Baking Tips And Tricks Plus Surprise Recipe

Gluten-Free Baking Tips And Tricks that I've learned over the past 20+ years. Let me help you take some of the struggle out of baking gluten-free!

Baking for me really is just about experimenting in the kitchen with what works and what doesn't work. Trying new things and adding new spices. Sometimes the recipe fails completely and sometimes I learn something new and can tweak the recipe to make it work. But it really is like being a chemist but with cooking ingredients.

First thing to note right away is gluten free is always more expensive then traditional ingredients. If you're new to being gluten free, this is a cost that can come as a shock and can be hard to swallow! This is just the reality when you need to eat gluten free! The Companies that make these ingredients love to make things more expensive since it qualifies as a speciality product!

First, Baking times can vary greatly depending on the type of pan you use along with if you use a liner. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s advice of the pan you’re using and use the pan that for which your particular recipe is calling. Oven temperatures can also vary from kitchen to kitchen, so it is important to tune or test. ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED IS TO USE BAKING MATS! These save a lot of recipes! And honestly Amazon's brand works just fine!

Amazon's Baking Mats

Second, store flours and other ingredients in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong the essential properties of your ingredients. When baked goods come out of the oven, let cool enough that they can be moved then transfer to a wire rack as soon as possible after baking to ensure that they cool properly. And what most people don't realize is Left-overs can then be frozen to preserve freshness, just make sure to thaw them completely before eating. They can stay in the freezer and remain good for about 2 months.

Third, when converting a traditional recipe to a gluten free recipe... Use about a 1/2 cup less of flour then traditional recipe calls for. This helps cut down on the dryness of the baked goods. I also use brown sugar in most of my recipes to add moisture as well.

Fourth, Gluten is the part of wheat that gives it its "stickiness". When you bake Gluten-free, the resulting recipe will be less sticky and may not hold together as well. Try adding gelatin to your mixture! (I make my own blend of flour that includes agents to increase the stickiness. But My flour mixture is my well kept secret. (: )

Here is a general usage guide for these ingredients:

• Breads and pizza doughs: Add 1 teaspoon of gelatin or agar-agar per cup of GF flour used

• Cakes, muffins, quick breads, cookies and bars: Add 1/2 teaspoon gelatin or agar-agar per cup of gluten-free flour used

And when it comes to flour... the easiest thing to do is just use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour! It's versatile and a good flour for beginners.

Gluten-Free Flour

Those are just a few of my tips I've learned over the years. Remember, failures happen!! Especially in the kitchen, if a recipes flops... Try to figure out what went wrong and try again!

SURPRISE RECIPE

Chocolate Chip recipe - Yields 24 servings

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 2 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free all-purpose flour

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

• Step 2 IN A MIXER - Cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Add baking soda to batter along with salt. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking mats on pans.

• Step 3 Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned. Pay very close attention and check often because Gluten-free baked goods tend to brown quicker then traditional baked goods.