Gluten-Free Cranberry Oatmeal Artisan Bread

Gluten-free artisan bread sounds like an oxymoron. GF bread is usually on the gross, flat-tasting and dry side. Just thinking about gf bread gone bad makes me thirsty.

Sometimes recipes come about by accident, or desperation. I wouldn't say this recipe necessarily resulted from an accident, but I did have a pretty big craving for artisan bread and I usually don't think clearly when big cravings hit. Thinking about which flours to use and how they'd combine to create an artisan-textured bread (is that a term? :) was quite the task.

I decided to stop thinking and jump right in.

So here it is. Tastes like artisan bread and even smells like it. I'm still surprised. I didn't expect it to work, but somehow it did!

I'm finally submitting something to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays! Check out Amy's blog for some might tasty and healthy gluten-free recipe submissions.


How is this only slightly indulgent, you ask? Well, I tried to keep the fiber levels up and the sugar levels reasonable; it's also very lean and butter-free. But then again, I did top my bread slice off with some butter and honey... ;)

Next post... gluten-free fudge brownies with 3 different types of chocolate (made 'em for the hubby's breakfast on Valentine's). Stay tuned for the recipe :)!

Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies (Tutorial and Recipe)

I know I promised to post the artisan bread recipe, but I woke up extra early to make linzer cookies this morn' and, by golly, I've just been so excited about them that the mess (that resulted from the baking, mixing, etcing) really didn't take the joy away from the whole experience! See, I'm speaking in run-ons. I. am. excited!

So what's so exciting about waking up at the crack o' dawn to make a batch of gluten-free linzer cookies? The dream becoming a reality, people! What dream? I've been wanting to make linzer cookies forever. Even before going gluten-free. But I just thought they were too pretty for my butterfingers. I thought I'd mess them up and disappoint Martha or Ina, whose shadows haunt me like Marley's ghost when I FAIL. (Except theirs are wearing some kind of perfectly pressed buttoned up pastel shirt with a semi-popped collar.)


But even they might give me at least a teeny-tiny grin for today's attempt. The hours of waiting, stirring, blending (that would be for the filling), jam-smothering, powder-sugar-sprinkling, and baking all paid off! Sure, some are a little ugly (I grounded them from receiving close-up camera time), but they're good. Yep, the husband approves.

One thing I should note, the filling is homemade but not truly jam-like. I made it more gluey because I didn't want to deal with a wet mess. The end result? Sandwich cookies that stuck! Yeah! No water was added to the filling, just strawberries, sugar, a little packet of knox, and a tablespoon of corn starch. Read on for the tutorial, if you wish :).

So that's how you should flatten out the dough before sticking it in the freezer, and how you should sprinkle it with white rice flour before rolling it out. (I like to use aluminum foil when rolling the dough/cutting the cookies, so I can just put the cookies right on the baking sheet without having to move them.) The red stuff is the strawberry filling, before it chilled, it's thick.


Roll out the dough nice and flat, it's a bit thick in the picture. Roll it out to slightly more than 1/4 of an inch. The dough should be easy to work with, making the cookie-cutting experience a fairly painless one :).


Be sure to use "nesting cookie cutters", as pictured on the far left. And... the next picture? What the cookies should look like when you've baked, jammed, and sprinkled them.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake (cupcakes)

Sometimes the simplest things will hit the spot. Don't get me wrong, the world would surely be a sad place without rich desserts or salty snacks... but sometimes (just sometimes ;) all I want is a bite of a simple and classic sweet treat. Angel food cake will usually hit the spot during these times, but who wants to wait an hour before enjoying a slice? That's why cupcakes were invented... (well, probably not, but it makes sense!)

I can't even remember the last time I had a piece of angel food cake before going gluten-free. It seems there are plenty of cookie options out there, even cake mixes, but I've yet to find one for gluten-free angel food cake (if you've found one that you love, let me know! :).

Sure, angel food cake usually doesn't come with frosting, but that's the beauty of making things at home... you can make them however you want! So feel free to experiment with these little angel food cake cupcakes. Frost them or enjoy them commando; cupcakes with out the frosting = commando cupcakes :D.

I like to use this frosting recipe, it reminds me of cream cheese frosting, minus the cream cheese ;).

Chocolate fans will like this frosting recipe.

Stay tuned... I whipped up some gluten-free artisan bread over the weekend and it's might tasty! I'll share the recipe next time.