Baked

How's your week going? I've had a couple of crack-of-dawn photo shoots rescheduled, as the weather just didn't cooperate....but not until we were already at the shoot location.  I made these muffins since I had suddenly had some spare time ;)  I've had rosemary and orange in a salad dressing, and it turns out this combo works really well in a basic cornmeal muffin. Love it.

Orange & Rosemary Cornmeal Muffins - makes 10-12 

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour (I used 1 cup gluten free flour*)

1/4 cup raw sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

* mix together 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch, 1 cup tapioca flour. Store in the fridge in a jar.

Preheat oven to 375f. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Pour into flour mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the orange zest and rosemary. 

Pour batter into baking cups and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in centre, comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little before eating. 

If you try them out, let me know what you think. 

Have a nice day! Back soon.

Janis

 

Baked

I haven't done much baking these days. Life has been a touch hectic, and I've been working on on The Butter cookbook, with Rosie Daykin, so I really haven't needed to bake!  Thank you Rosie for all the cupcakes, cookies, and bars ;) I did need a little something, the other day, when I was trying to sort out my office (after the tax year end fiasco). These fixed my orange cookie craving for the day. The recipe has been adapted from Alice Medrich's recipe in Pure Dessert.

Buckwheat Orange Cookies - makes about 60 (if using a 1.5 inch cookie cutter)

1 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix (or regular all purpose flour)

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon guar gum (only if using gluten free flour)

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

rind of two medium oranges (make sure to use organic oranges)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the flours together into a medium size bowl. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, until smooth and creamy. Stir in the orange rind and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Split the dough in half and flatten out each piece, then wrap in plastic wrap. Chill over night. 

When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350f/180c. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes and place about 1 inch apart, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until just slightly browned on the edges. 

Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely. You can eat them as is (delicious), but I had some white chocolate, so I melted it, along with a splash of cream, in a saucepan over low heat. I drizzled the chocolate over the cooled cookies. Extra delicious. 

Have you baked with buckwheat before? Though it's name sounds wheaty, it isn't, so it's perfect if you're aiming for a gluten free diet. It also tastes so flipping good, and is better for you too (I'm trying!). 

Have a good day! Back soon.

Janis 

Baked

Happy hump day! Hope your week is going well.

I love this bread. Really. It's amazing. You wouldn't think it was gluten free, as it's not the least bit dry, and it doesn't crumble apart when slicing it. Super easy to make too. Promise.

Brown Rice Bread with Pumpkin Seeds - makes one 3"x8" loaf.

1 cup very warm water
1 8g packet of instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sorghum* flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup skim milk powder
2 teaspoons guar gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 egg
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

* for the what's what on sorghum, click here.

Spray a 3"x8" loaf pan with oil, then line with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for about 5 minutes until mixture starts to foam. In a large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat together egg, egg whites, vinegar and oil until well blended. Add yeast mixture and beat to combine. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry mixture. On medium speed, beat dough for 5 minutes. Scrape dough into prepared pan and allow to sit in a warm spot, for about 60 minutes, or until dough has risen to top of pan.

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Bake for about 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped on bottom. Allow to cool, in pan, on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Have a great day! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

Hello all! How's your week going?

I baked some healthy(ish) cookies the other day. I'm still trying to use less wheat flour, and I have to admit, I do feel better for it, but I feel I may fall off the wagon soon. ;) I didn't feel half as bad when I realized I had eaten 6 while taking their portrait.  

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies - makes about 30

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon guar gum

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 smooth peanut butter (I used unsweetened)

1/4 unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown rice crisp cereal (like a healthier version of rice crispies)

1 85g dark chocolate bar, chopped (milk chocolate is also pretty fantastic)

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped (roast in a 350f oven for about 8 minutes)

a little milk for pressing out dough. 

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

Whisk together, buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, guar gum, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix until just combined. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Fold in chocolate, cereal and peanuts. 

Roll tablespoons full into a ball, and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in milk or water. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just starting to turn a golden colour. 

Place on a wire rack to cool. These are delicious, not too sweet, and addictive. I love the crispy bits.

Have a lovely day! Back soon,

Janis

Baked

Ah, the sun is shining. Makes it an even better hump day. How's your week going?

I was craving something not quite cake like, more like pudding, and not too sweet, so I baked some clafoutis. Have you tried it? It's so simple and delicious. Here's the recipe...

Blueberry Almond Clafoutis - makes 2 small or one large

1 half pound of fresh or frozen blueberries (I had some in the freezer)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup milk
1/3 cup raw sugar (or regular granulated)
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons sliced almonds for topping

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray two 5 inch oven proof pans, or one 9 inch pan, with oil, and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and egg whites together in a large bowl, until well mixed. Keep whisking while adding milk, then sugar, almond extract, almond meal, salt and cornstarch. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Layer the bottom of each pan with blueberries, then pour batter over berries. Sprinkle the tops with sliced almonds. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!

Let me know if you give this one a go - I'd love to know what you think.

Have a lovely day! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

I've baked various versions of this cake a few times now. I found the recipe in Chatelaine magazine, but I did make some changes to make it a little less "gluten free" in taste and texture. You should definitely give this one a shot if you need to bake something chocolatey, delicious, and gluten free!

Chocolate Cake - makes one 9" cake

1 cup milk, at room temp
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon guar gum (can find in specialty food stores and it's cheap!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:
1 cup 33% cream (whipping cream)
110 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey

To make cake:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray a 9 inch round cake pan with oil. You can also use a 10" bundt  pan, but I don't have one of those ;)
Whisk together milk and coffee in a large bowl, until coffee has completely dissolved. Whisk in eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and guar gum, then add to milk mixture. Whisk well. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake in centre of oven until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean, about 25- 30 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan, completely, on a wire rack before inverting onto a cake plate.

To make glaze:
Heat cream in a small saucepan until almost comes to a boil. Add chocolate and stir until just melted. Stir in honey. Drizzle over top of cake. Enjoy!

If you make this cake, I'd love to know what you think.  I love it. Another good thing is that it's pretty high in protein and fibre, due to the flour mix. ;)

That's it for now. Hope your week is off to a good start!
Back soon,
Janis