Month: October 2016

GF Skinny Burger Buns

Gluten free rolls for burgers or sloppy joes are a bit of a problem; store ones are too hard and too thick; can barely taste my burger for them and the price is ridiculous for what you get. I haven’t found a sandwich roll I truly like, not until last week.  So….I was reading the comments on line for a French bread recipe I use a lot; at food.com. I was looking at how others modified it, always curious.  I made several changes for my version.  So I wanted to see what else could be done.  Someone said they made rolls out of it!  Bingo.  A must try solution for the quandary of edible gf rolls for burgers. The base recipe always tastes great, is easy to create and I’ve been making my version of it for over three years.  Tasty  as dinner bread but what I need so often is a decent roll that takes the hot stuff like a burger or sloppy joes.  I use cloud bread for cold sandwiches and love it but burgers need something sturdier as cloud bread pretty much dissolves with contact to hot food.

The only addition I made for this burger rolls recipe is some flax seed meal and if you don’t want that; leave it out; flax seed bits adds flecks of tan color and a wholesome flavor.  Good for you too. I used olive oil instead of melted butter; worked fine and is healthier.  They aren’t high and puffy like store buns but I have to say they do the job of a burger bun very nicely with their great flavor and texture.  They may be skinny but they are a great solution for rolls.  Actually I think you could slice them in half right down the middle and use as an English muffin!

You really need the right baking pan; a muffin top pan; very shallow but wide depressions; about 1/3 inch deep; my pans are Teflon.  You can buy them on line from Amazon.

This dough is very easy and quick to mix up if you have a stand mixer as it needs a serious beating!  You need to keep an eye on the rising process; your pans should be in a warm but not hot location.  So I turn on my oven and let it heat to 105 degrees upon which I turn it off and put in the bread. Just opening the door to put in the pans will lower the temperature to about 90 degrees; perfect. Just warm enough and no drafts inside there.  Be watchful; as for all gf yeast doughs: don’t over rise it or your rolls will deflate; disaster! Once the pans are getting close to ready you need to preheat the oven; take the pans out first if yours is rising in there… I plan to keep working on this recipe and see if I can get the rolls to rise a bit higher…got some ideas.  Will update when I have an even better roll to share.

The rolls are still tasty the next day. I froze most of them. Actually, you can make a half batch; mix all the dry ingredients well in a bowl then remove half; 1 ½ cup plus 2 ½ tsp. of dry mix and put it in a baggie.  When you want to make each half batch add the wet ingredients and beat up per the recipe: ¾ cup warm water, 1 1/2 tsp yeast, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 egg, and ½ tsp vinegar.

Gluten Free French Burger Rolls

Makes twelve rolls

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

3 tsp. xanthan gum

3 tbsp. flax seed meal

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp. sugar

1 ½ cups lukewarm water; about 90-95 degrees

1 tbsp. yeast

2 tbsp. melted butter or mild olive oil

2 eggs, room temp.

1 tsp. cider vinegar

Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

Directions: Put the flours, gum and salt in bowl of stand mixer, blend.

In two cup measuring cup or small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water; let stand 3-5 minutes until foamy.

Dump into the dry ingredients; add the butter or oil, eggs, and vinegar.  Beat on high for 3 minutes.

Spray depressions in your pans with cooking spray and dust with yellow cornmeal.

Glop in the bread dough; it will be like soft putty.  Smooth the top with your fingers that you dampened in water.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds if desired.

Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until doubled.  Bake in pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. They won’t be hugely high but enough for slicing in half for sandwiches or burgers.  Cool before slicing.  The rolls don’t have to be stone cold to slice but cutting any gf bread hot is a bad idea; gets all gummy….not a good thing.  They work quite well as gf English muffins.

Apple Crisp: Easy and Tasty

Apples are the centerpiece of the fall harvest culture.  Pumpkins are popular but they are a relatively new comer to the contest.  Some may think pumpkins are the way to go in baking but I firmly believe the apple is king in Autumn in America.  Crisp, sweet, flavorful and so very good for you.

