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Gluten Free Pizza Crusts---Review #1

5/13/2015

Last year when I asked Breadheads on my Facebook Fan Page what area of baking I should explore this year, many people suggested homemade pasta, which isn't really about baking unless you're making lasagne or baked ziti. So I'm not sure where that's going to go. BUT a lot of people requested gluten free breads. I must confess that my success with GF baking has been limited to pumpkin scones with sweet cream cheese filling (click HERE for the recipe), but after attending the Homa Baking Association convention, I realized that a lot of companies are making GF products available. So I've been getting samples from some of these companies and will posting reviews from time to time. I hope we'll hear from other GF bakers in the comments section, too.

I started with pizza, in part because it's one of the things I know best, but also because so many GF bakers are searching fo a good crust recipe. I tried Hodgson Mills Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix first (They sent me a case of free samples, but that's the whole of my reward!). My first surprise was how liquid the dough was--like a thick batter, really---so when you try it don't let that throw you off. The directions suggest dusting cornstarch on your hands to push the dough into shape on the greased pan, but I wonder if olive oil might be a better solution. In any case, the directions also have you covering the crusts (the box makes two 12-inchers) with plastic wrap, but I recommend that you give the wrap a good coating with non-stick cooking spray: my wrap stuck to the crusts a bit.
After rising, the crusts are par-baked for 10 minutes, then adorned with toppings and then go back in for another 10 to 15 minutes. I got good results by this method overall, but got better results when I par-baked in a pan and then finished the pie off on a pizza stone.

My GF friend Brittany and her husband John were the taste testers and gave the crust good reviews. I thought it wasn't quite as grainy as some GF breads can be, but that sort of added crunch wouldn't be out of place in a pizza crust anyway. Some people might want to add a little sugar, and I'm wondering if the crust would brown better if one used milk as the liquid---more excuses to test, yay! The process didn't take too much more time than traditional yeasted pizza dough, and the results are pretty good overall.

At the same time I was planning my GF baking lab, I ran across this link on Facebook for a 2-ingredient pizza dough: Greek yogurt and self-rising flour in equal portions. The recipe said you could use GF self-rising flour. Alert and food-savvy Breadheads will know that this is really a biscuit crust, and will not have the taste or texture of traditional pizza crust, GF or not, but it was so simple I had to try it. The easiest way to measure, by the way, is to empty the yogurt into your mixing bowl and use the same container to measure the self-rising flour. (I actually used a cup of Hodgsom Mills Multi-purpose Baking Mix, along with a half teasoon of salt and a scant teaspoon of baking powder.) A minute in the Kitchen Aid on high with the paddle, and I had dough. Because this is a quick bread, it doesn't require a first proof, so I spread the crust n the greased pan and popped in the over for a 10 minute parbake, added toppings and finished it off on the pizza stone. The center was still a little too soft for my taste, but I may have loaded on too many toppings. It was definitely a biscuit crust in flavor and texture, but the speed and convenience were appealing.

It seems likely to me that I might have even more success with mini-pizzas, just because they would cook faster and thereby produce a crisper crust. Too many toppings also seems to be a problem, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to create a GF deep dish like Lou's LaGrotto or Uno's. If GF Breadheads have had other successes, I'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, God bless and happy baking!

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Hodgson Mill GF Cake Mix

7/6/2014

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Hodgson Mill sent me some Gluten Free products to experiment with, and I've been enjoying testing all sorts of recipes that use cake mix as a base. As I generally do with product testing, I'm not interested in the recipe on the box---the company tested that recipe a thousand times until it was just right. I want to know what else you can use it for. Turns out this gluten-free cake mix is pretty versatile.

A site with recipes, crafts, coupons, and other homey stuff.

I started out with a simple cookie recipe I found online, which I made for my monthly Herb Guild meeting. I thought they needed a little more sweetness, so I frosted them with some maple flavored icing, and everyone RAVED about them. Not a soul had any idea they were gluten-free cookies until I mentioned it. I shared the recipe with one of our employees whose mother-in-law is also GF and she loved them so much she refused to share, not even with the her grand kids! The recipe I used is HERE, but I use the cake mix pictured above instead of Betty Crocker. I'm sure you could add any kind of chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, etc. and get good results.

Gluten Free Caramel Pecan Upside-down Cake

Then I tried to imagine what I would really miss if I had to go gluten-free, and I realized that caramel pecan rolls would be very high on the list. As a diabetic I make them only occasionally, and try to make small portions, but if I couldn't have them I'd at least want a decent coffee cake substitute. So I made the cake according to the directions on the box except that I subbed sour cream for the buttermilk and added 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon. After I sprayed the 8" cake pan, I poured in some caramel sauce (see below) and sprinkled on 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Then I spread HALF of the cake batter on top of that---the box makes two 8" cakes, so the other half I used for another recipe (see below). The batter is rather thick, so you might thin it with 2 Tbs. of milk or half and half as I did. The cake then baked at 350 degrees F. for 22 minutes. Be sure to place place a cookie sheet on the shelf below the cake, to catch any drips of caramel that bubble over. When the cake tester tells you it's done, ignore the directions on the box that tell you to wait 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Invert a serving plate on the top and flip it immediately; remove the pan and watch all that caramel goodness ooze down the sides of the cake. Not a single monk had any idea that this breakfast treat was gluten free, and everyone named it an unqualified success, except that I should have made two.

Caramel Sauce Topping: 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, 3 TBS. light corn syrup, warmed in a sauce pan over low medium heat and stirred until smooth (do not boil). Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with pecans before adding batter.

