Gluten-Free and Low on Sugar
Many people are unable to enjoy all the pleasures of the cake table, due to food intolerance or allergies of different kinds.
Gluten intolerance means that a person cannot digest flour that contains gluten. All grains contain gluten to a greater or lesser degree - wheat flour contains the most gluten.
Gluten-free flour mixes are available, but the texture of bread and cakes made from them is somewhat different, rather short and crumbly. Cornstarch, potato starch, cornmeal, rice flour and buckwheat flour are gluten-free.
Many cakes and tortes based on almonds, nuts or coconut do not contain any flour at all. And meringues are naturally free of gluten.
Remember that cake pans and baking sheets should be coated with gluten-free flour. Potato fiber, coconut and millet flakes, to name just a few, also can be used. Baking parchment is also a good substitute, as it does not need to be greased and floured.
Diabetics are not supposed to eat too much sugar and fat. Even if cakes and other sweets are not part of the everyday diet, most people like to splurge a little on festive occasions. It is possible to exchange a sandwich for a sweet roll, a piece of cake or a couple of cookies, if they are baked with very little sugar.
Good to know: You can cut the amount of sugar in sweet yeast bread to dl (3 tablespoons) per 5 dl (2 cups) liquid.
Pie crust dough and puff pastry do not contain any sugar at all, and butter cookie dough can be made with very little sugar. Cream puff pastry is also sugar-free.
It is difficult to make cakes without sugar. It is needed to add volume when beating eggs or butter.
Certain sweetening agents can be used instead of sugar, but they often turn bitter when heated. Thats why its a better idea to reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe rather than use artificial sweeteners.
Gluten-Free Recipes
Gluten-Free Ring 38
Dream Roll 76
Coconut Roll 76
Mocha-Nut Roll 77
Coconut Macaroons 83
Hazelnut Drops 83
Basic Meringues 84
Almond Meringues 84
Cardamom Meringues 84
California Drops 85
Thumbprint Cookies 86
Lills Coin cookies 87
Rice Logs 89
Almond Logs 90
Almond Macaroons 107
Millet Lace Cookies 112
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies 120
Kerstins Almond Squares 125
Holsteins 141
Chocolate Macaroon Cream Cakes 142
Sara Bernhardts 142
Punch Pastries 144
Birgits Favorites 145
Caramel Torte 158
Toffee Crunch Torte 161
Zuleika Torte 162
Pavlova Torte 167
Mocha Torte 168
Mocha Pastries 168
Schwarzwald Torte 169
King Oscars Torte 174
Birgittas Almond Torte 176
Chocolate Balls 182
Sugar-Free Recipes
Butter Wreaths (without garnish) 103
Karl XVs Wreaths (without garnish) 103
Potato Pretzels (without garnish) 104
Sugar-Free Almond Shells 109
Puff Pastry Combs (without garnish) 138
Christmas Stars (without garnish) 138
Filled Cream Puff Ring (without garnish) 147
Flaky Knots (without garnish, filled with whipped cream) 148
Egg-Free Recipes
Short Crust Rusks 41
Quick Rusks 42
Caraway Rusks 42
Eggless Sponge Cake 57
Quick Oatmeal Cookies 82
Coconut Crisp Cookies 82
Dreams 86
Coconut Dreams 86
Chocolate Mint Tops 87
Vanilla Horns 88
Nut Horns 89
Desert Sand Cookies 89
Preachers Mounds 89
Currant cookies 90
Oat Cookies 90
Apple Slices 93
Rye Logs 94
Chocolate Cigars 94
Horseshoes 96
Nutmeg Slices 96
Checkerboard Cookies 96
Chocolate Pinwheels 96
Brussels Cookies 97
Jam-Filled Brussels Cookies 97
Farmers Cookies 98
Sonjas Nut Cookies 99
Ginger Cookies 100
Cognac Wreaths 102
Sugar Pretzels 102
Karl XVs Wreaths 103
Potato Pretzels 104
Bonna Wreaths 104
Strassburgers 106
Aja Cookies 106
Mocha Clusters 107
Margits Hearts 108
Oat Baskets 108
Ginger Lace Cookies 110
Almond Lace Cookies 110
Oatmeal lace Cookies 111
Stofta Cookies 111 Syrup Lace Cookies 112
Almond-Coconut Lace Cookies 112
Millet Lace Cookies 112
Marstrand Cookies 113
Archipelago Cookies 113
Crispy Half-Moons 115
French Gingerbread Slices 118
Gingerbread Cookies 118
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies 120
Christmas Stars 138
Palmiers 138
Chocolate Balls 182
Chocolate Crunch Tops 182
Yeast Breads
Well-risen dough makes the best bread
Lukewarm liquid. A baking thermometer is indispensable for making sure that the liquid is not too hot. The optimal temperatures are 37 C (100 F) for fresh yeast and 45 C (110 F) for dry yeast.
Fresh yeast or dry yeast. They complement one another. One advantage to dry yeast is that it keeps for around 9 months.There is a difference in preparation. Fresh yeast should be dissolved in liquid, while dry yeast can be mixed in with the flour.
Measure large amounts of flour in a large measuring cup. Pour the flour loosely into the cup. Do not pack the flour down. In most recipes, the amount of flour is approximate. Begin by adding the minimum amount. Too much flour makes the dough hard and short.
Knead until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Work the dough with a heavy wooden spoon for 7-8 minutes, with a machine for around 4 minutes.The finished dough should be shiny and elastic. Sprinkle with flour and cover with a baking cloth or kitchen towel.
Let rise until doubled. Let the covered dough rise at room temperature in a draft-free place for around 30 minutes.That should be enough time for it to double in size.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Punch down the dough. Then turn it out onto a lightly floured baking board or counter top. Knead in the remaining flour with easy, rhythmic motions, until the dough is easy to handle and does not stick to your hands or to the baking board. Use as little flour as possible.