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!
LOVE this post, Angela. The funny thing is your pictures are so good that those cookies don’t really look so bad! I’m not gluten free but I do love experimenting with new ingredeints and have tried almond flour and coconut flour so far. I made almond flour cookies and thought they were great– more like a “soft baked” cookie in texture than your crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside kind, but really good nonetheless. Coconut flour has worked well for me too but I’m not vegan and recipes with it usually call for a few eggs to act as a binder. Good luck with your recipe testing!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with :)
Try putting the dough in the refridgerator. This helps for some Reason to make it more cookie like. This is what a gluten free bakery owner told my sister. It helps to make them chewy like a real cookie.
interesting, thanks!
I’m a gluten free reader and I couldn’t be more excited to see what you come up with :) I’d say avoid bob’s mixes. In my opinion, bob’s mixes = yucky, mostly because they rely on bean or rice flours too heavily. I like to use combinations of GF oat flour, rice flour, buckwheat flour, or coconut flour, plus xanthum gum.
I agree with you, Colleen. Bob and his Red Mill do a a great job with many gluten free products, but the flour mix falls short in the taste category. I’m just starting to bake more GF treats and have found the Gluten Free Pantry all purpose flour mix to be quite tasty.
As a gluten free vegan reader, I can’t wait to see the trial and error…and your inevitable success, Angela! Good luck and have fun!
Oh man – it would make my life so much easier to have more vegan and gluten-free baked goods to make – I am not %100 vegan, but I’m allergic to eggs, so most of the recipes I use end up being vegan. And my husband HAS CELIAC’s!! DOH!! It basically means there are NO baked goods eaten in our house.
Me me me!! But you already knew that. ;) Check out Roost blog for lovely GF baked good recipes. I haven’t tried GF chocolate chip cookies yet. I would imagine it being pretty difficult. I”m obsessed with the little cakes I’ve been making and no xanthan gum necessary. I haven’t tried out that flour mix, but have heard good things. Can’t wait to see your final recipe. I know you’ll figure it out!!!
I saw that Roost blog on your blog last week and OMG it stunning!!!! A new fav, thank for sharing! And yes I will certainly be going to your bloggie for GF recipes! Im sure it will only get better from here…well, I hope, haha ;)
Hi Angie,
We are gluten free family and let me tell u something….xanthum gum is evil. It is the most disgusting thing in the whole world. Using sweet rice flour is good as it has a glutinous quality while being gluten free. We live in the US and I usually buy Maple Grove Farms gluten free pancake mix for cupcakes and cakes. Makes killer pancakes and cupcakes. You can also visit glutenfreegoddess.com. She has some really good recipes as well.
Hello Angela: Thank you for sharing your flops in the kitchen as well because I know I have plenty and it makes me oh so sad. I have a successful gluten-free Pumpkin Muffin recipe if you are interested in giving it a try. My kids love them and they have turned out successful everytime.
Let me know if you are interested.
Another GF reader here. There’s definitely a learning curve. If you want to substitute GF flour for wheat flour in a recipe, it is best to do it by WEIGHT because 1 cup of a mixture of tapioca and sweet rice flour will weigh much different from 1 cup of wheat flour, and that’s what matters. Also, the “batter” will look very strange– it will be stick, lumpy, sometimes runny– and that’s OK. Don’t compare the unbaked GF version to the regular batter. My two favorite sites for baking recipes are the Gluten Free Girl and Elana’s Pantry. And for what it’s worth, GF muffins are the easiest thing to make. GF baked goods are super tender, which is what you want for a muffin (this is what makes making good bread difficult). I ad lib muffin recipes all the time and they almost always turn out at least good, sometimes great. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I find vegan baking hard enough as it is – I can’t imagine trying vegan AND gluten free baking. It seems like there are so many limitations! But it’s been done before and I’m sure if anyone can come up with a masterpiece recipe, it’s you. ;)
My MIL is gluten free, so I make her some tasty treats for Sundays when we go visit. My favourite flour is Pamela’s Baking and Pancake mix. it’s basically an equal exchange with almost any recipe. Sometimes you also need to add xanthan gum, but it depends on the recipe. One good recipe source that I enjoy is foodgawker. Just click the gluten-free category at the bottom. Or, like I said, just use an existing recipe and exchange with the flour ;)
I love foodgawker…tons of vegan recipes too!