Gluten-free Almond Crumb Cake

However, since the box of mix makes two cakes, I decided to make a second coffeecake, this one with an almond filling and a classic crumb topping. I put half the filling in the bottom of the sprayed 8" cake pan, then spread dollops of Solo Almond Cake and Pastry Filling on top of that, about half the can. Then I spread the rest of the batter and sprinkled on the crumb topping (see below). It also baked at 350 degrees F. for 22 minutes and came out moist and delicious, and just a tiny bit grainy. However, that was barely noticeable because of the crumb topping. (All flavors of Solo's Cake and Pastry Fillings are gluten-free, by the way. If you want to use another product, many grocery stores, including our local Hyvee, now have a list of GF products at the service desk or near the gluten-free aisle.)

Look at that yummy almond filling---all GF!

Crumb Topping In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, 3 Tbs. brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Using a fork, cut in 3 Tbs. cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle all of mixture on top of cake batter just before baking. If you don't have canned filling, double the dry ingredients of this recipe but increase the butter to a full stick and use half of the mixture as the middle layer and the other half as the topping.

Gluten-free baked donuts with hazelnut glaze

I've already written in a previous blog about GF baked doughnuts made with this cake mix. They need to be baked a little longer or they can be a bit too crumbly, and they do taste more like a cupcake than a traditional doughnut, but they don't have the dry, grainy texture many GF mixes tend to yield. These seem to be especially well-received by children, so if you're a mom on the lookout for GF treats, get yourself some doughnut pans and try different flavors of GF cake mixes. Another advantage---doughnuts use less frosting than most cakes/cupcakes, so less sugar intake for your tykes.

Wilton and Norpro both make these non-stick doughnut pans, for both regular size and mini-doughnuts. You can get them at any store that has kitchen ware, from Target and Walmart to Macy's. A few well-stocked grocery stores carry them, too.

I'll be testing more gluten-free products in the weeks and months ahead---stay tuned for my review of gluten-free pizza mixes. Please note: I receive free products from many companies, including the ones mentioned in this post, for the purpose of experimenta-tion and review. I do not receive any additional personal compensation and would refuse it if offered.

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Gluten Free Cake Donuts from a mix

6/5/2014

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June 6, 2014 is National Donut Day, a holiday instituted by the Salvation Army: you can find the history HERE, and some interesting facts HERE. I'm going to be getting up early on the 6th to make fresh fried cake donuts for the brethren, but I decided to do a little gluten free baking as well.

I've been experimenting with gluten free yellow cake mix recently, specifically the one from Hodgson Mill, so I wondered about GF cake donuts from a mix. Turns out there are several versions out there. The one I followed (using regular cake mix) is HERE, and I got good results by just subbing the GF mix in a comparable size. My GF tasters (three generations of ladies, starting with a picky four year old) found them to be deliciously moist and not at all grainy (like so many GF products). They especially liked the glaze I made with 2 cups of powdered sugar and five little servings of hazelnut flavored half and half--30 seconds in the microwave makes it liquid enough to use as a glaze.

We all agreed that they could have been baked longer than the recipe called for, as they were fully baked but fell apart easily. I also added a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg (a classic donut flavoring) to the dry ingredients before mixing in the wet.

Since many people who go GF are concerned about healthy eating in general, I decided to bake the donuts instead of frying them. Wilton makes these donut pans---I got mine at Ace Hardware---or you can use one of those donut making machines which can often be found at garage sales and Goodwill for cheap. We all agreed that they could have been baked longer than the recipe called for, as they were done in the middle but fell apart easily. I also added a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg (a classic donut flavoring) to the dry ingredients before mixing in the wet.

I find that the donut making machines will give you more even browning, but you have to get the amount of batter just right. Don't let this manufacturer' photo fool you---they probably made about 4 dozen donuts to get 6 perfect ones for the shot. The recipe in the link above calls for buttering the pans, but some of the donuts really resisted removal from the pans, so I wonder if pan release spray would have done better. In any case, here's another use for GF cake mix---other recipes will be posted eventually, but I figured I needed to get this out for donut day!

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My first ever gluten free recipe!

9/10/2012

4 Comments

Gluten-free pumpkin
scones with a sweet
cream cheese filling! Not dairy free or vegan, but it's a start. On my way to a decent gluten free pizza crust!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Filling
2 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free baking mix (I used King Arthur’s).
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice.
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pureed pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
2 Tbs. milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have one additional sheet of parchment available. Mix the softened cream cheese with ½ cup of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. Knead dough gently four or five times while it is still in the bowl.

Remove half of the dough from the bowl and pat the dough into an 8-inch circle in the center of the baking sheet (it helps to butter your hands so the dough will not stick to you). Spread three quarters of the sweetened cream cheese evenly over the circle of dough. Spray the second piece of parchment lightly with cooking spray, and pat the second portion of dough into an 8-inch circle. Carefully flip the second circle of dough on top of the first and peel off the parchment paper.

Using a large rotary pizza cutter, cut dough into 8 wedges. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until round is firm on the edges but still slightly soft in the middle. Cool on a wire rack. Beat the remaining cream cheese with ¼ cup of powdered sugar and the 2 tbs. of milk to make a glaze ( a couple drops of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt doesn't hurt, either!). Spread glaze on the scones and cut apart before serving.

Makes 8 large scones.

4 Comments

Gluten Free Pizza Crusts---Review #1

Hodgson Mill GF Cake Mix

Gluten Free Cake Donuts from a mix

My first ever gluten free recipe!

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