Nutty chocolate flapjack brownies

Imagine these, warm, with a big glass of milk

I received a wonderful, but dangerous gift this Christmas – a gluten free cookbook. Baking to be precise. This one by ex-Masterchef finalist Hannah Miles, to be even more precise.

“Pecan flapjack brownies” was the first recipe I tried (obviously). This is a variation on that recipe, with small changes to account for ingredients that I couldn’t get.

Ingredients

250g butter
225g caster sugar
125g soft dark brown sugar
100g dessicated coconut
100g salted peanuts, smashed into smaller bits (this also works well with a half peanut+hazelnut mix)
100g Gluten free flour mix (I used Tritamyl)
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence/extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to about 180C
2. First make the base, by melting half the butter in a pan and stirring in the cococnut, peanuts and half of the caster sugar (125g).
3. Squish this mixture down into a greased lined tin. My tin was roughly 13×9″.
4. Now make the brownie topping by melting the chocolate and the rest of the butter over a low heat and (this bit is important, even though I am usually too impatient to do it) leave to cool.
5. Whisk the sugars, eggs and vanilla in another bowl until light, or until your arm is sore. Then whisk the chocolatey butter mixture in as well.
6. Gently fold the flour into this mix, making sure to mix out any lumps of flour.
7. Now pour the brownie mix on top of the flapjack base and pop into the oven for about 40mins, or until skewer poked into the middle of the brownie mix comes out clean.
8. Now comes the most difficult part: leave to cool before you try to cut this into squares.

Hannah Miles’ recipe reckons that these will keep for 5 whole days in an airtight container but I seriously doubt anyone has that kind of self control.

Serving suggestion: eat these sneakily,over the sink, while still warm

BFree gluten free bread

BFree gluten and wheat free bread is the newest in a line of steadily improving gluten free breads in Ireland. BFree boasts the fewest calories per slice (no mean feat in the land of gluten free) and a “fresh frozen” production technique which, they claim, will leave it tasting great for longer.

After experiencing the buzz of their pop up shop in Dublin’s Duke Street firsthand, I was convinced enough to buy a loaf. Their bread does not need to be “refreshed” (shudder) slices well and holds its shape without crumbling into dust. However, both the samples I tried in their pop up shop, and the loaf I brought home, seemed to have a strange chemical or metallic aftertaste that I couldn’t figure out.

Although I prefer Genius for taste and for toast, the BFree line wins hands down on texture. BFree is available in Dunnes Stores nationwide, in the bread aisle*.

*This always makes me nervous.

I heart Xanthan Gum

Warning! Product Placement

Xanthan gum is the magic ingredient that makes gluten free baking give more reliable results.

You can buy it in most Irish supermarkets now, either bunged in with the “special diet” foods or somewhere in the baking section. It is also available to order online from Eco Direct, who are marvellous.

I use the Doves Farm brand but as long as it’s gluten free I don’t think it really makes much difference.

Xanthan gum is really handy for baking where it provides the elasticity that is missing without gluten. I find it makes pastry much easier to handle and improves the crumb structure in cake.

Mince Pies

Hurray! I love Christmas food and have no intention of missing out just because of some pesky gluten. So it’s about time for gluten free mince pies, I reckon. This isn’t a proper recipe really, it is just shortcrust pastry cases filled with pre-made mincemeat, but delicious all the same…

You can practically see the butter...

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to around 180C.
2. Use my general recipe for gluten free shortcrust pastry and add about a third of a cup of caster sugar to sweeten it, using a fork to mash the sugar into the chilled butter and then adding the flour and other ingredients afterwards.
3. I also experimented a bit with this batch, adding the grated zest of one orange to the pastry for a bit of a Christmassy tang. Probably the zest of half an orange would be enough. Grate the very outer rind of the orange but don’t go down too far as the white pithy part can be quite bitter. Mix the zest thoroughly into the dry ingredients and then add the eggs and water to bring the pastry together.
4. Roll out the pastry and cut out circles to fit into silicone muffin cases or a greased, moulded baking tin.
5. Put a dollop of mince meat (from a jar, life’s too short) into each pie, leaving room at the top for a pastry lid.
6. Cut out smaller circles for lids for the mince pies and press down the edges with a fork.
7. Poke a hole through the top of each pie to allow them to cook evenly without popping.
8. Cook for about 40mins at 180c or until the pastry has coloured slightly.

Then eat warm with a dollop of cream or (even better) fancy vanilla ice-cream. Divine!

Aldi stocks gluten free bread

Aldi's brand of gluten free bread

German supermarket chain giant, Aldi, is now stocking gluten free bread!

Unfortunately they are keeping it in the aisle with the normal bread, which makes me nervous.

To my taste buds, it is more like the vacuum-packed monstrosities of the gluten free aisle than the really ground breaking brands of gluten free bread (enter Genius) out there. However, for the very accessible price of 1.99 it is definitely worth a try.

Slathered in butter...

Toastie Pockets

Toastie pockets from Alio

A quick tip for those who live with gluten-eaters. Your toaster is a vital piece equipment in everyday gluten free cooking – just try eating GF bread a day out of the packet without it. However, the toaster is also potentially a major cause of cross contamination in the kitchen, where the crumbs from ‘normal’ bread can slip unexpected glutenings into your day .

