Okay, so you missed our gluten-free workshop… we forgive you. Here are some general baking tips and a recipe to appease you and keep your taste buds buzzing.
Baking Basics: Want to turn a glutenous recipe into a celiac-friendly one? This recipe makes a cup-for-cup replacement of any regular flour in a recipe. You need:
Cup-for-Cup Flour Replacer
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
Obviously, this little recipe makes a cup of flour, so if your recipe calls for two or three cups, you need to double or triple this. For each cup of gluten-free flour used, you need to add a teaspoon of guar or xantham gum- these are awesome powdery substances that act as binders, keeping it all together. You can buy either one at a health food store like Joanne’s or the Main Ingredient.
If you are converting a regular cake or loaf recipe into a gf one, your leavener (baking soda or powder) should be doubled.
Here is a recipe for ex-baker Jane’s “Clear the Pantry” muffins, which is an awesome breakfast food and a potluck favourite. This recipe calls for an all purpose gluten-free flour mix, which you can buy at the store (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one), or you can make your own in bulk and keep it on hand. Here is a good one:
All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 3 parts rice flour
- 3 parts corn starch
- 2 parts sorghum flour
- 1 part corn flour
Jane’s Clear-the-Pantry Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and mix your wet ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup milk or yoghurt
- ¾ cup oil or applesauce
- 2 cup grated zucchini/beet/apple/carrot
Then mix your dry stuff in a separate bowl:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa can be added if you want them chocolatey- otherwise, add spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger (about a ½ tsp of each or more).
Mix the two bowls together, and now is the clean the pantry part—add whatever you have on hand! Frozen fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, banana or apple chunks, whatever works well- get creative! And have fun!
Plop batter into greased muffin trays and bake for about twenty minutes. Invite friends over just as they are coming out of the oven and they will love you forever!
How are you celebrating the end of term? Don’t get drunk… get classy! The Spoon wants to see you in all your finery, at our Root Cellar Gala Dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 5th at 6pm. Tickets are $15 for students, $25 for staff ($20/$30 at the door). This will be a three course dinner featuring door prizes, tours of the root cellar, musical entertainment by cellist Charity Justrabo, and meat, hormone-free and locally/ethically produced by the fine folks at Primal Cuts.
Then you can get drunk, after. Just don’t spill soup on your tuxedo.