"Regular" Recipes and a Little Inspiration

It's feast or famine with me and baking. In fact, I'm a lot like that with most things. I have moments of great accomplishments and being a busy bee. Those are punctuated with moments (and days) of feeling very lazy. Well, I can't be too lazy with two little boys, but you know what I mean. I get them fed, dressed, make dinner, do the dishes, read a story and play a bit, but beyond that I try my best to do nothing.

I've been in the "feast" stage of baking lately. I'm wanting to make new things (and some old things). I also want to encourage you to stop by a "regular" good blog and get some ideas there as well. If you are well versed on what ingredients are GF or not, then you might be able to modify some things and come up with a new GF dish. Remember to use a GF mix of some sort or make sure to use starch and not just flour. For instance, if the regular recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups flour, then you might use 3/4 cup rice flour and 3/4 tapioca flour. Or, you might use 1/2 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup corn starch, and 1/2 cup tapioca flour. Such is the life with GF Baking - you have to be willing to experiment. And what ever you do - write down how you modified the recipe. If it's a winner, you want to replicate it! Don't forget to add xanthan or guar gum - I always add about a teaspoon unless I want some "chew" - then I add a couple of teaspoons. The xanthan gum doesn't just help hold it together, it helps it to rise as well!

I found a great recipe that I was able to modify. It was on the "Not GF Blog" I have listed on my sidebar: Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It's called "Raspberry Slice". (This site also has a category of GF recipes also). I made up some gluten free graham crackers first for this recipe. I actually needed close to three cups for the base. I'm not sure how it would have turned out with the 1 1/4 cups they called for but it seemed too greasy to set up and harden. I also didn't have any raspberries, so I used some fresh strawberries and frozen blackerries. Be careful when adding the frozen fruit to the jello mix. It will set up real quick. You'll need to catch it before it sets all the way so you can spread it over the cream cheese layer. I also used a couple cups of cool whip for the topping. It was really delicious and I highly recommend it. It was fine the next day also so this is one you can make slightly ahead.

What "regular" recipes have you modified and been successful with?

Caramel Apple Pecan Rolls

Let me just say it one more time - I apologize for this picture because it does a great injustice to one of the most wonderful things I've ever made. Gee, that sounds quite boastful, but I am awfully proud!

I went on a hunt for a GF cinnamon roll recipe a few days ago. I landed at the I Am Gluten Free blog and found a recipe for one (by Robin Ryberg) which had rave reviews. It sounded like a good bet and I'll tell you it was. I couldn't help but wonder what other combinations I could come up with. I didn't have to think long and hard for this one I've posted. I think I like it even better than the cinnamon rolls. This recipe is less sweet overall, and I love anything with nuts.

The dough for this recipe comes out pretty soft. It will whip up like a thick cake batter but will be fairly sticky. You could use parchment paper to roll this out on, but I think you might still benefit from cooking spray as well. I have a teflon mat that is very anti-stick and so I use it whenever possible.

After rolling the dough out to about 13X13 inches, I pull out two pieces of plastic that will cover my dough. I first spray them with cooking spray and lay them spray side down over the area I will be rolling the dough out to. I then use my rolling pin (I actually have a small Pampered Chef one that I love, and no, I don't sell it) and roll it out to the dimensions I want. The plastic pulls up nicely off of it when I'm done.

I then spread out my filling - apple sauce (I used my homemade chunky kind) and brown sugar. When I was done with that I began rolling it up. This may or may not be tricky for you. I've done this twice and one time my dough was more solid and easier to manage than the other time. Such is the fickle nature of GF ingredients I'm afraid. I was able to lift up my teflon mat a bit until the dough began falling over and off of the edge so that I could get it started. The goal is to roll this up lengthwise all the way. Dust your hands and the roll with some more corn starch if that helps. Then, cut 1 1/2 inch segments and lay them, cut side down in a cake pan or a tin.

The time I made cinnamon rolls, I was able to cut the dough very nicely and they actually looked like the spiral things they should be. When I made this variety, I had a harder time and needed to wet my knife each time I cut a piece. They didn't look so pretty in the pan and I was disappointed, but then they rose up so nicely and it looked great. So, don't worry, just get in there and do it!! I then baked this batch in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. About 10 minutes before they were done, I added some chopped pecans and a little more brown sugar on the top. You can also melt a couple tablespoons of butter and drizzle that over the pecans and brown sugar before the last 10 minutes of cooking. Then, I drizzled caramel sauce over the top before inhaling.

