Gluten-Free Baking Classics [Paperback]

Annalise G. Roberts (Author), Peter H. R. Green (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2006

For celiacs and others unable to eat wheat, it’s not just the dessert tray that’s forbidden: hearty staples like bread and pizza are also off limits. Now, this exciting cookbook allows allergy sufferers to indulge in a wide variety of baked goods, all delicious and all gluten-free. Featured are more than 100 recipes, including homey treats like biscuits and blueberry muffins; chocolate chip and other cookie jar classics; old-fashioned favorites such as eclairs, pie crust, and lemon squares; artisan style breads; and more than 20 cakes, from a simple vanilla layer cake to a decadent German chocolate cake. A thorough grounding in classic baking techniques, as well as detailed instructions in how to buy, mix, and measure gluten-free flours, ensure success for even novice gluten-free bakers. Rounding out the book is a pertinent discussion on how readers can incorporate baking into busy schedules, and why it is so important for emotional, as well as physical, well-being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Perfect chocolate chip cookies, crisp yet yielding texture, we dare anyone to detect they weren’t made with traditional wheat flour. -- Gourmet Magazine, November 1, 2005

Rich but light, this cake loses absolutely nothing from the absence of white flour. -- Gourmet Magazine, November 1, 2005

From the Author

My philosophy about gluten-free baking is that it should be simple. Most gf bakers I know don't want to reach for six different flours every time they bake- and neither do I. Wheat bakers use only two flours- all purpose for cakes, pies, muffins and cookies, and bread flour for bread. I do the same: I have an all-purpose brown rice flour mix (extra finely ground brown rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch) for my all purpose flour and the bread flour mix (millet, sorghum, potato starch, tapioca starch and corn starch) in this book for my breads.  It is easy- and it increases your learning curve. If you use a different combination of flours each time you bake, how will you know what goes wrong- or right? Baking pros don't do this; that is how they become skilled in their craft. 

Moreover, wheat bakers enhance the taste and texture of their breads with other added flours (whole wheat, rye, etc.) and so do I. I recommend using whole grain teff and ground oatmeal (my favorites), Montina, amaranth, or quinoa. I give recommendations as to how to do this in the book. 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Surrey Books (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572840811
• ISBN-13: 978-1572840812
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (223 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Annalise is one of the Food Philosophers®, two sisters who have collaborated to become a voice of reason in a world of mealtime disorder. After being diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002, Annalise devoted herself to developing gluten-free baking recipes that taste just as good (if not better than) their wheat flour counterparts. Gourmet magazine featured several of her recipes in their November, 2005 issue. An expanded and revised edition of her best-selling book, Gluten-Free Baking Classics, was released in September 2008. Gluten-Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine, a collection of recipes developed for the Zojirushi bread machine came next. Annalise and her sister, Claudia Pillow then joined forces to write The Gluten-Free-Good Health Cookbook, (released January 2010). The focus of this unique work is on managing daily food-related decisions in order to strengthen the immune system, prevent disease and lose weight by eating real food. It provides food choice explanations and guidance, cooking advice, and more than 100 flavorful, culturally diverse (gluten-free) recipes.

Annalise works with gluten-intolerant individuals and support groups across North America and teaches gluten-free cooking and baking classes in the New York metropolitan area. She loves to cook and entertain and as a result, spends a lot of time on a treadmill and doing weight resistance training.

For more information, visit her website: www.foodphilosopher.com and her blog at MyGluten-FreeTable.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

214 of 216 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "No apologies" gluten free baking, July 2, 2006

By 

Susan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gluten-Free Baking Classics (Paperback)

I had the great good fortune of meeting Annalise about eight months ago at a celiac support group meeting. I had previously used a recipe of hers (available on her Foodphilosopher website) for angelfood cake. I was impressed with it and was really looking forward to the publication of this cookbook.

This is gluten free baking with no apologies. Annalise is a very wise lady, passionate in her quest for excellence in gluten free baking. She has gone into the kitchen and rethought how we bake with gluten free flours. The result is an amazing collection of recipes that can go anywhere with the wheat-eating crowd and pass as the "real" thing.

