All GF Flours are not Created Equal -Rice Flour

A friend of mine, new to the GF world, mentioned buying a quinoa bread that was totally inedible. Her whole family was convinced the bread was bad after one bite. I told her of a similar experience I had trying a GF bread touted as "the moistest gluten free bread on the market today". Its weight was a tip off as to what the texture was going to be like. Dense, heavy, pungent and crumbly, I was convinced it had gone bad in the shipping until I opened the sister loaf and it had similar unearthly characteristics. I immediately felt very sad for all the customers who buy this bread thinking that this is the gold standard of breads. That the sentence for being gluten free was a life with this bread and this is all there is out there. Rest assured it is not!

Filling your pantry with these wonderful alternatives is very exciting. GF recipe books abound on Amazon and after a few tries you will find your cookbook that will make the difference for you. These renegade authors and chefs, often take their professional traditional pastry training and after countless tries turn a wheat classic into a GF classic. We should applaud them for the hours of work and the failed experiments to get closer to baking perfection. So lets start our journey with flours and the myriad of choices out there.

This posting I'll start with rice flour, because it is readily available in many forms and each behave differently.

Rice Flour comes in many forms - white, extra fine white, brown, glutinous or sweet rice. Knowing what type to use and when is more science than art.

White Rice Flour is milled from polished white rice and is grainier than the other varieties of flour. It is best when mixed with other flours to make bread, cakes and cookies. When used alone can sometimes have a gritty texture.

Extra Fine White Rice Flour - Is a finer ground white rice flour with a soft powdery texture. I mix this flour with other flours when making finer cakes. Its consistency helps with with the gritty texture of white rice flour but when used solely can add a gummy texture to a cake.

Brown Rice Flour has similar properties to rice flour but has better nutritional value as it is milled from unpolished brown rice. Because it contains more oils, it is best kept refrigerated. It has a nutty taste and grainy texture. Again, this rice is best when mixed with other flours.

Glutinous or Sweet Rice is also known as sticky rice. It is very elastic when mixed with liquid. It is one of the most perfect gluten free flours widely used in Asia and is said to have been used in China for over 2000 years in both savory and sweet dishes. This type of rice can be milled or unmilled. Milled Rice is typically white and unmilled which contains the bran can be black or purple. The famous Japanese "mochi" which is a small round cake with typically a bean filling is wrapped with a sometimes white glutinous cover. Vietnamese cultures also use the flour to make the distinct "Banh" cakes (they also may use cassava or tapioca flours) filled with sweetened mung beans. Filipinos will make a version called "Palitaw" which is glutinous flour shaped flat and dipped in boiling water then rolled in sesame seeds, sugar and coconut flakes.

As you can see this variety of rice flours makes it a versatile alternative in GF baking. If you are looking for the traditional crumb of a Western made cake, you will be best using a combination of flours when using rice flour. Rice flour with potato and tapioca starches seem to be a good combination. Try a mix of 1 cup brown rice flour to a 1/3 cup potato starch and 4 tbsp tapioca starch to make a versatile GF flour mix in these proportions. You can make this mix in batches using it as needed when baking most of your cakes when replacing flour.

Perfect Vegan GF Chocolate Cupcake

The search for the perfect vegan cupcake has taken me 6 months, countless recipe trials and modifications. Finally, I can share with you success..best yet, no eggs, gluten, sugar or dairy. I served this at a recent gathering of very picky eaters who called it the best cupcake they've ever had -firm and moist - no one could ever guess it was gluten free. I owe this find to the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog whose recipe won out on all the others. I used it as a base and modified to enhance the moisture.

The biggest complaint of gluten free baked goods is that it is crumbly and dry. With any of these ancient grains that lack gluten it is sometimes necessary to let the batter sit with the liquid to allow it to absorb. In classic baking, this is a no-no as this cannot be done with recipes which are heavily leavened with eggs as the incorporation of eggs give the lift and rise to the cake. However, with vegan desserts, this is possible with the absence of eggs. I have tried soaking the batter after mixing for 15-20 minutes for this recipe and it makes a noticeable difference in the texture of the crumb.

This recipe I tested both with rice and hemp milk. The hemp milk gave it a creamier texture and the coconut sugar I use for its low glycemic properties. (It is one of my favorite sweeteners and works great in recipes where brown sugar is used.) I am sure this recipe will fool even your toughest critics. This recipe yields about 9 large or 20 mini cupcakes:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup hemp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tins.

