<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Interesting responses to my query about a failed attempt to produce a
Calzone recipe posted on this site. The poster did not show up to correct
any typos on the recipe.



 Multiple replies are struggling with the same problems that I have with GF
baking.

Many suggestions to check the calibration of my oven  ( a good idea as it is
a new gas range).

One request for a cracker recipe, (please post one), the rice and almond
crackers are not even close to what they are imitating.

Suggestions to use Chebe's mix (I've never seen it in a store) It must be an
online product.

Many of us are creative experimenters who are learning,from experience, the
new science of GF cooking. My pancakes, waffles, corn bread and even
popovers usually turn out very good, even though nothing is measured and the
GF flours I use are the ones I have on hand at the time.

DFW Celiacs???? I'm on the North End of DFW ---Denton, not too far away.

Altitude is not an issue in flatland prairie Texas as one reply suggested,
another suggested I make an attitude adjustment.

 http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/start was suggested. Every time I try
to look at their Celiac forum I go brain dead with the complexity.

  alt.support.celiac in the newsgroups is where my simple mind takes me for
general questions and a nice group of people with the added bonus of no
flamewars.

Another experienced the same problem with baking times.

Difficulty with recipes on the server is a recurrent theme. A friend of mine
told me only forward recipes that I have verified by trying them as she
cannot afford to make mistakes or waste time, a reasonable request from a
mother of nine with the youngest (2) on a GF soy free diet.

My intolerance to gluten was sped up by experimenting with Sour Dough bread
for years to develop authentic bread for my restaurant. Sour Dough bread
requires High Gluten flour. Does anyone know of a Sour Dough culture that
works with a non-gluten flour??????????????

Thank you for the interesting responses, now I know I'm not the Lone Ranger.
This is the first time I've posted to this list and produced a summary. Some
responses follow  if you want to sift some pearls of wisdom from the
collective experience of these responders.  I'm looking forward to seeing
more recipes that I can try out.



Dave in Texas



I thought it was only me - I tried a pie crust recipe off the list that was
supposed to be the perfect pie crust - it turned out like baked wallpaper
paste.  I bought a Kinnickick Spong Cake and was hard (really hard) on top
and doughy in the middle.  It's hard to believe some people recommend some
of those thing.  I too bake for a living (cheesecakes) and know how to bake
and there are so many failures out there.  Why is this?



I haven't tried that recipe, but I do bake alot and I have a couple of
thoughts..

- the recipe looks like it has way too much water...perhaps it was a
typo..but I would try it again with 1/4-1/3 cup of water, starting with the
lower volume and slowly adding by tablespoon until you have dough that can
be shaped

- make sure your oven is calibrated correctly...many ovens are way
off...just get one of those oven thermometers  and put it in the center of
your oven to check. If it is off by alot (>25 degrees) you should consider
getting your oven professionally calibrated.

- I often have to adjust recipes posted with more flour...I think it may be
related to me mixing up a new batch of flour mix and measuring it before it
gets a chance to pack down (therefore I am getting not enough flour in my
measuring cups)

- make sure you are using the correct egg size called for...too large or
small can affect the total volume of liquids

- I always mix dry ingredients first, then add wet ones unless directions
specifically state otherwise.

 Don't get discouraged...we all have our flops!!! (I have thrown out many a
loaf of bread



Sorry to hear  you are having such a terrible time with some recipes!  I
have had so called  "tried and true" recipes not work and others work
wonderful.  Or, I make something one time and it's great and the next time
it's horrible.  Go figure.  I wonder if it's how long we keep our GF
flours????  I don't bake as much anymore due to too much starch/grains
(gaining weight from it) so I don't use my flours very fast.  I've tried
other flours like amaranth, buckwheat, millet, montina and get totally mixed
results in whatever recipe I use.  I think what works for someone else may
not necessarily work for another



You're right, every gf recipe I have used has needed anywhere from 20% to
100% more time to bake than the instructions list. I, too, have years of
baking and cooking behing me, and I use a professional grade oven
thermometer to keep the temperature at the correct level. One exception:
Rogers and Dowd cake mix - the instructions are pretty accurate for these,
maybe just 1 or 2 minutes off, and I consider that a normal variation.



I so enjoyed your post!  I especially giggled at the meaning of calzone in
Spanish.  I, too, was always a great cook pre-celiac disease (a home ec
major in college) and I also have had total flops of almost every recipe
that I try from other celiacs.  lol  I don't understand at all what happens
between their kitchens and mine!  I have found that I do much much better
just making up recipes myself from scratch!  Infact, since I have been using
Bobs Red Mill GF bread flour, I seem to be able to make almost any recipe I
made before by just adding buttermilk for the liquid and doubling the soda
and baking powder.  Anyway, just wanted you to know you are not alone!
Thanks for telling us about the failed calzone.  I always hate to waste my
time on a recipe that doesn't work.



I still experiment, though, and have learned not to toss out my expensive
failures.  Use them for bread crumbs, cookie crumbs, or croutons

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*