Enjoy Baking Gluten Free Foods

 

Enjoy Baking Gluten Free Foods

Good Morning.  I have been checking out blogs all morning. And have noticed that many are just as frustrated as I am when it comes to baking foods that taste good and "normal."  I have been Gluten Free for 8 years now, and have gone through all the frustrations of experiencing good and bad foods, and on a very limited income. I have 4 children, and they love to eat my baked goods.

I also love to eat and bake, so when I found out I needed to be gluten free, I became disappointed when the pre-mixed bags and boxes of things  that either tasted like cardboard, fell apart when heated, or was way too expensive for me to afford.  I spent 3-4 years trying to come up with a recipe that I could afford, that my kids would like and that I could eat.  

I tried all kinds of mixes, playing with the combination of flours that I found on the ingredient list of foods I liked.  Most of the flour mixes would either bake flat, taste hard and chewy or like cardboard.  Some mixes used garbanzo flour and that would make my sweeter breads and pancakes taste like beans.  Then I started using tapioca flour, as I noticed some of the better tasting foods included this in the ingredient list.

My mix is simple, not too expensive, and quick to make.  It is also Dairy and Egg free, for those who are avoiding these foods as well.  Use this flour mix, cup for cup in all of your baking needs and also in graves or sauces that are your favorite.  

I usually purchase the flour at a local Natural Grocery store in bulk, It is a little cheaper that way.  I spend about $75 on the combination of flours, and the mix lasts me for about 2 months of regular, weekly baking for my whole family and occasionally for my friends.

I hope you can use and enjoy this mix in all of your baking and cooking needs.

   Gluten Free Flour Mix     

6 cups of White Rice flour

3 cups of Tapioca flour

10 tsp  of Xanthan gum

In a large bowl, mix the above ingredients thoroughly.  Use cup for cup in all of your favorite recipes, sauces and gravies. Store in an air tight container.  Enjoy and surprise your friends and family with your new cooking experience!  They will not be able to taste the difference!

Look forward to my further recipes that I will be posting at a later date.  All my recipes, will include this basic mix of gluten free flour.

My Story of becoming gluten free.

I am a mother of 4 and have been gluten free for 8 years.  I was unusually sick for several years.  During my 3rd pregnancy, I was getting sicker, so I inquired of my doctor if he could help me solve my health issues.  He prescribed a few medications of which I had allergic reactions to.  During this time, I had read in a Reader's Digest Magazine of a woman with the exact same symptoms during her third pregnancy as well.  She, upon doing her own research, asked her Doctor to test her for Celiac Disease.  She was told by him that her problems were just because she was allergic to being pregnant, and that the symptoms would go away after the baby was born.  When I approached my Doctor and asked him to test me for Celiac Disease, he basically told me the same thing.  After 2 months of insisting with him, he finally had me tested for Celiac Disease and the test came back positive.  I then started the long journey of finding foods I could eat, without them being tasteless,  chewy and cardboard texture.  I have since discovered how to bake and cook foods that my kids and family can enjoy and not realize they are eating gluten free.  I have made complete meals for company that are gluten free, and they don't realize that they are eating gluten free until I tell them at the end of the meal.  Then they praise me for being able to make it taste "normal".  I would love to share my secrets with you.