I Love Mondays

This past week has been more than interesting. I woke on Wednesday to about 2 inches of snow and ice. A little unexpected. It rained until about 3 when out of nowhere it began to snow heavily, which continued through the middle of the night. As it snowed we joked how horrible it would be to loose power during a snow storm, something I always hear about happening but had never happened to us. So I bet you can imagine what happened at 2am. Yes, our power went out. On Thursday the house remained cold but manageable since the sun was out. By 9pm the house was about to drop below 50. Lets just say it was a cold night no amount of blankets could fix. I was so desperate for hot water I made tea with a fondue pot and it only took an hour to heat! By Thursday afternoon it was just too cold to stay home so I packed up the kittens and went to my sisters. A tad stressful to say the least, she has two huskies that would love to have my babies as a snack. To add to the lameness the bakery was also out of power so I couldn’t even work. The amount of power outages was immense, almost 300,000 homes. Thankfully Saturday around 2am the power was restored, and I was able to get back to work. Unfortunately more snow/ice is headed our way this week : \

While out of power I had some time to sit down and write. I have learned lots of tips and tricks through vegan and gluten free baking and I’ve been meaning to share them. Because I had so much time on my hands it’s a little long so bear with me. I still think there are some more things to add but I’m happy with this for now. Here we go…

            One thing that people may not know about me is I like to be really organized and when doing a task its best for me to have a clear set of instructions. And I think that’s why I prefer baking over cooking. Exact amounts are much easier for me that a pinch here or, “until it looks done”. Those things kind of stress me out. I like directions and following rules.

            Baking, as many people know, is a science. In cooking its okay to eliminate an ingredient or even add more of something. Can you imagine if you decided to add more or less flour to a cake, just because. It wouldn’t turn out. There are rules and guidelines that must be followed in order to reduce mistakes and ultimately have a great end product.

            I’ve compiled a list of guidelines and tips that I have learned in the past two years. They have definitely helped me in my adventure and I hope they will assist you too.

·      First and foremost always read through a recipes instructions before you begin. It’s not really fun when you have to run to the store mid baking or when you realize your cookie dough needs to chill overnight…30 minutes before friends are coming over. Panic mode.

·      To stay super organized measure out all ingredients before you begin. No more scrambling around. Since baking is a science you’ll want to measure all ingredients precisely. Use your measuring cups and spoons or even a scale. Accuracy, ladies and gents!

·      In baking you can turn light muffins into chewy rocks just by over mixing. Just because there isn’t gluten doesn’t mean you can beat it to death. Over mixing muffins, quick breads, and cakes in gluten-free baking can still produce tough, gummy, and weird textures. Always stay on the side of caution and use a light hand when adding your dry ingredients.

·      Pureed fruits and vegetables are a gift from above. Not only do they add moisture and improve texture, but they can also be used as an egg substitute. Applesauce, mashed banana, prune, sweet potato, or pumpkin purees are all wonderfully nutritious and work great in baking. The flavor of your puree may come through into the taste of your final product so plan accordingly.

·      Nuts, raisins, dried fruit, and other add-ins also help improve the texture of gluten-free baked goods.

·      Egg Substitutions: Whether your vegan, allergic, or want to opt for something different, there are many options for egg substitutions.

-  Applesauce or pureed fruits/vegetables – Great for cakes, muffins, cookies, and quick breads. Add approximately 3-4 tbsp of the puree per egg.

-  Ground Flaxseeds – Whisk together 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp hot water or milk substitute until thick and gummy. Flaxseed eggs work best for anything chewy like brownies or cookies.

-  Soy or Coconut Yogurt – About ¼ cup per egg.

-  Prepackaged egg replacers like Ener-G are not my favorite and I try to stay away from them. Since they are mostly made up of starches they have a tendency to suck the moisture out of things.

