Gluten-free, Casein-free Pancakes

I have been craving chocolate chip pancakes like crazy lately, so I broke down this morning and made a batch.

Now, I will confess that this recipe is not my own. I found it on the website for Living Without Magazine (http://www.livingwithout.com/). The magazine looks great, but I haven't yet been able to find it in Toronto. Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy? I have it on my Xmas list, though, so maybe I'll get lucky that way!

Since the recipe is publicly posted, I figured it's okay to reproduce it here, since I'm giving them props for it. They call them "Favourite Pancakes". For some reason I haven't quite figured out yet, there are both eggs and xanthan gum in them; when I work on my own version, I will try to omit the eggs.

Here is their recipe:

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour (I used potato starch)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tblsp. baking powder
2 large eggs (they do mention you can use eggs substitutes here)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tblsp. sugar (I used a pinch of dry stevia)
1 cup milk of choice
1 tsp. oil of choice

1. Mix together flours, xanthan gum and baking powder with a whisk in a mixing bowl.

2. Add eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Add milk slowly, until batter is desired thickness. Do not over-mix or batter will become thick and stiff.

3. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or non-stick pan. When skillet is sizzling hot, pour in batter or drop by serving spoonfuls to make pancakes. Spread batter out in pan if needed. Cook until pancakes have bubbles throughout and bottoms are lightly browned. Flip with a spatula and cook briefly until done.

The pancakes turned out pretty well, I must say. They were definitely light and airy, with a lot of lift to them. The batter did get quite heavy extremely quickly. So, I ended up adding about 1 1/2 cups of rice milk to even it all out.

I added the chocolate chips to the cakes while they were cooking. This is not something I'd actually recommend, as it ended up just making a big mess in my pan. Next time, I'd just sprinkle the chips on top of the cakes when they are done. If you warm your topping, the heat of the topping and the cakes should melt them no problem.


I found these pancakes to be VERY filling! When I used to eat gluten, stuff like this never filled me up. I figure that's because I wasn't really digesting it properly. But these should keep you going for a looooong time!

To ensure they cook all the way through, it is definitely adviseble to spread them out in the pan. The batter was just thicker than normal pancake batter, so it needs some help in that department. The substitutions that I did make should not have made any real difference to the consistency of the batter. It could have been the amount of xanthan gum. I will continue to experiment with the recipe, because it is, generally speaking, a good base to start from.

These are a great substitute for "real" pancakes, and would be enjoyed by absolutely everyone at the table. Here's another bad photo of mine for your enjoyment!

Easy Vegan Rice Pudding

It's been a long week - we're onto phase two of the renovations, and on top of all that I've had a cold. So the blogs are slow this week.
There are a tonne of vegan rice pudding recipes out there and most of them, as far as I'm concerned, are not very good. I've tried tofu and/or soy milk a number of times, but the pudding always lacked that creaminess that I simply adore about rice pudding. This week, I discovered the secret to good vegan rice pudding...coconut milk!!

My recipe is as follows:

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 14 oz (approx. 400 gm) can of coconut milk - you can use light if you prefer
2 cups water
15 cardamom pods - if you don't have cardamom pods, use 1/4 tsp. crushed cardamom. But the pods are fresher.
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Place rice, water, cardamom pods, and coconut milk in large pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat once it has boiled and let simmer until rice is cooked, between 35-45 minutes. Do not break open cardamom pods - they are only in there to infuse the milk.

Remove from heat. Take out the cardamom pods. Add agave, salt, and cinnamon. Let cool slightly before serving. Delish!

This rice pudding is so creamy and delicious I can't even tell you how happy I am. The addition of the cardamom to the pudding makes it somewhat similar to Kheer, or Indian rice pudding. This pudding is a slam-dunk.  Even those who eat dairy will enjoy it, guaranteed!

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa flour is yet another great gluten/wheat-free flour.  Quinoa flour has a slightly nutty taste.  Quinoa itself is high in protein, so the flour is too!  It therefore adds moisture to the final baked good.  Because of this, it is a great flour to use in accompaniment with some of the dryer gluten/wheat-free flours, such as rice flour.  Quinoa flour is also high in fibre. 

Many of people don't like to use a lot of quinoa flour in their baking because they say that it imparts a rather strong somewhat bitter taste taste.  It is true that the flour gives a heavier texture and flavour to baked goods, but this can be overcome by cutting it with starch (if you absolutely must).  It is a better idea to embrace the qualities of quinoa flour and use it in items where a nutty undertone might be desireable, such as a banana loaf, or where any bitterness can be compensated for with other ingredients.  Quinoa flour works extremely well in seed breads, cookies, waffles, and muffins, to name just only a few products it can work well in.  The final product will have a somewhat course, medium-sized crumb.  If overbaked, it will become dry, so be sure to keep your eye on it in the oven.

