Porridge Pancakes

Well, not really anything to do with porridge, except for the containing oats bit. These are more a cross between Pikelets (yeasted pancakes) and Staffordshire oatcakes.

We had sweet toppings today, but they also work really well with savoury toppings too.

I topped mine with fresh peach, frozen berries, coconut milk yogurt and chocolate sauce.

L went for the classic lemon and sugar, M drowned his in maple syrup. 

1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used Dove's Farm White Bread Flour, you may need to adjust fluid for different blends)

1 cup Gluten Free Oats

1tsp Dried Yeast

3 Cups Milk Substitute (plus 1/4 cup)

Put dry ingredients in a bowl.

Mix in milk substitute with a balloon whisk.

Cover and leave in fridge over night.

Stir in extra milk substitute.

Heat a lightly oiled skillet or frying pan on medium heat.

Pour in 1/2 cup of mix and leave until bubbles formed and top beginning to set.

Flip over and brown lightly on other side.

Repeat until all mix used up. Mine made 8 about 6 inches across.

Vegetable Pasta Bake

I always struggle to post savoury recipes because I've always cooked by eye & don't measure anything out. We'd just got back from 5 days away and I hadn't been food shopping yet so lunch was a concoction of store cupboard basics, some vegetables that I'd put in the shed over Christmas as no room in fridge, and some bits from the freezer. You could do your own version with whatever you have to hand or what you know your kids will eat.

Cauliflower, carrot & ham pasta bake

Several people asked for the recipe after I posted the above picture on twitter, so I've typed up my best estimate of how I made it. Maybe it could give you an idea of how to do your own version. It's certainly different every time in this house!

250g Dried Gluten Free Pasta (I used Hale & Hearty Rigatoni)

250mls Tomato and Basil Sauce (plus equal quantity of water used to rinse out pot)

2 Carrots (grated)

1/2 Cauliflower (chopped into small pieces)

Ham hock/chopped leftover meat/bacon/sausages (optional)

Frozen sweetcorn/spinach (I'd run out or it would have been in this one)

White Sauce 

500mls Milk Substitute

60g Dairy & Soya Free Spread (I used half and half, spread and garlic oil)

60g Gluten Free Plain Flour

50g Dairy & Soya Free Cheese* (I used Violife Original, grated)

100ml Dairy & Soya Free Cream (optional)

*If you don't want to use a cheese substitute, you can try 1tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes to add a savoury flavour.

Melt spread and oil in a pan. Add the flour and mix well, continuing to stir on a low heat for another minute (do not allow it to brown).

Slowly add the milk substitute a little at a time, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth paste.

After this you can add the milk a little quicker to make the sauce. Allow to come to the boil, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat & stir in the grated cheese, or other flavouring.

Add the dairy free cream, if using, or a little more milk substitute until you have a sauce the consistency of custard. Set aside.

Cook pasta for a couple of minutes less than it says on the pack. Drain off the water. Add the veg, ham, tomato sauce & water.

Stir and bring back to the boil. Pour into a casserole dish, top with the white sauce.

Bake at 220ºc for 40mins (or 20mins, the grill to brown the top if you're short of time like I was!).

Add caption

Toad in the Hole

Another variation on a theme…

(Mine didn't brown today, only thing I did different was use almond milk… Still puffed up nicely, was beautifully crisp on the outside & gooey in the middle just as it should be though. Usual complaint from boys, not enough...)

8 Chipolata Sausages

1 Batch of Yorkshire Pudding Batter

1 Eating Apple (cut into wedges)

1 Parsnip (peeled & cut into wedges)

Chopped sage and rosemary (optional)

Put sausages and parsnip in oven at 220ºc for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make up the batter and add the herbs (if using).

Add apple to sausages and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Heat toad in hole tin, with a little oil, until smoking hot.

Pour in the batter.

Top with sausages and veg.

Bake at 220ºc for 25-30mins or until puffed up, browned, and coming away from the sides of the tin.

GBBO - Week4 - Batter

Well, while most of us are still reeling from the news that Great British Bake Off is moving from the BBC, it's important to keep sight of what we're here for. Baking. Specifically free from baking. This week it's batter. Still not sure what my bake off challenge is going to be this week, but if you're new to free from cooking, batter is your friend! Thought I'd just post a couple of old recipes to get you started.

