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From:
Laura Dolson <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 10 Apr 1998 20:03:11 -0400
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Lonely?  Friends cancelled out your afternoon outing, leaving you home by your
computer with nothing to do?  No problem, simply ask a question on the Celiac
list, and your email box will overflow!  You will spend many happy hours
corresponding with kind, helpful people and perhaps make a friend or 2 in the
bargain!

Seriously, folks, over 40 replies from the nicest, most helpful people you
would ever want to meet, sharing their baking secrets and tips with me, and
even sending yummy-looking recipes!

I've reorganized the answers - they don't go with the questions anymore
because the whole thing kind of overgrew the categories, but here goes:

1) Bob's Red Mill is NOT GF!!  What a shame, not only because the regular
grocery stores around here stock it, as well as the health food stores, but
because so many of their products would be appealing to those who must avoid
wheat or gluten (I mean, seriously, how many others care about tapioca flour
or xanthan gum?).  They even have a flour mixture they call "gluten free".
:-(  But apparently they do it all on one big room, where there is not only a
ton of flour flying around, but the same machines are used to grind all the
flours and they make no claims of any practices to limit contamination.  So
that's disappointing, but a good "heads up".

2) Containers - People who wrote generally put their flours into airtight
containers, either glass (mayonaise or canning cars most often cited) or
plastic (from the usual Rubbermaid/Tupperware to plastic Kool-aid containers).
I've decided to try to track down a Tupperware person, as I have some old (but
in excellent condition) containers that are tall (varied heights, actually),
thin, and deep, so a lot will fit on my shelf, plus they stack.  Right now I
use them for rice and beans, but I'm going to splurge on a bunch more, I
think.  They last forever.

3) Storage Temp - This was a whole range.  One person keeps it all in the
freezer, a couple keep it all in the fridge with some or freezer, some keep it
all on the shelf.  Most who talked about it do a mixture depending upon how
shelf-stable the stuff is - the starches (and sometimes white rice and/or
corn) on the shelf, gums, beans, jowar, and brown rice (and often corn) in the
fridge and/or freezer.  One person mentioned that BH says bean flour is very
stable, although soy should be cold.

4) Flour mixtures - this was a fun category that evolved.  Most people that
wrote keep at least one mix all ready.  Most often was the "BH standard" or
"BH bean".  Others:

 - 3 people keep a BH with sweet rice instead of white rice to use in cookies,
and one person uses it for bread sticks, finding a better textured outcome
 - 2 people mentioned a 4 parts white rice/4 sweet rice/1 tapioca that they
use as a substitute, along with XG, in most recipes
 - some just keep mixes specific to favorite recipes handy
 - one person swears by sweet rice flour for all "sweet" baking

5) That mix (Arrowhead Mills) I bought that has potato flour in it - One
person bought that mix and hates it, just uses it to dredge fish in.  Another
person, though, claimed that breading for frying is a great use of potato
flour and makes "the best fried chicken in the world", and says the great
chefs do this.  A couple of people use it in baking, citing extra nutrition
and good results.  One quote, from Mariha K:

"However I don't share the prevailing opinion about potato flour, and
have used it for years to make the world's best chocolate chip and other
cookies (now enjoyed by college students in 3 states), by using a
mixture of 3 parts brown rice flour to 1 part potato flour and reducing
the amount of flour called for by a couple tablespoons per cup (so if
the recipe calls for 2-1/4 c. flour, I use 1-1/2 c. brown rice flour and
1/2 c. potato flour for a total of 2 c. flour).  Potato flour is lower
in calories than potato starch and is made from the entire potato, so
contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients not found in just the
starch."

Potato pancakes were also suggested as a good use for the mix.

6) Corn flour is different from corn starch - the jury has spoken!  Masa
harina is GF and a grind between corn meal and corn flour.  Some used it in
place of corn flour, some in place of corn meal, and some in place of either!
I got some corn muffin/bread recipes in the bargin.  :-)

7) I must find an Asian Market!

8) Improving the Nutrition of GF baked goods:

- Cut down on baked goods altogether
- Use bean flours.  One person said she started adding bean flour to her pie
crust and it now tastes more like wheat pastry
- Read 3rd BH book for suggestions
- Swap brown rice flour into BH blend (but store it cold)
- add 1/4 C rice bran into almost any recipe
- rice polishings add nutrition and help hold moisture
- use jowar (sorghum) and brown rice flours
- use egg substitute to cut down on fat

9) Substitues for margarine or shortening in baked goods - Consensus was it is
fine to use butter, although the final product may be a bit flatter, and
cookies may spread more.  Combinations of oil and applesauce were also
suggested, as an even healthier alternative.