Mix together sorghum, tapioca flours, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and sea salt.

Beat oil, coco sugar, hemp milk and vanila together .

Beat in dry ingredients until well mixed. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the moisture.

Fill pans 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes for mini cupcakes and 20-15 for regular size cupcakes.

When cooked, wait 5 minutes then remove from tins and cool on rack before frosting.

This frosting seems to work well with these cupcakes and it isn't too sweet. It does pipe on very soft and you may need to modify it to the stiffness you want by adding more coconut oil which solidifies at room temperature. The coconut gives it a nice taste.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup palm shortening
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredient together until fluffy. Pipe on to cooled cupcakes.

A world of discoveries in Asian food stores

Head off to your local Asian market and spend time discovering the variety of goodies available. A myriad of alternatives await you from tapioca crackers to mung bean noodles to tofu soup to rice desserts wrapped in banana leaves. Though most labels might seem intimidating in their native language, almost all will have an English ingredient list. The tapioca crackers from Indonesia for example had tapioca flour, water and salt listed. Now be aware that most of the desserts come with a hefty dose of refined white sugar but if ideas are what you are looking for, the Asian market has all the ingredients to allow you to make your own low sugar alternative. A steamed rice Philippine cake wrapped in a banana leaf cane be made with glutinous sweet rice, coconut milk, a banana leaf (they come frozen in the food aisle) and substitute the sugar with your sweetener of choice. A tofu pudding, a traditional Chinese dessert of creamy soft tofu in a sugar syrup served warm can be made with an agave syrup - you control the sugar content.

Meandering through these aisles with your mobile phone allows you to use technology to instantly understand what your a looking at. A quick web search of what "chana" is brings up wonderful chickpea or garbanzo flour recipes commonly used in Indian cuisine in dishes such as vegetable pekoras. The great thing about many of these foods is that inherently they are not only gluten free but lactose free. Coconut milk or rice milk is often substituted for the milk as pasteurized cow milk in many of these countries is not native to their cultures. Try substituting sugar with low glycemic agave or coconut sugar. Try making a vanilla Thai custard which is not only easy but contains healthy antiviral coconut milk or bring home ingredients for the classic Thai sticky rice with mango dessert or Pick up some Japanese mochi (sticky sweet rice buns filled with red beans) or even a fresh young coconut with a straw to sip the freshest natural good for you juice you've ever had then scrape off the coconut meat to grate on your desserts.

Enjoy your trip to the Asian store, it opens a world of possibilities!

Art of Baking Gluten Free

As you start to venture out making your own creations, there are a few basics that can help guide you in your substitutions. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, first use an existing recipe then tune your ingredients. Prepare to summon up all your patience as sometimes getting the final result can take several tries. For one recipe I am still working on, I've done 11 tries and counting! But I hope these guidelines can help you somewhat.

When substituting wheat with any of the "ancient" grains (as many of these alternative grains have been used for centuries in some cultures before wheat was brought to their shores), keep in mind that wheat absorbs water at a higher rate than other grains. Wheat swells to soak up the moisture you add to it. So soaking the flour in your liquids before mixing can help the common complaint on dryness with GF goods. Too little moisture often results in a crumbly texture, too much hydration and the crumb will be dense and heavy. This rule holds most true with breads. As you experiment you will find each recipe to be a little different. When baking cakes, remember that leavening, or incorporating gasses into your batter to give it volume and shape by using baking powder or yeast, may require only a short soak to make a nice difference in your cake(5 minutes). There are exceptions, when using egg foam as you will quickly lose volume after beating since the trapped air in the foam allows for proper leavening of your cake.

In addition, if you use finer ground flours like fine ground rice or almond flour you increase the surface area of the grain adding to the changes in the hydration required. In one GF tart crust recipe I used almond meal and experiencing crumbling so much that I had to use an egg to bind everything, I substituted finely ground almond flour and removed the egg. The result was a perfect crust - held its shape without crumbling, could be filled without getting soggy and was crispy. Huge difference from the original.

In many cake recipes, try using a fine ground rice flour (Gustos Mills makes a good one) instead of the regular rice flour and you will see a significant change in the texture of your cakes, the grainy texture will now have a moist mouth feel.

Finally, try using warmer liquid to accelerate the swelling and absorption of the liquid into your grain. Particularly true with bread where a thermometer is indispensable - 120 typically for yeasted doughs.

Hopefully these tips can help you as you modify your favorite wheat recipes. Your journey may be sometimes frustrating but with a little bit of trial and error you won't miss any of your favorite desserts.

