Some Sample Recipes From The Gluten-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook |
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Some Sample Recipes From The Gluten-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook |
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These recipes are also available from within the catalog, but since you can get them here free, why would you want to purchase them? Well, for one thing, they are cheap ($0.25 each), for another, you could get them already formatted for MasterCook if you use that program. Another good reason might be that you'd just like to support my work on creating new recipes.
This bread is the first I've had since going gluten-free that actually has a nice flavor and texture. For those who avoid milk, you can replace the 1/3 cup buttermilk powder with an equal amount of instant mashed potato flakes. In fact, the potato flakes can be added to the recipe even if you keep the buttermilk powder, with a remarkable improvement in tenderness and keeping qualities.
Dry ingredients:
1 cup almonds, ground in a blender
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup potato starch flour
1 cup bean flour
1/3 cup buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon citric acid (optional)
Wet ingredients:
1-1/2 cup water
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
And Don't Forget:
2 teaspoons dry yeast
To grind the almonds: if you have a very sturdy blender, simply pour in almonds (whole unsalted or blanched), and let 'er rip until the pitch steadies; you should have almonds the consistency of cracker crumbs. (Do not use a flour mill or you'll end up with almond paste.) If you have a less sturdy blender, coarsely chop the almonds before putting them in the blender bowl or put them in a ziplock bag and roll over them with a rolling pin before grinding them.
Combine dry ingredients very well (the xanthan gum needs to be well blended into the mix to work correctly). Separately, combine wet ingredients, reserving about half (3/4 cup) of water.. If using a bread machine, put the dry & wet ingredients, along with the yeast, into your bread pan in the order recommended by its manufacturer. For hand-made bread, put wet ingredients into the mixer first, followed by dry ingredients, and then the yeast. Whip very well to incorporate air. For either kind of bread, once it is mixed, add more water as needed to give the "dough" a much softer consistency than wheat bread dough. Gluten-free dough needs to be about half-way between a batter consistency and classic bread dough; something like chocolate pudding consistency is about right.
Pour into greased bread pan or forms and allow to rise in a warm, still place until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees Farenheit until crust is a light to medium brown. Cool ten minutes in the pan, then to room temperature outside the pan before slicing.
This makes a biscuit very close to what I remember as "the real thing" and just like it, these are best eaten while still hot from the oven. By next morning, they turn into rocks, just like the wheat varieties do. (I've yet to try adding potato flakes or potato water to this mix; bet that would help.)
Serving Size : 16
2 1/4 cups Linda's Bread Mix
2 Tablespoons buttermilk, dried
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons cold butter -- in 1/4" squares
2/3 cup water
Combine all but the last two ingredients well.
In a food processor: using the dough blade, pulse to cut butter into dry mixture until most of it is the consistency of cracker crumbs (some pieces should still be closer to baby pea size). Add most of the water and pulse, adding more water as necessary just until all the dry mix is incorporated (do not over process).
By hand: blend the butter into the dry mixture by rubbing between your fingertips, quickly and lightly (you want the butter to stay cold and unsoftened). Make a well in the center of this mixture and add the water. Mix lightly and gently, tossing and stirring until all the dry mix is incorporated.
Set the oven to preheat at 450 degrees.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet with shortening. Scoop up a golf-ball sized piece of dough and gently shape and pat the biscuit into a round, flatish shape, and place it on the cookie sheet.
Turn the oven to Bake, and put the cookie sheet in the oven. Bake about 10-15 minutes until the tops are just golden brown. Allow to cool about 2 minutes on the sheet before removing to serve, immediately, split in half with a fork & buttered, or with gravy.
NOTES : Simple and quick to make, you can make this recipe by hand or using a food processor. Either way it turns out a light biscuit.
Cookies take a great deal of attention. Keeping them evenly sized, preheating the oven, and watching them closely are necessities. Because all ovens vary in temperature, you'll need to keep an eye on your cookies at first and adjust temperature up or down about 25 degrees depending on your results.
The most important tip I can offer is to carefully time your first batch. If you watch your clock and watch the cookies you'll be able to pay a *little* less attention on subsequent batches.
These cookies will turn out crisp if cooked a little long, and will turn out chewy if cooked a little short. Most of them will also turn softer given any exposure to air, so if you want to keep them crisp, put them in an air tight container.
1 cup almonds, ground to cracker-crumb coarseness
1 cup bean flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup potato starch
1/3 cup buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid (optional)
4-1/2 cups Linda's bread mix (one whole mix's worth)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon orange juice
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
In the bowl of a sturdy mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat until soft (not fluffy) and well combined. Add vanilla and orange juice, combine again. Add eggs one at a time, mix until smooth. Next, add one cup of bread mix and stir to combine, then another cup, then another, stirring to combine well and stopping to scrape down the bowl in between each addition. When you're down to the last 1/2 cup, check for consistency. The dough should be soft enough to dent easily with a finger, but not sticky or fluffy. About the consistency of fresh (wheat-filled!) Playdough.
Refrigerate at least two hours. [At this point, you can also freeze the dough, or half of it if you don't want to cook it all. This recipe makes a lot of cookies! Pull out a length of waxed paper and form the dough into a 2-inch roll. Wrap in waxed paper and then wrap again in plastic film. Freeze no more than a month, then follow the directions below for baking, after allowing the dough to thaw about 1/2 hour.]
Drop (or use cookie scoop) rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, about two inches apart.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, until centers look solid. Let cool at least 5 minutes before attempting to move to a cooling rack.
More recipes are available in the online catalog version of the Gluten-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook.
Copyright © 2000 Linda Blanchard All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Date Added: February 10, 1998. Last Update: January 07, 2009