These are so very, very good. You'll be proud to serve these to your gluten-eating friends (if you have any - ha ha). I did read that you can make these rolls up ahead of time and put the uncooked batch in the fridge to cook later. They will be okay, but not as good as baking fresh. These rolls are still quite lovely the next day. I was really impressed at that.

So...I have given you a lot of instructions before the actual recipe and you can always go to the post at I Am Gluten Free to read the basic instructions there. Or...if apples, pecans, and/or caramel syrup is not your thing, please try the cinnamon roll recipe from Robin Ryberg listed there.

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Pecan Rolls:

Dough:

2 tablespoons shortening (I used butter-flavored Crisco and you can use plain butter but I think it tends to melt out underneath the rolls too much)

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 packet yeast

1 egg

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 cup corn starch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (I use guar gum)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In mixing bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Add yeast to warm milk and let set to foam (about 10 minutes) before adding to sugar/shortening mixture. Then, add remaining ingredients. Mix for a full minute for dough to get thicker. Follow instructions given previously in post for laying out dough and rolling it out.

Filling

About 1 cup applesauce (I used homemade chunky)

2-3 tablespoons brown sugar

Spread filling over dough evenly as possible.
If your applesauce is very thin, you might want to consider cutting down the amount and adding some small pieces of chopped apple as well.


Topping
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Melted butter to spoon over (optional)
Caramel sauce to drizzle over after baking

From the Domestic Goddess Files: Tapioca Pudding

Disclaimer: Any reference to being a domestic goddess is done entirely with levity in mind. I in no way consider myself to be a DG. While I admire those who grow most of their food and make most of their gifts, I would also be quite happy with take-out and buying everything online.

Since my son started Kindergarten I have begun buying more "snack" items. You know, things that can be fished out of the refrigerator with one crusty eye open and flung into a waiting lunch bag early in the morning. Actually, my eyes aren't that "crusty" in the morning, but you know what I mean - cheese sticks, pudding cups, Go-gurts and the like. And of course, they need to be gluten free.

My son picked out some tapioca pudding on one of our shopping trips to Winco. I think it was a Jello brand and at first I cautioned, "I don't think that's what you think it is." However, he fell in love with it! The next time I bought the "Kozy Shack" brand. Not only does it have very basic ingredients, it is also labeled "Gluten Free". Doesn't that just make you feel so good to see that?

Unfortunately, my son has fallen out of love with this nurturing snack. It seems he noticed the little "things" in it and had a textural awakening of the 5-year-old kind. Drats!

Well, I kind of miss having tapioca pudding in my fridge and besides, I have a monstrous bag of tapioca pearls sitting in a tote with other various odds and ends. (At one time I thought my mill could break down these puppies, but they are a no-no for the expensive mill that needs to last me the next twenty years).

So, I made my own pudding tonight. It is yummy and I kind of like having made my own. I do want to see if it is possible to do this in the crock pot as stirring a pot for as long as I did with a little one on my hip is not practical in this house. Note: After posting this, I did venture over to a favorite site, "A Year of Crockpotting" and found a recipe for this.

While I was trying to get it to thicken up I consulted online about "how to thicken up tapioca pudding" and found this information at Messy Gourmet. It reads a bit like Alton Brown of Good Eats. I love that man! He speaks in a way my brain can understand. Learning the food science of recipes and procedures is so awesome! Anyway, this article explains how and why the starch thickens and produces pudding. Perhaps you will find it as useful as I did.

But before the recipe, here are some interesting articles and snippets concerning tapioca:
What is Tapioca?
A Tapioca Time Bomb - You've got to read this!
Various Recipes from Allrecipes.com (note: verify if one you want to make is gluten-free)
More Tapioca Recipes
Nutrition facts for Tapioca (remember, this is why it is called "comfort food".)

And now, a basic, un-earth shattering recipe for tapioca pudding:

3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together the milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 5 minutes longer.
Stir some of the hot milk mixture (1 cup total) into the beaten eggs, about 1/3 cup at a time until incorporated. Stir the egg mixture back into the tapioca until well mixed. Bring the pudding to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat; cook and stir until it thickens up to pudding-like consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Here is a link to a more lengthy article about cooking tapioca pudding to reach good results. The recipe here calls for less sugar (which I think I want to try next time) and only using the egg yolks.