Quinoa flour can add a bit of chewiness to the final product, so it might not work well as the primary flour in a cake that you want to be light and airy.  If it was the only flour you had on hand, and you wanted a slightly lighter texture, cut the quinoa flour with starch: 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup starch flour.

If you want to replace quinoa flour in a recipe, a good choice would be amaranth, buckwheat, or almond flour.  All three would add approximately the same amount of moisture to the recipe as quinoa flour would, as well as imparting a nuttiness to the final product.  The ratio to use when replacing is 1:1.

Given all the nutrition that can be found in these alternative flours, I have to ask myself why on earth would anyone continue to bake with wheat-flours?

Gluten-free Vegan Gravy

So here's a nifty little gravy that I tried today.  It was so tasty that I felt compelled to share it. 

Now, I do love vegetables, but if I'm going to sit down to a plate of vegetables for dinner, I want them to have some kind of dressing or something on them.  As nice as plain vegetables can be as a side dish, they're just not something I enjoy as a main dish.

This gravy tastes just like I remember real gravy tasting - thick, delicious, and nicely spiced.  I enjoyed it over a root vegetable roast, but really you could put it over anything that strikes your fancy.

The recipe is as follows:

1 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 (or more) celery stalks
5 tblsp. olive oil
3 cups hot water, freshly boiled
1 tblsp. shiro miso, dissolved in 2 tblsp. water
2 tblsp. umeboshi vinegar
1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar
1 can chick peas, or mixture of chick peas and fava beans

*1/2 an onion, sauteed, would be an excellent addition to this gravy.  So would carrots, or a handful or two of spinach.

Toast chickpea flour in a separate pan on med-high heat for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat when it is lightly toasted.  In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil.  Saute celery in oil for 4-5 minutes, until it is cooked but still crisp.  Add spices (including pepper) to this mixture.

Add flour to oil and celery in saucepan.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.   It will probably stick to the bottem, but don't worry too much about that right now.  Whisk hot water in slowly, 1/2 cup at a time.  Stop adding water once the desired consistency has been found  - you determine how thick you want it!  Once the desired consistency has been reached, cook for another 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly to get the lumps out. 

Remove from heat.  Add miso, umeboshi, and balsamic vinegar.  Whisk in until fully incorporated.  Finish with the beans.  And Voila!  Your own vegan, gluten-free gravy.  Just as yummy as the real stuff!

The Great Pizza Experiment #3

My pizza experiments up to this point have not been great successes.  The crusts have been like a very dry and extremely unappetizing cracker.

So this time I've used teff and almond meal as the main ingredients.  Yes, I admit it; I am in love with teff!  I just love it's texture and taste.  I find it bakes up much less dry than the other gluten/wheat-free flours.

My recipe for today is as follows:

1 cup teff flour - I used brown, but ivory would be very nice too
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tblsp. apple cidar vinegar
2 tblsp. olive or canola oil
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together well.  Whisk in oil and vinegar.  Finally, stir in water and mix until just combined.  The trick with teff is not to overwork it (or overbake it), or it can become tough.  The dough will be slightly sticky.  Form dough into a ball.

Place dough on a well-oiled cookie sheet.  Press the dough down until desired shape has been formed.  The thinner the crust, the more cracker-like it will become, so bear that it mind when forming your crust. 

Bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool for about 5 or 10 minutes, then add desired toppings.  These alternative flours tend to drink up moisture, so adding more pizza sauce than you normally do is a good idea.  Bake for 15 minutes, and enjoy!

If you need advice on substitutions, please leave a comment and I will happily reply!

This dough turned out fairly well, although I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the almond meal.  The taste was light, but if you didn't know what flour was used, you would probably guess it was some kind of "whole grain" flour.  The taste, overall, was rich.  The baked crust was nice and moist.  The texture was good; definitely less cracker-like than previous attempts.  I think I'm onto something here, but it still needs a bit of adjusting.

I neglected to take any photos, as I was too focused on trying it, rather than documenting it.  "Archive fever" - one of my favourite concepts - is not alive and well in me, I`m afraid.  Sorry Derrida :(   On the other hand, I guess the blog alone makes his point, no?

