Easy Stovetop Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

Okay we’ve got no time to waste so let’s get right down to it. This super easy gluten free mac and cheese is just the recipe you need. I know this because I use it regularly for a last-minute dinner in my house when I basically have nothing planned and everyone is hungry hungry hungry. It’s made entirely on the stovetop, uses only basic gluten free pantry ingredients (yes, you really do need a basic gum-free gluten free flour blend but it’s only 3 simple flours and incredibly useful), has no eggs and is ready in minutes. So not only is it perfect for a weeknight (or a Friday night when you’re just.plain.tired), it’s also perfect for the holiday table since, well, it doesn’t use the oven!

It’s creamy and dreamy and delicious. And you can even make the pasta hours and hours ahead of time, then just cover it and keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to throw together the cheese sauce and serve. It’s that easy!

Okay so I did the step-by-steps, but mostly because my husband happened to be home for the day and he was willing to be my hand model. But also because you can see for yourself how easy it is.

So creamy! I’ve even made the pasta at home, then brought the handful of cheese sauce ingredients and a medium-size pot, and made this at my brother’s house to serve a great gluten free meal away from home with ease. Boom!

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 12 minutes       Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

16 to 20 ounces small dried gluten free pasta (I used Barilla gluten free pasta elbows)

1 to 2 tablespoons (14 to 28 g) extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped

1/3 cup (47 g) gluten free flour blend (31 grams superfine white rice flour + 10 grams potato starch + 6 grams tapioca starch/flour)

1 can (12 fluid ounces) lowfat evaporated milk

2 to 2 1/2 cups (16 to 20 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature (any kind, just not nonfat)

1 pound (16 ounces) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (or a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions

• Boil the pasta in a large pasta pot to an al dente texture, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, return it to the pasta pot and toss it with olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. Cover the pasta pot and set it aside.*

  *Make ahead option: You can place the cooked pasta in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it out at room temperature for up to 8 hours before proceeding with the recipe.

• To make the cheese sauce, melt the chopped butter in a medium-sized, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour blend and stir to combine well. The mixture will clump at first, and then smooth. This is the roux that will thicken the cheese sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has just begun to turn a very light brown color (about 2 minutes). Add the evaporated milk to the roux very slowly, stirring constantly to break up any lumps that might form. Add 2 cups of milk, and whisk to combine well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about one-quarter (about 7 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the grated cheese and mix to combine with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Pour the hot cheese sauce over the cooked pasta, and stir carefully to coat all of the pasta in the cheese sauce without breaking up the pasta at all. Serve immediately.

Gluten Free Coconut Cream Pie

It’s nearly Thanksgiving, and that means that in just a few short days your table is going to filled with people expecting to eat (among other things) some serious pie. And since oven space is at a premium on The Big Day, and you’re already making that apple pie in a bag (please tell me you’re making that!), a make-ahead Gluten Free Coconut Cream Pie is just the thing. Don’t you think? It’s easy! C’mon I’ll show you.

See? Easy. If you’re looking for step-by-steps for making the dough for the pie crust, look back at that apple pie post, and you’ll find all you need. But for this gorgeous, smooth coconut cream pie, we’re not baking the filling, and it’s a single pie crust—not a double. Not only does this pie insist upon being made ahead, but if you felt like making it even 2 days ahead of time, it would be good as new on Thanksgiving (or any old day you’d like to serve it, of course). The filling calls for light canned coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand), so be sure you don’t reach for a carton of coconut milk—or full-fat coconut milk in the can, which is just too thick.

This is an important skill, too, this making-a-single-flaky-gluten-free-pie-crust. The big secret? Don’t be so afraid of overbaking the crust! That’s how you get a flaky crust, even when the filling is wet like this coconut cream. You’re looking for the crust to be lightly golden brown all over. You might find that the bottom of the crust even gets a little darker, like mine did—and that’s perfectly fine. As long as you’re careful not to let it burn, all will be well.

A note about the filling: This filling will slice clean, but don’t expect it to set up like a pie made with gelatin. If you’d like the pie to slice more like fudge, simply do the following: bloom 1 packet of powdered unflavored gelatin in 2 tablespoons of cool water and allow the gelatin to swell (about 3 minutes). Add the bloomed gelatin to the hot filling mixture right before you add the chopped butter. Mix until the gelatin is melted, then remove the pan from the heat, add the chopped butter and proceed with the recipe instructions.

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: 20 minutes       Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

Single Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I highly recommend Cup4Cup, my Better Than Cup4Cup blend, my Mock Cup4Cup, or my Better Batter Pastry Hack blend), plus more for sprinkling

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend  already contains it)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, roughly chopped and chilled

1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water, iced (ice cubes do not count in volume measurement)

Pie Filling
1 1/4 cups (100 g) coconut flakes

1/2 cup (70 g) gluten free flour blend (47 grams superfine white rice flour + 15 grams potato starch + 8 grams tapioca starch/flour)

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups (24 fl. oz.) light canned coconut milk, at room temperature (I used Thai Kitchen brand)

4 egg yolks (120 g total), at room temperature

3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream, chilled

1/4 cup (29 g) confectioners’ sugar

Directions

• Make the pie dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger. Add 1/3 cup of water and mix until the dough begins to come together. Add the remaining water by the teaspoon until no part of the dough is crumbly. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper and press into a disk. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and roll it out into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick, moving the dough frequently and sprinkling it lightly with flour if it begins to stick. Fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Twice more, remove the top piece of parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with flour, and fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter. This will smooth out the dough and make it quite easy to handle. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill.

• Make the pie shell. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease a 9-inch metal pie plate generously and set aside. Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll into a 12-inch round, about 3/8-inch thick. Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate. Press the pie crust gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the excess crust so that only 1/4-inch of excess is overhanging the plate. Tuck the 1/4-inch of excess under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork and place the pie plate in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.*

  *At this point, the raw pie shell can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to a month.

