Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies

40g dark chocolate*
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup very strong coffee
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

*I use 4 squares, or 1 serving, of an 85% cocoa chocolate bar. For the coffee, I brew mine in a french press using twice as much coffee as usual.

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, mix together the ener-g with half (2 tbsp) of the coffee. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.

In a double boiler, heat the oil, chocolate, sugars, and non-dairy milk until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and add in the amaretto, the ener-g mixture, and the rest of the coffee. Transfer to a large mixing bowl (or if you're using a glass or steel mixing bowl, just place it snugly on top of a pot of simmering water and use that as your double boiler).

Add a third of the dry mix to the wet and whisk until well incorporated, adding the rest of the dry ingredients in two more batches. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp white rice flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp corn flour
1/4 cup millet flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and xanthan gum. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugars, and vanilla with a hand mixer until everything is combined. Add the non-dairy milk and beat for another minute.

Add in a third of the dry mix to the wet and beat the mix until it's incorporated, then add another third and beat into the mixture. Remove your mixer and add the rest of the dry mix, using a large spoon or spatula to mix until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon, spoon the dough onto a very lightly greased baking sheet and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip it front to back, moving it to the bottom rack, and bake for 5-7 more minutes.

Makes two dozen cookies.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Grunt (Cobbler)

1 cup sorghum flour
½ cup white rice flour
½ cup almond meal
1½ tbsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp non-dairy margarine
½ cup and 2 tbsp non-dairy milk
2 tbsp maple syrup

4 cups blueberries
½ cup and 2 tbsp cane sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
½ cup water

Start by preheating your oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flours and almond meal, baking powder, xanthan gum, cardamom, and salt. Add the margarine in chunks and work it into the flour mixture until it is largely combined. Add the milk and maple syrup and mix until a soft, moist dough forms. If the dough is too dry, slowly add ¼ cup more milk to the dough. Move the ball of dough to a sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate.

While the dough is refrigerating, add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water to a dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet. Heat on medium-high for 10-15 minutes until it noticeably thickens and remove from the heat. Take out the dough and drop small, tablespoon-sized chunks of it on top of the blueberry mixture. The dough should be spread evenly over the top of the fruit. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Rum Cake

1½ cup sorghum flour
1 cup white rice flour
½ cup almond meal
½ cup cocoa
1½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp agar agar powder
2 cups cane sugar
¾ cup unrefined coconut oil
½ cup rum
1½ cup non-dairy milk

The wet ingredients should be at room temperature, with the coconut oil still solid, but soft, before starting. Preheat your oven to 350°F and oil two 8-inch round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flours, cocoa, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and agar agar.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, coconut oil, and rum. Using a hand mixer beat the mixture for one minute, then add the almond milk and continue to beat. Working in a few batches, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat until combined. Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The cake holds together well on its own, though if pairing the two into a layer cake, you'll have a much easier time if you freeze the cakes for a few hours before putting the layers together. To serve, frost liberally with chocolate coconut rum frosting:

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil
¼ cup dairy-free margarine
½ cup cocoa powder
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp light rum
non-dairy milk as needed

Before beginning, your two fats should be at room temperature. Place the coconut oil, margarine, and rum in a medium mixing bowl and gradually beat in the sugar and cocoa, adding your non-dairy milk as needed to get the right texture. It usually takes 2-3 tbsp for me.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas (1 cup mashed)
¼ cup applesauce (see below)
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup cane sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp light rum
1 cup sorghum flour
½ cup white rice flour
¼ cup corn flour
¼ cup almond meal
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
½ tsp salt
½ cup chopped walnuts

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and oiling a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mash the bananas and add enough applesauce to bring the mixture to 1¼ cup. Add the maple syrup, rum, oil, and sugar and mix until combined.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flours and almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, spices, and salt. Fold in the walnuts, then pour the batter into an oiled loaf pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and run a paring knife around the edges to loosen the loaf, then let cool in the pan.

Raisin Puree

Raisin puree (also called raisin paste) is used in a number of commercially-produced gluten-free products. It adds some sweetness and moisture to baked goods, but also works as a fantastic binder so that quick breads and similar recipes act a little more like their wheat flour counterparts. You can make a small batch in a mini food processor by combining:

1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp water
pinch of salt

Puree together until a smooth paste forms. If working with a full-size processor, double the recipe. Store any remaining puree in an air-tight container and refrigerate (commercial bakeries also add raisin puree to baked goods to increase their shelf life, so this can be safely stored in the refrigerator for weeks).

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

2 zucchini, grated (around 2 cups worth)
3/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup raisin puree (see below)
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp light rum
2 ener-g eggs
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and oiling a loaf pan. If possible, grate the zucchini a few hours ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. You want to ring out a good amount of the liquid in them before adding them to the recipe, and grating ahead of time will make that step much easier.

