Gluten Free Baking is Easy and Worth the Effort!

I think it would be pretty difficult to live gluten free and eat only GF breads/pastas that were purchased already made. Not to mention horribly expensive. So you really need to invest in a few cookbooks to help you make successful GF breads and cookies. And then you will be able to make complete meals that are GF and tasty too! I got some books out of the library and tested recipes and then purchased a few I liked the best.

Some cookbooks I would recommend to anyone just starting out baking and cooking GF:

1. Gluten Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts

2. The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread by Bette Hagman          

3. More from the Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman

4. The Gloriously GF Cookbook by Vanessa Maltin

The first book (GF Baking Classics) is my absolute hands-down favorite and a must-have if you plan to bake for anyone with a wheat allergy! Most of my baking creations are from there. Everything has been very good so far—too many items to list here… Others who are GF also rave about Ms. Roberts’ cookbook, so it is a real must-have.

For basic bread I usually bake a white bread recipe from the second book on my list. It has bean flour in it for protein! I have not baked much else from there but I like their bean flour bread a lot. That book has a lot of breads to choose from, so you are covered on the bread front. So far I have made three or four variations on that favorite recipe. 

Since the flavor and texture is best the first day or two, I slice up half the loaf and keep it in the freezer for my next slice of toast or for a sandwich. Bread thaws quickly when it is sliced before freezing. Just wrap the slices up well, label the freezer bag with a date and what it contains, and use it up within a few weeks.

For cookies I have made oatmeal drops, almond biscotti and chocolate chippers. I eat the oatmeal and choco chip cookies right out of the freezer...crunchy good. Again, I freeze part of each recipe I make for later; most GF sweets don’t keep all that well. All are from Ms. Roberts’ cookbook. 

Banana nut muffins...I was never a huge fan until I made the recipe in the Roberts' cookbook. They are delicately flavored with banana and sprinkled with small walnut chunks. Incredibly, they taste better than all the best wheat muffins I have ever made. They're not too sweet either. Everyone who tastes them is amazed by the experience. I am out of them and making a batch is high on my list of priorities for this weekend.

The Roberts’ book will get you hooked on her incredible brownies, the tasty (as wheat) scones that my friends can’t get enough of, and on a host of other things I need to make. Angel food cake, pound cake, layer birthday cake...the list goes on and on!

Really tasty Italian bread is difficult to make GF, but I found an amazing GF French bread recipe on Food.com, which is excellent. It makes two loaves, so if you can’t eat both within two days, freeze one. It does stay fresh for about three days if you wrap it up well. Good enough to serve to anyone.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck has two books out on eating GF. I made her coconut raspberry muffins, which were flavorful and yet delicate, almost like a cupcake! She packs her books with lots of interesting information on how to be successful at the GF lifestyle.

I also love the fourth book on my list: “The Gloriously GF Cookbook,” which is full of ethnic stuff, including Italian, Asian and Mexican recipes. I can’t wait to make GF pot stickers. I have the filling down from my old wheat lifestyle, and now I have a GF dough recipe to wrap around it. 

Two other cookbooks you might want to consider: The Ultimate GF Cookie Book by Roben Ryberg and Artisanal GF Cooking by Kelli and Peter Bronski. I haven’t made anything out of the cookie one and only one thing—a decent white bread—from the Artisanal cookbook, but they both seem chock full of useful and tasty recipes. I am eager to make some cookies from the Ryberg volume (so many to choose from), maybe this coming weekend. 

Even if you are not forced to eat GF you may find that some of the things I mention above are calling you. And rightfully so. Those brownies were banging good. Eating GF can be a healthy alternative for those who come across a tempting GF treat at the bakery or eat at the home of someone like me, who now bakes GF. Or maybe someone you love now has to eat GF. So, be adventurous and dive into GF baking and eating. You may be surprised at how easy and tasty it can be—especially cookies and muffins!