Going Gluten Free Simply

Three years ago, after having my first seizures, my doctor recommended that I go gluten free.  At first this was extremely daunting to me, but it has worked out to be not a big deal.  Since many people have to go off of gluten these days, I thought I'd share a few of my experiences with you and pass on what I know, in case you're interested.

Many of the gluten free recipes I have found online seem so complicated, with all sorts of strange ingredients, or they also try to leave out all kinds of other ingredients like eggs or dairy, which don't bother me.  So, since I like simplicity I have found this gluten free flour mix to work very well in many recipes that use baking powder rather than yeast, like quick breads, pancakes, and brownies.  However, I have found that if you do not have eggs in your recipe, it does not work well.  I can substitute gluten free flour for regular flour, or applesauce for eggs in a recipe, but not both!

You can purchase it on Amazon here--  Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix

The one place I use it with yeast is in my pizza crust, which is simple.  Here is the recipe--

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

1/2 c. gluten free baking mix
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 c. warm water

Mix and spread on greased cast iron skillet.  Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes, top with favorite toppings and bake 10 more minutes or till cheese is slightly browned.  (serves 1)

Another easy gluten free bread I love that satisfies my bread cravings is this gluten free cornbread mix.  Trust me, it is so good!  It is found at Walmart or online at Amazon here-- Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix

 

Recently a friend gave me a bunch of her gluten free flours that she no longer needed, and I did a little experimenting this week and made some banana bread with them.  It turned out so great I decided to share that recipe with you too.  It will take a few more ingredients, but these can be found at most health foods stores.

 



 

Gluten Free Banana Bread

 

2 overripe bananas

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. milk

1/2 c. rice flour

1/2 c. milo (sorghum) flour

1/2 c. coconut flour

1/2 c. tapioca flour

(or you can just use 2 cups regular flour if you don't need to be gluten free)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped nuts

 

Beat together bananas, sugar, and eggs until light.  Stir in milk.  Add flours, salt, soda and baking powder and mix thoroughly.  Stir in butter, vanilla, and nuts.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 about an hour or till done.

 

I hope this helps someone!