Texturally her products are moist and don't have the grainy mouth feel for which gluten free baked goods are notorious. And taste - she points out in her introduction how much flavor wheat flour has, and then proceeds to compensate for the lack of flavor in the gluten free flours by carefully rethinking her porportions of fats, liquids and flavorings. The result is, product after product, items that not only look beautiful but truly taste delicious. I used to call the lack of flavor in a gf product the "dead spot" - something was missing in my gf baking, but I didn't know what. Annalise's recipes fill that spot completely.

I've been baking for over 40 years. I've been baking gluten free for almost 7 years. I've bought breads ready made, baked from mixes and from scratch. I have had the great pleasure of tasting Annalise's breads, made by her own hand, on a few occasions at our local celiac support group meetings. These are outstanding in terms of crunch, crust and flavor. She has made a real breakthrough with her French/Submarine bread recipes.

I have personally baked the chocolate chip muffins, lemon squares and chocolate ricotta muffins from this book. They are all unbelievably good. I have had a wonderful time making her angelfood cake in the past, and have had the pleasure of helping her test out new recipes for cinnamon buns and a crumb cake. My family of five (three gf eaters) are all impressed. And my non-allergic daughter, who still can and does eat wheat, can't wait for me to bake the crumb cake again - she probably ate 1/2 of the first one by herself.

A word of warning - while Annalise's flour blend for cakes and muffins may look "traditional" to you, it is not. Don't think that this is the "same old same old" - it is not. And, when Annalise advises using a specific brand of brown rice flour (Authentic Foods) in her blend because of the fine grind, pay attention folks! It really makes a difference in the end product.

Did I mention that Gourmet Magazine ran a November, 2005 article spotlighting her recipes? Go buy the book and bake all these goodies you've been missing. That's what I'm doing for my family.

Susan
Northern New Jersey Celiac Support Group

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baking for fun again!, May 9, 2007

By 

SusieQ (Orange, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gluten-Free Baking Classics (Paperback)

When my kids and I were diagnosed, my first thought was, "How am I going to do this?!" I have always loved baking, and it's something my kids and I would do together --they really look forward to our baking days. I really thought that all of that was over. And, WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL LUNCHES?! The gf bread from the store is disgusting, and it crumbles if you try to use it for sandwiches. Well, my kids have sandwiches in their lunch boxes, and we are back to our baking days, thanks to this FABULOUS book! I've tried many other gf cookbooks, and this is in a totally different league -- an excellent baking book on par with conventional, wheat-based, baking books (of which I have many, as well!). Annalise, the Food Philosopher, has really devoted herself to studying gf baking and thank goodness for her! My kids can help me cut out Christmas cookies again. And, at their recent birthday party, we featured sugar cookies, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and chocolate chip pound cake -- all to rave reviews from our guests who couldn't believe they were eating gluten free. Kudos and many, many thanks to Annalise Roberts for her work! Seriously, don't bother with any other gf baking book -- you won't find any that are better than this one.

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One word... Incredible!, June 5, 2006

By 

JLK - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gluten-Free Baking Classics (Paperback)

I recently went to a cooking demo given by Annalise Roberts and after tasting the submarine sandwich bread she made, I decided to buy the book and give it a try of my own.

I was amazed that when I tried to make the bread myself it came out just as good as hers. I have never even made bread before (gluten free or regular) and I couldn't believe with her precise instructions it made it so easy that it was a huge success on my first attempt. This bread is incredible. You can use this bread for countless things (sandwiches, garlic bread, bruschetta, even pizzas) If you have been longing for a great GF bread... you've found it.

This past weekend I decided why not try another recipe. So I made the Coconut Layer cake. OMG - AMAZING!!!!!! My mom (non-celiac) is not talking to me at the moment because she blew her diet because of this cake. She took one bite to try it and loved it so much she ate an entire piece!

If you only buy 1 GF cook book...this is absolutely the one!