Easy as Pie

Gluten free baking is tricky.
Not just a horse of a different color, it's a different animal entirely.
Someone who is an excellent baker can not necessarily translate their skills over to gluten free baking.
If anything, In my experience, the better you are at regular baking the worse you are at gluten free baking. If for only the fact that you know what it "should" or "supposed to" look like, act like, or taste.
Pies for example.
My MIL made 5 pies for Thanksgiving. One she made gluten free.
 Putting the obvious concerns of cross contamination aside, the gluten free pie should not have been dealt with in the same manner as the other pies.
So let me tell you have it should have been dealt with.
1. Combine all of the dry ingredients. Ideally you sift them together, or a whisk will do.
2. Use half Butter and Half Shortening. Cutting them in completely
3. Combine the wet separably, then it can be added.
4. Roll it out, put it in the pan. Cover and chill until solid.
5. When ready to bake, cover edges, (and top crust) with foil.
6 Take it out when it is Just beginning to darken.

Those are the basic tricks. Pie is not easy. And each mixture might have its own nuance.

"Healthy" Granola

I posted a Granola Recipe Back on March 12 of 2012.
It listed it with multiple ingredient variations. But Since I was making it today, thought I would post it again, with the ingredients of today, and also the nutritional value of those choices.

Granola
3 Cups Bob's red mill Gluten free oats
2 Cups Pecan nuts, chopped
1/4 Cup Organic Maple syrup
1/4 Cup EVOlive Oil
1/4 Cup Golden Brown Sugar
1 Cup Raisins

Baked at 250 for an hour.

And The nutrition (estimated)
Per half cup serving
295 Calories
70 g Fat
31 carbs
9 sugar
8 Protein
3 Potassium
11 Iron
2 Calcium
And in addition to being Gluten free, it's Vegan.



Now, the Udi GF Granola, original flavor is
120 calories
4 g Fat
19 Carbs
7 sugar
3 Protein
No Potassium
4 Iron
2 Calcium
Theirs is a Hunny based recipe, with a bigger verity of fruit and nut.
Bakery On Main is also Hunny based, but runs more in the range of 250 Calories.

In conclusion, I think that making your own, you get to decide the flavors, as well as the benefits.

I think, for my next batch, I'll see how low in calories I can make it.

Bob's red mill Chocolate chip cookie mix

I used a bag of Bob's Red Mill Chocolate chip cookie mix to make some "breakfast cookies"
Essentially I just increase the water by a tablespoon, and toss in a palm full of oats (gf) and dried fruit. These one was cherries, cranberries, and raisins because I had them on hand.

The dough is very loose, or more accurately, it's mostly crumbs. You have to form the dough into balls.
I find, to make the cookies the ideal shape Instead of balls I form them into cylinders.
I get the dough in my hands, and squeeze it into a disk, and then press in the sides.

As these don't puff or puddle much, you turn out about like they go in, so forming the cylinders helps then brown and bake more evenly.
And I would recommend you take them out just before you think they are done. They got harder as they cooled, When left out overnight, the stayed soft enough to munch.
Overall a good mix.
But one you can NOT eat the dough.

Popcorn Balls. 5 Dark Caramel

Today's popcorn balls are a rich Dark Caramel.
It's a variation on a recipe By Robert Irvine, (from Food Network) he uses for making caramel apples.

Dark Caramel

2 Cups dark brown sugar.
1 stick butter
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c maple syrup
1 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch Salt.

Heat on stove top until boil. Boil 3 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly.
Pour over popcorn, or Apples.
I made 3 apples AND one bag of microwave popcorn. With enough left over I could probably have done another bag of corn...

I like the richness the dark caramel gets from the Molasses and maple.
And you will note tat I don't use green apples. (scof) I had to go with Johnny Gold, because I could not find Cameo apples anywhere !?!

Popcorn Balls. 4 Carmel with syrup

Last November I posted 3 different popcorn-ball recipes.
All were the candy type verity.
This November, I bring you new popcorn ball recipes. From the Carmel verity.

Caramel Apple Popcorn balls

Caramel Apple Popcorn Balls

1 Stick soft salted Butter

1 C light Brown sugar

1/2 C light corn syrup

1/4 C sweetened condensed Milk

2 TB green apple flavor syrup. (like for Italian soda)

3 bags of popped Microwave popcorn.

Bring to Boil

Boil 2.5 minuted

Let cool slightly

Pore over popcorn

Form into Balls.

This made about 18 very large balls.

The apple flavoring is not very strong. 

I have also heard of mixing dried apple pieces into the popcorn to increase the apple flavor...

Great Harvest Bakery

Yesterday we went visiting family in West Seattle.
Squeaker fell asleep after having lunch with one of his Great Grandmothers. So she was kind enough to sit with him in the car while I ran into their Great Harvest Bakery.
This chain of bakeries in all over the Seattle area. But the one in West Seattle advertises gluten free baked goods.
They should have had cinnamon rolls, but sadly they did not.
I got a Chocolate chip cookie (with salt on it ;P)
a Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie (not as good as mine)
AND I tried their Cinnamon Chip bread.

The highlight was certainly the Bread.
It was dense, moist and super yummy.
I was tearing hunks off of the loaf and munching them down on the drive home.

I thought "this would make excellent french toast sunday afternoon" But none of it lasted that long.

I think I can pass on the cookies, but that bread was worth going back for.