A Healthy mashed "potato"

If you crave mashed potatoes or are on macrobiotic diet but don't want the high glycemic rush here is an alternative that works amazingly well. No butter, no milk required for this fluffy healthy dish. Try it with your favorite turkey dinner or on a shepherd's pie or just fried and stuffed as a croquet. It is made of millet and cauliflower so you get your veges too!

Wash, rinse 1/2 cup millet grains andpPlace in a saucepan.

Add 2 1/2 cup water, about 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower and a pinch of salt.

Bring to a boil, reducing heat to simmer with cover on.

Cook for 35 minutes, stir after 30 minutes.

Millet thickens when cooked - cook until soft, remove from heat letting stand for 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree until smooth and with consistency of mashed potatoesl

Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

A GF Thanksgiving Feast

A Happy GF Thanksgiving!!

The holidays present a myriad of choices for GF/CF lovers. Websites overflow with ideas. To complement your Thanksgiving turkey you can include side dishes like pumpkin flan (made with hemp or rice milk), cranberry apple chutney, fruit tart, whipped sweet potatoes, macaroons, to name just a few. Here are some menu ideas that center around a hassle free, simply cooked, crispy skin, moist centered turkey.

2 Hour Roast Turkey with Brown Rice/Mushroom Dressing

12 lb fresh thawed, no antibiotic turkey, salt and pepper

Prepare turkey by removing any giblets in cavity (my sister always forgets to take these out) and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 375 degrees (Use an oven thermometer for best results). Place turkey in the oven for about 2 hours. To check for doneness, insert a thermometer at the base of the breast between the thigh and make sure temperature is 180 degrees. That’s it – you’re done.

No fussing, no basting, no bags or contraptions. This will work only for turkeys under 14 pounds.

Brown Rice Mushroom Dressing
In a saucepan, toast 1.5 cups of brown rice. It will smell heavenly and take on a lightly browned color. Remove rice. Sautee 3 cups mushrooms (shitake or crimini work nicely) and 1 large chopped diced onion in about 4 tbsp of olive oil. Add back browned rice and 6 cups of water and stir to mix. Bring rice to a boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low or low and boil for about 45-55 minutes until water dries out and rice is soft. Toss in 1 cup diced green onions and serve.

Brussel sprouts with Pecans
Wash and quarter about 1 pound of brussel sprouts. In a pan, heat about 4 Tbsp olive oil. Add sprouts and cook till tender. Add about 1 cup chopped pecans and 2 tbsp orange juice. Mix thoroughly and serve warm.

Whipped sweet potato
This simple recipe brings out the natural sweetness of the potato without the addition of a lot of sugar.

Wash 4 medium sized sweet potatoes and poke with a fork to release steam. (If you can find the Japanese sweet potatoes they are the sweetest, most delicious variety you can find. No need to even sweeten it!) Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. When cooled, peel and cut in half. Place in a mixing bowl, add 3 tbsp rice milk, 3 tbsp orange juice and ½ tsp cinnamon. If your potatoes are not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of agave nectar to keep the glycemic level low.

Cranberry Apple chutney
A nice complement to the turkey, you can also bottle this in jars to give as gifts. You can even make it ahead and freeze it for a later date.

In a large saucepan combine 4 cups cranberries, 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup agave syrup, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 cup water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes (the cranberries will pop in the pan so don’t worry). Add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 medium, peeled, cored and diced apple and cook another 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

GF Pumpkin Flan
No sugar, no wheat, no lactose – what could be better than this!? This recipe uses coconut milk, pumpkin and agave nectar.

In an 8 inch pie round, pour 1/3 cup agave syrup. This step replaces the traditional melting of the sugar and water at the bottom of a flan.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup pumpkin puree.Heat in saucepan till just to the point of steaming and warm. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mix together 5 eggs, 1/3 cup agave nectar and a pinch of salt.
Slowly whisk in the milk mixture, half first then mix thoroughly then the next half. Do this so as not to scramble the eggs. Add ½ tsp vanilla.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve on to the prepared pan.
Place in a another pan and pour hot water to cover halfway up the sides of the pan.
Bake 40-60 minutes or until firm when jiggled. Remove pan from water and cool for 2 hours.

When ready to unmold, set pan in warm water for a few minutes and run a hot knife along the sides of the custard. Place serving plate on top of custard pan and flip very quickly. Let pan sit on top for a few minutes to ensure the agave at the bottom pours along the top.