Nut Flours & Meals

Nut flours and nut meals are slightly different from one another.  A nut flour is made by pressing the oil out of nuts, and then grinding the nuts.  By removing as much oil as possible from the nuts, nut flour has a finer and lighter texture than a nut meal.  Nut flour therefore more closely resembles the texture of a regular flour.  However, nut flours will add at least a little bit of extra moisture to the final product.

Nut meal, on the other hand, can be more easily made at home.  To make it, you can use either a food processor or a coffee grinder that has been dedicated to grinding spices.  Before grinding the nuts, it can help to freeze the nuts; this will help to prevent the mixture from turning into a nut butter.  There can be a very thin line between a making a nut meal and making a nut butter, as you will soon discover if you grind your own! 

Many people find that it is easier to control the texture of the nut meal by processing only small amounts of nuts at a time.  It is also a good idea to pulse the mixture, rather than just turning the food processor on and letting it run.  Nut meals will add significantly more moisture to the final product, but will give a slightly more coarse texture than nut flour.  Both nut meals and nut flours should be stored in the refrigorator or freezer and used as soon as possible.

Perhaps surprisingly, nut flours are fairly interchangeable with flour, gluten-free or otherwise.  The most commonly used nut flour is almond flour because of it's more neutral flavour.  Other popular nut meals are hazelnut and pecan.  It is best to blanch the nuts before grinding them for either nut flour or nut meal.

Nut meals are especially popular for people who are on the SCD.  It is a great alternative for people who almost literally can have nothing else, as there are absolutely no grains allowed on the SCD. 

In baking, nut flours help to add some "lift" to the finished product.  They also add fat, protein, moisture, and flavour.  It is possible to use only nut flour in a baked good, yet the final result tends to turn out a bit better when it is combined with another flour.  However, nut flours in particular seem to need an increased amount of "binding", so a bit more xanthan gum or eggs might be necessary when they are used solo.

If replacing another flour with a nut meal, it is adviseable to increase the amount of nut meal by about 1/4 - 1/2 cup.  The same ratio goes if you are replacing nut flour in a recipe with a non-nut flour - decrease the amount of flour used by 1/4 - 1/2 cup.  It is also adviseable to adjust the cooking time by 5 or 10 minutes.  Products using nut flours will typically take a little bit longer to bake, because of the added moisture.

Xanthan Gum & Guar Gum

Xanthan and Guar Gum are two different ingredients that perform the exact same task: they bind ingredients together.  As a result, both can be extremely useful in dairy-free cooking, as it can easily replace eggs in just about any recipe.  For those of you on the SCD, unfortunately neither are permitted on the diet.

Xanthan gum is the product of corn sugar and bacteria; specifically Xanthomonas campestris.  Technically, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, however it acts more like a starch, and a very, very, strong starch, at that.  Only a small amount is needed to achieve significant results.  People with corn sensitivities should avoid using xanthan gum.

There are no artificial ingredients added to make xanthan gum.  There is, however, considerable debate over whether or not xanthan gum can be considered a "natural" ingredient.  In reality, xanthan gum is a natural ingredient, albeit one with a funny sounding name, as no chemicals are added during the process, and fermentation is a perfectly natural process.  Nevertheless, there are people who cannot tolerate xanthan gum.

Avoiding xanthan gum can be difficult, because it is used as a stabilizer in many pre-packaged goods, such as salad dressing, or even in make-up.  It can become quite a trial avoiding xanthan gum if you have a sensitivity, as it is literally used in thousands of products.  It's incredible binding ability makes it an exceedingly attractive option to manufacturers.  Furthermore, only a tiny amount of xanthan gum is necessary to fully bind ingredients together, making it a cost effective option.

A suitable substitute for xanthan gum is guar gum.  Guar gum is derived from beans rather than sugar, but is still a polysaccharide.  It is high in fibre, and generally less expensive than xanthan gum.  However, guar gum is used less often than xanthan gum as it causes intestinal distress in a greater number of people.  Like xanthan gum, guar gum is a natural product, and can similarily be used in packaged goods as a stabilizer.  It is 100% interchangeable with xanthan gum in baking. 

The ratio when substituting one for the other is 1:1.  In general, the amount of xanthan or guar gum needed to bind ingredients together in a loaf is 1/2 tsp: 1 cup of flour; in a flatbread (like pizza) it's closer to 1/4 tsp: 1 cup flour.  If too much xanthan or guar gum is used in a recipe, the final product can end up heavy, gummy, stringy, or even slimy, so take care when baking with either of them!