• Bake the pie shell. Remove the pie plate from the freezer and place a large piece of unbleached parchment paper in the center of the crust. Place pie weights or dried beans in a single layer in the center of the pie crust, on top of the paper. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and pie weights. Return to the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until the crust is lightly golden brown all over (8 to 10 minutes more). If you don’t bake the crust until it is golden brown all over, your pie will have a soggy crust once it is filled. Remove the pie crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

• Toast the coconut chips. Place the coconut chips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the chips are lightly golden brown all over and smell fragrant (about 6 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

• Make the filling. In a medium-sized, heat-safe bowl, place the flour blend, sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz.) of the coconut milk, and then the egg yolks, whisking to combine after each addition. Set the mixture aside. In a medium-sized heavy-bottom saucepan, place the remaining 2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz.) milk and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the milk reaches a simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the hot milk to the bowl with the egg mixture in a slow trickle, whisking constantly to combine. The purpose of adding the hot milk slowly is to avoid cooking the egg yolks by bringing them up to temperature slowly. Once all of the hot milk has been added, pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened enough that the whisk leaves a visible trail in the mixture as you whisk it (2 to 3 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chopped butter and the vanilla, and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Crush about 3/4 of the toasted coconut chips, add them to the filling, and mix to distribute the coconut evenly throughout. Pour the filling into the cooled shell and spread into an even layer. Allow the filling to cool for about 5 minutes. Cover the pie with plastic wrap, placing the plastic directly on the surface of the filling to avoid its developing a pudding “skin.” Place in the refrigerator to chill until set (at least 2 hours and up to 2 days).

• Make the topping and serve. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the heavy whipping cream and the confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form (about 3 minutes). Beating the cream on medium-high for a longer time instead of high speed will make a more stable whipped cream. Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled pie and spread the whipped cream on top and sprinkle with the remaining toasted coconut chips. Slide the pie out of the shell onto a cutting board before slicing with a wet knife and serving.

Stuffed Gluten Free Soft Pretzel Bites

You know how sometimes you slave over a hot stove and oven for hours, and your family just kind of, well, shrugs when you place your masterpiece in front of them? Well sometimes I’m just simply not willing to risk such a lukewarm reception so I need a homerun. That’s when I break out recipes like Garlic Pizza Bread Sticks—and/or these stuffed gluten free soft pretzel bites. They’re sweet and salty, chewy and just a little bit crisp. In other words, they’re perfect.

I filled some with Nutella, others with peanut butter, and still others with a mix of the two. I’ll be honest: I preferred the bites stuffed with just peanut butter. But wait! I have good reason.

Nutella hazelnut spread (yes! it’s gluten free) is unlike any other nut butter, as it’s quite a bit thinner. As such, it really does tend to run. And since I tried filling these bites every which way and found that the best way is by filling a whole cylinder at once, and then slicing the cylinder into bites, there will be some filling that peeks out the side of each bite. And when that filling is Nutella, it is more likely to escape from the sides of each bite during baking. The other potential way to fill the bites is to pipe tiny little mounds of filling onto a baking sheet like this, freeze them, and then wrap a small piece of dough around each mound. But then you end up with round pieces of dough, and personally I just don’t like the look. Pretzel bites should have squared edges. They rise better, and bake up more beautiful—just like you expect pretzel bites to look.

Serve them with hot fudge sauce, or just melt some chocolate for dipping. They’re a sure thing. And sometimes, that’s just what you need. Wouldn’t these be perfect for Black Friday? Family baking project day!

Prep time: 20 minutes       Cook time: 12 minutes       Yield: 50 soft pretzel bites

Ingredients

1 recipe Gluten Free Soft Pretzel Dough (I used the Pretzel Rolls dough from page 153 of GFOAS Bakes Bread, but the Pretzel Rolls from the blog would work fine, too), prepared according to each recipe’s instructions

1/2 to 3/4 cup (128 g to 192 g) no-stir peanut butter and/or Nutella hazelnut spread

Baking soda bath for boiling (6 cups water plus 1 tablespoon baking soda plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, brought to a rolling boil over medium-high heat)

Melted unsalted butter, for brushing

Coarse salt, for sprinkling*

*NOTE about salt used for sprinkling: If you don’t plan to serve all of the pretzels immediately after baking, consider baking without a sprinkling of coarse salt on top of the dough entirely, or with a very light sprinkling of it. Salt on the top of bread draws moisture out of the bread and causes it to go stale more quickly. If you do eliminate the salt (or most of it) during baking, simply brush the pretzels with more melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt before serving.

Hot Fudge Sauce, for dipping

Directions

• On baking day, line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, grease it lightly with cooking oil spray, and set it aside. If using the pretzel roll dough from the book, please note that these instructions begin “on baking day,” after the dough has already had its first (refrigerator) rise.*

  *If you prefer, instead of allowing the dough to rise slowly in the refrigerator as directed in the instructions, you may make and use this dough on the same day. After making the dough, set the covered dough to rise in a warm, draft-free environment to allow it to rise to double its size (about 1 hour). Once it has doubled, place it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or until it is chilled. This will make it much easier to handle. Then, continue with the rest of the recipe instructions.

• Prepare the filling(s). Place the peanut butter or Nutella in a pastry bag fitted with a small, plain piping tip (with an opening 1/4-inch in diameter). If using both peanut butter and Nutella, place each in a separate piping bag, and use half as much of each spread. Set the bags aside.

• Shape and fill the dough. If using the pretzel dough from page 153 of GFOAS Bakes Bread, on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smoother as directed in These General Shaping Tips. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a ball as illustrated in this gluten free bread shaping video. Divide each ball of dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time, and cover the rest loosely with a towel to prevent them from drying out. Pat each piece of dough into a rectangle about 9 inches long, sprinkling lightly with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Starting on one short side of the dough, pipe a line of the filling about 1/2-inch wide in the center of the dough from one side to the other. If using both peanut butter and Nutella, pipe a line of each in the same manner, each about 1/4-inch wide. Enclose the filling tightly in the rectangle of dough by folding both long sides of the dough over the filling, and pinch to secure and create a cylinder. Rock the cylinder gently back and forth to seal. Repeat with the 3 other pieces of dough. Using a floured bench scraper or sharp knife, slice each of the 4 ropes into 1 1/2-inch bite-sized pieces of dough. The filling will be peeking out the sides of each bite a bit. Place the bite-sized pieces of dough on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from one another. Dust all of the shaped pieces of dough lightly with flour, then cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Set in a warm, draft-free location to rise until nearly doubled in size (about 40 minutes).

