<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
This post includes two sections: "general advice" and "recipes". There are
seven pieces of advice and four recipes. Any recipe sent to me which did
not use GF ingredients does not appear here.
Thanks to all who sent hamentashen recipes and advice. Some who sent us
recipes may not want their addresses published here. To err on the side of
their privacy I am posting these recipes without attribution, unless the
original source was already published. Anyone who wishes to take credit
can do so.
Note that in searching the archives for these and later posts, keep in mind
that spelling varies. We've seen "hamenstaschen", "hamenstashen",
"hamentaschen" and "hamenstashen". For those of you who aren't Jewish,
hamenstashen are three-cornered cookies with a sweet filling served on the
Purim holiday.
GENERAL ADVICE
1. Use your old recipe and substitute a GF flour. Some suggested GF flours:
a. 1 1/2c rice flour and 1/2c sweet rice flour for every 2c of
wheat flour, then use rice flour to get the right
consistency, if needed.
b. Soy flour
c. Bette Hagen "Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy"
cookbook's combination flour: 1 part bean flour, 1 part corn starch, 1 part
tapioca flour, 1/2 part rice flour.
d. GF Flour Mix (used in Recipe #3)
1 c. brown rice flour
2/3 c. tapioca flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. white rice flour
1/3 c. corn starch
3/4 c. sweet rice flour
1/4 c. potato starch
e. 1 C each of brown rice, white rice sweet rice flour plus 1/2 C
potato starch. (used in Recipe #5)
2. There is a site exclusively for hamenstashen recipes. THESE RECIPES
ARE NOT GLUTEN-FREE, but experimentation with GF flours may transform one
of these forbidden recipes into a GF classic. The site may be found at:
http://www.eskimo.com/~jefffree/recipes/hamindex.htm
3. One respondent suggests using a GF sugar cookie recipe and shape them
like triangles and put GF preserves in the middle, or maybe a pie crust
recipe. Note that it's important to have a dough which will hold its shape
when folded into the triangle.
4. For fillings, consult a Jewish cookbook---many filling recipes are
already GF or easily made so. Fruit preserves work as a filling and save
any cooking at all.
5. "Cake" recipes adapt to GF flours more readily than "Raised" recipes,
says one respondent.
6. When using a GF flour for hamentaschen recipes, make sure to add 1 tsp
xanthum gum per cup of flour. Otherwise the dough will lack the necessary
"play", one respondent says.
7. "find the *best* baker at your shul, plead ignorance, invoke "pikuach
nefesh" and ask for help. The reason that you want help is that you may
have to "play" with the flour/liquid proportions - if the dough "looks"
right, it'll
bake up just fine - but you need someone who knows how the dough is
supposed to look."
RECIPES
RECIPE #1
After rolling GF dough to about 1/4" thickness (or a little
thicker; don't make it too thin or it will break over the filling), cut out
3" circles. Put a teaspoonful of filling in the center of the circle, then
fold up three sides leaving some exposed filling. Pinch the corners with
water-moistened fingers to seal them shut. Bake in 350 degree oven until
golden brown.
RECIPE #2
Preheat oven to 350.
Bowl:
2 1/4 cups tapioca flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. guar/xanthan gum (omit for piecrust)
Blender or Food Processor:
1 cup Filberts/Macadamias
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
Grind the nuts very fine. Add contents of food processor to bowl and mix.
Roll into
balls and flatten. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 for 10 - 15 (?)
minutes or until they begin to turn golden-brown. I like them a bit golden -
they're crispier. I highly recommend investing in an Airbake cookie sheet so
as not to burn your GF cookies. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
This dough rolls out on a potato-starch-floured board quite successfully to
make cookie-cutter cookies (dinos are a big hit around here.) It also makes an
excellent pie crust - flaky and delicious. Cover the edges with foil and pre-
bake for 15 minutes before filling. I always use macadamias - very
inexpensive at my warehouse store.
I admit, when I'm in a hurry I just start with the nuts in the food processor,
then add the other wet then dry ingredients one at a time until I have my
cookie dough. It works ok for me, but you may prefer not to cheat,
depending on your food processor.
Rolling it out, then flouring and folding several times, then rolling quite
thick and cutting with fluted circles would probably result in something
like an English scone, texture-wise. A few raisins, some clotted cream &
jam...
RECIPE #3:
GF Flour Mix:
1 c. brown rice flour
2/3 c. tapioca flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. white rice flour
1/3 c. corn starch
3/4 c. sweet rice flour
1/4 c. potato starch
Make a mix of this and use 2 cups of it (save the rest for something
else - waffles, cones, cookies) in the recipe:
Honey Dough:
2 c. sifted GF flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 shortening, softened
2 eggs
1/2 c. honey
Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the
center and place shortening, eggs and honey in it. Work together until a
dough is formed. Roll out on a GF floured surface and cut into 4" circles.
Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on each and fold into a triangle
shape, sealing the edges with wettened fingers. Bake at 350 deg. for 20 min
or until browned. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.
Fillings:
*Poppy Seed*:
1 c. poppy seeds
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. honey
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
Grind poppy seeds or put through food chopper. Combine with milk and
honey. Cook all over low heat, stirring frequently until thick. Stir in
the lemon rind and cool the mixture. Cool and fill the dough.
*Nut & Honey*:
1 lb. (1/2kg) ground walnuts
1/2kg (1lb) honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
drop of lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3
minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool.
RECIPE #4 (posted to list last year by Ellen Switkes and recommended by
several respondents)
4 eggs
1 C oil
1/4 t salt
4 1/2 c flour mixture* or more if needed
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C sugar
2 t xantham gum (this is in the recipe, but I always omit it)
4 t baking powder
*flour mixture is 1 C each of brown rice, white rice sweet rice flour
plus 1/2 C potato starch.
Mix all ingredients. Add extra flour if needed. Dough is oily. Roll
walnut sized circles, place on greased sheet. Flatten, put jelly or other
filling in center, fold up to a 3 sided triangle, pinch corners and bake 350
degrees for 10 to 15 min. Don't wait until Purim.
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