Unbelievable Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

My dear friend, Ms. Janna, invited my family over after church one Sunday. She took the time to ask what to fix so that it would be all good for my boy. Bless her heart! She also happens to live down the street from a woman who cooks gluten free. Talk about friends in the right places! Her friend supplied her with the dry ingredients for a gluten-free chocolate cake. This recipe calls for any gluten free flour blend and she happened to use some amaranth - not really my personal favorite as it gives me a strange aftertaste. Besides that though, the cake was really good and it was beautiful also.

I made sure to get the recipe, thank her and her friend for their kindness, and I have since made this chocolate wonder many times. In fact, it was the cake mix for my son's last birthday party. This is a recipe from Carol Feinster PhD. I've never made it with the strong black coffee as the primary liquid, only hot water. I can only imagine that coffee would give it an even more fabulous flavor. My friends who are familiar with gluten free cooking (their kids have other food issues) were in disbelief at how good it tasted.

The wonderful thing about this cake is that it has always come out of the pan with absolutely no problem, no cracking, etc. I've put it in the freezer for super easy frosting and no crumbs. While I do love refrigerated cake, I have discovered that this one does best when freshly baked or allowed to come to room temperature (take out of the freezer or fridge in plenty of time). I've fixed this with a variety of frostings, but the one I've included is absolutely wonderful with it. I'm not sure the original source for the frosting, but only wrote it down from Ms. Janna's recipe card.
Please make some soon!!

Unbelievable Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
****I double this recipe for 2 - 9" cake pans and 6 cupcakes. The chocolate frosting recipe is enough to frost all of this without doubling.****
1 1/4 cup flour blend (I use 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch and 1/4 cup millet)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup hot water or coffee
Combine all ingredients except water in large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Add hot water and carefully mix until blended. Pour into cake pans and muffin cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. (Make sure it is GF).
Cook at 350 degrees.
35 minutes for cake pans
20-25 minutes for cupcakes
****I double this recipe for 2 - 9" cake pans and 6 cupcakes. The chocolate frosting recipe is enough to frost all of this without doubling.****
Yummy Chocolate Frosting 1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup baking cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp

I do like to can food. Well, I actually like the finished product and the bounty on the shelf afterwards. I can do without the mess and heat. I’m not an expert canner. I don’t can anything exotic or extensive, but I have managed to put away at least some jam for the last 10 years. However, last year it seemed like I couldn’t do anything right. My grape jelly didn’t set, and my pickles lacked a “bite”. I managed to can several jars of salsa which was pretty good, but too sweet for my husband’s taste. All that work! It was disappointing to say the least.

My blackberry jam however was divine.

I canned enough of it last summer to keep us stocked for the year! That makes me smile. And I plan to do the same this year. I’ve been trying to get out to the blackberry bushes down by the creek and the massive overgrowth in the middle of the pasture twice a day. Not too many are overripe, but I’m afraid of losing too many. I want them all.

This year has been more challenging to find time to pick. Joshua is seven months – old enough to want to be moving, but certainly not independent. One day it was beginning to rain, and I got creative with keeping him busy and dry at the same time.
My son, Nathan is now 5, and I was surprised at his tenacity in picking blackberries. One for the bowl, two for the mouth…

I wash the berries, let them dry and then freeze them until I’m ready to can. I got a seeder attachment for my Bosch machine. What a great invention! It takes all the seeds out lickety-split. When there's no more berries to pick or I'm "picked out" it's time to can.

Another favorite thing to do with the beautiful blackberries is make some crisp for dessert. What a thrill to now have GF oats. Put them in a coffee grinder and cut them down if they're too thick. This recipe will work great with any fruit that would be suitable in a pie.

Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp

First Mix

2-3 cups of fruit - (sliced if large pieces)

1/4 cup sugar - If the fruit is real ripe I omit the sugar completely since there is plenty of it in the topping (second mix).

2 tablespoons GF flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Second Mix

3/4 cup GF flour (rice flour and/or millet)

1 Cup GF oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt 1/2 cup butter into the second mix and distribute evenly.

Pour first mix into 8X8 pan, then sprinkle on the second.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Lovely!