Wheat Free Bread - Gluten Free Recipes

Here's a tasty and easy to bake gluten free, wheat free bread recipe! Amaranth and mesquite flour enhance the flavor and crust of this hearty, mostly whole grain baguette. Don't feel like loafing around? Check out the blueberry muffin recipe below or bake up some fun with brownie top cookies, sugar cookies, or gingerbread cookies! Find many more recipes on the Free Range Cookies blog.

Gluten free multigrain baguettes

Combine in a large mixing bowl:

1 and ½ cups brown rice flour

1 and 1/3 cups tapioca starch

2/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

¼ cup amaranth flour

¼ cup mesquite flour

3 tablespoons flaxseed meal

4 and ½ teaspoons rapid rise yeast

4 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 and ¼ teaspoons salt

Tiny pinch each: ginger and ascorbic acid

Add to large bowl and mix well:

1 and ½ cups water (room temperature)

1 egg plus 3 egg whites

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons honey

After mixing, let dough rest in a covered bowl for about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 2 long baguettes on a parchment lined baking sheet or use a double sided French bread pan (lined with parchment paper) to form 2 long loaves. Use a dampened spatula to smooth top of loaves. Let dough rise a bit, about 20-25 minutes, this time will vary with conditions. Better to let it under rise, than over rise. Brush top of bread with an egg wash then sprinkle with sesame seeds or sea salt. Score the top of loaves with a wet, serrated knife just before placing in oven. After placing bread in oven, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. For French bread pan placed directly on oven rack, bake for about 25 minutes. Bake free form baguettes a bit longer, 28-30 minutes.

Gluten free blueberry muffins

Combine the following dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

2 and ¼ cups gluten free flour

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

Combine the following wet ingredients then add to large bowl:

2 eggs

1 cup soured almond milk

½ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

Fold in:

1 cup blueberries, lightly dusted with gluten free flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill paper lined muffin tins mostly all the way to the top. Bake for about 27-28 minutes. Yield: 17 fluffy muffins.

Gluten Free Muffin Baking Tips

A combination of gluten free flours usually gives the best result. Pick up a ready to use flour blend like Bob's Red Mill or use your favorite all-purpose mix. Make your own rice flour blend by combining 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch, and 1 cup tapioca starch in a large container. Use this in recipes calling for a gluten-free flour blend.

Using ½ cup of almond meal as part of your total flour mixture in this recipe will add moisture and enhance the texture of your muffins.

Regular dairy milk can be substituted in this recipe. To sour any kind of milk, pour 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice) into a measuring cup and add milk to measure 1 cup. Stir and let sit for about 10 minutes.

If you don’t have any brown sugar, just use all granulated sugar. And feel free to reduce the amount of sugar to your taste.

You can make this recipe with unsoured milk also. If you do this, you can leave the baking soda out.

You can reduce the amount of oil by using applesauce in place of some of the oil. For example, place 2 tablespoons applesauce in a measuring cup, then add oil to equal ½ cup. Feel free to experiment and play here. You’ll have about 2 cups total wet ingredients.

Make sure the oven is preheated. Your muffins will be higher and better defined.

Brownie top cookies

Combine the following in a large bowl:

1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

Pinch of salt

Then add:

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir to combine, and then fold in:

2/3 cup toasted pecans

2/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup cocoa nibs, optional

Let batter chill in the fridge for a few hours. To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto 2 parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Allow room for cookies to spread, baking only 6 cookies on each pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies become shiny and crinkly on top. Cool completely before peeling cookies off parchment. Yield: about 12 cookies

Gluten free sugar cookies

Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl:

1 and 1/2 cups gluten-free flour

1 and ½ teaspoons xanthan gum

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

Then add in and mix until crumbly:

½ cup Spectrum organic shortening

In large cup combine the following, then add to large bowl:

1 egg

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Let dough rest in fridge for about an hour. Then roll out using powdered sugar to keep dough from sticking to work surface. Cut into shapes as needed. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Gluten free gingerbread cookies

Blend the following dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl:

3 ½ cups gluten-free flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Add in a bit at a time while your mixer is running:

1 cup Spectrum organic shortening

In large cup, combine the following, then add to large mixing bowl:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Stir it up well. Let the dough rest in fridge for about an hour. Then roll out thinly onto waxed paper or freezer paper sprinkled with powdered sugar and cut into shapes. I use a roll & cut mat that’s great because it sticks to the table, the dough behaves on it, and you can reuse it over and over. Get one at Michael’s crafts or any baking supply store. If your dough has gotten too chilly in the fridge, it will be hard to roll out. It will start tearing along the edges and you’ll be annoyed. Just gather it back up gently and push any torn bits together. Then let your dough rest at room temperature. For a little bit, say 20 minutes. Then start rerolling it and take your time. This dough does not like to be rushed! Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Yield: about 30 medium cookies.

If you’re making a gingerbread house - roll dough out a bit thicker and cut shapes from a template. Larger and thicker cookies will need to bake longer, approximately 12-14 minutes. After cookies have cooled completely, attach pieces with royal icing. The website baking911.com has lots of great information on gingerbread construction. For stained glass effect, use crushed candy (applied during last 5 minutes of bake time) to fill in window cutouts on cookie. To make an ornament out of any cookie, use a straw to punch a hole near the top. Then after baking and decorating, thread some pretty ribbon through the hole to finish your ornament. For Rudolph cookies, cut out triangles of dough with a pizza cutter. Press ener-g or glutino pretzels into two corners of your triangle for the antlers. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Finish with a candy nose and eyes attached with icing.

Royal icing for decorating

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons pasteurized dried egg whites

6 tablespoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients in large mixer bowl for about 5 minutes at low speed. If icing is too thick for your needs, add a few drops of warm water and mix well.

gluten free ~ wheat free ~ dairy free