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Finally! A recipe!! I finally had a chance today to take some time to bake.
I made a delightful Pumpkin Spice Loaf - moist, flavourful, and completely delicious! It is full of protein and extremely low in saturated fat. It is dairy, gluten, and wheat free.

The great thing about this loaf is that all of the ingredients and the choice of flours really keep the bread nice and moist. The teff flour helps to bind everything together, and the almond flour not only adds moisture but gives it a nice lift.

I used agave syrup, but you could easily substitute maple syrup or honey instead. Stevia is also an option, and can be used to substitute one of the sugars, at most. Otherwise, the entire texture and taste of the loaf will be completely altered.

If you prefer it less sweet, cut back to 1/3 cup of agave syrup. It’s absolutely no problem to substitute the almonds with another nut or seed; I chose almonds simply because I thought they would complement the almond meal nicely.

My recipe is as follows -

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/3 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/3 cup organic canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tblsp. apple cidar vinegar

1 1/4 cups teff flour  - I used brown teff flour
3/4 cup almond flour/meal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp. each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Whisk pumpkin, agave syrup, sucanat, canola oil, applesauce, and apple cidar vinegar together in a medium bowl until combined.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together except for the almonds.  Whisk the dry ingredients together until combined.  Gradually stir in the wet ingredients until completely combined.  Stir in the almonds.

Bake in a prepared loaf pan for 60-70 minutes.  Enjoy!

Here is an absolutely atrocious photo of the finished product.  Please note that I am the world’s worst photographer, which is why I haven’t posted any photos up until now.

Explaining the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

Construction at the house continues, so I continue to wait to bake...soon, my pretties.  I have an excellent Pumpkin Loaf made with teff flour and almond meal in mind for the first available bake time!

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, commonly referred to as SCD, is based on the idea that certain health problems, and even some neurological conditions, occur in large part because of the food that we eat.  The diet iteself was first developed in the first half of the 20th century by Drs. Merrill P. and Sydney V. Haas. However, the diet has been largely popularized through the efforts of Elaine Gottschall in her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle. The diet itself is a somewhat complex set of rules that applies not so much to the nutritional value of the food but to how the food is absorbed by the intestitine wall.

The SCD works on the premise that it is the improper digestion of carbohydrates, or saccharides, that can lead to many digestive disorders or diseases, including (but not limited to) Celiac Disease, Crohn’s disease, and Irritible Bowel Syndrome.  Di- and polysaccharides, such as grains and sugars (like lactose), have been pinpointed as the root of the problem.  Monosaccharides, such as honey, can be fully absorbed by the intestine walls and therefore do not need to be avoided.  (For a full list of “legal” and “illegal” foods, visit http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/).

It is believed that damage to the intestine wall that makes it difficult to digest or absorb these saccharides, resulting in the build-up of “bad” bacteria in the gut.  This damage to the intestine can be caused by virtually anything, even from something as straightforward as the flu.  The damage generally starts off as relatively minor, and gets progressively worse over time. 

A summary of the “vicious cycle” therefore goes something like this: damage to the intestine occurs because of certain foods or stomach upsets; the continual ingestion of di- and polysaccharides never gives the intestine the necessary time to heal because they are never fully absorbed by the body, leaving behind “bad” bacteria.  This bacteria can severely affect the well-being of the gut, and ultimately wreak havoc on the digestive system. The more “bad” bacteria that is present in the gut, the worse the symptoms can become.  The problems, over time, can become exacerbated, debilitating, and sometimes even deadly.

The SCD completely eliminates di- and polysaccharides from the diet, thereby removing the difficulties people with digestive disorders experience with their digestion. The removal of these specific carbohydrates from the diet gives the digestive tract an opportunity to heal.  There are many websites detailing the success of people with a wide variety of disorders.

The SCD has helped people who suffer from problems such as Celiac Disease, Irritible Bowel Disease, and Crohn's Disease, to name a few.  The medical community has been generally slow to acknowledge the benefits of the diet.  However, anecdotal evidence does suggest that the diet has proven beneficial to many people suffering from a multiple of disorders thought to be incurable by the medical community.

Somewhat more controversial is the use of the diet as a means of controlling the symptoms of autism.  Again, anecdotal evidence does seem to pinpoint some connection between food and certain neurological disorders.  It is conceded that there is no cure for autism, however, according to some parents the elimination of certain foods has led to drastic improvements in their children's behaviour and attitude.  For more information about the possible connection between food and autism spectrum disorders, visit http://pecanbread.com/

Teff flour

Baking is a little slow this week, as we're having construction done on the house.  All the dust makes baking impossible.  So for those of you hoping for more recipes, a little patience is required!

