Gluten Free Yellow Cake Cupcakes

So I finally got around to making those gluten free yellow cake cupcakes I’ve been talking about… and they turned out really well.  I did use my own little twist thought b/c ya’ll know I’m frugal (aka cheap) and do my best not to buy those expensive prepacked gluten free mixes.  So I guestimated from the Gluten Free Pantry box that I needed about 33 tablespoons of a gluten free flour blend which turns out to be a little over 2 cups of a gluten free flour blend.

Gluten Free Yellow Cake Cupcakes

The gluten free flour blend I used was:

3/4 C brown rice flour
3/4 C sorghum flour
1/4 C tapioca flour
1/4 C potato flour
1 TB guar gum

1 package organic instant vanilla pudding
1/2 C sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C canola oil
3/4 C orange juice
1 TB + 2 ts organic vanilla extract

I followed the rest of the recipe from A Gluten-Free Guide but I used organic instant vanilla pudding that can be found in most natural sections of grocery stores.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix wet ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients into wet mixture (I used my mixer).  Line muffin tins with paper liners and fill 1/2 to 3/4 to top.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

The cupcakes came out moist, but rather dense and the orange juice flavor is a bit much for my pallet but we’ll see what the little people think.  It will be interesting to see how these hold up being stored.  My niece isn’t too fond of them, I think it’s the orange juice flavor she doesn’t like so next time I will use less OJ.  So when my little ones get back from their outting with daddy we’ll see what they think.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed b/c they have a birthday coming up in March!

Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins

Okay so tonight I totally cheated and grabbed a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix… I was going to make those gluten free cupcakes I’ve been salivating over but I just didn’t have time tonight to make anything from scratch.  I used the Bob’s gluten free cornbread mix according to the package except I cut in another 2 tbs of butter to keep the muffins moist.  I used  organic whole cow’s milk (yuck I know, but it actually improves the texture of gluten free baked goods).  I’m starting to realize that gluten free baking and rice milk just don’t mix… the texture just doesn’t come out right.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread

They turned out pretty good, the kids loved them but I think they could have been sweeter, so next time I’ll add a little sugar to the mix.  Overall, the gluten free cornbread muffins were pretty good… now we’ll see how they hold up overnight and if they’re still soft and moist tomorrow!

Gluten Free Yellow Cake Cupcakes

My task for tomorrow is to FINALLY make the  Gluten Free Yellow Cupcakes courtesy of A Gluten-Free Guide.  I’ll have to modify the recipe a bit but we’ll see how it turns out… wish me luck!

The little guy has been wheat/gluten free for over a week now and it was tough, even DH thinks he was going through withdrawal and his behavior was unbearable at times.  But now he’s back to “normal” again since we’ve put him back on the gluten free diet.  I know there’s still some controversy concerning gluten and autism but I’m telling you I’ve seen the difference in my child.

So anyway, we’ll see how these gluten free cupcakes turn out… I’ll be posting pics!

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Muffins

So my last experiment with gluten free muffins took me on a venture to try coconut flour as the base.  First off, $12.00 for a freaking 2lb bag of coconut flour was a sucker punch in the gut… but I figured my little guy’s sanity is worth it, or should I say my sanity b/c he’s driving me nuts right now.  I seriously think he’s going through wheat-withdrawal but that’s another story.

So anyway, I get home and try the recipe on the front of my $12.00 bag of coconut flour and get to baking.  It was a fairly easy recipe that called for the usual ingredients, eggs, butter, milk, vanilla, etc… but only coconut flour was used.  Of course, I didn’t have any cow’s milk but the genius of a husband told me to use eggnog – organic of course (he’s got cartons of this crap around)… so we figure what the hell, instead of running to the store we’ll just add some eggnog in there.  BAD IDEA!

Gluten Free Coconut Honey Muffins

The muffins came out nice and golden brown, the texture was a tad bit dry but the muffins were actually light and fluffy.  So the true taste test comes from the little people, A-man took a bite and handed me the muffin back and told me he didn’t like it, AliKat did the same thing and even my niece T gave it back!  Ok, so three kids giving the muffins the stink-eye isn’t good… I actually thought they were pretty good but the eggnog flavor overpowered the actual flavor of the muffins, SOOOOO long story short I’m going to try it again with plain ol’fashioned milk and see what the minis think.

Hey, at least we tried!

Leftover Gluten Free Bread

Hmmm, well the Gluten Free bread I made was soft and moist the day I baked… 2 days later, not so soft and moist!  Next recipe I’m going to add some organic pudding to the mixture to see if that helps retain the moisture.

So the boy won’t eat the bread now, he says it’s “too bad”… so here I sit with a quarter loaf of bread that neither child nor husband will touch, and I’m not a bread person so it’s just sitting here.  Hey, maybe the birds will like it!

Until my next trial and error quest for the perfect gluten free bread… Happy New Year!

Gluten Free SOFT Bread!!!!

So I finally made a gluten free bread that is so soft and fluffy it will practically melt in your mouth (well almost).  I used a combination of recipes to create my own little GF recipe that the minis loved!

The outside of the bread is crunchy, the center is soft and chewy… the secret is Orgran Gluten Free Self Rising Flour.

Gluten Free Soft Bread

Gluten Free Soft Bread Recipe:

1 C water – room temperature
1 ts salt
3 TB butter, softened
2 TB honey
3 C Orgran Gluten Free Self Rising Flour
1/4 C milk (unfortunately, rice milk did not give the right consistency)
2 TB sugar
1 TS yeast (I use less than a full teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a loaf pan.
Add yeast, salt and sugar to water and let proof.
In a mixer with dough hook, add water/yeast mix, butter, honey, flour and milk.
Mix until smooth and thick – the mix will not look like bread dough but more like a thick pudding.
Scoop the mix into your loaf pan and let rise for 2-3 hours.
Bake on 350 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and knife comes out clean.
I butter my loaf while it’s hot to keep it moist and soft.

I’ll see how it holds up being stored… considering I baked the bread at 6pm and it’s now 9pm and half the loaf is gone, I’m probably going to make a few of loaves at a time and freeze the extras.

The Hiatus is Over

Well since October my husband has come home from the Middle East, but he’s only here until January 09 so we’re enjoying our time together.  A-man is still seeing his speech therapist and behavioral specialist… while he did test genetically-negative for celiac disease, the allergist believes he’s definitely got a wheat sensitivity so we’re putting him back on a gluten free diet.  We’ve also seen a neurologist who has told us he’s an Asperger’s kid but we’re doing yet another evaluation to get a proper feel for exactly where A-man is.

What a ride it’s been but I’m ready to take the bull by the horns… I’m beginning A-man’s gluten free diet again tomorrow, I’ve decided to let him eat my homemade pizza twice a month but everything else will be gluten free.  His behavior is unbearable when we let him eat wheat on a daily basis, and it’s obviously negatively affecting his brain so… bye bye wheat and gluten!

My new recipe to try tomorrow – Gluten Free Yellow Cupcakes courtesy of A Gluten-Free Guide.  I’ll have to modify the recipe to make it organic… the recipe calls for Jello brand products which is a no-go in our house.