Baking Gluten Free in 2015

How many ingredients does it take to make a batch of scones? Well, in February of 2010, I used nine ingredients to make a batch of gluten free chocolate chip scones. I used Bette Hagman's recipe from her book, "The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread." The original recipe lists thirteen ingredients.

The gluten free flour used in the original recipe is a blend of flours also from the cookbook. So, to get a dozen scones I had to have the flour blend already prepared so I could take the required amount from the larger batch, add several more ingredients to the flour blend, and then put all the ingredients together to make the dough. And it really wasn't that easy a dough to handle.

Gluten Free Scones

Now, it's 2015 and I have this recipe down to six basic ingredients plus whatever I'm using for the treat, such as chocolate chips or raisins or blueberries.

I use Gluten Free Bisquick pancake mix and so do away with gums and egg replacers, as well as reduce the amount of baking powder and baking soda required. And the dough is much easier to handle.

In 2010, anyone who baked gluten free goods expected to have to make flour blends in large batches and store them for use in recipes. We had blends of all sorts; rice, bean, corn, and potato flour blends were staples in the pantry, all stored in airtight containers.

This meant buying all these different kinds of flours and blending them in varying mixes and ratios and adding enhancers such as gums and egg replacer. I needed a pantry to store the equivalent of a couple of bags of wheat flour.

Now I have Gluten Free Bisquick Pancake Mix and Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix in my pantry.

It's a hell of a lot easier to bake gluten free in 2015 than it was in 2010. 

Two Minute Gluten Free Mini Cakes

One thing about baking from scratch: It takes a lot of time. But mug cakes are made in the microwave, and that means that within a few minutes, the cake is done. So what could be better than a made-from-scratch cake ready in a few minutes?

Inspired by Anne's video for gluten free Mexican mug cake, I came up with this recipe for mini cakes. Using ramekins instead of mugs, I adapted a basic cake recipe to suit the portions and the quick cook method.

You'll need four 4-ounce ramekins for this recipe, but you can halve the recipe to make two cakes, or double it to make eight cakes.

Dry Ingredients

1/2cup gluten free Bisquick Pancake mix

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp of salt

3 tbsp gluten free cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water

1 egg

1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp of rice milk or almond milk

Directions

Whisk together the Bisquick mix, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until the dry ingredients are well blended.

Add the wet ingredients all at once and stir until well combined.

Spray the four ramekins with a gluten free cooking spray. Fill the ramekins about half way full with the batter.

Microwave the ramekins two at a time for two minutes. Let the cakes cool for about 15 minutes before removing them from the ramekins.

And that's it. No turning on the oven, not waiting all day for the cake to cool. It's just a quick batter, two minutes in the microwave and 15 minutes to cool. And you're done.

If you want to make a cake, though, check out my recipe for gluten free chocolate cake on this blog, and you'll be able to watch the video. If you have any questions or comments about cooking or baking gluten free, please leave a comment in the comment section. I'll get back to you ASAP.

Recipe for Gluten Free Brownies

One of my New Year's resolutions was to create a recipe for really good gluten free brownies. I didn't want a goopy, overly sweet brownie; I wanted a delicate, cakey kind of brownie that held together when I cut a piece.

Two issues I encounter when experimenting with gluten free baking recipes is the final product is either too wet or too dry. I search recipes online and many of the brownie recipes called for a pile of dates in place of sugar, or massive amounts of butter. These are all too goopy.

The ones that call for sixteen different kinds of gluten free flour are too dry or crumbly, and/or have a chalky kind of aftertaste.

Hence, my resolve to create my own recipe. After several trials and errors, I have found the ultimate combination of ingredients and now have my gluten free brownie recipe.

Like many of my recipes, though, there's always room for play. I want to try adding a handful of chocolate chips, or maybe some crushed almonds. I gladly welcome suggestions in the comment section.

Recipe for Gluten Free Brownies 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8in. square pan

 

Dry Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cup Gluten Free Bisquick Mix

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients:

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 stick gluten free butter, nearly melted

Instructions:

• Whisk together the Bisquick mix, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
• Sift in the cocoa powder
• Whisk the cocoa powder into the dry ingredients until blended
• Add the vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients
• Stir to break up the eggs and start incorporating them into the mixture 
• Add the nearly melted butter and stir until the ingredients are blended and the mixture is thickened
• Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes
• Allow to cool for one hour before cutting
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired

Resolution Update

Other than creating a brownie recipe, I also vowed to make more cooking videos. I'm working on that, as you can see.

 

I also vowed to start a gardening blog, which I did. Check out just az gardens to see how my gardens grow.

 

Haven't quite gotten the vegetarian meals my husband will actually like yet, but hey, the pizza bread I made the other night was meatless, and he liked that.

 

I also intended to exercise more. That, to, is a work in progress.

 

And finally, I resolved to find inner peace. Yea. That one is taking some work as well. But hey, I'm growing veggies and making brownies. So maybe it's all good.