Cheetham - The Best Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Baking Recipes

THE BEST

GLUTEN-FREE
AND DAIRY-FREE

BAKING RECIPES

THE BEST

GLUTEN-FREE
AND DAIRY-FREE

BAKING RECIPES

Grace Cheetham

Bestselling author of A Cooks Bible: Gluten-free,
Wheat-free & Dairy-free Recipes

Baking is one of lifes great pleasures. The alchemy involved in turning a gloopy batter into a baked treat is magical. And the process of measuring, mixing, beating, smoothing and decoratingall the while taking in gorgeous smells and delicious tastes (and if youre like me, you take little tastes along the way...)is heavenly.

Ive been gluten-free and dairy-free for most of my life. At first, it was very, very hard. There were very few free-from ingredients available and practically no recipes. When I had to eat parsnips one morning for breakfast (and I loathe parsnips), I decided that enough was enoughand that I needed to start experimenting. Over the years there have been many failed attempts and disasters consigned to the rubbish. But as more and more ingredients became available, it has become easier and easier to make food thats truly deliciousand often indistinguishable from something made with gluten and dairy. And I want to share these successes with you.

Gluten-free and dairy-free baking can be hard. Its difficult to get the right combination of flours for different types of baked goods, and getting the right texture can be challenging, to say the least. Breads and cakes can often be too dry and crumbly, pastry can easily burn and fail to hold together, and cookies are usually either rock hard or horribly soft. So Ive developed a set of flour mixes (see ) I think tick all the boxesproducing bakes that really are just how you want them to be.

Youll find Ive also come up with some fairly unique methods! Im a big fan of adding more moisture than normal to a gluten-free recipe, so I use a lot more water than generally used to make bread, for example. Once its poured in, it makes the batter sloppy and a million miles away from the firm dough people knead when making conventional bread. But once youve poured the batter into the pan and baked it (having skipped the kneading/punching down process entirely), it comes out as a delicious soft loaf with a crunchy crust.

Using more liquid in pastry dough and other recipes that need rolling out, such as cookies and flatbreads, does make it more difficult. But Ive developed a couple of techniques to counteract that. Using a cutting board enables you to lift the dough and drop it into a pan. And rolling out between sheets of baking parchment means that you can roll the dough out evenly without it sticking to the surface or the rolling pin, as well as helping you to navigate it into the pan.

On the practical side, its important to get some basic equipment before you start. Youll need pots, dishes and pans, cutters and a rolling pin, some scales or cup measures as well as measuring spoons and (unless you have serious upper body strength) some form of electric mixer and food processor. If you can beg, borrow or buy a stand mixer, that will make everything wonderfully easy. (Peter, I love you forever for buying me one!)

In this book youll find a wide variety of recipes (a few of which arent actually baked, but seemed to belong here anyway). There are everyday and every-now-and-then loaves in the Breads chapter, as well as breadsticks, buns and biscuits. The Cookies chapter holds many crunchy delights, from cookies to crackers. In the Cakes chapter, youll find a recipe for every type of celebration (even if its Friday and nearly the weekend), as well as doughnuts and muffins. There are recipes for Main Dishes, too, ranging from quick-and-easy pizza recipes to blowout meals like Beef Wellington. And to top it all off, a chapter of irresistible Desserts, whether its a comforting Sticky Toffee Pudding or pull-out-all-the-stops Profiteroles.

Many people come to free-from cooking because they have no choice. They might have celiac disease, or an allergy or intolerance that causes symptoms from nausea and migraines, bloating and bowel problems, chronic fatigue and depression, to eczema, asthma and even anaphylactic shock. Many find cooking hard, but have to persevere. I hope this book shows you how incredibly easy it can actually be to make gluten-free and dairy-free baked food. Whether its a Cinnamon Brioche Bun to enjoy on a lazy Sunday morning, a Turkish Lamb Pizza to take to work for lunch, Peanut Butter Cookies for an afternoon treat, Passion Fruit & Coconut Cheesecake for an indulgent dessert or Chocolate & Beet Cake for a birthday, these are all recipes that are do-able, even if youre a complete novice in the kitchen. And, in trying out the recipes, I hope this book opens up a whole new world of food, transforming your experience. Baking can become an exciting and hugely enjoyable way to nourish yourselfand your friends and family. Enjoy!

Look around the free-from section of a health-food store or a large supermarket and youll find a large variety of gluten-free and dairy-free products. Food manufacturers are continually producing fantastic ingredientsall of which make it easier and easier to cook wonderful free-from food.

FLOUR MIXES

For baking, its a good idea to start with a selection of flours. Ive created different flour mixes for different types of recipes, depending on the texture and amount of crunchiness or softness needed. In the Basic Recipes chapter, youll find different mixes for Flaky Pastry Dough, Piecrust Dough, Sweet Piecrust Dough, Breads, Cakes and Cookies. The pastry dough and bread mixes use sturdy flour combinations, so they hold together well, whereas the Cake Mix produces a soft, moist texture, and the Cookie Mix a crunchy one.

Ive used brown rice flour in all of the mixes as it is a great base flour. It has a lovely taste and holds really well. When the mix needs a stronger flour base, Ive used a combination of chickpea flour (besan) and corn flour. These are both great in terms of holding together and, while the chickpea flour has quite a strong taste, when its combined with corn flour that has a subtle, slightly sweet taste, it works really well. (For those who had stopped using chickpea flour because of the tastetrust me!)

Its important to create a balance of grain flours and starch flours, depending on the type of recipe. The flours Ive just mentioned are all grain flours. Starch flours work slightly differently, in that they tend to lighten the mix and give rise to the baking. For starches, Ive generally used cornstarch because its inexpensive and easy to find, has a very bland taste and gives a fantastic consistency. For bread, however, Ive added potato flour, which helps create a moist, tender crumb texture, as well as a better rise.

Ive added almond meal to the Sweet Piecrust Doughto make it sweeter, and help hold the pastry togetherand to the Cookie Mix, as it gives cookies the crunchiness when baked.

I find the best thing to do is to make up large batches of the flour mixes and store them in my cupboard. Depending on the size(s) of your containers, you can make up double or triple quantities, if youre planning to use a lot of the mix. (But bear in mind that the mix wont keep forever.) Then its just a question of measuring out the required amount for the recipe you are about to makeand off you go...