I often like to attack vegan recipe challenges with gusto, spearing my spatula into the air while whisking a flax egg like a crazy person. However, as much as I like to consider myself a fearless vegan baker, there is one type of baking that makes me shake in my boots: Gluten-free baking.
I was recently asked to participate in a gluten-free and vegan recipe challenge with a group of bloggers, organized by Marly. The challenge is to create a gluten-free, vegan baked good, which will be appearing on our blogs on June 30th.
Fear set in.
Questions began to swirl through my mind.
Vegan…and gluten-free?…ahhhh! Would my oven burst into flames protesting the task? Would my husband disown me if I brought home one more ingredient from the grocery store?
Naturally, I hit reply and said I would love to participate. There would be no shaking in my apron allowed!
Given that the deadline is June 30th, I thought I would use the next few weeks to ‘get my toes wet’ with gluten-free baking. The recipe that I agreed to make for the challenge is a muffin recipe, but I decided to start with a cookie because it was ‘fail-proof’.
I think you know where this is going…heh.
I picked up Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose GF flour from the Superstore. I already had some Xanthan Gum, which has been collecting dust in my cupboard for about 2 years (it was originally purchased at Bulk Barn).
I was now armed to make GF and vegan baking magic happen! whohoo.
Mistake #1: Assuming that I could play around with a gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe….
Recipe called for too much oil.
Less oil, more applesauce, duh.
Too much sugar.
Less sugar, more…something, duh.
Uh oh, the batter is too wet.
More GF flour, duh.
As you can see, I’m a scientist in the kitchen.
Well, it wasn’t pretty. The batter- for lack of a better description- was like the coating on a worm. Glossy, and elastic. Not cool.
Mistake #2: I figured the oven could fix mistake #1.
The timer started to beep and I ran into the kitchen with nervous anticipation. I opened the door and saw a sight that no cookie lover should ever witness…
Mushy & puffy chocolate chip cookies that even Eric refused to touch. And this is coming from a man who would probably eat worms if they were covered in chocolate. I wouldn’t even go as far to say that they were ‘cake-like’ or ‘muffin-like’; they did not deserve such accolades.
‘Puffy cookie mush’ is all I can tell you.
And what the heck is going on with the cookie on the right? It looks like it exploded chocolate chips!
Alas, it might take me a few days to work up my GF and vegan baking courage again!
Fortunately, there’s always a vegan recipe that never lets me down. Ok, that was a lie.
It rarely lets me down…
That would be the Green Monster of course. A delight to the taste buds. A thank-you to the body. A reason why you should always check your teeth and green moustache before going out in public!
I knew today was going to be a hot one, so I set out for a 4-mile run just after sunrise. Before leaving for a morning run, I typically have 1/2 a banana for a bit of fuel. After the run, I did a sweaty 7-minute Whittle My Middle session (KILLER!) and then I made breakfast- a Cherry Banana Green Monster made up of 1 cup non-dairy milk, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 1 frozen banana, 2 handfuls spinach, protein powder, and 1 tbsp chia seeds.
Perfecto!
Lately, I’ve been adding Nature’s Path Kamut puff cereal for fun. This is the good kind of puff. Those cookies were not.
[FYI- My Chilled No Bake Double Chocolate Torte is vegan and gluten-free if you are looking for a successful GF + vegan dessert recipe.]
Now, this whole challenge has me curious- do I have many gluten-free readers out there?
Have you ever tried gluten-free baking? Do you have any tips for me?
I have about 20 days to get my act together…or bust!
Looking forward to your GF vegan recipe. My husband and I both have gluten sensitivity (as well as dairy and eggs). This makes for some interesting eating. Gluten free baking is very difficult, I am finding. I have been on the search for a great gluten free bread recipe for the last few years (it also has to be made without dairy and eggs–thus the difficulty). Most that I have tried have been failures :( We’ve eaten our fair share of heavy little loaves of bread. I’m looking forward to checking out all the recipes in this GF challenge.
Love your blog. I’m continually trying to get my husband to eat less meat and realize that a meal doesn’t have to include meat in order to be complete. I must say that he/we absolutely loved your Avocado pasta sauce. Thanks so much for sharing all your fabulous recipes and your lives with us!
I’ve never attempted to bake anything gluten-free because I’ve never needed to. I wouldn’t know where to start!
I’ve been celiac for a while now, so gluten free baking is pretty second nature for me! my favorite gluten free cookies is made with lemon meringue, you should definitely try it – delicious!
I am soooo excited for the recipes that you will be creating!
P.S. What kind of protein do you use in your green monsters?
Vega choc o lot right now and smoothie infusion :)
I have been cooking GF DF for over a year now. I threw away a lot of foods at first but I am really getting the hang of it now. My favorite is a lasagna I make GF, DF, and it’s vegan. Even friends and family who don’t eat a altered diet love it.
I also make my own flour mixes, pre-mixed GF flour is too high is carbs. Montina Flour and Teff are two of my favorite flours to use in baking but it can give a molasses type flavor. Teff and Sorghum used for chocolate chip cookies is Delish!