• Boil and bake the pretzel bites. As the dough nears the end of its rise, preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large pot, make the baking soda bath by dissolving the baking soda and salt in approximately 6 cups of water, and bringing it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once the dough has finished rising, place the risen bites a few at a time in the boiling baking soda bath for about 30 seconds per side. Remove the boiled dough with a strainer and return the pieces to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until golden brown all over  (about 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan briefly before serving with the Hot Fudge Sauce for dipping.

• Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod, as selected by you from my Must Make Gluten Free Pinterest Board.

D.I.Y. Friday: Homemade Ice Cream Toppings and Sauces

Welcome to another D.I.Y. Friday! It’s is our Friday blog series in which we D.I.Y. a basic (sometimes naturally gluten free) recipe (like this, these homemade ice cream toppings and sauces) or other ingredient that you otherwise might be inclined to buy. Today’s recipe is your basic 4-for-1: 4 recipes for the best homemade dessert toppings and sauces you can imagine. And even though baby it’s cold outside already (at least where I live!), who doesn’t love a warm slice of apple pie à la mode? And if you’re worried that I’m gonna ask you to break out your candy thermometer, well, don’t worry. I am asking you to break out that thermometer, but only for the marshmallow topping and caramel sauce, not for the butterscotch or hot fudge. And anyway the whole thing is super easy. Plus, you’d best get comfortable cooking sugar. Gluten Free Classic Snacks uses a fair amount of caramel in some recipes. You don’t have to make your own, but … don’t you at least want to try?

Look how beautiful those sauces are. Just look. And each only takes a few truly basic pantry ingredients (sugar, water, egg whites, chocolate, butter).

We start with everyone’s favorite: hot fudge sauce. This is not a thin chocolate sauce. This is thick, rich, deep chocolate hot fudge sauce. But you don’t need me to tell you that. You’re lookin’ at what I’m lookin’ at.

Next, caramel sauce. It’s thinner than the caramel you’d use to make, oh I don’t know, gluten free Twix candies (go on—click on that link and it’ll take you to a photo from Classic Snacks that you won’t soon forget). It’s all about the ingredients in the right proportions. No biggie at all. This is what that apple pie is begging for, and you know it.

Oh, butterscotch sauce, you temptress. Deep, rich butterscotch sauce. Ice cream’s best friend.

And last but not least, marshmallow topping. It’s not really marshmallow, since there’s no gelatin. It’s more like marshmallow fluff, but thinner so you can drizzle it on top of that rich hot fudge sauce. Mmmmm…..

Have mercy.

Prep time: 5 minutes per recipe       Cook time: 10 minutes per recipe       Yield: About 2 cups per recipe

Ingredients

Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup (2 ounces, weighted) water

6 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream, at room temperature

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Caramel Sauce
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup (2 ounces, weighted) water

6 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

Butterscotch Sauce
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

Marshmallow Topping
2 (60 g) egg whites, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar

2/3 cup (5 1/3 fluid ounces) water

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• For the Hot Fudge Sauce: In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the granulated sugar, cream of tartar, cocoa powder, water and heavy whipping cream, and mix to combine well. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking until the mixture thickens and reduces by almost one-quarter (4 to 5 minutes). It will first seem thinner as the sugar melts into the liquid, then eventually thicken. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, butter and salt, and whisk to combine well. Transfer to a heat-safe container with a lid, and allow to cool slightly before serving. Store in the refrigerator, and warm in a water bath on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.

• For the Caramel Sauce: In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the granulated sugar, cream of tartar and water, and mix to combine well. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook until the mixture is beginning to turn amber in color (to ensure that you do not burn the sugar, clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and remove it from the heat when the sugar mixture reaches 300°F). Remove the pan from the heat and, whisking constantly, slowly add the cream. The mixture will bubble fiercely. Keep stirring until the mixture stops bubbling and is smooth. Add the butter and salt, and whisk to combine well. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat, and bring back to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until just slightly reduced (about 2 minutes). Transfer to a heat-safe container with a lid, and allow to cool slightly before serving. Store in the refrigerator, and warm in a water bath on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.

• For the Butterscotch Sauce: In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, and stir until combined. Stir in the granulated sugar, and cook over medium-low heat until smooth, stirring frequently. The mixture will clump, and eventually melt after about 3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and, whisking constantly, add the cream. The mixture will bubble quite a lot, and the sugar may seize. It will melt again, though. Continue whisking until the bubbling subsides. Return the saucepan to medium heat and, whisking occasionally, bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is slightly reduced and coats the back of a spoon. Add the vanilla and salt, and whisk to combine. Transfer to a heat-safe container with a lid, and allow to cool slightly before serving. Store in the refrigerator, and warm in a water bath on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.

• For the Marshmallow Topping: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. In a medium saucepan, place the sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt, and whisk together. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches the softball stage (240°F on an instant read candy thermometer). Remove the cooked sugar from the heat. With the mixer on low speed(making sure the sugar mixture doesn’t hit the whisk), pour the sugar mixture carefully down the side of the mixer bowl. Add the vanilla extract, and increase the mixer speed to high. Beat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until thick, white and glossy, and pours off the beaters slowly. Transfer to a container with a lid, and served immediately. Store in the refrigerator, and whisk until smooth before serving. After about 2 days, the sugars in the topping will begin to crystallize, affecting texture a bit but not flavor.

Classic Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake

This holiday season, I’ve become obsessed with even the idea of all foods Southern. I think it all started with Hummingbird Cake, which was a very very often requested blog recipe. Then there was an article in the New York Times recently about this Southern chef who serves Thanksgiving dinner to throngs of dinner guests every year, and is better prepared than anyone else could ever hope to be and does it all without ever letting them see her sweat. I’m not hosting tons of people, and I’m no Southern belle. But I can make a mean classic gluten free red velvet cake. And I can make cornbread dressing with the best of them.

We’ve talked about red velvet here on the blog before, but even though I know I might upset some by using red food coloring,* I don’t really tire of it. Neither does my family. My kids love red velvet cake, and even though it’s really just moist chocolate cake with red food coloring, its real charm lies in its flavor. It’s not a deep chocolate cake. There’s no melted chocolate in the batter, and there isn’t even an overwhelming amount of cocoa powder. It’s just right, and tends to please chocolate cake lovers and vanilla cake lovers alike.

