Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I've tried several pizza "crust" recipes and this one is definitely a keeper. Hubby said he would eat it again, gladly, and that is a ringing endorsement! He knows that if he doesn't tell the truth, he will have to eat it again.

 

1 cup Brown Rice Flour Mix

1/2 cup Buckwheat flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 packet (1/4 oz) dry quick-rise yeast

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp water, heated to 110 degrees Farenheit

 

 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl of electric mixer. Pour olive oil and warm water into mixing bowl; mix until just blended.

 

2. Scrape bowl and beaters, and then beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

 

3. Spoon dough into center of prepared pan (I used a round baking stone). Use a cake spatula to move dough from center to outer rim of pan. Make the dough as thin as possible.

 

4. Cover with a light cloth and let dough rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes. Pizza crust should double in height.

 

5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees while pizza dough is rising.

 

6. Bake pizza in pan for 15-16 minutes. Pizza shoule be light golden in color. Remove from oven and cover with pizza sauce and topping of your choice. I used marinara sauce, spinach, mozzarella, and crisp bacon.

 

7. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10  minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.



Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

These are some seriously good cupcakes! Thank you Annalise Roberts.

 

 

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups Brown Rice Flour mix

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners ina 12-cupcake baking pan.

 

2. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is light lemon in color.

 

3. Add flour, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, oil, milk and vanilla, and beat at medium speed for 1 minute.

 

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place in center of oven and bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until center springs back when touched lightly.

 

5. Cool on rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan onto wire rack and cool completely.

 

6. Frost with favorite frosting or glaze.

 

 

Note: This recipe can be halved. Cupcakes can be frozen up to three weeks.



Lemon-Lime Pound Cake

My sister's mention of using 7-Up in cakes during the 70s brought back many pleasant memories of the marathon baking that we used to do for Christmas as the Monsoon rains pounded the windows. And as luck would have it, Southern Living's February issued featured this Lemon-Lime Pound Cake on the front cover, tempting me -- "bake me ... bake me" ... it called out to me.  And this weekend I gave in.

1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) butter, softened

3 cups sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup lemon-lime soft drink (7-Up/Sprite)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended. Stir in lemon zest and vanilla extract.

4. Add flour to butter mixture alternately with lemon-lime drink, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until just blended after each addition.

5. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.

6. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Check on cake after 40 minutes to make sure that cake doesn't brown too quickly (tent with foil if it does).

7. Cool cake in pan for 10 - 20 minutes; remove cake from pan and finish cooling on wire rack.

8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or make a glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice (I use 1 cup of powdered sugar and about 3 tsp. of lemon juice -- add a teaspoon at a time).





Baked Salmon Cakes

Lent is coming up which means lots of meatless or fish Fridays are around the corner. Sarah found this recipe last year and I modified it a little to fit in with what I had, and this was a hit with the family. These salmon cakes can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal.

 

1/2 pound wild Alaskan salmon filet, fresh or frozen (if frozen thaw overnight in the refrigerator)

kosher salt, to taste

olive oil cooking spray

1 tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

3 tbsp light mayonnaise

3 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 large egg, lightly beaten

 

 

1. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat up a saute pan, spray with oil and add salmon. Cook salmon pieces 4 to 5 minutes until lightly brown, and then turn and cook another 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

 

2. Add olive oil to the pan and add onion, celery, peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for about 18 - 20 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Set aside to cool off.

 

3. Flake the salmon in a large bowl, add breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard and egg. Mix together and add vegetables and mix well. Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking pan with foil and lightly spray. Shape salmon mixture into 15 patties (use 1/4 measurement).

 

 

 

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on each side until bottoms are a golden brown. Serve immediately with a dressing of your choice.

 

 

Note: You can make this gluten free by replacing the breadcrumbs with crushed rice cereal. I have made this substitution many times and it works beautifully.



 



Cinnamon French Toast Bake

There's snow on the ground and I have the urge to bake things with cinnamon in them ... sending those heavenly smells wafting through the house.  This is a quick recipe that uses Pillsbury's Cinnabon rolls and I've tried to reduce the calories by using reduced fat ingredients.

 

1 can reduced fat Pillsbury Cinnabon Rolls (12.4 oz)

1/4 cup fat free half and half

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup maple syrup

 

 

1. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a 8 x 8 square pan in a hot oven. Remove from oven when butter has melted.

 

2. Open the can of rolls, set the can of icing aside. Cut each roll into eight pieces and place the pieces in the square pan on the melted butter.

 

3. Beat the half and half and eggs together. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and pour over the cinnamon roll pieces, making sure that all the pieces are coated. Set aside.

 

4. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until french toast is golden brown.

 

5. Remove pan from oven and set aside for about 10 minutes. Heat icing in the microwave for a few seconds, and then drizzle over the french toast bake. Serve with maple syrup.



Buckwheat Bread

On a beautiful fall day in the Shenandoah Valley, we stopped in Wade's Mill in Raphine, Virginia, and much to my delight, I found that the store was selling some of its milled products including the much elusive (at least in Henrico, VA) buckwheat. I grabbed the last two bags!

I haven't wasted any time trying out my buckwheat. Today I made buckwheat bread with a recipe I found on the internet (and yes, I made some adjustments), and it is a keeper.

 

Wade's Mill in Raphine, Virginia, built around 1750

 

Buckwheat Bread

 

1 1/2 cups glutenfree flour

1/2 c buckwheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 egg whites or 1 egg

1 c reduced fat milk

1/2 c vegetable oil

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

2. Grease a medium sized loaf pan.

 

3. Sift flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.

 

4. Beat egg or egg whites. Stir in milk and oil.

 

5. Add flour mixture to egg & milk mixture, and beat for 3 minutes.

 

6. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 55 minutes.

 

7. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

 

 

 

Note: Store buckwheat flour in the fridge or freezer for a longer shelf life.



Peanut Butter Frosting

 

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

 

1. In an electric mixer bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until combined and fluffy.

 

2. Add vanilla extract and beat well. Add a 1/3 of icing sugar until well combined and add 1/2 of milk and beat well, and continue until sugar and milk are used up. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.

 

3. Makes 2 1/2 cups frosting for 24 cupcakes.