Gluten-Free Baking: More Than 125 Recipes for Delectable Sweet and Savory Baked Goods, Including Cakes, Pies, Quick Breads, Muffins, Cookies, and Other Delights [Hardcover]

Rebecca Reilly (Author), Romulo Yanes (Photographer)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2001

If you are among the 1 in 250 American adults intolerant to gluten or allergic to wheat, you know how frustrating it can be to crave -- but not be able to have -- a buttery scone or a slice of warm pie. And if you have kids who are gluten-sensitive, you know how much they miss being able to bite into a chewy chocolate chip cookie when they come home from school or share a friend's birthday cake.

Now you don't have to sit wistfully by while family and friends indulge in dessert or other confections. Inspired to create delectable treats for her own gluten-sensitive family, Cordon Bleu-trained chef Rebecca Reilly believes that eating should be a pleasure, no matter what your dietary issues are. In "Gluten-Free Baking," she shares more than 125 recipes for sweet and savory baked goods, from crispy cookies and meltingly tender muffins to elegant tartlets and quiches and stunning layer cakes.

Baking without wheat can be notoriously tricky, but by using Reilly's detailed step-by-step recipes, anyone will be able to turn out moist Pumpkin Bread and tender Sour Cream Coffee Cake. S'mores made with gluten-free Graham Crackers, Crisp Ginger Molasses Cookies, Lemon Squares, and Pound Cake are kid- and family-pleasing favorites that will no longer be off-limits. And no one who tastes the glorious Chocolate Pecan Torte, Ginger Brie Quiche, or homey Blueberry Pudding Cake will ever think they're missing something by eating gluten-free.

In addition, you'll find specifics on everything you need to know about gluten-free baking but were afraid (or didn't know enough) to ask, including how to stock a gluten-free kitchen, tips, techniques, and sources for ingredients, plus a list of resources andinformation on celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

Tempting color photographs show you that these are desserts with eye as well as mouth appeal. With "Gluten-Free Baking" you'll never again miss out on the opportunity to feast on sinfully rich desserts!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Reilly, host of the PBS series New England Cooking, is a former chef who trained at the esteemed Le Netre Petissier in Paris. She first started preparing wheat-free recipes for some of her catering clients and continued when her son was found to have many food allergies. Her book includes both savory recipes, such as Spinach and Pepper Quiche, and sweet ones, from Walnut Orange Biscotti to Tarte Tatin. Reilly writes well, and she offers invaluable information on baking techniques, along with somewhat more sophisticated recipes...highly recommended for subject collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rebecca Reilly, a Cordon Bleu- and Le Nôtre Pâtissier-trained chef, is the former owner of the Madd Apple Café and Rebecca's Kitchen, a catering firm and cooking school in Portland, Maine. Reilly also received a chef's diploma from Madeleine Kamman's Modern Gourmet Cooking School in Boston, and for ten years was regularly featured as the on-air chef on Maine's NBC affiliate, WCSH. In addition, Reilly hosted the popular public television series New England Kitchen. She is currently a private caterer and nutritional consultant. Reilly and her two children, all of whom are gluten-intolerant, live in Yarmouth, Maine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (December 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684872528
• ISBN-13: 978-0684872520
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the best book out there May 10, 2002

By ramblin

Format:Hardcover

I'm not a celiac, but I am allergic to wheat, so for many years, I have sought out gluten-free recipes for the breads and pastries I've been deprived of. After trying countless recipes turning out crumbly cookies, hard, dry bread, and odd-tasting pastries, I found Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly, the best book out there. The results of these recipes taste as good as (no kidding) the ones served at a high-end pastry shop.

No wonder, since the author was trained not only at Le Cordon Bleu, but also at Le Notre Patissier, the leading pastry school. She has the experience of running her own restaurant, cafe, and catering businesses as well as teaching others how to cook. She'd been exploring gluten-free baking for her clientele even before her son and daughter were diagnosed as celiacs! All these credentials add up to a well-tested, easy-to-understand, and enlightening collection of recipes. But the highest recommendation comes from my wheat-eating friends, who really DON'T realize that anything is missing or "weird" about these treats, something they've never been able to say about my past efforts, despite claims by the authors of those recipes that they'd never tell the difference.

