Monday, February 27, 2017

GLUTEN FREE NO YEAST BAGELS with DAIRY FREE INSTRUCTIONS - Similar to Against the Grain brand bagels

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These bagels are light and delicious. Though not dense and chewy like the traditional bagel these are delightful and satisfying in their own way and very easy to make. The method and ingredients are much like Brazilian Cheese Bread, but milk is added to the batter. The texture of the bagels are similar to, but not exactly like the Against the Grain brand sold in stores.  Using this recipe the outsides of the bagels stay smooth and do not flake off when cutting, toasting or eating them.  I based this off of an Against the Grain copy cat recipe online.  I adjusted the ingredients and simplified the method and directions.
      These bagels are easily made in one bowl of a stand mixer.  You put all of the ingredients into the bowl in no particular order and mix for several minutes until smooth.  I usually like to mix the dry ingredients together first to make sure that all the powders are evenly distributed, but I got distracted and added the baking powder and salt later and it all came out perfectly.  One less step is just that much simpler.   I put the finished batter into a large plastic baggie, snipped off a corner and piped the batter into oiled doughnut pans.  With the vegan and teff versions the batter was very stiff and dough like so I just pressed pieces of that batter into the pans.
     I experimented with different ingredients.  With teff flour they look like a whole grain bagel and, depending upon how much teff I used they had a little tang and more substance to them.  I also made some with non dairy milk and non dairy cheese.  The dairy free ones came out great.  I cannot tell the difference from the dairy ones.  I also tried some egg and dairy free vegan bagels.  With these, I can tell the difference.  I used flax eggs and the bagel was a bit gummy when warm and fresh.  I cut them and froze them and when I toasted them later they were fine, no gumminess, just a little chewier than the others but very enjoyable.  In some I added baking powder.  Oddly enough the ones without the baking powder rose higher, but I preferred the texture of the ones with the baking powder.  With the baking powder the insides were lighter and more even with less holes or spaces than without the powder.  There was no difference in taste. 
     I made a few batches in one morning, then I sliced each in half, put in plastic baggies and froze them.  I just take one bagel out of the freezer and toast it before eating.  These bagels are also so much more economical to make than buying similar ready made ones.



 GLUTEN FREE NO YEAST BAGELS with DAIRY FREE INSTRUCTIONS
Makes about 12 bagels
or 8 Vegan bagels

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups/300gm
Tapioca Flour
¼ tsp.
Himalayan Sea Salt
1 tsp.
Baking Powder
3 Tbs.
Oil - light tasting such as canola or sunflower
To be more decadent and if you can have dairy you can use 3 Tbs. of melted butter instead of oil.
2 large
Eggs
For egg free or Vegan use 2 Tbs/15 gm Ground Flax seeds & 4 Tbs/60gm water - mix in a small bowl and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens then add to the batter.
5 oz./1 cup packed
Low moisture Mozzarella cheese - shredded
I ran out of mozzarella and used half mozzarella and half havarti and it came out great. 
I think that you can experiment with a mix of cheeses including cheddar, parmesian etc. to get a taste you like best.
For Dairy Free:  use a dairy free cheese - I used Daiya mozzarella style shreds
cup/5 oz.
Milk
For Dairy Free use non dairy milk - I used almond.


   
DIRECTIONS
1)    Preheat oven to 425℉.  Prepare two doughnut pans by oiling them.  Set aside.
Oiled doughnut pan.
2)    Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix for about 3 minutes until the batter is fairly smooth with some small pieces of cheese still visible.
All of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.


Vegan ingredients.  Almond milk, dairy free mozzarella shreds & flax eggs.

The dairy batter all mixed.

The dairy free batter all mixed.
It is thinner and runnier than the dairy batter.

Vegan batter.
It is thicker than the other batters.
3)   Place the batter into a large baggie and snip off one corner leaving an opening about  ¾-inch across.  (With the vegan or if you replace ¼ cup of tapioca flour with teff flour the batter will be thick and it is easier to just press pieces of the thick batter into the pan and smooth out the tops.)
Batter in a large (gallon sized) baggie with one corner snipped off.
With the thicker vegan or teff batter I just put pieces of the 'dough into the doughnut pan.
4)   Pipe some batter into the doughnut pans.  The batter can be tapped down with wet fingers to smooth out the areas where the batter ends meet.  The batter should reach the top of the pan or slightly below.
Dairy batter pipped into the pan.


Dairy free batter pipped into the pan.

Thicker dairy batter with teff batter pieces pressed into the pan.
5)   Bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Baked dairy bagels.


Baked Vegan bagels.
6)   Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely.
7)   When completely cooled, slice with a serrated knife. 
Teff bagels.
8)   Store what is not used right away in a plastic bag and freeze for later use.  Toast when ready to use.
9)   I make several batches in one day, slice and freeze them.  Yum!

Notes on adding some Teff Flour: 
I made one batch and added 2 Tbs. to the batter.  The bagels looked a bit darker like whole wheat ones but there was not much difference in flavor though the crust was crispier.

I made another batch replacing ¼ cup/60gm of the tapioca flour with an equal amount of teff.  These bagels looked much darker, had a tang to them and were a bit heartier.  The crust was also crispier.  I might add a Tbs. of honey or sugar to the next teff batch to offset the tang and sort of mimic honey whole wheat bagels.


