After having spent the last year or so being pregnant and learning to be a Mom, it is time to put a little effort back into this blog. In one of my previous posts I mentioned having been diagnosed with Celiacs in November of 2012. Shortly after, I became pregnant and thus neglected my blog. I have changed the name from Kitchen Chronicles to Gluten Free-Tried and True, I hope to try out different gluten free recipes and give an honest opinion and review of them. I have found in the last year that there are A LOT of gluten free recipes out there, but a lot of them have...problems. Baking gluten free can be frustrating. Here are a few of the problems I have encountered:
-Dry and/or crumbly baked goods (gluten free flours tend to be a lot drier)
-Flavor and texture (Once again, gluten free flour can cause both of these)
-Misc. Mechanical errors (flat or heavy finished product)
Before I move on, I have learned a few things that can help the above:
1. If ingredients are refrigerated, leave them out and get them to room temperature
2. If the recipe calls for eggs, you can do a few things:
-Beat each egg separately BEFORE adding to the rest of the mixture
-Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in well before adding the next
-And, as mentioned above, have them at room temperature
Today I have chosen two recipes for gluten free baked goods that I have used over and over again. They taste VERY similar to the "glutenized" original versions. The first is a gluten free banana bread that is to DIE for. The best part for me is that all the ingredients are things I keep around my house regularly. The second recipe is for gluten free crepes. I love both of them and I hope you enjoy them too!!
Gluten Free Banana Bread
Source: http://www.celiac.com/articles/22010/1/Gluten-Free-Banana-Pecans-Muffin-Banana-Nut-Bread-Option/Page1.html
Click for the Original Recipe
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
OR
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup All Purpose gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium sized)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Cinnamon Sugar (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375, for muffins, apply paper liner or spray oil to the muffins tin; for bread, use butter or oil spray to gease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan; set aside.
2. In an electric mixer, cream butter or oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat to blend.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together all purpose gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add to the butter mixture and mix until the ingredients combined.
5. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts.
6a. For Muffin, fill each muffins tin abut 2/3 full and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of the batter. Bake the muffin until golden brown on top. It should take about 20 - 24 minutes depending on the oven.
6b. For bread, pour the batter and fill the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 1 hrs to 1 hr 10 mins until the bread is cooked. Note: the bread does get brown easily, so cover the top with foil after 20 mins of baking.
7. Let the muffins and bread rest for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.
Okay, a few points for this recipe:
-The cinnamon sugar on top leaves a wonderful taste and a little bit of a crunch on the top. I would recommend using it.
-The sour cream does sound weird. Trust me when I say it helps with the moisture and the bread tastes the same as a recipe with gluten.
-REMEMBER it is butter OR oil. Do not do both.
-I use regular salted butter. I do not add more salt because of this
Next recipe
Gluten Free Crepes:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup milk (or favorite dairy substitute)
2 large eggs
2 TBSP melted butter OR light olive oil
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp baking powder
Directions:
Pour milk, eggs, melted butter (or olive oil) and vanilla into a blender.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add them to the blender. Blend just until combined and smooth. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Add more milk, one teaspoon at a time if too thick.
To cook:
Heat a low sided 8 inch skillet or crepe pan over medium high heat. Grease pan with oil or pan spray. GREASE PAN BEFORE EACH CREPE.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the heated skillet. Swirl around the skillet until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter.
Cook the crepe for about 1 minute-the crepe should be barely moist on top.
Use a thin spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe, then gently flip. Cook for about one more minute, then remove from the pan.
A few points for this recipe:
-Make sure you only use 1/4 cup batter. Otherwise the crepe is way too thick.
-Use your favorite topping. I like using Nutella.
Thanks for reading!! I hope this helps some of the newly diagnosed out there!! Good eating to you all!!
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