Teff (sometimes also spelled as "t'ef") is a small cereal grain that is used and grown primarily in Ethiopia.  Teff is the smallest grain in the world, actually - it takes 3 thousand grains of teff to weigh one gram.  Teff can be found in three colours: white/ivory, brown, and red.  Regardless of the colour of the grain, the teff grain is never processed, and therefore retains the full nutrients of the grain.    Teff is high in protein, calcium, and fibre.

Teff was virtually eradicated in Ethiopia in the '70s when the military junta in charge demanded that teff farmers switch to growing wheat for export purposes.  It only survived largely thanks to the efforts of U.S. citizen Wayne Carlson, who grew interested in the grain while living in Ethiopia. 

Teff is probably best known in North America as the primary flour used in Ethiopian injera, which is the name of a large flatbread used in Ethiopian cuisine.  It is both gluten and wheat free.  However,  some restaurants use a blend of teff and wheat flour for their injera, so it is therefore adviseable to double-check with the restaurant that their injera is made only with teff before you dine there.

Although it is a very versatile flour, many people dislike teff because of it's distinct flavour.  This obstacle can easily be overcome by either blending teff flour with other flours, or by using it only in recipes where there are other strong flavours present, such as a nut butter or bananas. 

Teff's taste has been described as slightly sour, although this might be a more apt description of injera than of teff itself, as the injera dough is fermented before cooking.  Teff flour does have a slight sourness to it, but it also has some sweetness in it, making it resemble the complexity of molasses more than anything.  Of the three varieties, white teff has the mildest flavour.

Teff's small grain size means that less teff is required than other flours when baking.  If too much teff flour is used, the dough will become extremely dry.  Teff can also become tough if it is overbaked, so keep a close eye on it in the oven!  When baked, teff takes on an almost gelatinous quality that helps to bind baked goods together.  It is therefore an excellent flour for use in gluten/wheat-free cooking.

It is a little bit difficult to substitute teff flour because of it's gelatinous quality.  It is also difficult to match it's taste and texture.  A nut meal may be the next best substitute.  If you have worked with quinoa flour before and enjoy the taste, this might also make an adequate substitute, provided it is cut with some starch.

Rice Flour

Rice flour can generally be found in three different varieties: white, brown, or sweet.  While it is possible to make rice flour from any variety of rice, commercial producers of rice flour tend to restrict themselves to these three varities.  

Some people find rice flour to add a somewhat gritty texture to their baked goods.  This is particularly the case if the flour has been ground at home.  However, rice flour is desireable for it's relatively neutral flavour, and it is therefore an excellent substitute for wheat flour.

White rice flour and brown rice flour are basically interchangeable, since neither impart a strong taste in cooking or baking. Some people, however, can detect a subtle nuttiness in the flavour of brown rice flour.  Nevertheless, the essentially neutral flavour means that either can be used freely in either baking or cooking. 

While both white and brown rice are relatively light in texture, brown rice flour tends to be a bit heavier in texture than white rice flour. This is because the bran is kept on the rice before milling. The bran has the benefit of adding extra fibre to the brown rice flour.

Sweet rice flour, as it name clearly implies, is the sweetest version of the three rice flours.  Sweet rice flour is best used as a thickener for sauces and gravies, as the rice has a gelatinous character to it.  Alternatively, it can be used in baked goods to give a chewier texture to the final product.

Like all gluten/wheat-free flours, rice flour tends to absorb more liquid than flours containing gluten or wheat.  Because of this, it is adviseable to add more liquid or fat to any recipe you use contaning rice flour.  Additionally, rice flour tends to produce a crumbly final product, so it is equally adviseable to cut the rice flour with some kind of starch.  Again, this is a rule of thumb that applies to most of the alternative flours.

Generally speaking, brown or white rice flour can take up any proportion of the recipe that you choose it to take.  It works best when the ratio of rice flour to starch is 1:1.  Many people prefer to cut rice flour with an alternative flour with a higher fat content, such as quinoa flour.  Doing so will add some moisture to the final product.  It will  not, however, add any airiness.

Sweet rice flour works best when it comprises approximately 25% of the total flour in any recipe.

It can be difficult to replace rice flour in a recipe, as rice flour is the neutral tasting gluten-free flour.  Whatever replacement flour is used, it should be cut with equal parts starch.  If the recipe already calls for starch, then there is no need to use additional starch.  Almond meal would be a relatively benign substitute.  If you have access to it, millet flour would also make a suitable substitute.  Nevertheless, provided there is another flour that you enjoy the taste of, any flour should work reasonably well in place of rice flour.

