Thursday, July 24, 2014

Soft Sandwich Bread



There is nothing better than the smell of fresh bread hot out of the oven! This recipe makes the perfect soft sandwich bread. It's crusty on the outside and very tender, yet not wet or gummy, on the inside. What every person on a gluten free diet is looking for! I have experimented with many combinations of ingredients and countless recipes found online before coming up with this recipe. It is my favorite by far!! I really hope you love this as much as I do.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Gluten Free Artisan Bread



After going gluten free, I thought I would never again enjoy a great loaf of crusty artisan bread. Thank goodness I was wrong! This bread recipe is simply delicious! I use my bread flour mix as a base and add in a little extra tapioca starch. It is soft and moist on the inside and crusty on the outside. The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. The longer it sits the more flavor it develops, almost like sourdough. Make sure your container is large enough to allow for expansion and has a loosely fitted lid, don't snap it shut! This recipe will make one large loaf pictured above or 2 smaller ones.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Chicken Parmesan

Sorry for the horrible photo!

Pasta is on the menu several nights a week at our house. We're not picky, red sauce, white sauce, doesn't matter! This recipe is simply delicious and very easy to prepare. I made my own tomato sauce with sauteed veggies and garlic, but you can use your favorite prepared sauce and it will be just as delicious!

Pizza Crust





It's Tuesday, that mean it's pizza night in our house! We have had this tradition for the past 10 years or so. This crust is soft, crispy and chewy all at the same time. Finally, REAL pizza crust! I can't tell you the countless times I've made gluten free pizza crust just to have it turn out to be a dismal failure! I finally have a recipe that comes out delicious every time. This also makes perfect bread sticks, focaccia and flat bread as well. I hope you enjoy this pizza crust as much as we do!

Blueberry Scones



Mmmm, scones are one of my favorite breakfast treats! They are quick and easy to throw together yet taste like a million bucks! This recipe is very similar to a biscuit recipe, just a little more sugar. The texture is very light and tender, they practically melt in your mouth. If you aren't a fan of blueberries simply omit them or replace with raisins, chocolate chips, nuts or your favorite dried fruit. Scones are very versatile, the possibilities are endless!

Chocolate Almond Torte

 

This torte is chocolate indulgence to the max!! I love anything chocolate and this dessert does not disappoint! This recipe involves a few extra steps, but they are totally worth it. No baking mix or flour needed, just almond meal or almond flour. This recipe can easily be made low carb by replacing the sugar with your favorite granulated substitute. I used Swerve in this recipe as my sweetener of choice with a quarter cup of coconut palm sugar. Feel free to use your favorite sweetener though. I was very pleased with the texture of this torte, very moist and delicious!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Gluten Free Flour Mixes





Gone are the days of grabbing a single bag of wheat flour and putting together a recipe. Now I have a huge arsenal of gluten free products to replace that one measly bag of wheat flour! All of you seasoned gluten free bakers out there know how expensive these products can be. I requested a flour mill for my birthday last year so I could mill my own flours and save a lot of money. I highly recommend the Nutrimill. It mills rice flour much finer than the prepackaged flours. I don't recommend milling your own tapioca pearls however, those little buggers are really hard. And of course nuts have a high fat content so they are a no-no too. Nut flours can be made easily in a blender or coffee grinder, MUCH cheaper than retail! I also buy rice and grains in bulk online and save tons. My rice flour costs me less than one dollar per pound!
Out of necessity, I put together a few different flour mixes to have on hand when I feel like baking. I have a high-protein mix and a multi-grain mix for bread making and an all-purpose mix for cakes, biscuits, pancakes, scones and quick breads. I have a scale to weigh the different flours but rarely use it. I like the old fashioned way, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off, easy! Here's the run down on what I use in my mixes.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits


This is a recipe that I have been working on for some time now. I was obsessed with getting them just right! Nothing is worse than a heavy, gummy or dry, crumbly biscuit, well almost nothing. The key for me was to reduce the xanthan gum by about 25%. After all, it is used to mimic gluten and extra gluten in a biscuit recipe equals hockey puck. I like the soft, tender texture of these biscuits. You can actually see their layers in the photo above, lovely!