This recipe calls for raisin puree, a not-so-common ingredient in home baking but one used more often in commercial baking, especially in gluten-free products. It adds a bit of sweetness and moisture to the recipe, but most importantly, it works as a fantastic binder that helps keep the zucchini bread from crumbling while slicing or eating. You can make a batch by following the directions here.

In a large bowl, combine the grated zucchini, sugar, oil, applesauce, vanilla, rum, and egg replacer. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flours and almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices, and salt. Working in two batches, mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. Fold in the walnuts and raisins.

Divide the mixture evenly between two greased loaf pans, and bake at 350 for 50 minutes (or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean). You can also bake these as muffins, reducing the cooking time to 20-25 minutes.

Intro Post

Most gluten-free flour mixes use heavy amounts of tapioca, corn, potato, or arrowroot starch. These ingredients help improve the texture and lightness of many baked goods, but a major downside to their use is that starches are pure carbohydrates with little to no nutritional value. While wheat flour usually contains around 70% starch, flour mixes that rely heavily on the addition of pure starches can also be hard for some people to digest, causing bloating, mild stomach cramps, and other things that you probably don't want to read about if you're hungry and browsing through a cooking blog.

I started baking with gluten-free flours over two years ago, and have been slowly moving towards flour mixes that don't make use of any of the starches mentioned above. I have no problem making cakes that rise or quick breads that don't crumble. This blog is a collection of the recipes I've grown to love over those years, with some tips, tricks, and suggestions for successful gluten-free baking scattered throughout. Every recipe here is also completely vegan.

I make use of the following flours in my kitchen:

Sorghum flour - I think sorghum flour tastes the closest to wheat flour, and I use it as a primary flour in most of my flour mixes. It's relatively high in protein and fiber, but since it's a bit on the heavier side, I never use it on its own. If you can't find it in the gluten-free sections of your supermarket, a lot of Indian or South Asian markets will carry it as 'jowar flour'.

White rice flour - I use white rice flour to lighten my flour mixes without resorting to pure starches. Some people (myself included) find that baked goods that rely primarily on white rice flour can be a bit grainy or chalky, especially in things like cookies, so white rice flour has more of a supporting role in my baking.

Sticky rice flour - I use sticky rice flour similarly to white rice flour, to lighten my flour mixes without resorting to pure starches. The flour should be very fine, so I highly recommend buying the flour rather than grinding it yourself. I pick mine up at a local Asian market.

Corn flour - Corn flour adds a nice texture to many gluten-free baked goods, and makes a great dredge for fried foods. Corn flour is different from corn meal, which has a coarser texture, and masa harina, which is corn flour with lime (used specifically to make tortillas).

Almond meal - Almond meal is simply almonds that have been ground into a relatively fine powder. I make my own in a coffee grinder, making sure to grind the almonds in short pulses so that I don't end up with almond butter. You can also use almond flour, which is similar to almond meal, but only uses almonds that have had the skins removed via blanching before grinding. Almond meal adds a texture similar to that of corn flour, but provides a more complimentary flavor for sweeter baked goods.

Buckwheat flour - Buckwheat flour has a strong, nutty taste that works well in certain recipes, though not all. Its similar to sorghum in that it's a particularly nutritious but heavy flour, so I rarely use it as the sole flour in a recipe.

Millet flour - Millet flour is cheap and easy to grind yourself by processing whole millet, a small yellow grain, in a coffee grinder or blender. It adds a slight buttery flavor and a flaky texture to certain baked goods, though it's too heavy a flour to bake with on its own.

And a list of some other less-commonly-found necessities I use in my baking:

Xanthan gum - A must in every gluten-free kitchen, xanthan gum somewhat duplicates the effects of gluten in baked goods. For baked goods that don't rely heavily on gluten formation in their wheat flour counterparts - cookies, cakes, muffins - I use 1/2 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup of flour. For baked goods that do rely heavily on gluten formation - breads, rolls - I use 1 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup of flour. Another less-pricey substitute is guar gum.

Agar-agar powder - Something I use only occasionally for reasons similar to xanthan gum. Agar powder will be much cheaper at your local Asian market than at an organic grocery store.

Ener-g egg replacer - My vegan egg-replacer of choice for a lot of gluten-free baked goods. It's made up of potato and tapioca starch with a few plant-based thickeners/emulsifiers.

Rum - I use light or dark rum in addition to or in place of flavored extracts in my baking. I keep a bottle in my kitchen solely for making cookies, cakes, and frostings, but in most recipes (those calling for only 1-2 tsp of rum) it can either be replaced with vanilla extract or left out entirely without altering the flavor profile too much.