Lisa's Gluten Free Advice and Healthy Living

Monday, April 20, 2009

Gluten Free Baking Tips

1) Bake thoroughly

2) Cool Completely before storing

3) Keep equipment and work surfaces clean

4) Use parchment paper for sticky products

5) Xanthan Gum is worth the purchase; a little goes a long way!

6) Yeast Breads:
Need only one rising in the pan they will bake in; also use less flour, soupy batter.
Ingredients should be room temperature except for water which should be lukewarm, 110 degrees or less; too hot it kills the yeast, too cold the yeast won't activate.
Adding extra protein in the form of eggs, egg substitutes, or milk solids help the yeast work in yeast breads as does cider vinegar.

7) Replacing sugar with honey, use about half the amount of honey; consider extra flour to balance liquid characteristic of honey.

8) Honey is a natural preservative and baked goods containing it will last longer before turning moldy.

9) Gluten Free baked goods freeze well.

10) Mixes can be worth the investment for time saved and a successful finished product.

11) Flour blends give a better result.

12) Some people taste the "bean" in bean flours.

13) "Plan your work and work your plan"

14) Converting recipes: Use a blend of gluten free flours to replace wheat flour, and 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum for one batch of muffins, cookies, quick breads; and extra leavening like aluminum-free baking powder or soda up to 1 tsp. per batch of baked goods.

15) Bake at a lower temperature for a longer time to ensure shelf life.

16) Store products in the refrigerator to ensure shelf life.

17) Label storage containers in a consistent but different manner than products containing gluten.

18) Experiment and try to have fun; it's a new adventure and you will feel better eventually if you get the gluten out of your system.