*If you’re not comfortable using red food coloring, by all means just leave it out! I know that there are other recipes on the Internet that make red velvet cake with beet powder, but that changes the entire recipe and I honestly don’t think it’s worth the bother.

It’s also not an overly sweet cake, which means that the cream cheese frosting is all the more important. Remember that cream cheese frosting is not a stiff buttercream, so it will stay softer and more spreadable even when you slice into the cake.

So what’s next? Deep-fried turkey? In my dreams… I think I’ll stick with spatchcocking my bird this year.

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: 25 minutes       Yield: 1 9-inch layer cake

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake
2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (54 g) cornstarch (try using another starch if you can’t have corn)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (30 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

11 tablespoons (154 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (for dairy-free, try an equal amount by weight of melted and cooled vegetable shortening)

1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar

3 eggs (180 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature (any kind, but not nonfat)

Red soft gel paste food coloring (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 cups (575 g) confectioners’ sugar

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, and set them aside.* In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.

  *You can of course use 8-inch round cake pans. You will need to increase the baking time slightly (by a few minutes, likely). You could also use 8-inch or 9-inch square pans, too. Or even make cupcakes!

• Make the cake batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine well on medium-high speed after each addition. Add the vinegar and then about a scant 1/8 teaspoon of the food coloring, if using, and beat to combine very well. The mixture may look a bit curdled, and that’s fine. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter should be smooth and relatively thick.

• Bake the cakes. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans, and smooth into an even layer with a wet spatula. Place both pans in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached. If you are baking the cakes in 8-inch round cake pans, you may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes as your cakes are thicker. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

• While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer or a clean large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt, and beat to combine. Add about half of the confectioners’ sugar, and beat on medium-low speed until the sugar has been absorbed by the butter and cream cheese mixture. Add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar about 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed to combine after each addition. Once all of the sugar has been absorbed into the mixture, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. The frosting should hold its shape when scooped, but should not be completely stiff.

• To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cakes upside down on a serving platter. Place about 1 1/4 cups of frosting on top and spread into an even layer. Invert the second cake place on top of the frosting and press gently to adhere. For the neatest frosted cake, cover the entire top and sides of the cake in a very thin layer of frosting (this is called the crumb coat), and place in the freezer until very firm (about 15 minutes). Remove the cake from the freezer and cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting, spreading into an even layer. Swirl the frosting around randomly with a butter knife or offset spatula. Refrigerate the frosted cake for at least 15 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife into generous slices, and serving.

Garlic Gluten Free Pizza Bread Sticks

It’s the week before Thanksgiving in the U.S., and here I am with a recipe for super cheesy garlic gluten free pizza breadsticks. Why would a person need that, this week before the biggest food holiday of the year, the one where it’s all about stuffing and turkey? I’m glad you asked, because it presents us with this chance to talk. You know that recipe for Thick Crust Gluten Free Pizza on the blog? The one from GFOAS Bakes Bread? Well it’s a major opportunity to both feed your hungry family while you’re busy making The Big Meal, and a perfect appetizer to throw together for The Big Day itself. Hear me out.

It’s no secret that I consider this thick crust pizza dough recipe to be the savior of all things. And I know that some of you have issues with the 12 hours that I recommend storing the dough in your refrigerator before shaping it and baking it, so you really don’t have to do that if you insist (see the recipe instructions below). But even though a long, slow refrigerator rise might be unfamiliar to some, I promise that it’s a time-tested way to proof bread dough not some weird practice, and those 12+ hours, if you choose to go that way, mostly just mean that you can have pizza dough at your fingertips at a moment’s notice.

The thick crust + tons and tons of cheese + garlic pressed into a gorgeous paste = pizzeria-style pizza breadsticks. I know you probably have no need for these step by step photos, but it gave my 9-year-old a chance to be in pictures (if my kids had it their way, this blog would be nothing but photos of them) and for me to show you just how quickly this comes together.

I’m seriously considering serving these for something of a lunch the day of Thanksgiving. Normally I pretty much like to starve my family until The Big Meal that day, so they’ll all have hollow legs and can eat and eat and eat, but then they hover over me in the kitchen and annoy me nonstop. These gluten free pizza breadsticks might be just the thing.

*Good talk.*

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 10 minutes       Yield: About 16 sticks

Ingredients

1 recipe Thick-Crust Gluten Free Pizza Dough from page 187 of GFOAS Bakes Bread (reprinted here on the blog) (or use this older recipe for gluten free pizza dough)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted

1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions

• Make the pizza dough according to the recipe instructions and place the dough in a sealed container or bowl in a warm, draft-free location to rise until nearly doubled in size (1 to 2 hours, depending upon environment). Full doubling is not necessary. Place the risen dough, still in a sealed container or bowl, in the refrigerator to chill until firmer (about 30 minutes). Alternatively, set the dough to rise in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 12 hours or up to 5 days.

• Shape the pizza dough. Place a pizza stone (or overturned rimmed metal baking sheet) on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, knead the pizza dough until smoother as directed in  These General Shaping Tips. Roll the dough into a ball. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and, using well-floured hands and a rolling pin, as necessary, pat and roll out the first piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into an oval shape, about 12 inches x 15 inches, rotating the dough and flouring it frequently, to prevent sticking, as shown in the gluten free pizza shaping video. Transfer the round of dough to a piece of unbleached parchment paper.

• Prepare the pizza. Using the flat side of a large knife, press the minced garlic and kosher salt together firmly to form a thick paste. Add the garlic paste to the melted butter, and mix to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the pizza dough with the entire garlic butter mixture, all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, followed by the grated mozzarella cheese, all the way to the edge of the dough.

• Bake the pizza. Place the crust, still on the parchment paper, on the hot pizza stone. Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted and browned in spots (about 10 minutes, but time will vary depending upon how crisp you’d like the crust). Allow to set briefly before slicing down the length in the center and then across into sticks, 8 sticks per side, and serving.