Explaining Gluten

Much to my surprise, I recently discovered that there are still people out there that do not know what gluten is.  This says less about them than it does about me.  I am so used to studying food, learning about food, and preparing food that I forget there are people out there who don't actually spend a lot of time doing this.  So today's post is a small primer on gluten: what is it, and what is it good for?

Gluten is a protein found in certain grains.  It is also present in the flour that is made from these grains.  For those of you who prefer a bit more precision, gluten is actually a composite of two different proteins, gliadin and glutenin.  Gluten acts primarily as a binding agent.

Because of it`s binding qualities, gluten provides not only cohesion but elasticity and strength to the dough.  It is gluten that makes baked goods so wonderfully chewy and airy at the same time.  It also adds tenderness to the finished product. 

Gluten can be found in a number of flours. Specifically, gluten is present in wheat , rye, kamut, barley, oat, and spelt flours. The amount of gluten found in each of these flours differs. Therefore, the same recipe can produce entirely different results if flour is simply substituted.

The inclusion of oats on the list is controversial, as some people with gluten sensitivities find they can ingest oats without any problems. Some people are so sensitive that the smallest contact with an item containing gluten can provoke a reaction. Cross contamination can therefore be a problem.

For a growing number of people, gluten can cause irritation to the digestive system. Gluten can even cause even damage to the small-bowel. Many people believe that there are different degrees of gluten sensitivity, just as there are different degrees of food sensitivities.

The most extreme reactions to gluten can be found in people with Celiac disease.  For those with Celiac disease, the immune system reacts to the gluten, resulting in an inflammatory reaction in the small intestine, eventually leading to damage to the villi that line the small-intestine.  Once the villi are damaged, there is a significant danger of malabsorption of nutrients.  This can lead to the development of some serious health problems.  However, once gluten is no longer ingested, the symptoms will usually reverse themselves over time.  Typically, there are a number of physiological symptoms indicating the presence of Celiac disease, but only a few of them are related to the gut.  Celiac presents differently in every person, making it a difficult disease to diagnose.

Gluten intolerance (or sensitivity) differs from Celiac as it is rarely, if ever, as severe as Celiac disease.  This is not to say that there are not a lot of people who do not suffer horrendously because of gluten.  However, it is unlikely that this intolerance is life-threatening.  Furthermore, most people with an intolerance can occasionally ingest gluten without suffering any adverse effects, especially if they have taken the time to heal their digestive system properly by avoiding gluten studiously for a period of time.  This is not the case for people with Celiac disease.  An intolerance to gluten often presents in a similar manner as Celiac disease, although the symptoms are typically not as severe.  The best (and cheapest) method for checking to see if you have a gluten intolerance is to omit gluten from you diet, and see if your health improves.

Since there is no medically decisive test to establish the presence of a food intolerance/sensitivity, it is not a condition that is widely recognized by medical doctors.  Some doctors will acknowledge its existance, whereas others will deny the role that food plays in your health virtually outright.  Alternative health practitioners, on the other hand, will generally accept the existance of these conditions.  As such, they are typically more willing to work with the patient in treating these problems. 

If you are avoiding gluten, it is important to remember that gluten can be isolated and used in unexpected places.  It can therefore be added to items that you might otherwise not suspect had any gluten in them.  For example, it can be used in ice cream as a thickener, or to processed foods as a binding agent.  Even items as innocuous as baking powder must be questioned.  Gluten can also be found in various imitation meats, such as Seitan. 

There is a wealth of information about Celiac disease.  Even if you do not have Celiac, but wish to omit gluten from your diet for other reasons, it is well worth visiting some of the websites out there to gather information on how to manage your new diet.  There are a number of websites dedicated to group forums that can offer much more advice than most doctors can.

Tahini bread - A Success Story

I realize that up until now, my posts have all been about relative failures in the kitchen. However, the bulk of my baking and cooking experiments do not result in failure, contrary to what the contents of this blog might suggest. With this in mind, I felt that it was time to share a success.


One of my favourite indulgences is a piece of Tahini bread from my local Lebanese bakery. To be honest, the tahini bread is simply one of my many indulgences I've found there. For example, provided you can handle dairy and gluten, try a Knefah if you ever see it on the menu - you won't ever regret it!!

This recipe is not necessarily meant to be a substitute for the "real" thing. I think that's the trap that many people baking with alternative flours fall into: they try to hard to turn them into something that they're not. As we all know, this never works, with anything. We should simply try to work with what we've got. Surprisingly, this little bit of advice works for flour, of all things.

