GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES

Those with a gluten intolerance may find the following recipes useful:

Ginger Nuts

Ingredients:

  Margarine 60g (2oz)
  Raw brown sugar 90g (3oz)
  Potato flour 120g (4oz)
  Soya flour 60g (3oz)
  Ground ginger 1½ teasp.
  Sodium Bicarbonate ½ teasp.
  Honey or treacle or syrup 1 tablesp.

Method:

Cream the margarine and sugar. Sift the dry ingredients together and stir in. Add the honey/treacle and mix thoroughly until it forms a smooth dough. Form small balls and place, well spaced, on a greased baking tray. Flatten slightly.

Bake at 170°C (350°F) / Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes until nicely browned.

Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.

Quick Yeast Bread - Basic Recipe

Ingredients:

  Potato Flour 250g (9oz)
  Soya Flour 140g (5oz)
  Buckwheat Flour 50g (2oz)
  Dried Yeast Sachet 7g
  Salt ¾ Teasp.
  Sunflower Oil 2 Tablesp.
  Warm water 450ml (15 fl.oz)

Method:

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Sieve the flours, yeast and salt together. Make a well in the centre and add the sunflower oil and water. Mix thoroughly to form a smooth paste. Pour into the loaf tin. Bake at 180°C (350°F) / Gas Mark 4 for an hour until golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire tray.

Note: Some dried yeasts seem to work better than others - so experiment with different types.

Variations:

Add 1 - 2 oz toasted sunflower seeds.
Add 1 - 2 teasps. Caraway seed to decorate top or incorporate.

Soda Bread with Sunflower Seeds

Does not keep - use on day of baking.

Ingredients:

  Potato flour 280g (10oz)
  Soya flour 170g ( 6oz)
  Buckwheat flour 110g (4oz)
  Either:
      Cream of Tartar 1½ teasps.
      Sodium Bicarbonate 1 teasp.
  Or:
      3 teasp. grain-free Sodium Bicarbonate
  Salt ½ -1 teasp.
  Sunflower oil 2 tablesp.
  Sunflower seeds 50g (2oz)
  Soya milk and water - mixed 450ml (15 fl.oz)

Method:

Toast sunflower seeds in oven for about 10 minutes. Sieve the flours, raising agents and salt together.

Mix in the oil stir in the sunflower seeds reserving some to press in the top of the bread. Stir in the soya milk and water to give a fairly stiff dough. Form one large or two small rough balls. Place on floured sheet and flatten into a circle approximately 1½ inches thick.

Decorate with reserved sunflower seeds. With a knife cut a cross almost right through the dough, to divide it into quarters.

Bake at 180°C (350°F) / Gas mark 4 for 40 - 45 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire tray.

Apricot and Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients:

  Dried Apricots 115g (4oz)
  Margarine 115g (4oz)
  Raw brown sugar 115g (4oz)
  Free range eggs   2
  Potato flour 140g (5oz)
  Soya flour   90g (3oz)
  Grain free Baking Powder ¾ teasp.
  Ground cinnamon 2 teasp.
  Soya milk 3 tablesp.

Method:

Sieve the flours, baking powder and cinnamon together. Beat the margarine and sugar together and add the beaten eggs a bit at a time. Fold in the flour mixture and dried apricots.

Dissolve the honey in the soya milk and add to the mixture.

Put into a 6" greased cake tin and cook at 170°C (325°F) / Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour 10 minutes until cake is firm to the touch. Allow to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.

Rich Celebration Cake

Ingredients:

  Margarine 230g (8oz)
  Raw cane sugar 140g (5oz)
  Free range eggs 4
  Potato flour 170g (6oz)
  Soya flour 115g (4oz)
  Allspice ½ teasp.
  Cinnamon ½ teasp.
  Mixed spice ½ teasp.
  Currants 230g (8oz)
  Raisins 230g (8oz)
  Sultanas 230g (8oz)
  Dates 115g (4oz)
  Glace Cherries 60g (2oz) (or dried pineapple 90g or dried apricots 60g)
  Almonds 115g (4oz)
  Brandy (optional) 2 tablesp.

Method:

Line an 8" diameter cake tin. Cream margarine and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold the sieved flours into the mixture.

Chop the dates and glace cherries and add to the rest of the dried fruit and almonds and fold in. Stir in the brandy if used. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Flatten and make a dip in the centre to compensate for rising.

Bake at 150°C (300°F)/ Gas Mark 2 for 2½ - 2¾ hours. Test with a skewer - it comes out clean when it's done.
Cover with greaseproof paper to prevent browning. Leave to cool in the tin placed on a wire rack, and remove after a few hours.

Variations for Celebration Cake:

Egg-free: Omit egg and substitute Sodium Bicarbonate (½ teasp). and cream of tartar (1 teasp). Sifted in with the flours.

Sugar free: Omit sugar and substitute 4 tablesp. honey, syrup or concentrated apple juice.

Chocolate Victoria Sponge

Ingredients:

  Margarine 225g
  Raw cane sugar 140g
  Free range eggs   3
  Potato flour 140g
  Soya flour 90g
  Sodium Bicarbonate ½ teasp.
  Cream of Tartar ¾ teasp.
  Cocoa powder 2 tablesp.
  A little soya milk

Filling of Cashew Cream:

  Cashew nuts 90g
  Raw cane sugar 2 teasp.
  Water
  Sunflower or
  soya oil ½ teasp.

Method for filling:

Blend together the finely ground cashew nuts, sugar, oil and enough water to make a thick paste.

Method for Cake:

Cream the Margarine and sugar together. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift the flours, sodium bicarbonate, cream of tartar and cocoa together and fold into the mixture. Loosen with a little soya milk if necessary to make a soft dropping consistency.

Divide equally between two well greased 7½" sandwich tins. Bake at 190°C (375°F) / Gas Mark 5 for approximately 30 minutes until lightly browned, and cake is springy to the touch and will pull away from the sides of the tin. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Sandwich together with the cream.

Shortcrust Pastry with Buckwheat

Particularly good for savoury dishes - the buckwheat gives it a wheaty flavour.

To make flan size: 10" 7.5" 9" 8"
Potato flour 130g 105g 120g 150g
Soya flour 80g 59g 60g 100g
Buckwheat flour 15g 15g 15g 30g
Margarine/Butter 110g 80g 100g 140g
Salt ¼teasp. Pinch ¼teasp. ¼teasp.

Method:

Sieve the flours together. Rub in the fat until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add sufficient water to give a soft but manageable dough. The pastry can either be pressed into a flan dish or covered and put into the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes to rest. Roll out on a well floured board using potato flour.