Reilly's training allows her to explain how certain classic baking techniques can provide air and lightness to gluten-free recipes, which can otherwise suffer from the density of particular alternative ingredients. She reveals which ingredients can create elasticity and provide structure in lieu of gluten, so that readers can feel empowered knowing not only how to make these recipes, but also why they work. I gained so much confidence in baking that I even made the scrumptious Black Forest Cake, a labor I probably wouldn't have even attempted in my wheat-eating days. (By the way, it's totally worth the effort.) Amazingly, the recipes range from the simplest brownies to baklava, so there's something for all palates and skill levels.

With all due respect to Bette Hagman, author of The Gluten-Free Gourmet books and an undisputed pioneer in the gluten-free quest, I would love to see Reilly's take on yeast breads as well as on gluten-free cooking. I think there's enough of the gluten-free pie to go around, and all of us in the wheat-free community (and our friends) would benefit.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Celiacs rejoice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! October 15, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Yahoo!! FINALLY (and I mean finally), a book that makes eating a gluten-free diet a pleasure, instead of a chore. For those who have a real dietary threat due to wheat, and other gluten grains, this is a book that will give you some ability to have some control in what you eat, rather than be a slave to labels as well as remove fears from the unknown food. First of all, it looks like a regular cookbook instead of the usual anemic-looking, bland, thin-spined books that are out there; it looks like any other cookbook out on the store shelves. The colorful photography of the finished recipes make them look as good as they taste. With that in mind, the "Boston Creme Pie" should be your first recipe. For someone who has had to look at others enjoy "flour" desserts (cakes, pastries, cookies, etc.) while having yet another slice of fruit or an incredibly boring ricecake, this was a gift from heaven. And I believe that knowing that both the author, and her children, have this food intolerance, makes you believe in the cookbook even more. Add to the fact that she is a highly trained culinary chef, and you know that you have purchased the right book. I've only gotten to a couple of recipes, but this will become my bible for having some semblance of a normal diet. And Chef Reilly has made the effort and knowledge needed to create these dishes, incredibly easy and simple to follow. The information is all there. So, for all those celiacs who want to enjoy this part of life, open the book, pick a dish, and savor every bite!!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Treats for Special Occasions Only February 28, 2008

By SJP

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book because it was so highly recommended by others I met on a gluten-free trip - and there are breakfast treats I may try when the family comes to visit (muffins, scones, coffee cakes, etc.). Lots of elaborate desserts too, which I might try for a pot-luck if I ever get tried of baking cheesecakes or carrot cake. But that's all the cookbook gives you. The chapters cover breakfast treats, cookies, cakes, icings, pies and tarts, puddings and cobblers, and cream puffs and crepes, and that's it - none of the day-to-day, like biscuits and corn bread and pizza crusts and such. (OK, she does suggest using a scone dough for pizza, baked in a parchment-lined pizza pan. It's that kind of book.) Lots of butter and other ingredients (like heavy cream) I try to avoid too - the non-celiac in the house is on a low-fat diet and we both try to eat sensibly. I still haven't decided whether to hold on to it or give it to a newly diagnosed fellow celiac who is still trying to gain weight. Fortunately I also own Annalise Roberts' book - Gluten-Free Baking Classics - which has the basic day-to-day along with the breakfast and other sweet stuff (everything I've tried has been fabulous, from the carrot cake to the cornbread to the first really good bread - her French Italian bread - I've been able to make in 15 years of gluten-free cooking). If I ever get bored with that book, I might learn to appreciate this one. It does seem to have more recipes in each category - and if you already have the basics covered and are looking for a variety of more elaborate treats to try, it might be the book for you.