If you have the budget and the counter space to buy your own toaster, reserved specifically for gluten free food, then you’re in the lucky minority. For those of us who have tiny kitchens, a toastie pocket fills in the gaps nicely.

These are thin, envelope-type gadgets, made of a non-flammable material, that fit right inside the toaster. They are great for bread, muffins and scones and probably even their intended use of making toasties!

They are also small enough to easily bring with you if you are staying away from home and want to be sure of a gluten free breakfast slice.

I bought some in Aldi and have used them well past their 50 toasts guideline – you can even pop them into the dishwasher when they get grubby. Enjoy!

Tritamyl Bread

Ok so this is really just based on the recipe on the back of the Odlums Tritamyl flour packet but it is quick to prepare and works pretty well for day to day bread if you’re in a hurry, so thought I would include it:

Ingredients

350g Tritamyl Plain Flour

350ml Full fat milk

1 tablespoon oil*

*Olive oil works fine but play around with different oils to get slightly different textures in your bread. I prefer Groundnut oil as it produces a bread that is slightly lighter in texture and it does not have a strong taste of its own.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to about 180C
2. Place flour in a large bowl and add the milk and oil.
3. Beat the mixture together, either use a hand whisk or an electric one but beat it until it is really smooth and try to incorporate as much air as possible.
4. Scrape the mixture into a loaf tin. I can’t praise silicone loaf tins enough. Definitely use one for this recipe if you can.
5. Bake in the oven for about 45mins or until the top begins to colour and a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
6. Move onto a rack to cool before slicing.

This bread, like most gluten free mixes, tastes much better when it is freshly made. You can eat it without refreshing on the day it is made, but you may prefer to toast slices after that.

GF Take Away Pizza in Dublin!

Last weekend, in a fit of laziness I decided to finally try one of Dublin’s gluten free take away pizza options.

This time, it was Credo’s pizza, at number 19 Montague Street (off Harcourt Street) in Dublin 2 that won out. Unlike some of the other restaurants offering gluten free goodies in Ireland, Credo boasts:

• its own dedicated gluten-free kitchen
• separate storage for gluten free items
• specially trained gluten free staff!
• approval from the Coeliac Society of Ireland.

So with that much peace of mind on offer, I thought I’d better give it a shot.

I ordered gluten free garlic bread and the Caprice pizza, which, according to their menu, has

“wild irish mushrooms, roasted ham, roasted peppers, parmesan shavings, tomato sauce, mozzarella, finished with extra virgin olive oil.”

Gluten Free Caprice pizza, from Credo

Gluten Free garlic bread, from Credo

Sounds good, right? The toppings were really fresh and tasty, with just the right amount of oil to give it moisture, but not greasiness.

The gluten and lactose free base was thin and light, which I like, but to be honest, the outer edges were hard enough to break teeth. The garlic bread pizza in particular, while tasty, could have lost me a couple of molars.

I think, for me, the homemade gluten free pizza base recipe wins out on texture, while the Credo’s “tasty toppings + laziness” combination wins out on convenience.

Credo have a meal deal running at present which makes the pizzas a little more affordable (and does not include the additional charge for making your pizza gluten free that the rest of the menu carries), so I may have to eat several dozen more of their pizzas in order to get a proper, statistically appropriate sample.

Definitely worth checking out.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a popular recipe and there are many slight variations but thought I would post it as this particular mix has worked well for me.

Ingredients

1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to about 160C
2. Beat Peanut butter and sugar together in a bowl until well combined.
3. Beat the egg and mix into the peanut butter and sugar.
4. Form the mixture into little balls and place them on a greased baking sheet.
5. Squish down the balls with a fork and then into the oven for 15mins.

The cookies should have browned a little when they come out of the oven but they will still be soft, just leave them sit on the tray and they will firm up as they cool. Move onto a rack to cool fully once they are firm enough to move.

Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry

This pastry works well with sweet or savoury recipes. For desserts or a sweeter mix, try adding a little caster sugar as you mash the butter.

Ingredients

200g Plain Tritamyl Flour
100g butter (chilled)
75ml cold water
2 egg yolks
1 tsp xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and xanthan gum together in a large bowl until well-combined.
2. Cut the chilled butter into smaller chunks and then mash them into the flour mixture with a fork until it resembles fine breadcrumbs (don’t use your hands as this will melt the butter).
3. Seperate the eggs then beat the 2 egg yolks and then add those, plus the water, to the mix.
4. Stir until the dough comes together into a ball.
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and put it into the fridge for at least 30mins to chill.
6. When its nice and cold, roll out your pastry dough on a floured surface (tritamyl again), or between layers of cling film for easier handling after it is rolled.
7. My oven is old and temperamental but I baked it for about 45mins at 160C and it turned out great! Just keep an eye on it the first time.

Note: don’t expect this pastry to colour much, it stayed pretty pale even after it was cooked.

You can save the leftover egg whites from this recipe and use them for the amazing GF pizza recipe.

Shortcrust pastry in my slightly burnt pumpkin pie