Friday, July 29, 2011

Gluten Free and Yeast Free Pizza Dough


In my never ending experimentation in the kitchen, I came up with an extremely delicious gluten-free and yeast-free pizza dough I would like to share with you.  Shawn and I both prefer this dough to any pizza dough I have previously made.

You all know that I cook gluten-free for Shawn and focus on taste and texture so I can eat gluten-free with him and enjoy it, without cross contaminating him.  I always cook gluten-free and sometimes cook egg-free, but recently I have had issues with Candida and have started cooking yeast-free also.

The big surprise to me is that both Shawn and I prefer the yeast-free recipes.  We not only do not miss the yeast flavor, We prefer the tastes and textures without it in the breads I make.  An added bonus is the prep times, yeast-free is much quicker and gives us more time together out of the kitchen.

Try this recipe I developed for gluten-free and yeast-free pizza dough and get creative with it.  I've made pizza, calzones, "hot pocket" style sandwiches, and "panini" style sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free oat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats processed to a fine meal in the food processor)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sweet white sorghum flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup S.Pelligrino (your favorite tonic water, look for one without high fructose corn syrup)
1 egg (or 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of hot water set aside to get "goopy")
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in your stand mixer bowl thoroughly.

Next mix together the egg and the olive oil.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg/olive oil mixture to the stand mixer along with the tonic water.  Using your dough hook attachments mix until thoroughly incorporated into a semi-sticky dough.

The dough is usable now for all kinds of recipes.  If you are going to make pizza, oil the pizza pan with olive oil and spread the dough out into the pan using olive oiled fingers.
Then bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes before adding the sauce and toppings.  Then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until done.

If you are going to make calzones, dust your work space with some sweet rice flour and turn out half the dough at a time onto the surface.  Dust the dough with sweet rice flour and press/roll into the desired shape and thickness.  I divided the rolled out dough into two pieces and added the fillings that I wanted.

I then folded the halves over and crimped the edges shut.  Topped with cheese and baked at 400 degrees for 20-25  minutes.

Both the pizza and the calzones were gobbled down enthusiastically.

Enjoy!



Monday, July 18, 2011

Hearty Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Breakfast Muffins


This isn't my first breakfast muffin, it isn't even my first chocolate chocolate chip breakfast muffin.  It is my heartiest breakfast muffin though.  It isn't as sweet as my other chocolate chocolate chip breakfast muffin was.  It is more of a hearty breakfast muffin texture than a cupcake texture.

These are great for that breakfast on the go when you want something that is substantial that will keep you going throughout the morning.

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats (blended up in the food processor and measured after blending)
1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten Free all purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute of your choice)
1/2 cup of brewed coffee
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup of your favorite gluten free dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup of your favorite gluten free peanut butter chips

Begin by mixing the flaxseed meal with the 6 tablespoons of hot water and set this aside to get "goopy".

Next ground the walnuts in your food processor and set this aside.

Next ground the gluten free rolled oats up in your food processor.

Begin whisking all the dry ingredients, flours, powders, sugars,  etc. together in a mixing bowl.

 Next add the nuts and the chocolate chips and the liquids including the eggs and stir together well.  It will be a bit thick.

Spoon the mixture into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners.  Makes 24 muffins.

I sprinkled the tops with a few whole rolled oats and a pinch of sugar.  Baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Removed from oven and cooled on a wire rack.

Hearty, filling, delicious, not too sweet, great texture, a great breakfast.

Enjoy!








Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Gluten Free and Egg Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies


Today I wanted to make some Gluten-Free Oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, but when I looked at my original recipe I didn't have some of the flours I used on-hand.  I also wanted to make it without eggs.  the result was an almost brand new recipe that turned out to be absolutely delicious!

Here is a link to the original recipe, which is very good by itself http://www.theglutenfreespouse.com/2010/08/gluten-free-oatmeal-chocolate-chip.html .

Here is my updated, egg-free version.

Ingredients

2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats (give them a few whirs in the food processor)
1/2 cup salted butter (one stick at room temperature)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 ounce bag your favorite gluten free chocolate chips
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
6 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Begin by mixing the 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal with the 6 tablespoons of hot water and setting this aside to get "goopy".  This is your egg substitute.

Next sit the butter out to come to room temperature.

Whisk the flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl and set this aside for now.

Blend the sugar, the butter, the flax seed mixture, and the vanilla together in your stand mixture.

Mix in the gluten free rolled oats that have been slightly blended up in the food processor.

Mix in the flour and cinnamon mixture and the chocolate chips.

Using a spoon, drop balls of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet  approximately 2 inches apart, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  


Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Enjoy!


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Gluten Free and Egg Free Sandwich Buns now Yeast Free too!




In my never ending quest to eat healthier I have started remaking some of my older bread recipes and leaving out the yeast.  This past week I remade my gluten-free, egg-free sandwich buns to be yeast free also with excellent results.

They still rose.  They tasted excellent.  They were soft and the texture reminded me of a fresh from the oven,  steaming Thanksgiving dinner roll.

Here is the new, yeast free recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup Potato Starch (not potato flour)
1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Arrowroot
1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon Guar Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon clover honey
3 tablespoons Flaxseed Meal
9 tablespoons hot water

Begin by whisking the flours, gums, soda, powder, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar together thoroughly in a bowl and set aside
Next, set out the buttermilk to come to room temperature. Then mix the Flaxseed Meal with the 9 tablespoons of hot water. Set this aside to get goopy and thicken up.
Now, in your stand mixer bowl, with dough hooks attached and the flour mixture in the bowl, begin mixing in the buttermilk and the flaxseed mixture.  Be sure to allow time to mix thoroughly.  The dough should be sticky and thick.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a cooking spray to coat your pan.  I use Crisco olive oil.
Since the dough is super sticky at this point. I use Crisco cooking spray to coat my 1/3 cup measuring scoop then use the scoop to transfer the dough in nice 1/3 cup portions to my bun baking pan.
Spend a little more time at this step to make prettier buns.  Next, place into the 350 degree oven to bake for 45 minutes.  
They easily remove from the pan and break apart into buns. I cooled them on a wire rack briefly before serving.

Shawn and I loved these and will definitely make them "yeast free" from now on.

Enjoy!