Now that there’s 100+ recipes on the blog, I’m going to start adding pages. In the coming weeks, I’ll put up pages on non-dairy milks, gluten-free flours, sweeteners, and thickeners and stabilizers. Pages will provide different things but give basics on how to use each and what works best in different situations.
For example, when making a sauce or pudding where non-dairy milk needs thickening, soy is not the best alternative since it’s almost impossible to thicken or when a delicate flavor is needed, rice milk is the best. Or, when baking a cake, a mix of gluten-free flours works better than using just brown rice flour. Another example, while monk fruit powder is a great sweetener, it doesn’t mix well with cranberries.
Here’s the start of the gluten-free flour listings:
Almond Flour:
Uses: Good for cookies and course grained cakes; adds a sweet and nutty flavor to baked goods
Storage: Should be stored in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place
Basic Ingredient: It’s made from grinding almonds so can be course in texture
Nutritional Properties: High in protein, vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids.
Other: Not allergy friendly for people with nut allergies or sensitivities; course texture not right for all baking uses
Amaranth Flour:
Uses: Mostly used in cereals, pastas, pancakes, biscuits, crackers, bread and cookies; absorbs fats so a good thickener or flour for high-fat baked goods; nutty flavor but can leave a bitter aftertaste
Storage: Store in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place in air tight container
Basic Ingredient: Amaranth flour was widely used by the Aztec and Inca civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. It is produced by grinding seeds from the amaranth plant into a fine flour.
Nutritional Properties: High in protein, lysine, methionine and iron; twice the calcium per ounce as cow’s milk
Other: Use in combination with other flours
I hope you’ll find these pages useful.
cookingwithoutallergens 