If you can, get the organic ones as the sprays they use on growing apples are not at all good for you.  I recently made apple crisp with some baking apples from a pick it yourself farm near Milford NJ and it was very tasty indeed.  I especially suggest you get your apples at an actual apple orchard.  Another orchard just south of Hellertown is Bechdolt’s Orchard which grows many apple varieties.  Go there if you want the freshest tastiest apples in the Saucon Valley area.  Apples grow all over the globe so shop where you can get them fresh and crisp! The variety is up to you but I would not suggest any that are not meant for baking; don’t use red delicious as they are for eating only, same goes for honey crisp apples. apple-cart

This recipe is out of Gluten-Free Baking Classics Cookbook by Annalise G. Roberts with a few minor changes.  I am betting you can use any GF flour mix in this recipe, not like a cake or other baked goods that have very specific flour requirements.

And it is so much easier than a pie.  No crust to mix or roll out.  Just a simple mixed up topping to add to the cut up apples.  Bake it and voila: a yummy yet fairly healthy dessert!

I have made the topping several ways.  You can cut un-melted butter into the dry ingredients; it makes for a firmer crumb than the melted version below. I have made it egg free but it really somehow needs that egg to pull it together to mimic a wheat flour based crisp.  The oats can be left out if you don’t like them or can’t eat them. I personally love oats in my crisp.  A quarter cup of chopped nuts can be added to the topping; really a nice touch too!  I don’t like it too sweet so I use the lesser amount of sugar.  This is entirely a personal choice.  You can up the nutritional value by adding flaxmeal to the dry mix; 2-3 tbsp.

For those who love ice cream, this recipe is absolutely perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to it.  I like it warm from the oven but it also is tasty cold the next day, if you have any left over that is!

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Angie’s Apple Crisp

 

1 cup GF flour (mix below)

½ to ¾ cup sugar (I prefer brown sugar)

½ cup old fashioned gf oats

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle of nutmeg

½ tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp. salt

1 large egg

6 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples

¼-1/3 cup butter, melted

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.   Put rack in center level of oven.  Lightly butter a 9 inch square pan or spray with cooking spray.

 

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Add egg and stir to mix well.   Place apples in the baking pan, top with the dry mix and sprinkle with the melted butter.  Bake 40-50 minutes until bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. Let cool at least 10 minutes before dishing out. Six servings.

 

Brown Rice Flour Mix (same as King Arthur’s GF blend)
2 c brown rice flour (finely ground)

2/3 c potato starch – Not potato flour!

1/3 c tapioca flour

 

Originally posted by me October 2015.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Breakfast on the go.  Snacks during the school or work day.  What can a gluten free person enjoy that isn’t full of additives, chemicals or excess sugar or salt?  Or wickedly expensive.  Not many options out there.  Can you tell where this is going?  YES, Muffins to the rescue! These muffins are easy to make, perfect in texture for breakfast and totally yummy.  I love things made with raisins and oats (if you can eat them as some folks can’t tolerate oats) both are healthy choices and add hearty flavor to baked goods.

This muffin recipe is from Annalise Roberts’s wonderful cookbook: Gluten Free Baking Classics – The Heritage Collection, which came out last fall. I have made many great baked goods from this cookbook, a favorite of mine. She uses golden raisins: I was out so I subbed in regular raisins.

I freeze any muffins I won’t eat in 2 days; in a Ziplock freezer bag.  They make super school or work snacks and freezing them extends their usefulness by several weeks.

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Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)

½ cup gf old fashioned oatmeal

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup regular or golden raisins

¾ cup chopped walnuts

2 lg eggs beaten

½ c milk, 1 or 2 percent

½ c canola oil

Cinnamon sugar: 2 tsp. sugar and ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees, placing the rack in middle of oven.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  One batch makes 12-14 muffins.

Put the oatmeal and the brown sugar in a food processor and blend until coarsely chopped. Dump in and mix all dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer or a big bowl. Blend in raisins and walnuts. Combine milk and oil in a small bowl, beat in eggs.  Add liquids to big bowl; stir on low speed until fully blended.

