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!
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
Gluten free, vegan baking really can be quite the challenge, but if anyone can do it well…I know it’ll be you!
What a fun challenge! I have total confidence in you ;)
You have GOT to try some of Elena’s Pantry gluten-free recipes: http://www.elanaspantry.com She uses almond flour which I find gives a really moist and “buttery” taste to cookies. I’m not GF, but I looove her baking recipes. They have so many good ingredients, you almost feel like you’re eating health food but yet they taste like indulgent treats.
These are my favorite cookie recipes:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/
http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I’m a gluten free reader! I haven’t had much experience in the baking department yet, so I can’t help you out with any of those tips. Sorry. I can’t wait to see what you come up with though! I love trying your recipes.
Even though the cookies were a flop, the pictures still look yummy. I have not dabbled in gluten free baking so im no help, but im sure you will come up with another amazing creation like you always do and ace it. Just remember how amazing your recipes were for project food blog!
It has been said before, but definitely stay away from Bob’s Red Mill AP mix for sweets, way too bitter with the bean flours in it. A mix of flours is key and I really like sorghum. I bet using some gluten free oat flour for making your muffin recipe would be good. This definitely isn’t an easy task, so keep your chin up. Also, someone did mention starting with something other than cookies – I would recommend this as well. I am thinking (if you keep experimenting) that you may end up with different flour mix ratios for bread/cake like recipes and cookies. Good Luck!
yes, I’ve been GF for almost a year and baking still scares me. I started just buying the betty crocker mixes which were awesome! Then I tried baking with beans, coconut flour, and I finally bought my first all purpose GF flour the other day and hope to put it to use soon. I’m slowly getting the hang of it and when all else fails and I’m in a serious need for cookies I just do the classic 3 ingredient PB cookies (PB, eggs, sugar) which never ever fail!
I am vegan and gluten-free! I have a hard time with baking when I “wing it”. I find that certain recipes work with the Bob’s GF all purpose swap out and some don’t. Honestly Bob’s mix is a way to not break the bank because buying your own flours and combining can be pricey. ALthough iherb does have good prices on GF flours.
So far all the cookies from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar have worked with Bob’s mix. No xanthan needed. There’s also a gluten-free cupcake in the cupcake book. I did make one of your blondie recipes with that mix and it was a little crumblier probably but good tasting. Gluten-free baked goods do taste a little different. I find I also have to stick to the recipe and not experiment too much with them at least the first round.
There is a whole awesome website dedicated to being xgfx (vegan and gluten-free). Here’s the link: http://xgfx.org/
I’ve only tried out two recipes – but I recommend Elana Amsterdam’s coconut flour cupcake cookbook that came out this spring. Success! Yummmmy.
I have to admit those ‘failed’ cookies look pretty good to me! :) If you fancy mailing over any test attempts please feel free! ;) Good luck with the challenge Angela! I’m sure you’l come up with something fab!
I am starting to dabble in buying gluten free because I find that I feel better eating that way. Especially when it comes to pasta… I swear by brown rice pasta now… mmmm or kamut (for the extra protein!) <– although I don't know if kamut is GF?
Good luck on fine-tuning your skills and congrats on trying something outside of your comfort zone!
I have been baking lguten free out of necessity for the last 1 1/2 years. I am only now beginning to get the hang of it. But I had to give up on the vegan part and I use eggs.
My advice is to not invest too much time or money! ;) Good luck!!
I have made one gluten free thing in my life, but like you I am curious and intrigued by the GF lifestyle.
I use buckwheat and oat flour to make gf pancakes for my sister. It works really well and it’s super inexpensive if you grind your own flour! :)
I dabble with gluten baking. Isa and Terry’s Vegan Cookies take over your Cookie Jar has its own recipe for gluten-free mix which can be used to replace the flour mix in any of their recipes (and any others, I presume) 1:1. I compared a sample recipe of theirs doing a gluten-free and gluten-ful version and they were both very good (although I preferred the gluten-ful one.)
Also, making a cookie that’s not as dough-y but more oat-y with a bit of flour makes for a good gluten-free cookie, too.
I think you will have a lot of fun with this challenge.
GF dough etc tends to be wetter than regular batter. The idea is NOT too add any more flour – even if you think you should – as this will make the dough really dry / unpalatable.
haha, welcome to the world of gluten free baking! Although, gf and vegan is just crazy… good luck, and come up with something delicious!
Good on you for challenging yourself! Be brave as you always are.
Elana’s Pantry has the best gluten free recipes I’ve ever found!!
www.elanaspantry.com
P.S. green smoothies w/ crunchy add-ins > green smoothies
I am vegan and I have no choice but to be gluten free. At first it can be intimidating but after enough practice, you’ll figure out the best flour combos. I agree with a lot of the previous comments. Bob’s red mill all purpose mix isn’t the best, but they also make individual kinds of flour, which are great for mixing. My favorite flours that I use are garbanzo bean flour, garbanzo/fava flour, buckwheat flour, coconut flour and nut flours. I also use certain flours for breads and others for cookies, etc. They don’t all work the same as regular all purpose flour does. And in my opinion I hate xanthan gum and only use it if its really necessary. If you do use it, then use it sparingly, otherwise you’ll have rubbery baked goods……….LOL
As for Erin Mckenna’s (Babycakes) recipes they are awesome. I live in LA (we have one here) and had her doughnuts and cupcakes for the first time last week. They were sinfully delicious!!!!! I was looking for a gluten free and vegan wedding cake for my wedding in August. So they are making my wedding cake:)
Good luck with you challenge:) I’m sure you’ll make something fantastic:)
I’ve finally got a great gluten free pizza crust and pastry dough figured out at the restaurant where I’m sous chef – will be happy to share recipes! email me!
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!!