gluten Free Recipe Book?" But, I realize that some people will stumble upon this blog without ever hearing about the book. So, this is the short version:

A few years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac's disease and I was soon embarking into a new world of gluten free cooking. Complicating matters was that my two other children didn't want to go gluten free, and my husband, who has a genetic cholesterol condition, really needed to have the benefits that a whole grain diet had to offer. So, what was a good mother and wife to do? Well, after much research and trial and error, I came up with a way to cook gluten free to satisfy the whole family! I created my own gluten free flour recipe and successfully converted my gluten recipes to gluten free. My goal with writing the book was to help make the transition easier for others who are going gluten free. To not only offer recipes, but also information about gluten free products and how to use them, so that others could convert their own recipes to gluten free as well.

So, that is it in a nutshell! It was a busy summer and fall of 2013 as I worked on getting the book finished. But, as the book was finally published in December (just in time for the Holidays!) I could sit back a bit and enjoy the time with family. My oldest son, who is a sophomore in college this year came home with one request and that was to make a "real" gingerbread house this year. Well, this was the result:

Christmas 2013 gingerbread house

All lit up!

 It was a lot of work, but I think it came out well for our first try! My first task was to make the gingerbread gluten free. I think the recipe was just right and we enjoyed some other cookies that I made with the dough.

"Snowflake cookies"

So, I think my first my first recipe post will be the gingerbread recipe. Okay, I know, you are saying, "But, the Holidays are over!" Yes, but gingerbread CAN and SHOULD be enjoyed at other times of the year as well. These "Snowflake cookies" certainly fit into wintertime as we enter into this New Year of 2014. I started making these a number of years ago (before going gluten free) after seeing Ginger Snowflakes in a Sunset magazine (Dec. 2001) issue. I used Royal icing (leftover from the house building) to make the designs. Here is the recipe for the gingerbread:

Lisa's Gluten Free Gingerbread

7 1/2 - 8 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used the "cake flour" recipe from my book which contains xanthan gum)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp binder mix (also from my recipe book) which is: 1/4 tsp xanthan gum + 1/4 tsp guar gum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar (depending on your taste)
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses
3 Tbsp water

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar together till fluffy. Beat in eggs, molasses and water until well combined. Mix in flour one or two cups at a time until you reach a consistency that dough can be handled. "Knead" briefly and then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Let sit 10 - 15 min. before rolling dough out. Roll till about 1/4 inch thick and cut cookie shapes as desired. Bake in 375°F oven for about 15 min. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack completely before using icing or dusting with powdered sugar.

Be creative and have fun! Happy New Year everybody!