My recipe for tahini bread is as follows:

3/4 cup potato or tapioca starch
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1 tsp. xanthan or guar gum
1 tblsp. baking powder
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
(if other seeds are preferred, you are welcome to substitute)
1/2 cup tahini
1 tblsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/3 cup organic canola or grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave
1/3 cup honey
pinch of kosher or sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in seeds.
Put the tahini in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in water until fully combined with tahini. Whisk in the agave, vinegar, and oil. Combine fully.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until they it is just barely combined. This recipe makes more of a batter than a dough. Pour batter into oiled loaf pan.
Bake loaf for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted in the middle and comes out clean.
Let loaf sit for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. It is important to let the loaf cool completely before cutting (1 1/2 - 2 hrs); otherwise, it will not set properly and will fall apart when you try to slice into it.
This loaf freezes and toasts well. It tastes great toasted with a bit of tahini on top. Enjoy

The Great Pizza Experiment #2

In general, I am trying to move away from using a lot of starch in my flour mixtures. Starches can be difficult to digest for many people, especially for those with food sensitivities. This is because starch is basically a sugar. A slightly more complicated form of sugar in terms of molecular composition, but a sugar nonetheless.

When using large amounts of starch in baking, I am often reminded of what my good friend once said to me, "Corn is what they feed pigs to make them fat." (Yes, you know who you are!)  And she would know; she grew up on a farm. Enough said there, I think.

But how else are we to give dough that light and airy texture? Baking soda and vinegar will only get you so far. Club soda is an attrative alternative that I have yet to explore. Club soda is used most often, I believe, in Irish Soda Bread, to help the bread to rise and to give it an airy texture.

But onto today's Great Pizza Experiment.
My recipe for today is as follows -

1 cup flour (something neutral flavoured)
1 cup starch (your choice)
1 tsp. xanthan or guar gum
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tblsp. olive oil
1/2 cup water
salt

Toppings included:
Aged Goat Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Sauteed garlic and onion
Shredded Chicken
Thyme
Arugula

The nice thing about this crust is that it has no eggs in it.  It also browns quite nicely.  It even rises a bit, giving the crust some nice air bubbles.  The final product looks very attractive. 

However, the texture is dense; dense to the point of being paste-like.  It is also extremely dry.  The crust absorbs liquid like a sponge.  All of the liquid in my tomato sauce had been completely absorbed by the dough, in spite of the fact that I most certainly did not skimp on the tomato sauce.  The outer layers of the crust are quite crispy; again, crispy to the point that it verges on becoming a cracker.  There is nothing wrong with the crispiness of the crust.  The problem is that when the crispiness is combined with the dryness, you have an unpalatable mess.

In spite of all it`s difficulties, I would be interested in making this crust again.  However, the next time I would use more water in the mixture to give the dough some desperately needed moisture.  Furthermore, instead of regular water I would use club soda to help to give some lift to the dough.  Lightening the texture of this crust is imperative!  It's also worth putting extra tomato sauce on the crust, simply because the crust absorbs so much water.

So, the quest for the perfect pizza crust must continue.

Until next time.

Alternative Flours - an Introduction

Alternative flours each have their own properties and identities.  Despite the wealth of information on gluten and wheat free cooking, it is surprisingly difficult to get definitive information on what flour is good for what purpose.  So I have decided to try and compile a list of flours and give information about each flour.  It is these factors, after all, that will most impact the final product. It's important for me to know about texture, taste, airiness, flavour, and how it absorbs moisture. 

While many books and sites explain one or two things about each flour, few discuss things like the final texture when the flour has been baked, or what items the flour is specifically good for.  Teff flour, for example, might be good for a cookie that already has strong flavour compenent added to it, such as peanut butter, but might not work as well in a more delicately flavoured cookie, such as lemon.  Almost all sites say to substitute the flour slowly; for example, substitute only 1/4 cup at first. But there must be an easier way; trial and error can't be the sole avenue available to those who wish to experiment with flours.

With this in mind, let's talk about flour.
 
What many people are interested in is a quick and easy way to substitute gluten/wheat-free flours for wheat flour in recipes. There are a number of products that can be found online, at your local whole-foods supermarket, or even blended in your own home.  The majority of these flours either rely on wheat for flavour and body, or on starch to add lightness to the mixture. 

However, if you're anything like me, you want more. You want to know the specifics: how can I blend the flours myself so I can highlight their good qualities every single time?

