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)

by Rebecca Reilly (Author), Romulo Yanes (Photographer) "Muffins, quick breads, and coffee cakes are a good place to start fine-tuning your gluten-free baking skills..." (more)
Key Phrases: teaspoon xanthan gum pinch, ribbon the egg yolks, dust with rice flour, Egg Replacer, Granny Smith, Middle Eastern (more...)

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.

Product Description

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 and information 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!

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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: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,825 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	ramblin (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT, October 21, 2005

By	Jennifer A. Wickes "Food Writer" - See all my reviews

Rebecca Reilly is a Cordon Bleu trained chef. She used to be the owner of two restaurants, a catering business and a cooking school, all in Portland, Maine. She has also received a diploma from Madeleine Kamman's Modern Gourmet Cooking School in Boston. She was also the host the television series New England Kitchen. Upon the discovery that she and her daughters are gluten-intolerant, she became a private caterer and a nutritional consultant.

One of the major reasons why I liek this book so much is that Rebecca Reilly is a trained chef. She understands the basic science behind a recipe, the texture one is looking for, and is able to troubleshoot to find the required results she needs. This, coupled with her and her daughters' gluten intolerance, make her the ideal person to write a cookbook on Gluten-Free Baking.

There are some delicious photos of some of the baked goods that you can produce by following this book. The recipes are easy-to-understand, and Reilly provides sufficient information on the suitable substitutions for wheat flour. She, also, wants you to feel creative and independent once you are armed with the knowledge on how to bake for yourself.

Some of the wonderful recipes you can find in this book are: Blueberry Scones, Boston Cream Pie, Almond Butter Cookies and Black Forest Cake.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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!!