Battle of the Gluten Free Flours

Battle of the GF Flours

I've tried making my own blends, gets to be a pain in the butt. I've tried Bob's Red Mill and Pamela's (both baking mix and vanilla cake mix) and like both well enough. But they are better with cakes, cookies and "quick breads". Not biscuits, rolls, pizza, etc. I aim to find flour I can make (huge huge challenge) FLAKY LAYER BISCUITS for Jacob. He simply adored the America's Test Kitchen recipe for Flaky Layer Biscuits I made him. They were better than canned could ever be, since the bread had a fresher "just baked" kinda texture. 

HOWEVER, Biscuits are the more IMPOSSIBLE goal, one that most gluten freer's don't ever seem to reach a happy place with. Its difficult to do breads and biscuits due to gf flours tendancy to get a "grainy" texture. I made one half decent one and they were half breed gf. Not 100%, I had to mix normal with gf to get them. The 100% GF ones were awful, like a corn bread textured biscuit. 

Now I did make fabulous gf cinny rolls, but I made my own flour blend and used quite a bit of garbanzo bean flour in them, which resulted in a much better texture. 

I have big plans in my future for popovers, yeast rolls, pie crusts, flaky puff pastries, biscuits and breads. I wish to find the flour that can handle it. 

The TOP Contenders?

Seems for this type of thing the top names floating around are King Aurther, Jules, C4C, and Better Batter. Now Better Batter has quite a cult following. Its been around long enough and impressed alot of people with the results. The other one I'm quite curious about is C4C. It is created by reputable chef's, and is now sold in one of my favorite stores, Williams Sonoma. Which, to my knowledge, are not known for carrying that sort of thing. Making it a very impressing option. Jules has a following, but I've heard more of BB, and King Aurther is truelly King in the normal flour world, but about mid level in the gf world. Probably equal to Bob's and Pamela's.  So IF I do choose to pick new flours to begin a "BATTLE OF THE BLENDS", I am thinking those two, C4C and BB, are my picks for the fight. Fight for who is the best bread (and biscuit) flour.

Addendum

Found a few links to try:

GF Puff Pastry

Crescent/Dinner Rolls

GF Popovers

Pineapple Updside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This turned out a bit too tantalizing, for though I'm not into pineapple, even I had to try some. Smelled Fantastic! Tasted SO GOOD! Def worth the burned flesh I got during the brown sugar melting part. 

Recipe? Its two recipes. One "altered slightly". First Williams Sonoma Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipefrom the fruit cookbook we bought, the methods and everything minus the cake mix, which was Pamela's GF Baking Mix's recipe for Yellow Cake. Basic gist would be yellow cake or vanilla cake mix or recipe. Start by buying sliced pineapple or fresh and slicing. Melt 1/4 cup butter on medium/medhigh heat, add 3/4 cup brown sugar mix and cook till small bubbles form, pour in lightly greased pan, place fruit on top, then cake mix, then cook 350 for 35+ mins. I'd suggest a cake recipe that has 2 or more eggs, or add if using mix. I'd suggest whipping egg whites to stiff peaks and folding in at end before pouring in pan.

Changes? Well, not many. I added about 1/4 ground pineapple (I had slices left) to the cake mix, and instead of milk I used a mix of half n half, heavy cream, and yogurt. That was for moistness, though not needed as the brown goo and fruit from the pan provide plenty, so I'd suggest just following directions. But a pinch or dash of cinnamon in the brown sugar butter mix was a great idea, I'd def recommend doing that, and the mashed pineapple thing. 

Enjoy! (serve warm)

Hubby sure did, he had seconds! :)

Would have had more but he complained about us being out of milk to drink, he loves his milk. We go through a gallon in about 3 days. He prefers milk with sweets, so do I. Kinda cuts the sugar.

LD

Bestest Brownies - Part 2

LANI'S DARK FUDGE (GF) BROWNIES

Hi, Have you met me? My name is Lani and I can not EVER leave well enough alone! Even if I get rave reviews from everyone, and hubby loves it, I must continue trying to PERFECT it. This "it" was my brownies. I desired them to be more brownie-ish and slightly toned down on the "punch you in the face fudge" texture. But still deeply chocolately. 

THESE ARE 100% GLUTEN FREE! YIPPY! 

But not 100% guilt free, lol, dark as they are, there is sugar and crisco/butter involved! 

3 eggs

1 cup white

3 tbsp dark brown

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup Pamela's GF Baking mix

1/2 cup butter/crisco

+ 1 tbsp butter or oil ...

to add in melting chocolate if desired

2 oz semi and 2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped

(or even one ounce more if you like)

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

large pinch of salt

nuts, add ins and espresso or coffee optional.

pre heat oven to 400

prepare square pan with foil tightly wrapped both ways, spray.

set up your double boiler, once water in pot boils turn off - add glass bowl on top and put in chocolate. stir stir stir. on the side, sift together flour, salt, and cocoa. set aside. keep eye on slowly melting chocolate. now cream together butter, and sugars, until ...well ...creamy, lol. then add vanilla and eggs, mix together. add flour mix in parts, stiring in, then slowly stir in melted chocolate. 

pour into prepared pan and cook, 25 mins. (varies by pan, oven, altitude, etc) test with toothpick, quickly, then cover with foil. let sit 30 mins, then remove, wrap with plastic and let cont cooling to the touch with saran wrap. cut with pizza cutter or knife, whatever. wrap well, and save or serve. 

serve warmed with cold vanilla icecream, yum!