Typically the problem with gluten/wheat-free flour is that it lacks airiness when baked.  This is because it is gluten not only gives structure to the dough, but it also gives the dough airiness to dough, elasticity, and strength. 

In gluten-free flour mixes, starch is often used to add airiness to the dough.  This is useful trick.  However, starch works just like a sugar in your body  - it is essentially just a slightly more complicated form of sugar.  As a result, it is best not to overdo it on starch intake.

The list of flours that are both wheat and gluten free is as follows -

Sorghum Flour
Rice Flour
Amaranth Flour
Almond Meal
Coconut Flour
Potato Flour
Teff
Garbanzo Flour
Quinoa Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Corn Flour

Each week, I will compile information on one of these flours and post what I have found.  There are, I'm sure, others out there who feel that a comprehensive guide to these flours is missing.

Sorghum Flour

Sorghum itself is grown as a plant, and is a cereal grass rather than a grain.  Sorghum is a high-protein flour and has a slightly sweet taste.

When used in baking, Sorghum flour produces a fine, but dense, crumb.  If too much sorghum flour is used when baking, the final product has a crumbly, almost cracker-like texture.  This is particularly the case if eggs were used in the dough.

Sorghum flour tends to add a fair amout of texture to baked goods, which is not necessarily a desireable trait. It browns exceptionally well; sometimes it browns simply too well.  This can lead to a tough final product.  It could also mean that the outside cooks before the inside, leading to baked goods that are not completely cooked.

As a result, Sorghum flour works best in combination with other flours. For best results, use in flatbreads, or baked goods where a having a little bit of texture is not a problem.  The general rule of thumb is to keep the amoung of Sorghum flour at 25% of the total flour added to the mixture.  This will help moderate the textural problems that are caused by Sorghum flour.

Replacing Sorghum flour in a recipe is not difficult.  Since sorghum flour itself has such a distince taste and texture, amaranth, coconut, or quinoa flour should work reasonably well as substitutes.  Unless desired, additional starch does not need to be added to the recipe to cut the flavour of the subsituted flour.

The Great Pizza Experiment #1

I miss pizza.  We all do.  I feel I can state that as an absolute fact.  Pizza showcases everything we love about gluten flour and cheese with casein.  It's light and airy, gooey and delicious.  Can we possibly emulate this with gluten/wheat-free flours?  And what about vegan cheese?  Can this even be considered an option?  After all, vegan cheeses do not behave in the same way as "regular" cheeses because it lacks the gelling qualities of casein..

However, casein is similar in structure to gluten.  As a result, many people who are gluten-intolerant are also casein intolerant. 

Furthermore, as the casein breaks down slowly in your body, it acts as a histamine releaser.  This is not good news for people who suffer, as I do, from allergies. 

For whatever reason, I don't have access to a large selection of vegan cheeses, in spite of the fact that I live in Toronto.  And let's just say my experiences with the vegan cheeses I do have access to have been a disaster.  Because of this, I have decided to used aged cheeses, in accordance with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).

The pizza crust recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 eggs
2 tblsp. olive or grapeseed oil
a dash of salt
a handful of grated Parmesan cheese

The toppings included:
Parmesan Cheese
6 month aged Goat Cheese - which melted spectacularly, incidentally
Sauteed Cremini mushrooms
Sauteed onion and garlic
Thyme
Arugula

The result?  A bit of a disaster.  The toppings were fantastic.  Since the cheeses were aged, they are SCD approved.  I am sensitive to lactose and casein, however, so this is not something I will be making regularly.

The crust.  Where to start?  It smelled just wonderful while it was baking.  I pre-baked the crust for about 10 minutes at 350 to brown it a bit.

However, the problem with the final result was with the sorghum and the eggs.  The combination of these two ingredients was simply a horrible idea.  The eggs brought out the crumbliness of the sorghum.  The final result really tasted of egg.  At any rate, it was obvious that there was a lot of egg in the dough.  The end result was more of a cracker than a crust.  I am beginning to think that baking with sorghum is a fool's game...

I'm not sure that using eggs as a binder rather than something like xanthan or guar gum is really the best idea.  Typically, you have to use so many eggs to bind gluten-free flours that it becomes a bit questionable.  It seems to me to be far too many eggs, and the dough very often ends up tasting like egg, as well.  I do know that neither xanthan or guar are legal on the SCD, but this crust was much to egg-y for my liking. 

I have never had much success with egg replacers when they are the sole binding agent in the food.  Cheese alone will not bind the flour, sadly.  So where does that leave me?

Back at the drawing board.