Thursday, February 9, 2017

GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS


Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These GF Peanut Butter Muffins have a definite peanut butter taste.  They are moist and very tasty.  You can eat them alone or with you favorite jam.
     I transformed a wheat recipe for peanut butter bread into this GF muffin recipe.  The batter came out very thick.  It did not spread and smooth out during baking, but stayed as I had scooped it out into the paper liners.  If you like the lumpy top look you can just leave them as they scoop out, but if you like a smooth top I would suggest smoothing out the tops with wet hands before baking.  If you are artistic you could make some designs or shapes with the batter on top of the muffins.
     The muffins are not too sweet and very satisfying.  If you like peanut butter you will love these!  Enjoy!


GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS
Makes about 17

INGREDIENTS
1 cup
Sorghum Flour
½ cup
Tapioca Flour
¼ cup
Chickpea Flour
¼ cup
Coconut Flour
¾ tsp.
Xanthan Gum
4 tsp.
Baking Powder
1 cup
Peanut Butter - I used smooth with only peanuts as an ingredient & no salt
1 cup
Milk of Choice - I used almond
(If you use regular milk the recipe will not be dairy free.)
½ cup
Sugar - I used evaporated cane juice
½ tsp.
Himalayan Sea Salt


DIRECTIONS
1)     Preheat the oven to 375℉.  Prepare two muffin tins by lining them with 17 paper cupcake liners.
2)   In a medium bowl add the flours, xanthan gum and baking powder and mix together well.  Set aside.
3)   In the bowl of a stand mixer add the peanut butter, salt, sugar & milk and mix until well combined and smooth.
Peanut butter, salt, sugar and milk mixed together.
4)   All at once add the flour mixture and mix until the batter is smooth.
All of the flour added to the peanut butter mixture.


Batter after mixing until smooth.
5)   Scoop out the batter into the paper liners.  They should be about ¾ full.  If you prefer smooth even tops, smooth out the tops of the muffins using wet hands.  The batter is thick and will pretty much remain in whatever shape it lands.  You could have fun with it and make some designs on top if you are creative.
Raw batter scooped out into the paper liners.
6)   Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the center springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Peanut Butter Muffins after baking.
 Note that the batter stayed in the same shape as it was scooped out.

7)   Place on racks to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  The first two days they are fine as they are, but after that they are better warmed up before eating.  These can be frozen for longer storage.  Just thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes and/or heat them up before serving.
The inside of a muffin.


A muffin with jam.
It is just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

GLUTEN FREE COCONUT CUPCAKES

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These yummy GF Coconut Cupcakes are easy to make and very delicious.  The texture is fluffy and moist and they have a delicate coconut flavor.  Using a glaze instead of frosting makes them just sweet enough and very easy to frost.  The toasted coconut on top give them a nice crunchy bite.  If you prefer you can use untoasted coconut for a crunch free texture.
     I used butter, and have not tried making these cupcakes with dairy free ingredients yet, but I’m sure the recipe would come out well.  When doing dairy free baking I usually substitute half margarine and half non-hydrogenated shortening and have very good results.
     Enjoy!

    
     GLUTEN FREE COCONUT CUPCAKES
Makes 12 - 17

Ingredients
CAKE
1 Stick/4 oz./8 Tbs.
Unsalted Butter
2 Tbs.
Vegetable Oil - light tasting such as sunflower or canola
1 cup
Sugar - I used evaporated cane juice crystals
½ tsp.
Himalayan Sea Salt
2 large
Eggs
1 ½ tsp.
Vanilla Extract
cup/5 oz.
Milk
½ cup
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
½ cup
Sorghum Flour
¼ cup
Tapioca Flour
2 Tbs.
Chickpea Flour
2 Tbs.
Coconut Flour
¾ tsp.
Xanthan Gum
2 tsp.
Baking Powder


GLAZE
½ cup
Confectioner’s Sugar
2 tsp.
Milk


TOPPING
¼ cup
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut


Directions
CAKE
1)    Preheat the oven to 350℉.  Line muffin tins with 17 paper liners.
2)  In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer or (elbow grease) and a wooden spoon, cream the butter, salt and sugar together until light and creamy.
3)  Mix in eggs, one at a time until combined.
4)  Add vanilla, oil, milk & coconut and mix well.
Creamed butter and sugar after the eggs and milk are mixed in.
5)  In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and xanthan gum and whisk together until well blended.  Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture and mix until smooth.
The flour mixture added to the butter mixture. 
Batter mixed until smooth.
6)  Using a scoop that measures 2 inches across, scoop the batter into each paper liner.  The liner cups should be ⅔ full. 
Batter scooped into paper liners.
7)  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Cupcakes after baking.
8)  Spread the ¼ cup of coconut out on a small baking sheet and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the coconut turns golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  You can toast the coconut before or while the cupcakes are baking.
Toasted coconut.
9)  Allow the cupcakes to cool completely in a rack before glazing them.

GLAZE
1)    Add the confectioner’s sugar to a small bowl. 
2)    Add the milk one tsp. at a time until a thick liquid is formed.
3)    Use a teaspoon to pour some glaze on top of each cupcake and spread the glaze with the back of the spoon.

4)    While the glaze is still wet sprinkle some toasted coconut on top of each cupcake.
Center left front - no glaze.
Center right front - with glaze.
The rest of the cupcakes have glaze and toasted coconut on top.