Fill muffin pans 2/3 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake 18-22 min until golden brown. Do not overbake or they get dry.  Remove immediately from the pans and cool on a rack. Freezes well for up to 3 weeks and keeps in fridge (well wrapped) a few days.apple-tarts-oatmeal-muffins-015

Brown Rice Flour Mix mix
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Pumpkin Muffin Time

Fall baking seems to be all about pumpkin. I like muffins rather than breads for their great texture and super portability. Donuts are pretty much just sugar and grease bombs which I reserve to eat once or twice a year. Pumpkin roll is lovely for company but if it is just me, the muffin rules!

This muffin recipe is my own version of a pumpkin muffin using the banana muffin recipe from Annalise Roberts’s wonderful cookbook: Gluten Free Baking Classics.  They are easy to make, perfect in texture and totally yummy.

I do love to sprinkle them with chunky sugar; used for fancy baking.  They would be extra nice with a streusel topping.  Look at my other muffin recipes and there are a couple versions I use that you can apply to give that lovely top to your muffins.

I freeze any I won’t eat in 2 days; in a Ziplock freezer bag.  They make super school or work snacks

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Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)

2/3 c granulated sugar or coconut palm sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 c packed canned pumpkin

2 lg eggs beaten

½ c milk, 1 or 2 percent plus 3 extra tbsp. if you use the palm sugar

½ c canola oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing the rack in middle of oven.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  One batch makes 12-14 muffins.

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer or big bowl. Combine milk and oil, beat in eggs.  Add liquids and pumpkin puree to big bowl; stir until fully blended.

Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake 23-24 min until golden brown. Do not overbake or they get dry.  Remove immediately from the pans and cool on a rack.  I like to sprinkle the muffins with big sugar granules before baking for crunch.   Freezes well for up to 3 weeks.  Keeps in fridge (well wrapped) a few days.

 

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Brown Rice Flour Mix mix
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

 

Eggplant Potato Moussaka: Opa!

It being fall, the garden is winding down but there are still eggplants to pick in my garden.  Kinda tired of the usual stuff I make with eggplants so I did some research and came up with moussaka, a Greek eggplant casserole.  I made it once long ago and remembered it as tasty. This recipe is from food network and is by Emeril Lagasse, he of the “Bam” exclamation.  It is a fair amount of work; took me about 90 minutes to put it together, 45 minutes to bake and another 50 minutes of resting time before you can cut into it.  Gotta say it was worth the effort. Everyone who ate it were crazy about the flavors.mousakka-014

My alterations: I used a mixture of ground pork and ground lamb (recipe is 50/50 ground beef and ground lamb) and subbed in white wine for red as that was all I had.  Ditto in my subbing of a red onion for the yellow onion and chopped fresh tomatoes for the crushed tomatoes.  Sometimes I am unwilling to make a second run to the grocery store to spend $ for something if I can sub in a different but similar ingredient.  To make it gf I used white rice flour; it was okay; next time I am trying brown rice flour or a flour blend to see if it sticks tighter and browns better. Worked but not sure white rice was the best flour choice.  I used brown rice flour in the sauce but I am guessing any gf flour will work.  The cheese I used was fresh grated Parmesan; three choices are provided.  Never heard of Kefalotiri and I am allergic to Romano.  Plus: that’s what I had in the cheese drawer.

I read some of the comments people made on the recipe; I’m thinking about roasting my eggplant slices if I am in a hurry. I used less oil than the recipe and some of my oil was canola as I was running out of olive oil; couldn’t tell the difference in the final product. I might add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg next time too, and there will be a next time as this tastes amazing.  PS: I used a mixture of whole milk and 1 percent for the béchamel sauce.

This recipe is too involved to put in my post; here is a link to the recipe.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/eggplant-and-potato-moussaka-recipe.html

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Have fun making it; a great recipe for 2-3 folks to work on together.  Super entrée choice for a family gathering.  Enjoy!