I think you learn to cook what your diet needs are. It was hard at first but now it’s hard for me to cook traditional anymore because I rarely do it. Good luck I know you will do well!
I wish I had tips for you…I don’t. I don;t avoid gluten so I have not had to cross this bridge. :)
Is it wrong that the cookies looked good to me?! haha!
I am not gluten-free but love experimenting in the kitchen, so I often play around with different gluten-free recipes. I really like this flour mix from Bryanna Clark Grogan: http://www.make-your-own-bread.com/gluten_free_flour_mix.html. You can store the big batch in the freezer and use it pretty easily as a sub for wheat flours.
I haven’t dabbled in gluten-free baking much, but I love exploring Ashley’s site – edible perspective – for her recipes using buckwheat. It’s a great alternative to flour!
I just baked some blondie bars this morning made with garbanzo beans if you can believe it!
The recipe is gluten-free and vegan:) There’s no flour in the recipe- just the pureed chickpeas, flax seed (can also sub in oat flour), baking soda, baking powder, peanut butter, dark brown sugar (or sweetener of choice), and a splash of vanilla extract.
I imagine you could play around with the proportions to create a cookie as well. Delicious, and even my wary husband would agree!
This also reminds me: my Iranian friend’s family has a well-guarded recipe for cookies made with chickpea flour. One of my favorites! In searching for a similar recipe, I’ve found this one: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2011/05/oatmeal-and-chickpea-flour-cookies/
Worth a try!
Too bad about the puffy cookies! Although I’d probably still eat them :)
Everything I bake is gluten-free and vegan, so this shouldn’t be too hard ;)
I had to experiement with gluten free baking in my internship…the results were not rpetty…so bad in fact I actually GAGGED with one of the samples. UG. I feel your pain haha
I am GF!!
Oooh is that Nature’s Path Kamut Puffs I’ve spotted in the top of that Green Monster!? :) I don’t really do much gluten free baking but lately I’ve been limiting the amount of gluten in my diet and going for chia breads (yay Silver Hills!) and gluten-free grains instead. I like to think it’s having a positive effect!
PS. Those cookie mush balls don’t look that bad. Next time, I’ll be more than happy to taste test for you!
LOL! This is great. Been there, done that. I know that some people have suggested not using Bob’s Red Mill, and I agree to a certain extent. I have a muffin recipe that I converted using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Biscuit & Baking Mix. This mix is better because it has starches in it as well as xanthan gum, plus the taste is not as strong as the bean flours.
However, because of the price and the fact that I don’t know how much starch/xanthan gum there is, I prefer my own mixes. One place that you can check out is Gluten-Free Gobsmacked (http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/my-gf-flour-blend/) who has posted a flour mix that can usually be used cup for cup in place of the gluten flour (does that make sense?). I have used it a few times when I’m just starting to play with a recipe to help me figure things out.
Also, another good blog is Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef (http://glutenfreegirl.com/). I’m sorry to say that I can’t say exactly where, but somewhere in her blog she discusses weighing the gluten-free flours instead of measuring and the workings of that; it’s all based on a particular book but I can’t remember which one off the top of my head.
Finally, Karina’s Kitchen (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/). I love her blog and she has some fabulous recipes using her own flour combinations and vegan substitutions. I can’t wait to see how you do!!! I know that it will be fabulous!!! All the best.
Ooops, and one last thing. Simpy Sugar and Gluten-Free has some great articles about gluten-free flours and blending them.
I have recently been experimenting with gluten free recipes too- I jus bought that same Bob’s Red Mill flour a few weeks ago. I have also been baking gluten free dog treats :) because a lot of pets have gluten allergies! So far, I have noticed things are more crumbly and fall apart easier- but the crumbly aspect hasn’t effected the taste (for dogs or people!)
Hi Angela,
IF you have a minute … I’m just wondering what Protein powder you used. Still Amazing Grass? I tried Vega the other day and it tasted like pure aspartame to me (obviously it wasn’t, but it just had that weird taste). Does Amazing Grass leave a weird taste as well???
Thanks :)
I am not gluten-free, but I do strive to have a low-gluten diet. Try using different flour alternatives – ground (gluten-free) oats, almond flour, rice flour (though rice flour can be finicky with texture).
I can’t wait to see what you create! I know it wil be delish! :)
I do gluten-free and vegan baking all of the time, but it took some practice to get it right.
My suggestion for newbies is to use buckwheat flour or oat flour (those flours are the easiest to work with, in my opinion, with buckwheat being great for chocolate baking (like brownies or chocolate cake) and with oat flour for lighter recipes (like vanilla cupcakes or banana bread)). Make the oat flour by grounding oats, but I prefer to buy my buckwheat and not grind kasha myself.
You should check out Gina, Gena, and Ashley’s page for gluten- free baking ideas– they’re pros at it! I eat primarily a gluten- free diet as gluten doesn’t agree with my stomach, but luckily there’s many recipes out there from amazing bloggers plus I love grains. :)
Everybody seems to be on the cherry kick these days… have you tried chocolate- cherry and coconut together? SO good