·      Milk Substitutions: This is probably the easiest substitution. There are so many non-dairy milks on the market today, with the same or more nutrients as cow’s milk, and they are available at virtually all food stores. Almond, hemp, soy, and rice, are all options. Generally I use rice milk because it is light and a great all purpose milk. For richer dishes it is better to use coconut or soy milk. I have never used hemp or almond milk, but give it a try!

·      Butter & Fat Substitutions:

-  Beware of margarines! Most have whey in them, which is a milk product. Vegan alternatives like Earth Balance are widely available and mimic butter very well. I use Earth Balance sticks most often when I want the taste or creaming effect of real butter. I’ve also used Spectrum’s Palm Oil Shortening with good results.

-  Oil’s are another great alternative. Canola, grapeseed, and coconut oil are all heart healthy and I use them often. Be careful if you are subbing oil for butter as you’ll need to adjust the liquid to dry ratio. Generally you will use 1/3 cup oil for every ½ cup butter but every recipe is different.

·      A word on sugar. Sweet and delicious, but not always vegan. Many sugars are processed and refined with animal bones. Yuck! Organic sugars or Evaporated Cane Juice are great alternatives. Use them just as you would use regular refined sugar. Although organic brown sugar is available everywhere, why not make your own! Use a ratio of 1 tbsp molasses to 1 cup of sugar.

·      Sugar Alternatives: I love agave nectars floral taste and I like to use it often. It is similar to honey in texture, has low glycemic index, and is made from the cactus plant. You’ll have to do your own experimenting with agave as each recipe is different. As a guide you will wan t to use 2/3 cup agave for every cup of sugar and reduce all other liquids by ¼ to 1/3. When baking with agave you also want to reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees. Products tend to brown faster.

·      Cooling: I have noticed with gluten-free baking it is best to only let your products cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack, especially for muffins, quick breads, and cakes. This helps improve texture and prevent overbaking. So as a rule of thumb do not let your baked goods cool completely in its pan.

·      Gluten-Free Flours: This is where things get a little complicated. There are so many flours to choose from it can be overwhelming. No specific flour combination will work for everything. As a rule it is good to use at least two different flours and a starch. Some prepackaged gluten-free flours blends are good to use, but again they don’t work in every recipe. There are numerous resources online about each type of flour, its properties, and recipes it works best in. Everyone has his or her own preferences so you will have to experiment. Flours and starches I use most often are brown rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose flour, sweet rice flour, sorghum, arrowroot, cornstarch, potato starch, and millet flour. A lot of gluten-free recipe books use tapioca flour, but I personally think it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, so I avoid it.

·      What is xanthan gum? You’ll see xanthan gum or sometimes guar gum in a lot of gluten free recipes, and it’s necessary. Xanthan gum gives gluten free batters viscosity, and ultimately holds your finished product together. Without it all of your hard work will fall apart. Xanthan gum work best in baking while guar gum work best in cold non-acidic products. Sometimes I use a combination of the two, but most often I only use xanthan gum. While they are fairly expensive, you use it in tiny amounts and a bag will last you an eternity.

o   Here are some xanthan gum quantity guidelines:

·      Cookies - ¼ tsp per cup of flour

·      Cakes – ½ tsp per cup of flour

·      Muffins/Quick Breads – ¾ tsp per cup of flour

·      Breads – 1 to 1 ½ tsp per cup of flour

·      Gluten-free products have a tendency to be dense. Using the right flour combination, ingredients, and not over mixing can help avoid this. Adding a hot liquid at the end of mixing can also help loosen a batter and help with texture. It’s also important to understand these products are best eaten the day they are made. From my experience gluten-free and vegan baked goods go stale faster and they are best eaten the day they are made. If you have leftovers store in an airtight container or in the fridge.

·      The most important word of advise I can give you I to have fun and laugh at your mistakes, because you will make mistakes. I’ve thrown away way to many batches but when you get it right, it’s all worth it. Vegan and Gluten-free baking is trial and error. So relax, turn on some music, put on a apron and start baking!