Tag Archives: gluten-free baking

Flatbread (Gluten and Yeast Free)

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Gluten Free and Yeast Free Flatbread

Flatbread (Gluten and Yeast Free)

In my quest to expand my horizons into the gluten-free world, I developed this recipe for a gluten free/yeast free flatbread. I’m calling it “flatbread” for lack of a better term. Actually, it’s more like a cross between a flatbread and a focaccia bread. It’s not truly either, but somewhere in between. It’s a very low-rising bread that is baked in either an 8×8 pan (half recipe) or 9×13 pan (full recipe) and ends up about 1/2″ thick, almost like a slice of bread. Hence, after being sliced into whatever size square or rectangle you want, this bread makes a good sandwich bread or one on which to spread your favorite goo or sandwich filling and enjoy. It is even good plain! I’m enjoying it and my husband has even dared to try a slice. He did so without complaining, so it passed the “husband test.” Yippee! The recipe is in a .pdf downloadable form on my website at HandMadeInIowa.com. (Look for the “GF Flatbread” recipe.) Or, you can opt to view it below. I’ve also recorded a YouTube video to show how it comes out. See below.

Let me know if you give this a try! I’d love to read your comments. Enjoy, Judi

Flatbread (Gluten and Yeast Free)
Makes One 9×13 Pan

292 grams gluten-free flour blend of your choice*
1 tsp psyllium husk powder*
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

1 egg
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil of choice
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Add liquid mix to the flour mixture. Stir well until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 9×13″ baking pan. Allow batter to rest as oven preheats, about 10 minutes. If needed, the top of the batter may be smoothed out with wet fingers.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve. Wrap leftover bread air-tight. May be stored in freezer for extended preservation.

*The flour blend used in developing this recipe consists of the following:
127 grams sorghum flour
60 grams millet flour
63 grams white rice flour
42 grams tapioca flour

Note that the flour blend does not have xanthan gum, nor any binder added. That is why the psyllium husk powder has been added to the recipe. If your flour blend has xanthan gum in it, you may omit the psyllium husk powder. If your blend does not have xanthan gum in it and you do not want to use the psyllium husk powder, feel free to use 1 teaspoon (or equivalent) of whatever binder you prefer to use.

Moist Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins

Moist (Really!) Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins

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Moist Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins

Moist Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins

Here’s a spin-off recipe from my Basic Gluten Free Muffins. These muffins have cinnamon added to the batter plus a cinnamon crumb topping. They’re absolutely delicious and really not hard to make. Like my basic muffins, they’re sweetened with dates and have little added oil, yet they’re moist and delicious. The crumb topping does have a little brown sugar in it, but very little compared to the usual fare. FYI…The GF flour blend used in developing this recipe was a mixture of equal parts of millet flour, brown rice flour and white rice flour. No xanthan gum was added to the mixture, nor the recipe. It truly isn’t needed. (ALL of my gluten free recipes will be developed without xanthan gum as it gives me wicked headaches!)

Please DO give these a try and let me know how they work for you. To download the full recipe, visit my website at HandMadeInIowa.com. See below to watch my video on how to make the muffins. Enjoy! Judi

Basic Gluten Free Muffins

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Delicious, moist gluten free basic muffins

Basic Gluten Free Muffins

Well…I FINALLY did it! After about 15 trials (really!), I finally hit the right combination of ingredients for a delicious, moist, gluten free muffin that’s sweetened only with fruit and has little added oil. This was no small task, since this professional baker has always baked only with wheat flours in the past. Gluten free baking is an entirely different process and most of what was learned in traditional baking simply went out the window.

I wanted to develop a muffin sweetened only with fruit in response to the recent recommendations to cut our sugar intake. So…does this muffin contain sugar? Yes, but it’s from fruit. Does it contain refined sugar? No. I wanted to create a muffin without refined sugars, and with less oils, to make a lower calorie, more healthful baked treat. Of course, it had to be moist and tasty. I did it.

Also, this is a great foundation recipe that could easily be adapted into countless variations. Nuts, fresh, frozen or dried fruit, other flavorings, and even savory combinations could be added to alter this basic recipe. Use your imagination and try it!

Even better, this muffin was made without xanthan gum, guar gum or any other such additives. It simply doesn’t need it. The pectin in the fruits, the egg white, and flax meal all work together to bind the ingredients so the finished product isn’t crumbly. I learned along the way that xanthan gum and I don’t get along…it gives me serious headaches. Hence, any gluten free baked item I make from here on will be free of xanthan gum.

For your information, the gluten free flour blend I used was my own mixture of 1 part of sorghum flour, 1 part of millet flour, 1/2 part of potato starch, and 1/2 part of arrowroot powder (all by weight, not measure). I don’t think it’s mandatory that your flour blend be identical to mine, as long as it has roughly the same proportion of “heavy,” “light,” and “starchy” ingredients. It contains no xanthan gum, nor any other such ingredient.

Note! If YOUR gluten free flour blend DOES have xanthan gum, feel free to use it in this recipe. I believe it will turn out just fine, even though it really isn’t needed in this muffin.

I’ve uploaded a video on how to make this delicious muffin. The link is below. Also, you can click here to download the full recipe (Basic GF Muffins) from my website. Give this muffin a try and let me know if it works for you! Judi

Gluten-free baking is on the way!

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When I had my bakery a lot of folks asked me if I had any gluten-free products available. Since I had only one kitchen at the time and made a LOT of baked goods every day from standard wheat ingredients, I didn’t offer gluten-free items. I would have needed a second kitchen that I kept free of all gluten-containing ingredients and a LOT more time and/or help to develop recipes to make such products.

Now that I’m free from the bakery responsibilities, I can devote time here and there to experimenting with food again, which I sincerely love to do. So…gluten-free is now on my “hit list.” I’ve started experimenting already with a muffin that is a “spin-off” from one that I often sold in the bakery. It’s not ready to be unveiled yet. Gluten-free baking is a whole different carnival than standard baking and I have a lot to learn! I’ve made a good bit of progress already, though, and hopefully it won’t be long before I can offer a delicious recipe for one of my muffins in a gluten-free version. I’m looking forward to getting this off the ground! Judi