10) Muffins or coffee cakes that travel well:

- Use muffins from BH's 2nd book
- Dr. Mc Dougall's instant rice pudding (just add hot water)
- Breakfast bars from G! Foods
- Biscotti from various sources
- Take any muffin recipe and substitue BH mix and 1/4 t Xanthan powder, which
also should work for coffeecake
- Use tall round containers that liquors come in for freezing and transporting
muffins, though be prepared for odd looks in public!

Mariha K shared this recipe:

The following recipe (orginally adapted from a muffin recipe, I believe)
makes a delicious coffee cake, but I can't vouch for how well it travels
--

Banana coffee cake:

2 c. brown rice flour
1 tblsp. baking powder
1 c. nonfat dry milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1 c water
1 large very ripe mashed banana

Combine all dry ingredients.  Add wet stuff and combine well.  Pour into
non-stick sprayed 8"-9" square pan.  Prepare streusel topping from
butter (1/3 stick?), brown sugar (1/3 c?), cinnamon (1 tsp?) and a
little brown rice flour.  (I don't know the exact measurements because I
just throw the stuff together in a bowl -- you might want to check
another coffee cake recipe for the topping.)  Bake at about 375-400
degrees for 40 minutes or more till cake tests done when a knife is
inserted in the middle.

Without the topping, this recipe makes excellent muffins.  Several
dollops of applesauce can be substituted for the banana if desired.



Many people sent great-looking recipes for their favorites.   A couple of
standouts, though not necessarily breakfast foods:


**Most Intriguing New Recipe Award goes to Danna R:

A baked good that I make that travels well is an indian bean and rice
cake called idilee (sp?).  I love them but not everyone does.  I will
give you brief directions.  Write back if you want me to elaborate.
Soak 1 cup long grain rice in enough water to cover for at least 8
hours.  At the same time soak 1/2 cup hulled and split black beans with
enough water to cover for at least 8 hours.  After soaking, use a
blender to grind up the rice.  Set aside.  Grind up the beans
separately, then add the rice and grind both together.  If you are
lacking water, add water until the mixture is liquid enough to pour
easily.  Season the mixture any way you like (I use only salt; some
people sweeten; I have read that some use exotic Indian spices; I tried
cardamom once - not bad).  Set the mixture aside to ferment for at least
8 hours.  At this point the mixture should be steamed.  However, I fill
a muffin tin (12 muffins) with the mixture and bake for a while (20-30
mins) at about 350 degrees.  Sounds kooky but really great!!  And travel
well...

**Most potentially Useful New (to me) Recipe Award goes to Kelly R, who says
she has used this for such diverse dishes as cinammon rolls and pizza crust
(note no yeast):

Even though I was diagnosed over 6 years ago, I just recently started
baking.  I do  have one no-fail recipe that you can try.  It's very
versatile and easy and tasty too.

Bread sticks
1 c. GF flour mix - like BH's
1/4 c. potato flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1 T. sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
mix dry ingredients

1 egg
2 T. olive oil
whisk egg and olive oil and enough milk to make total 1 c. liquid
add wet ingredients to dry and mix

This is a workable dough.  Shape it into bread sticks and bake at 400
degrees for about 10 minutes or until they just begin to brown.

I've used different combinations of flours due to what was in stock, and
they always turn out great.


***And, finally, the award for the recipe that Best Combines Yummy-Looking
with Easy, to Karen OD:

Royal Pecan Chocolate Gateau
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/4 c sugar
4 T cocoa
4 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 c pecans ( processed into meal)

Place all ingred in food processor, process for 30 secs, scrape sides and
process again for 30 secs.  Pour into greased springform pan, either 8 or 9
inch, but adjust baking time.  Bake at 350degrees for 45 minutes.


****

That's it, folks, I'm exhausted!  I sure hope I got it all in!  Thanks again
to everyone, I can't tell you how much it means, not only to feel that I'm
heading in the right directions, cooking-wise, but to have encountered such
great folks who are obviously making this way of eating work well for them.

Happy Passover and/or Easter!!  (For me it's and :-))

Laura

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