I had a great gluten-free baking class the other week. Thanks to Cuisine Soleil for sponsoring me with their gluten-free flours. Though it’s officially just a gluten-free cooking class, all the recipes were also lactose-free. It’s also easy to make them vegan, though the texture changes a little. Here’s the menu:
Gluten-free Bread Two-Ways: Brown rice and tapioca, and rice and lentil
Rum-Raisin Loaf
Squash Mousse Cupcakes
And here are the photos:
First, a gluten-free loaf with brown rice and tapioca flour.
I like to keep my gluten-free flour blends relatively simple, which often leads to better digestion, but, alas, also to less fluffy bread. Sorghum is the best g-f riser, but brown rice and tapioca with enough baking soda, guar gum, and egg (flax if you’re vegan, though it won’t rise as much) do just fine.
Gluten-free Bread with rice and lentil flour
The upsides of gluten-free bread are that you don’t have to knead it or let it rise. It’s quick—toss the ingredients together and bake it. The results: warm and comforting. I also use any baking dish I have, but find that loaf pans and pound cake pans encourage the bread upwards. As my Alexander Technique teacher would say, “Onwards and upwards!” Maybe that’s too much of an inside joke…Upwards, as it relates to non-disappointing g-f baking, at least.
Using gluten-free flours also adds a layer of flavour—buckwheat and chickpea flours are nutty, chestnut flour and amaranth are sweet, and lentil is savoury. And there’s also added texture, such as the appealing roughness of millet and the shortbread-like delicateness of tapioca starch.
The sweet loaf with rum-raisins and a sweet rum glaze (not shown here) has a creaminess from the liquor soak that improves after a day on the kitchen counter, but you lose the wonderfully crunchy edges.
Squash Custard Cupcakes
Take a layer of cake and a layer of mousse and let the latter soak into the former as it all bakes into a hot, gooey mess. They’re petite, and they don’t rise much, but the pudding-like topping makes up for the density.
For the recipes, you’ll have to attend my next gluten-free baking class! I can accommodate a group of up to 8 people and schedule classes when I have at least 4 interested participants. Classes are generally on Saturday or Sunday afternoons from 2-5. You can register by emailing me at watson dot amie at gmail dot com.
It’ll be delicious!
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