Soft and Chunky Gluten-Free Pretzels

It's been so long, I tell myself... so then I wait a little longer to post...

oh, sooo behind on my blog reading--not such a good blogging buddy after all... another reason why I hesitate to post.

But heck, life is too short and eventually I'm gonna run outta time and excuses! So I might as well post today. Want to know what one of my favorite quotes is? Don't put off for tomorrow what can be done today, ironic (well, it goes something like that... :).

I hope you all have been well. I'm mostly crafting these days, but when a craving kicks in... like a craving for pretzels, I find myself covered in flour, in the kitchen once again, like old times. Ah, feels so good.

So here's a recipe for soft pretzels. Soft because that's how I like 'em. The crunchy salty ones make me thirsty! I'm a carb lover because I enjoy sinking my teeth into the doughy yumminess of baked goods -- so, of course, I'm going to make a soft pretzel.

And it's not just soft, it's also gluten-free. And I know what you're thinking... it looks gluten-free :/. It does have that awkward wanna-be pretzel look, you're right... but trust me, the minute you sink your teeth into these gluten free pretzels, right after you've brushed them with butter and sprinkled them with you favorite kind of salt (and there are so many different kinds of salt), you'll find that nothing is missing (except for the gluten, but that's a good thing here :).

The flavor is there, even the aroma... oooh yeah, you know what I mean -- the tasty aroma that hits your nose when warm pretzels are near. And the texture? Like I said, these are soft, soft and chunky. These gluten-free pretzels are the most scrumptious right outta the oven, but you can also enjoy them the next day warm by popping them in your little toaster oven or the micro, just for about 15 seconds (be sure to store in an air-tight container). Yum. Enjoy!

P.S. Ever wonder why the pretzel-pros dip they're pretzel dough into a solution of either lye and water or baking soda and water? Because it helps give the pretzels they're pretty brown color! I didn't know that... but these pretzels aren't meant to be dipped. Instead, gently brush them with the baking soda/water solution (as mentioned in the recipe card below). Happy baking! :)

Stay tuned for next time, when I'll post my gluten-free angel food cupcakes recipe!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Pancakes

HI All!

It's been awhile, and I hope I'm not catching you after breakfast because you haven't had these gluten-free gingerbread pancakes yet :)! I hope you're enjoying your Christmas morning so far. It's been a fun and interesting morning for me, as a joke I found dental floss in my stocking! I'm always telling hubby to floss, so I think Santa decided to play a joke on me and stuff my stocking with high quality dental floss ;). I guess after stuffing my face with these maple syrup lathered pancakes, I'm going to need to make sure I floss well :D.

Anyhow, there just aren't enough gingerbread pancake recipes out there. Feel free to add a bit (maybe 1/2 tsp more) ginger to this recipe if you really like spicy gingerbread pancakes. Have a delicious and Merry Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back again sooner than later :).

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Pancakes
*please note I fixed the typo that said 3 TBSP xanthan gum, only 1/2 tsp required :)
Makes 7 6 inch pancakes

3/4 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon all spice
2 3/4 teaspoons ginger
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 1/2 TBSP canola oil
2 Tablespoons dark molasses
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk (lowfat)
1/3 cup lowfat milk (add after combining all other ingredients together!)

So as you can see, this is a lengthy recipe and you'll probably want to open your Christmas presents before attempting to actually make 'em ;). Good news is, all you need: 2 bowls! 1 for the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet. Just combine all the dry ingredients in one big bowl and mix very well. Add all the wet EXCEPT for the regular milk, you'll mix that in last after you've combined the ingredients from the wet/dry bowls. Also, make sure that your pan is nice and warm before cooking the first pancake--let the pan heat for about 3 mintues on medium/low before making the first one so that it doesn't have that funny "first pancake of the batch" look :0).

Merry Christmas!