• Adapted from Baked By Rachel, as chosen by you from my Must Make Gluten Free Pinterest Board—in a big way!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Butter Cake

Other than apple pie and pumpkin pie, I wouldn’t say that it’s so obvious what to serve for dessert on Thanksgiving. I mean, everyone knows about turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and definitely some lovely dinner rolls, but after that it’s not such a slam dunk. First of all, everyone is stuffed from the meal. Even when you have a family like mine that absolutely plans ahead that they’re going to overeat on Thanksgiving, there are limits. And of course there’s always the matter of what, exactly, to serve. You definitely want something with pumpkin on the dessert table. It’s a must. But pumpkin pie isn’t necessarily everyone’s favorite (what? it isn’t! Is it?). And since a proper apple pie isn’t overly sweet at all, it’s nice to have a pumpkin dessert option to match. All of this is to say that I believe I’ve found essentially the perfect pumpkin dessert for Thanksgiving: gluten free pumpkin butter cake. Put simply, it’s a light, buttery, almost flaky vanilla cake that bakes all along the bottom of the pan and up the sides, filled with the nicest, lightest most lightly sweet pumpkin cheesecake you’ve ever had.

It’s the crust that’ll knock your socks off, really. Okay and the pumpkin cheesecake filling doesn’t hurt either. It slices nice and clean, but it’s still light and fluffy.

As you can see, to get that beautiful sugary crust all around your butter cake, a springform pan really works best. Generally I try to avoid springform pans, but for any sort of cheesecake, it really is best to use one. You could also try baking this in separate pans like our original California Pizza Kitchen-Style Gluten Free Butter Cake (just reduce the baking time), as it’s easier to get a small cake cleanly out of a baking ramekin than it would be to get a whole 9-inch cake out of a baking pan without inverting it.

This cake also keeps really beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, so it’s a great make-ahead option for Thanksgiving. I haven’t tried freezing it, though, since cheesecake doesn’t generally freeze very well. But just look at that velvety pumpkin cheesecake inside the gorgeous butter cake with that amazing sugar crust. This will be the Thanksgiving to remember. I can feel it!

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: 45 minutes       Yield: 1 9-inch cake

Ingredients

For prepping the pans
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50 g) sugar

For the cake layer
1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used my mock Better Batter)

1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch (or another starch if you can’t have corn)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar

8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs (120 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature

For the cheesecake layer
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

7 1/2 ounces (half of a 15-ounce can) pure pumpkin puree

2 eggs (120 g, weighed out of shell), at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*

1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch (or another starch)

*To make your own pumpkin pie spice, combine 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon + 1 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves + 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare a deep, 9-inch springform baking dish by greasing the bottom and sides generously with softened butter and sprinkling with an even layer of sugar. Tap the sugar around the pan to coat the entire buttered surface. Set the pans aside.

• Make the cake layer. In a large bowl, place the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, eggs, vanilla and milk, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter should be thick but relatively fluffy. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Set the pan aside.

• Make the pumpkin cheesecake layer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, place the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice, beating to combine well after each addition. add the cornstarch, and beat to combine. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Scrape the cheesecake layer on top of the cake batter in the prepared pan, and spread into an even layer.

• Bake the cake. Place the pan on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is mostly set on top, with just a little bit of jiggle in the center when shaken lightly from side to side (about 45 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the pan. Unmold the cooled cake by removing the sides of the springform pan. Slice and serve.

• Adapted from my recipe for California Pizza Kitchen-Style Gluten Free Butter Cake, itself inspired by Homemade Cravings.

D.I.Y. Friday: Easy Homemade Salad Dressings

Happy D.I.Y. Friday! This is our occasional blog series in which we D.I.Y. a basic (sometimes naturally gluten free) recipe (like this, these homemade salad dressings) or other ingredient that you otherwise might be inclined to buy. Salad dressings make amazing marinades for chicken of every sort, and you can’t beat ‘em for coaxing kids into eating vegetables of all kinds. Making my own salad dressings is something that I have done for years without ever buying a bottled dressing, and it’s not because I’m so diligent that I never ever take the easy way out. This is not a matter of virtue. It’s truly a matter of convenience. Let me explain!

Bottled salad dressings go bad, but you can only buy them in the quantities in which they’re sold. Even a simple bottled vinaigrette will go bad over time, and then you have to have it rattling around in the door of your refrigerator, mocking you every time you open and close that door. And I’m sure you knew this already but I’ll never forget the feeling when I learned that a basic vinaigrette is based upon the simplest of simple ratios: Oil 3:Acid 1. So….you can throw together as much or as little vinaigrette as you like, at any time. And it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. I almost always use white balsamic vinegar from Trader Joe’s as my acid since it’s mild (almost a tiny bit sweet), and I add salt and pepper plus a tiny bit of honey because I find it balances out the whole thing perfectly. Moving on…

I’ve always loved ranch dressing, but I often find myself chasing the perfect texture and taste. If you ask me, this recipe nails it. Ranch dressing should not be super thick. It’s slightly sweet, slightly acidic, with just the right kick from finely minced garlic. This one needs to be refrigerated, but it’s thin enough that it should be pourable right out of the refrigerator. And it’s easy enough to make that you can throw it together on a weeknight. Yes, you can! Don’t have buttermilk? Try plain yogurt. And the best way to mince garlic super fine is to chop it with your favorite chef’s knife, and periodically press it into a paste with the flat side of the knife. Wanna make it even easier? Try adding a tiny bit of kosher salt as you’re chopping and pressing.

Okay Caesar dressing really should have a raw egg yolk in it. But you can still make a very authentic-tasting Caesar salad without the egg, because really who has raw pasteurized egg yolk lying around? Not me (well at least not usually). Instead of anchovy paste, I use either fish sauce (which is mostly anchovies) or Worcestershire sauce (which has anchovies) because, well, I just don’t keep anchovy paste on hand since my family doesn’t love it in everything. Except they don’t even know they’re eating it in this dressing. Suckers.

