The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 Low-Carb Recipes that Offer Solutions for Celiac Disease, Diabetes, and Weight Loss - Hardcover

Reinhart, Peter; Wallace, Denene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1607741164 ISBN 13: 9781607741169

Publisher: Ten Speed Press, 2012

Synopsis

The first gluten-free baking book from legendary bread maker and James Beard Award-winning author Peter Reinhart, with 80 world-class recipes suitable for wheat sensitive, diabetic, and low-carb/low-sugar dieters.

Amazing, easy-to-make recipes that revolutionize baking for wheat sensitive, diabetic, and low-carb/low-sugar cooks.

     After more than two decades of research into gluten-free baking, bestselling author and legendary bread maker Peter Reinhart and his baking partner Denene Wallace deliver more than eighty world-class recipes for delicious breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, and more in The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking.
     Carefully crafted for anyone who is gluten sensitive, diabetic, or needs to reduce carbs to prevent illness or lose weight, these forgiving recipes taste just as good as the original wheat versions—and are easier to bake than traditional breads. By using readily available or home-ground nut and seed flours and alternative and natural sweeteners as the foundation for their groundbreaking style of baking, Reinhart and   Wallace avoid the carb-heavy starch products commonly found in gluten-free baking. Additionally, each recipe can easily be made vegan by following the dairy and egg substitution guidelines. 
Bakers of all skill levels will have no trouble creating incredibly flavorful baked goods, such as:
·   Toasting Bread, Banana Bread, Nutty Zucchini Bread, and many styles of pizza and focaccia
·   Cheddar Cheese and Pecan Crackers, Herb Crackers, Garlic Breadsticks, and pretzels
·   Blueberry-Hazelnut Muffins, Lemon and Poppy Seed Scones, and pancakes and waffles
·   Coconut-Pecan Cookies, Lemon Drop Cookies, Biscotti, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
·   Brownies and Blondies, Cinnamon-Raisin Coffee Cake, Pound Cake with Crumb Topping, and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
·   Apple Crumble Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Berry Pie, and Vanilla, Chocolate, or Banana Cream Pie
 
     With Reinhart and Wallace’s careful attention to ingredients and balancing of flavors, these delicious gluten-free baked goods with a glycemic load of nearly zero will satisfy anyone’s craving for warm bread or decadent cake.
 

About this title

About the Author

PETER REINHART is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper’s Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of eight books on bread baking, including Crust and Crumb and The Bread Baker’s Apprentice (winner of the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year), and the 2008 James Beard Award–winning Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads.
 
DENENE WALLACE started baking goods that would help her manage blood sugar issues after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and gluten intolerance. Soon after, she founded Proseed Flour, a business specializing in the production of high-protein/low-carb gluten-free flour. Although at one time Denene needed five insulin shots a day to control her blood sugar, these recipes have helped her completely eliminate her need for insulin. She lives in Navarre, Florida.
 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

These recipes are designed to meet the dietary needs of people who are sensitive to gluten or have diabetic or prediabetic conditions. There are only small amounts of carbohydrates in most of these recipes, mostly from the nut and seed flours and small amounts of fruit or vegetables. In all of these cases, the carbs are balanced out by the complementary natural fiber in these foods. These are baked goods that have essentially no glycemic load, making it possible for people with blood sugar or insulin concerns to enjoy them freely.
     The secret to the success of the recipes in this book is twofold: utilizing a variety of nut and seed flours, and working with alternative, sugar-free sweeteners. You’ll learn all about these ingredients in the chapter “The Basics.” Be sure to read the pantry section, as it provides details on how to make your own nut and seed flours, as well as why we mostly use certain alternative sweeteners (and why you need to do the same). Once you’ve digested that information, you’ll be able to join us in creating the most unique and delicious gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb baked goods you’ve ever had. As a bonus, these baked goods are not only safe for diabetics and people with gluten sensitivity, but also a good choice for many folks who are looking for a healthful alternative to traditional baked goods. Barring allergies to nuts or other ingredients we call for, these recipes are a perfect fit for anyone on a low-carb diet, such as Atkins, South Beach, the Belly Fat Cure, Sugar Busters, and others, and are also a healthy alternative for kids’ lunch boxes.
     Obviously, there is no one diet that works for everyone. If you’re allergic or sensitive to tree nuts, these recipes won’t work for you. Fortunately, there are plenty of specialized cookbooks available, including some with a focus on allergen-free recipes (we’ve listed our favorites in the Resources section). Our mission here is to serve the large and, unfortunately, growing population of people with diabetes, prediabetes, weight loss and obesity struggles, and gluten intolerance. If the innovative recipes in this book accomplish this by offering you new and delicious options, it will be a very good day for us.
     These baked goods do, of course, contain calories; however, when used to replace your normal, starch-based baked goods, they will actually help with weight loss. These recipes are free of calories from the sugars and refined grains typically used in baked goods—considered to be “empty” calories because they contain minimal nutrients beyond their carbohydrate. Sugars and refined grains are also rapidly converted into blood sugar (glucose), and if they aren’t quickly burned up by activity, they’re eventually stored as fat.
     We believe that everyone will love these recipes, even people without dietary restrictions. It’s true that the baked goods they yield won’t taste like those made with wheat. For that matter, they also won’t taste like gluten-free baked goods made with rice and tapioca flour—and we view this as a good thing! They have their own distinctive flavor and texture, and we believe that they are extremely delicious and will please your palate. And regardless of dietary restrictions, most folks could benefit from eating fewer sugars and refined carbs, and from introducing more variety into their diet. This book will help you do just that.
     All of that said, we imagine you’ve chosen this cookbook because you or someone you love has issues with sugar, gluten, obesity, or carbohydrates. If so, you’re probably well aware of all of the ins and outs of these medical conditions. However, if you have further questions about these topics, the Resources section will point you toward some reputable sources of information. Just to be clear, we aren’t making any health claims or offering a dietary plan in this book. That’s a job for the experts, and we’re happy to refer you to them. However, we will give you just a bit of background information on food allergies, gluten sensitivity, obesity, and diabetic considerations in the sections that follow.
 
 
Italian Herb Bread
Makes 1 loaf (10 to 12 slices)
The combination of herbs in this savory loaf is just one possibility among many. Feel free to substitute your favorite herbs for those we suggest. You could also use a blend, such as herbes de Provence, which contains many of the herbs listed here, plus lavender. Whatever herbs you choose, use a light hand—even small quantities of some herbs pack a punch, and too much can easily overwhelm the subtle flavors of the nut and seed flours.
 
2 cups (8 oz / 227 g) almond flour
1 cup (4 oz / 113 g) brown or golden  flaxseed meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon  minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes,  ground black pepper, or a combination
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or minced  fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
4 eggs (7 oz / 198 g)
1 cup (8 oz / 227 g) unsweetened soy milk or other milk
1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) salted butter or margarine, melted
 
Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a 4½ by 8-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, then mist the pan with spray oil.
     In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, basil, red pepper flakes, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and oregano and whisk until well mixed. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to make a smooth, sticky, and pourable batter (see page 27).
     Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, then rotate and bake for about 35 more minutes, until golden brown and springy when pressed in the center and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
     Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before turning out the loaf. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1607741164
• ISBN 13: 9781607741169
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224