I’m a gluten-free reader! My son was recently diagnosed with celiac disease so we’ve been learning the ropes of GF eating. This new change is in addition to his severe allergy to all nuts, lentils and green peas. I would love your recipe to also be free of these too! Good luck, happy baking!
I had to stop reading and catch my breath, because the mental image of you whisking and wielding your spatula (with a vegan battle cry a la Braveheart, no doubt) was just too much! I fell over laughing. The only GF flour I’ve attempted to use is besan (chickpea), but as I’ve only made socca, I don’t think that counts. I would love to look into baking GF though. Thank you for trying this out!
As someone who can’t eat gluten, I’d say the best bet is to experiment with different flours. When I started to bake GF I used Bob’s all-purpose, but it didn’t give the best flavor result. I also don’t bake with xanthan gum since many GF and Celiac’s can’t stomach it, and if you use the right combination of flours you don’t need it. With oat flour – it has to say GF on the bag of course, oats have wheat contamination otherwise – you have to be careful too, lots of people who are GF also can’t handle any type of oat.
So my advice would be to read up on different flours – the Gluten-Free Goddess blog is an awesome resource for that – and make your own mix. And there are so many flours out there!
One combo that never fails me is to mix a lighter flour, like brown rice, with something denser/higher protein, like sorgum. Sorghum flour is also great for dessert baking, as it’s slighly sweet. Adding a little coconut flour (but not much, it’s very high in fiber and is best used sparingly) can also add great flavor/texture. Plain rice flour can have that weird GF flavor, so mixing it with something different like sorghum or tapioca works well.
Also, even though cookies seem easier, I’ve found that they are actually harder to master than cakes, scones, or bars because GF batter is much crumblier than batter that has those gluten-ey proteins to hold it together. And you can’t really add more flour to thicken it; it will only make the item dry. I might also suggest using less applesauce and try a vegan spread, like Earth Balance if you can get it, instead; the applesauce can make for a rubbery outcome.
Good luck and I look forward to the outcome! :)
One of my friends is gluten and lactose intolerant. She’s also allergic to a whole mess of other things, but these are the two that keep her from eating dessert. I have found a couple sweet things she can eat though. Rice pudding and these: http://www.elanaspantry.com/brownies/
Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I’m GF, but I don’t bake much so I guess I’m not too much help…a really great resource is the glutenfreegoddess blog. I think she even has a page of tips for GF baking.
What kind of protein powder do you use?
Meghan
I’m a loyal gluten free reader but have to admit that I don’t do much baking, especially from scratch!
Hi! I am a gluten-free reader. Its hard to get recipes from vegan blogs because they are either filled with wheat and or soy. :) I still love your blog though! And every once in a while I can tweak a recipe and make it GF or what you have made is gluten free. I have no baking tips. I’m sorry, I buy the mixes your just add ingredient to, shameful I know. :) Love your blog! You seem like such a beautiful person.
no shame in that Melissa!!
Thanks for your kind words. :)
GF baking is definitely hard and intimidating! Just a word to the wise (from someone who has done a lot of GF baking) the all purpose lfours don’t alwaaays do a great job. You might need to research and try a few different blends.
This is AWESOME! I love reading about your baking, but I’ve gone gluten-free for awhile again and veganesque (I eat meat again after 13 years of vegetarianism but still no eggs or dairy). Every time I try to bake something it comes out a little different and the only thing I really have messed with are peanut butter chocolate chip cookies since they don’t rely on eggs and don’t require any type of flour mixture. Plus, even if my cookies don’t turn out right (soft, chewy etc), they at least always taste pretty good. Good luck I can’t wait to read about what you will make.
It’s kind of refreshing that you post about your baking flubs, too, Angela! I’m sure you’ll get it:)
My friend (and blogger!) Kim is making her wedding cake gluten free!!