Finally, green goddess dressing. My absolute personal favorite. You can  make it with flat-leaf parsley (curly-leaf parsley has practically no flavor!), or with basil. I really really prefer parsley here, since it doesn’t mask the rest of the flavors but just perks up the whole dressing and makes it taste super fresh. If you don’t have scallions on hand, leave them out but they do give some nice bite. And if you’re wondering why my scallions look kind of, well, icy, it’s because I store them in the freezer. Don’t you? ;)

So here you have them: the 4 most essential dressings. One you mix up just by shaking (vinaigrette), one just by whisking (ranch), and two by blending (Caesar and green goddess). All are exceedingly easy to make, and call for ingredients you have on hand already. Now finish up those bottles rattling around in your refrigerator door, and never buy dressing again.

One final thing: I’m kind of out of D.I.Y. Friday ideas. My site is getting a revamp (soon and it’s going to be responsive, too, and just you wait and see what it’s going to look like on your mobile!) and will have a recipe request form, but in the meantime please leave D.I.Y. Friday suggestions in the comments! The well is dry and I need your help!!

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: none       Yield: About 1 1/4 cups each

Ingredients

Vinaigrette Dressing
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine (or white balsamic) vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ranch Dressing
1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup (75 g) sour cream

1 tablespoon white wine (or white balsamic) vinegar

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced very fine

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Caesar Dressing
3/4 cup (168 g) mayonnaise

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, chopped or grated

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon gluten free fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce (or anchovy paste)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Milk or buttermilk by the half-teaspoonful, if necessary

Green Goddess Dressing

1/2 cup (112 g) mayonnaise

1/2 cup (112 g) sour cream

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or basil, but I much prefer parsley)

1 teaspoon gluten free fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce (or anchovy paste)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped scallions (optional)

Milk or buttermilk by the half-teaspoonful, if necessary

Directions

• For the vinaigrette dressing, place all of the ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and shake vigorously to combine. The oil and vinegar will emulsify, but then separate over time. Simply shake again before using. The mixture can be stored in a cool, dark place, but if you refrigerate it the oil will thicken a bit and hold the emulsification better after shaking.

• For the ranch dressing, place all of the ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid and whisk to combine well. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

• For the Caesar dressing, place all of the ingredients in a blender in the order listed, and blend until smooth. If necessary to keep the blender moving, add milk or buttermilk by the half-teaspoonful. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The dressing will thicken in the refrigerator, and then again when brought to room temperature.

• For the green goddess dressing, place all of the ingredients in a blender in the order listed, and blend until smooth. If necessary to keep the blender moving, add milk or buttermilk by the half-teaspoonful. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The dressing will thicken in the refrigerator, and then again when brought to room temperature.

• Variations and Substitutions: I haven’t tried these recipes with any substitutions except where alternative ingredients are listed, but the following substitutions are worth a try:

  • In place of sour cream, try plain Greek yogurt (or nondairy plain Greek yogurt).
  • In place of buttermilk, try plain traditional yogurt (or plain nondairy yogurt).
  • To make the vinaigrette into mustard vinaigrette, add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.
  • Increase or decrease salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten Free Stuffing for Thanksgiving

*ETA: Tonight is your pre-Thanksgiving monthly Live Gluten Free Baking Q&A on the GFOAS Facebook Page! From 8:30 pm to 9:15 pm EST, I’m all yours for 45 minutes of rapid-fire GF Baking Questions. Check out the Event Page for details!

With the U.S. Thanksgiving coming in just a two weeks, it’s time. Time to talk turkey. And by “turkey,” I mean gluten free stuffing. (Really dressing, since I’m not cooking the stuffing inside the turkey.) Because I’ve tried every which way to make turkey (except for deep-frying it which I so want to try but don’t have an enormous deep-fryer, and except for baking it in a bag like one reader suggested), and if you want my opinion, no matter what it just tastes … like turkey. I think this year I’m just going to spatchcock the poor bird, rub it with an herb butter and let it do its thing. But Thanksgiving stuffing? Stuffing I could talk about for days and days… This is your most classic of Thanksgiving stuffings, but it should come as no surprise that for me it’s all about the gluten free bread.

To make stuffing (dressing?), I’ve used every type of bread, from the squishiest to the most crusty. I’ve made it with lean breads and enriched breads. Cornbread, too. I have finally decided that my favorite gluten free bread for stuffing is the Japanese Milk Bread from page 59 of GFOAS Bakes Bread (try the blog recipe, too—I bet it works fine). It’s slightly enriched (an egg, some butter, milk instead of water) so it’s nice and airy inside, and also has a thick, bakery-style crust, but it’s not as rich as, say, brioche.

And it holds up beautifully to being cubed, tossed with flavored butter and toasted. These days, I don’t bother leaving bread cubes out to go stale. I get much MUCH better results by cubing a fresh loaf of bread, then tossing it with melted butter mixed with our powdered gluten free vegetable bouillon, and toasting it at 350°F for about 20 minutes. I find that it flavors the bread just enough, and prepares it to absorb the eggs and stock without becoming soggy. Oh you just have to try it. I honestly could just eat the cubed bread right out of the oven as a delicious appetizer. With cheese fondue. Oooooooohhhhh….

Aside from a few basic guidelines and ratios, though, what makes for the very best gluten free stuffing for Thanksgiving (or any day) is just such a matter of personal taste. So this is your basic, truly classic recipe, but at the end of the instructions are a few suggested variations. If your family has a favorite way to flavor your stuffing this time of year, tell us all about it in the comments. I bet it’s delicious! Promise me you’ll at least consider trying my bread and my suggested method of toasting it, though, okay?

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 35 minutes       Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 recipe Gluten Free Japanese Milk Bread (I used the recipe from page 59 of Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread, but the blog recipe would work, too), cut into 3/4-inch cubes

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon powdered gluten free vegetable bouillon

3 tablespoons (42 g) extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and sliced

2 cups chopped celery (from about 6 stalks celery)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (16 fluid ounces) low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

4 eggs (240 g, weighed out of shells) at room temperature, beaten

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside. Grease well a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.

• Toast the bread cubes. In a large bowl place the bread cubes. In a separate, small bowl, place the melted butter and powdered bouillon, and mix to combine. Pour the butter mixture over the bread cubes and mix gently to coat the bread cubes without crushing the bread. Divide the bread cube mixture between the two prepared baking sheets and shake into an even layer on each baking sheet. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over and firm to the touch (about 20 minutes), stirring gently once during baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

• While the bread is cooling, cook the aromatics. In a medium-size, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and celery are fork-tender (about 10 minutes). Uncover the pan and remove it from the heat. Add the stock, sage and thyme, and mix to combine well. Allow the mixture to cool until no longer hot to the touch.

