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Gluten-Free Baking Tips for the Holidays

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Baking gluten-free can be a challenge, so don’t give up if your recipe doesn’t turn out well the first time around. I have had my share of gluten-free flops, trust me, but I don’t let that stop me from trying again. “Cupcake Wars” two-time winner, Kyra Bussanich, shares some of her tips to help make your holiday baking a success.

• If you’re following a recipe, don’t substitute the listed flour or starch with another type unless you’re familiar with its properties. There are many different types of gluten-free flours and starches, including millet, sorghum and sweet white rice flour, and potato and tapioca starches. Each has its own idiosyncrasies. For example, millet flour has a slightly nutty flavor and is well-suited for goods with a hearty texture. Sweet white rice flour holds moisture well and is good for recipes that have a slight gumminess to them. Potato starch is light and good for fluffy cakes.

• Use eggs and butter at room temperature. Eggs are often used as a binder, the protein that substitutes for the missing gluten. Eggs and butter are both easier to work with when used at room temperature, and room-temperature egg whites whip up fluffier. If you forget to pull the butter out of the refrigerator beforehand, heat it for 7 to 12 seconds in the microwave. Put cold eggs in warm (not hot) water for 30 to 60 seconds.

• Don’t overwork batter and dough with xanthan gum in it. Corn-based xanthan gum is often used as a stabilizer and thickener in gluten-free baked goods, sauces, dressings and soups. Once this ingredient is added, overworking the dough can give it a slimy, gummy texture, and cause it to lose flavor. (A good substitute for xanthan gum is ground psyllium seed husk.)

• Heat higher, cream longer for lighter cakes. One complaint people sometimes have about gluten-free baked goods is that they’re too dense. To prevent this, try setting the oven temperature 25 degrees warmer than you would for flour. This will cause the butter in the recipe to release its water as steam, which helps the cake rise quickly. Also, cream eggs and butter together longer – about 10 minutes – than you would for flour cakes.

About Kyra Bussanich: Kyra Bussanich is a three-time winner of The Food Network’s hit show, “Cupcake Wars.” She graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu and opened her award-winning bakery, Kyra’s Bake Shop, which features gourmet, gluten-free sweets. She has branched beyond desserts to other gluten-free goods in order to help those with celiac and other autoimmune diseases enjoy quality treats

Do you have any gluten-free baking tips you would like to add?  Have you had a gluten-free baking fail?  I had a pan of cookies all run together on more than one occasion.  They were a mess, but they still tasted great!

Gluten-Free Due Diligence

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Following a gluten-free diet for close to eight years makes me somewhat of an expert. I know what foods contain gluten and what foods don’t. I know which specialty gluten-free foods are worth the money and which ones aren’t.  I know how to read and decipher labels, yet I get complacent. I think many of us get to the point where we have our group of products we use, have done the research, and then stop or not make a habit of checking the label each and every time we purchase and eat them.

I am going to share my latest experience with you all.  We have been buying Prego pasta sauces for years…long before we had to follow the gluten-free diet. Prego recently introduced Alfredo sauces to their line-up. To be honest I quickly glanced at the label and though it didn’t say, “gluten-free” like the Three Cheese red sauce, I wasn’t overly concerned because it was a new product and there was nothing on the label that I was concerned about knowing that Campbell’s clearly labels gluten on their products.

I was this close to serving this for dinner the other night. My eyes are usually looking for “natural flavoring”, which may contain barley malt, or “wheat starch”, so I was a little taken aback when I saw “malt extract” in the spice flavoring.  Phew…so thankful that I checked before making a big mistake!

Following the gluten-free diet requires diligence, patience, understanding, and the ability to realize that you will make mistakes.  We all do, we all will.  After all, “To err is human; to forgive is divine”, right?

Care you share your close calls or mistakes with us?  Use the comments section below.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Gingerbread

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One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is gingerbread. Not just gingerbread or gingersnap cookies, but real gingerbread cake. I haven’t had this in years, so I decided that it was high time to make it gluten-free.

