Afternoon Delight

On any typical Saturday afternoon I can be found flipping through a cookbook and figuring out what would be practical, easy, and delicious to bake. Today, I had all the ingredients to make Vanilla Quinoa Brioche from Valerie Cupillard's Gluten-Free French Desserts and Baked Goods. The recipe almost seemed to simple to be good, only requiring rice and quinoa flours, and no butter but yogurt and olive oil instead. Well it was not only good, it was possibly the best quick bread I have ever made- so light, fluffy and it baked evenly through. It was most delicious straight from the oven, and still very good a few hours later, and I hope it will still be fluffy tomorrow morning when I shall devour the rest of it for breakfast

Just Add Water

When you don't feel like measuring 16 different ingredients, and have $6 burning a hole in your pocket, there are several easy to use mixes for cookies, cakes, bread and pizza dough. The following is a list of what I've used and what my stomach thought:

365 Gluten Free Pizza Crust- The ingredients and results are very similar to Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza, and this mix cost $2 less! The preparation also had more steps, which I am not sure were necessary. Like with Gluten Free Pantry's mix, I added some rice flour. I think I will start buying this brand because it is less expensive and tasted good. Let the savings begin!

Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour- I haven't made much from this, but my mom uses it when she makes gravy or scalloped potatoes when I'm at her house. I don't know why, but B's RM just seems so goody-goody to me, I don't gravitate toward their products.
Bob's Red Mill Wonderful Homemade Bread- It wasn't that wonderful. When I thought it was done (because the top sounded hollow when I tapped on it-as the instructions tipped) it was NOT done and the top fell off because the inside was still so gooey. So I put it back in the oven for a while and the top ended up getting pretty dry. The bread was okay that day, but afterward it was so dense and dry, I gave up on it.
Chebe Focaccia- A friend told me to try this brand because she had heard it was really good, and this particular mix didn't turn out very well. I made it for a superbowl party and I recall eating it with a lot of dip
Cravings Place Chocolate Chunk Cookies- Always a hit with my friends regardless of their diet restrictions-very reliable, consistent results from each package. They don't spread much during baking so they wouldn't make good ice cream sandwiches-they just stay in the dome shape you spoon them out in. Sometimes I add peanut butter. Sometimes I eat them all at once.
Cravings Place All Purpose Pancake and Waffle- I made the waffles, and they kept sticking to the iron even though they were fully cooked (and I am an experienced waffle chef). The waffle bits I clumped together and slathered with syrup were tasty.
Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cake- Wowie Zowie this made such a good cake. So spongy and light! Of course the credit goes to the half ton of sour cream that goes into it, but they really got it right.
Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza- I've only used this for the pizza-because I'd rather end up with two pizzas than one measly loaf of bread. The crust ends up a bit bready (which I really like) and I've learned to add about a third of a cup of rice flour while mixing everything together. The leftover pizza is good for quite a few days.
Mona's Biscuit and Pie Crust- Mona where are you? I used to go to their storefront in Woodinville to stock up on everything, but now it is gone and the website is gone too. I made the biscuits for Thanksgiving and nearly cried they were so good. Even my family thought so, and they can eat whatever they want. So sweet, soft, flaky, beautiful...I saved a few tablespoons of the mix in the original packaging so I can have it analyzed some day. Really, the best biscuit I have had in my entire life and now they are gone
Trader Joe's Brownies- Although I haven't had "regular" brownies in quite a while now, these tasted just like what I recall them to be like-slightly crispy on the outside and very chewy inside. I put slivered almonds and marshmallows on top before putting them in the oven and it came out looking like a 1950's science experiment and tasting like smores.

Watch out for Elvis

Like Clarissa who explained it all, I enjoy listing my likes and dislikes...

Here are the cookbooks with which I find the most success:

Gluten-Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat, by Carol Fenster, Ph, D

Seem like a short list? I own seven gluten-free baking books and have checked out several more from the library, and while each has a few great recipes, Carol Fenster's book is consistently reliable because it only uses four, easy to find types of flour; it doesn't overuse butter and sugar to make the pastries tasty; and no fancy gadgets are required.

The first third of this book goes into details on special ingredients used in gluten-free baking. Fenster bothers to share facts on shelf life of flours, the best way to store them, and she even includes a list of substitutes for hard to find items. This essential chapter mysteriously anticipates that most other cookbooks that call for millet flour won't tell you that millet flour must be stored in the refrigerator and goes rancid after a year. Fenster's recipes don't ever call for millet flour, presumably because of its inconvenience (and difficulty to locate), but the fact that she presents crucial information on so many obscure ingredients earns this cookbook a very special place in my kitchen.

Welcome to my blog!

When I went gluten-free in 2006, I thought it would be a snap to recreate my favorite baked goods without wheat or gluten.  I had never been more wrong in my whole life.  As a great lover of scones, waffles, donuts and pizza, I optimistically strive to build a portfolio of reliable, easy, healthy, and inexpensive recipes for my favorite foods, and hope to serve as a comrade to other fledgling bakers.  In this blog, I will review cookbooks, mixes and readymade foods, detailing my mistakes, accidents and failures and occasionally edible creations.