• Assemble and bake. Place the cooled toasted bread cubes in a large bowl, add the eggs and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toss to coat. Add the stock mixture, and mix to combine. Transfer the mixture carefully to the prepared 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, and press gently into an even layer. Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven, and reduce the heat to 325°F. Bake until the eggs are set (about 20 minutes). Increase the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until golden brown all over (another 5 to 10 minutes). Serve warm.

• Suggested variations:

  1. Cranberry-Apple Stuffing: When cooking onions and celery, add 2 peeled, cored and diced apples, and 1 cup dried cranberries to the aromatics when you add the stock.
  2. Sausage-and-Leek Stuffing: When cooking the aromatics, first cook 1 1/2 cups crumbled bulk sausage until no longer pink. Remove the cook sausage and set it aside, leaving behind the grease. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and cook the aromatics, replacing the sliced onions with 1 cup chopped leeks.
  3. Tex-Mex Cornbread Stuffing: Replace the Japanese Milk Bread cubes with cubed Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread. To aromatics, add 1 diced japaleño pepper, ribs and seeds removed and 1 seeded red bell pepper. After you add the stock, add 1 cup frozen corn kernels.

Gluten Free Skillet Lasagna

Lately, dinner in my house has been gluten free skillet lasagna, probably about once a week. Not only is it quicker than assembling a traditional lasagna (no boiling the noodles!), but simmering everything together on the stovetop makes the flavors more intense and the sauce nice and thick. Plus you can make extra quick work of the whole dinner by making my recipe for the best tomato sauce ahead of time, and using it to replace the sauce ingredients here.

I happen to have a nice, big 12-inch covered skillet, but I’ve also made the whole thing in a smaller but deeper Dutch oven and it comes out great. If anyone complains about the presentation, send them to me for a talking-to. My 12-inch covered skillet is quite a nice one, if you’re in the market. It’s Food Network brand, from Kohl’s. It distributes heat very evenly and has really nice, high sides plus a great cover. And like everything else at Kohl’s, it’s often on sale—plus I always use coupons. :)

The ingredients are so simple (sauce, noodles, cheese), but the flavors are so intense that your family won’t even believe that it’s “just” lasagna. And you’ll love not having to boil the noodles. Oh, and speaking of noodles…

Should we talk about gluten free lasagna noodle brands? As far as I know, there are only 3 available gluten free lasagna noodle brands: De Boles, Tinkyada and Jovial. I have tried all 3. I like De Boles the best, but it tends to be less available and more expensive than Tinkyada, which I also like pretty well. I do not care for the Jovial noodles at all, so I never use them. To make skillet lasagna, I almost always soak the noodles while I make the sauce. But I have made the dish without soaking the noodles, and although I might have to cook everything for a bit longer to soften them, it always comes out just fine. Now if Barilla would just come out with a gluten free lasagna noodle, I’d be all set.

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: 23 minutes       Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

10 ounces dried gluten free lasagna noodles (I have used Tinkyada brand and De Boles brand), broken into irregular shards

2 tablespoons (28 g) extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 cup shredded carrots (from about 2 medium carrots)

3 ounces tomato paste

1 28-ounce can tomato puree (or whole peeled tomatoes, pureed in a blender with their juices)*

1 pound (16 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg (60 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top

1 pound (16 ounces) part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated

*Make Ahead Option: To make extra-quick work of this recipe, make The Best Tomato Sauce recipe ahead of time (either halve the sauce recipe, or just store half of the recipe for another time), and use it in place of the olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, tomato paste and puree in this recipe. Simmer the shredded carrots in the sauce before proceeding with the recipe.

Directions

• Soak the noodles. In a large bowl, place the broken lasagna noodles and cover with warm tap water. Set aside to soak.

• Cook the sauce. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the minced garlic, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is softened and translucent (about 3 minutes more). Add the salt, pepper, and basil, and mix to combine. Press the oregano into the palm of one hand with the fingertips of the other to release its oils, and add to the skillet. Add the shredded carrots, and cook until softened (about 3 minutes), stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste and tomato puree, and whisk to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer about 2/3 of the tomato sauce mixture to a medium-sized bowl, and set it aside.

• In a small bowl, place the ricotta cheese, egg and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and mix to combine. Set the mixture aside. Drain the water from the broken lasagna noodles, and set aside.

• Assemble the lasagna. In the 12-inch skillet, on top of the remaining tomato sauce, scatter about 1/3 of the soaked lasagna noodles, then about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the grated mozzarella cheese. Cover with half of the remaining sauce, then half of the remaining lasagna noodles, half of the remaining ricotta mixture, and half of the remaining grated mozzarella. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.

• Cook the lasagna. Cover the skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the noodles are cooked and tender and the cheese is melted (10 to 15 minutes). Remove from the heat, uncover, sprinkle with more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve hot.

Gluten Free Apple Pie in a Bag

I can’t seem to remember when I first baked gluten free apple pie in a bag. What I do remember is that, once I did, I couldn’t ever go back to making apple pie any other way. Plus *knock wood* I haven’t ever burned my house down doing it. Don’t worry I’m only kidding a 375°F oven is not going to get the paper bag hot enough to have it burst into flames. Just don’t even think about turning on the broiler and everything will be alright. Actually way better than alright. Baking your apple pie in a bag means that your apple filling is always always always perfectly tender, and your crust extra special flaky even without blind-baking the bottom crust. Then, all that’s left to do is to tear open the top of the bag ….

… and finish baking until the crust is absolutely positively the most gorgeous golden brown color you have ever seen in your life.

I only included all these step by step photos because, well, I love you and I want you to relax and enjoy the process. And since I really can’t stand it when a blog makes me scroll through 10,000 step-by-step photos, I piled 12 step-by-step photos into one collage. If you don’t like the step-by-steps, you can almost pretend they’re not here! See? Everybody wins! but I really did want to show you the big chunks of butter you need to make a light and flaky pie crust, plus how you really do bake this pie in a bag. For real. 