I took a recipe from allrecipes.com and converted it to gluten-free. It was a fairly simple recipe and not very time-consuming at all. Not only did I sub-GF flour, but I cut the butter in half and added 1/4 cup of applesauce. I also doubled the spices.

Gingerbread Recipe

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup hot water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Pam or grease & flour a 9-inch square pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add in the applesauce. Beat in the egg and mix in the molasses.
  3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and xanthan gum. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Check after 45 minutes or so, as I didn’t have to cook mine longer than 50 minutes. Allow cooling in the pan before serving.

Flip the cake onto a decorative plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with Cool Whip.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Hash Pie

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The countdown is on…only five days until Thanksgiving! Iron Chef Cat Cora has created fun twists on traditional favorites that incorporate Pillsbury’s new refrigerated gluten-free dough. One in particular that caught my attention is the Sweet Potato Hash Pie. Check it out.

Update an old-fashioned hash with sweet potatoes and by adding a flaky pastry top.

Sweet Potato Hash Pie

Ingredients:

Prep Time: 30 Min

Start to Finish: 45 Min

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lb white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 1/4 cups)
  • 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
  • 1 1/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32 oz carton)
  • 2 tablespoons Betty Crocker™ All-Purpose gluten-free Rice Flour Blend
  • 1/2 container (15.8 oz) Pillsbury® gluten-free refrigerated pie and pastry dough
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 2 quart round baking dish.

2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute white potatoes 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; add sweet potatoes and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes longer or until potatoes are firm but tender. Stir in basil, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne.

3. In 2 cup measure, stir together chicken broth and rice flour blend. Push potatoes to one side of skillet. Over medium heat, quickly whisk in broth mixture until bubbly; stir potato mixture into sauce; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon potato mixture into baking dish.

4. Knead dough until softened and no longer crumbly. Flatten into a round. Place between 2 sheets of cooking parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10-inch circle. Cut dough into 6 to 8 circles, using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place circles of dough evenly over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle dough with Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until pastry is dry and begins to brown.

8 servings

Pillsbury gluten-free refrigerated doughs are available in mainstream grocery stores across the US.  Look for them with the regular refrigerated doughs.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Holiday Crispy Cocoa Bars Recipe

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

The holidays are right around the corner, so now is the time to start testing out recipes for the season. It isn’t always the best idea to make a new recipe for the first time when serving said recipe to guests, so make it a point to practice first.

The holidays are notorious for unhealthy foods, so why not change that? Carrington Farms shares a delicious-yet-healthy snack recipe for Crispy Cocoa Bars that are sure to put a smile on your face.

Carrington Crispy Cocoa Bars are GLUTEN-FREE and packed with superfoods to keep you and your loved ones happy and healthy throughout the holiday season. The bars are perfect to make at home and take on-to-go as a holiday travel snack or can be served as a healthy alternative to brownies or other chocolatey snacks at your holiday gatherings this year.

Carrington Crispy Cocoa Bar

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Crispy Brown Rice cereal
  • 1 cup mini choc chips
  • 1/3 cup Carrington Farms Flax/Chia blend
  • 1/8 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted tahini
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup blue agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

· In a large mixing bowl, combine cereal, chips, flax/chia and cocoa. Mix well and set aside.

· In a small saucepan, add tahini, brown sugar, and blue agave. Mix together well. Warm on medium heat, stirring frequently until slight bubbles appear. Remove from heat. Add vanilla to the mixture and stir until mixed well.

· Slowly pour small amounts of the mixture into the mixing bowl with dry ingredients. You must continue to mix the mixtures together to coat the dry ingredients completely. Repeat this step until the saucepan is emptied and the rice cereal mixture is completely coated

· Pour into an aluminum cake pan (9×13 inch) which has been coated with a non-stick spray. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, pat down the mixture completely. Let it sit until slightly cooled. Cut into 12-16 squares. Refrigerate when cooled. Enjoy!

What is your favorite way to add a healthy twist to the otherwise unhealthy holiday treats?