Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Classic Gluten Free Stuffing



Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Here's a Thanksgiving recipe for those who appreciate a traditional stuffing, and the rolls I featured on here a few days ago :).  It's based on this recipe and it's a very forgiving one.  You can easily make this your own by adding or removing your favorite ingredients.  I really like apples and cranberries, so I threw them in. But if you prefer a more savory stuffing, just make it with the celery and onion.  Sausage would be a nice addition, too.  I'd say the most important ingredient here is...butter!  Of course.  This recipe doubles nicely but please, please be sure you make sure to double the butter (at least).  The more butter, the better!

Classic Gluten Free Stuffing
Makes enough for 5 hungry folks
2 cups crumbled gluten-free rolls
2 cups crubled gluten-free corn bread
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 finely chopped fuji apple, no skin (I also added 1/2 cup cranberries)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350

Crumble up the corn bread and biscuits, set aside in a greased oven safe platter (9 by 12) .  Toast the bread crumbs in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove then raise temperature to 375.

Sautee the celery and onion in the butter.  Then add all the spices, include the salt and pepper.  Lastly, stir in the chicken broth.  Cook on low for 5 minutes.

Pour seasonings and broth mixture over the bread crumbs in the pan.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes on middle rack, until top is golden brown (or as toasted as you'd like it).

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Gluten-Free Holiday Dinner Rolls



It's a little over a week before Thanksgiving.  Now's the time to search for reliable gluten-free holiday recipes.  Only issue is, they're not always easy to come across!  Honestly, this recipe is reliable. I've made these rolls about 6 times already.  If you're worried about your non gluten-free friends disapproving, fear not.  I baked them again last night to accompany a tasty butternut squash soup, and my husband (who is usually on the paleo diet) broke his diet yesterday and ate 3 of these in under 10 minutes!

Yes, this recipe calls for quite a few different flours, but that's the secret.  The combination works perfectly to create a moist dinner roll that isn't heavy and dry, like some gluten-free baked goods can be.   I've tried substituting things here and there, and the only thing that really works is using teff flour in place of almond meal.

I've discovered that using too much sorghum flour produces a funny after taste. Using too much almond meal (or rice flour) creates a gritty texture.  Too much potato starch and you've got a really heavy roll, that probably won't roll ;).  Too much starch, actually, also creates a heavy roll, which is why I don't use both tapioca starch and potato starch here.  I've also tried using just flax seed in place of xanthan, but the dough doesn't rise as nicely and the texture is sticky.  Can you tell that my kitchen doubles as a chem lab?  Baking gluten-free really does make me feel like a mad scientist sometimes.  Throw a rambunctious toddler and a 3 month old who won't nap into the mix, and you can add emphasis to the mad part ;).  It gets pretty crazy.  But that's half the fun ;).

Next...a traditional gluten-free stuffing that uses these rolls.

OH, and if you're feeling really carby, double this recipe and use half the dough to make cinnamon rolls!  Totally works (I tried it).  Actually, I first got the idea to use corn flour for these rolls after trying The Gluten-Free Girl's cinnamon rolls (yum!).


ROLLS
(Large) Bowl 1:
1 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup corn flour
1 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
3 whole eggs
3 Tbsp olive oil butter (you can substitute all oil if making casein-free; I've tried it, it works!)

(Small) Bowl 2:
1/4 cup and 1/8 cup warm water (microwave for 30 seconds)
1/2 cup warm apple cider or cloudy apple juice
2 1/4 tsp yeast (fast acting)
3 tablespoons sugar

For topping:
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 tablespoon honey
sprinkle of bob's rice cereal or gf oatmeal

Start off by combining everything dry.  Stir well.  THEN create a well in the middle of the flour where you can add the rest of the wet ingredients listed under "Bowl 1".  Set aside.  In a smaller bowl, combine the apple cider, sugar and warm water.  Add the yeast, let sit for 5 minutes.  Lastly, combine everything together, fold together until uniform.

Get a bowl of warm water, set this aside.  Line a cookie sheet or casserole dish, coat with butter.  Now begin shaping the rolls, using water (or melted butter, yummy) to wet your hands before and between shaping the balls of dough (this works better than flour, helps the rolls turn golden).

Use a pastry brush to brush with melted butter/honey (you can also use maple syrup), then sprinkle with cereal (also tasty left alone without the cereal).

Let rise half an hour in preheated 200 degree oven (the oven should be off while they're rising though :).

Finally, bake for 20-25 minutes at 375, no preheating, just turn the oven on while they're still in there after rising.

Makes 16-20 rolls.