And before I forget it you’re still kind of skittish about rolling out pie crust, guess what I have a video! I made it years ago, and it’s on Better Batter’s youtube channel but they don’t pay me or anything (and they didn’t, either, back then). Now let’s get to that recipe!

Prep time: 25 minutes       Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes       Yield: 1 9-inch apple pie

Ingredients

Double Pie Crust
3 cups (420 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I highly recommend Cup4Cup, my Better Than Cup4Cup blend, my Mock Cup4Cup, or my Better Batter Pastry Hack blend), plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend  already contains it)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, roughly chopped and chilled

3/4 to 1 cup cold water, iced (ice cubes do not count in volume measurement)

Pie Filling
5 medium-size Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/4-inch thick (or another firm, tart apple)

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (9 g) tapioca starch (can replace with arrowroot or cornstarch)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Finishing
Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon cold water, beaten)

Large paper grocery shopping bag, plus a stapler

Directions

• First, make the pie crust. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger. Add 3/4 cup of water and mix until the dough begins to come together. Add the remaining water by the teaspoon until no part of the dough is crumbly.

• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper and press into a disk. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and roll it out into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thick, moving the dough frequently and sprinkling it lightly with flour if it begins to stick. Fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Twice more, remove the top piece of parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with flour, and fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter. This will smooth out the dough and make it quite easy to handle. Divide the dough into two equal parts, wrap each separately in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill.

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Make the pie filling. In a large bowl, place the apples, sugar, salt, tapioca starch and ground cinnamon, and toss to coat the apples evenly. Set the filling aside.

• Assemble the bottom crust and filling. Grease a 9-inch metal pie plate generously and set aside. Remove one half of pie crust from the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll into a 12-inch round, about 3/8-inch thick. Roll the pie crust loosely on the rolling pin and then unroll it over the prepared pie plate. Press the pie crust gently into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate and, with kitchen shears, trim the excess crust so that only 1/4-inch of excess is overhanging the plate. Tuck the 1/4-inch of excess under itself, and crimp the edge gently all the way around the crust. Arrange the apples filling on the bottom crust in concentric circles, overlapping one apple slice slightly over the previous one. This will prevent the filling from sinking into gaps.

• Shape the other crust and finish assembling the pie. Remove the other half of pie crust from the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and roll it into a rough round about 3/8-inch thick and trim to 10-inches in diameter. Carefully lift the top crust and center it over the pie plate. Tuck the very edge of the pie crust under itself, crimp the edge all the way around and press together with the bottom crust to seal. Alternatively, you can tuck the top crust under the bottom crust all along the edge of the pie and press gently to crimp. Brush the top crust and edges generously with the egg wash, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill until the crust is firm. This will prevent the crust from shrinking during baking.*

  *Note: At this point, the assembled raw pie can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to a month before baking and serving.

• Place the pie in a bag and bake. Place the paper bag open on its side, and slide the assembled and chilled pie inside so that the back edge of the pie is about 1-inch away from the bottom of the bag. Fold the bag opening over on itself and stable shut. Place the pie in the bag on a large rimmed baking sheet and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cut a large hole in the top of the to expose the top and sides of the pie. Return to the oven and bake until the pie is golden brown all over (about another 10 minutes). Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly so the filling sets before slicing and serving.

D.I.Y. Friday: The Best Tomato Sauce Recipe

Welcome back to D.I.Y. Fridays, an occasional blog series in which we D.I.Y. a basic (sometimes naturally gluten free) recipe (like this, the best tomato sauce recipe) or other ingredient that you might be inclined to buy. There are so many jarred tomato sauces that are naturally (and reliably) gluten free that you might think it’s kind of ridiculous to D.I.Y.—unless of course you grew up on homemade tomato sauce and buying a jar of the stuff is just horrifying (and then today’s recipe probably isn’t for you!). But since I make so.much.tomato.sauce in my house, and use it multiple times a week on everything from gluten free pizza to a simple dinner of pasta and meat sauce (my kids’ favorite), it’s time I showed you the few tricks I use to make quick work of truly the best, easiest tomato sauce.

Straight off, you can see that there’s something different about those onions and garlic: they’re grated. I know I know it’s not like this is an earth-shattering method or anything, but it’s something I find pays off in more ways than one. It is way faster than dicing and mincing, uses almost all of the onion, and (best of all) it means that the onion and garlic cook at the same rate—in about half the time it would normally take. And yes, that’s diced bacon. My favorite tomato sauce is made by sautéing the onions and garlic in rendered bacon fat. But you can easily leave that out and just use a bit more olive oil in its place.

Here’s my other “trick”: and mix of tomato puree and tomato paste. I used to buy cans upon cans of whole peeled tomatoes and then puree them with their juices before using them in sauce. And of course you can still do that. But if you can find it, canned tomato puree is a beautiful thing. No blending! If I could buy it by the case, I would. Instead, every other week I practically empty my grocery store’s shelves of the stuff. Adding a small can of tomato paste to the puree means that you have the perfect consistency for your sauce without having to simmer it down.

I store the sauce in two pint-and-a-half mason jars in the refrigerator (it keeps about a week), and I bet you could can it but honestly I know nothing nothing nothing about canning and it’s not something I’m proud of but there it is. Happy D.I.Y. Friday!

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 10 minutes       Yield: 7 cups sauce

Ingredients

1/4 pound bacon, diced (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons (14 to 28 g) extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and grated on a medium-size grater

4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated on a medium-size grater

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

2 28-ounce cans tomato puree (or 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juices until smooth)

Directions

• If using bacon, place the diced bacon in a heavy-bottom 4-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp-tender (about 4 minutes). Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside, leaving the rendered bacon fat behind. Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons if you did not use bacon), and heat over medium until rippling.

• Add the grated onions and garlic, and sauté, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to melt (about 4 minutes). Add the salt, pepper, basil and sugar, and stir to combine. Add the oregano, pressing it between your finger and palm to release the oils, and stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and tomato puree, and whisk to combine well. Cook until heated through and just beginning to bubble. Add the (optional) bacon, and stir to combine. Add more salt and/or pepper to taste. Serve hot.