When my first son came up in blisters where he'd touched some eggy bread at 7 months old, it was time to start approaching cooking a bit differently. I've been lucky that the progression through exclusion of egg, milk, soya, wheat and pulses (lentils or any type of bean) has been gradual, allowing me to adapt recipes one step at a time. 

I was delighted to discover pancakes worked just as well without the egg. All I had to do was increase the fluid by 50-60mls per egg. I used egg replacer initially, but since forgetting to add it one day and finding they worked just as well, I stopped bothering. The switch to wheat free was just as easy.

Pancakes are a great thing to start off with if you're not used to baking. There is much less to go wrong than with cake and the possibilities are endless. Basic thick pancakes are so simple, even my 6yo can make them on his own!

Basic Thick (Scotch/American) Pancake

Raspberry Pancakes (has pictures of basic steps not shown in above recipe)

Basic Thin Pancake (scroll down for the wheat free version) 

If you're feeling more adventurous and want to try a less forgiving batter, my Yorkshire pudding recipe is here…

Technically waffles and my baked doughnuts use a batter type mix too... 

Waffles

Herb Waffles (great for packed lunches)

Baked Doughrings

Cheese and Herb Bread Rolls

Anyone who follows me on twitter will know I'm a big fan of a couple of mixes for bread making (Coori and Bakels). Biscuits and cake can be made with any of the flour blends easily available, but if you've had a go at making bread with wheat flour, you will know that making gluten free bread is a very different story. No kneading required as its almost cake mix like consistency can only be poured into a tin to contain it. In the early days of being wheat free, I had a go at trying to use a thicker workable dough, but just ended up with ugly, cracked, brick like breads (yes, really, I have bad days in the kitchen too!). 

I love that I can get a good workable dough with consistently good results from Coori and Bakels (but both require a little more effort) and finally make some of the things we used to have regularly at home. Have now perfected flatbreads, brioche, cinnamon bun, jam doughnut, sausage rolls, tarte tatin recipes to name but a few...

The first time I used the Bakels Multiseed mix (after the Allergy Show in London in 2015), I had to double check the ingredients as it was not only 'workable' like a wheat containing dough, but also smelt and looked like a malted wheat loaf when it came out of the oven! Of course, it was fine, they just have better food scientists than me and access to ingredients that improve the consistency of the dough…

The other problem I have is that as a Registered Dietitian, I'm not supposed to promote specific brands. This is even more frustrating when doing free from baking as some of the flour blends need more or less liquid to get the same results in a recipe. I've resigned myself to actually saying which flour I used now on the basis that I name several throughout the recipes, so not promoting a specific one on the site. So here goes…

I don't have anything as fancy as a stand mixer, I've tried using my electric hand whisk, but on balance, I've gone back to good old fashioned mixing by hand.

300g Bakes Multi Seed Bread Mix

270mls Milk Substitute (if you use a fortified one, it will add 324mg calcium to your loaf, or 54mg/roll)

1tsp dried yeast

100g Violife Original Cheese* (Grated)

2tbsp Chopped fresh Herbs (sage and rosemary from the garden) or 2tsp dried 

Additional wheat fee flour for kneading (I used Doves Farm white bread flour, but any wheat free (not self raising) flour would do)

Warm milk substitute to 'hand hot'. Sprinkle on the yeast, stir and set aside to foam up (even if you're using instant dried yeast).

Put flour, grated cheese and herbs in a large bowl. Mix together with a blunt knife.

Pour in the milk and yeast mixture.

Stir with the blunt knife until it begins to come together.

Sprinkle on a little extra flour and bring it to a ball with your hand. Knead lightly until you have a smooth ball of dough (you may need to keep adding a little extra flour if your hand get too sticky, but don't be tempted to add too much).

Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place to rise (I think I left mine for about 45 mins, won't quite double in size like wheat bread, but when you press it with your fingers you will see it sink back down).

Sprinkle with a little more flour and knead lightly again. Shape into 6 rolls (or a loaf) and put on a floured tray. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise again.

Bake at 220ºC for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and sounding hollow when tapped underneath.

Try to leave to cool before eating…

*Violife Original (as you may have found) does not melt with direct heat (like on a pizza), but melts well in toasties, sauces etc, that's why you can see the spots of it on the outside of the rolls where it poked through the dough, the cheese melted will on the inside of the rolls. You could try other dairy and soya free cheeses, but as this is available in most of the main Supermarkets now, it made sense to use as easily accessible.

Bakels mixes are currently available at Sainsbury's and on Amazon.

'Bacon Rolls' - Tomato and ham stuffed bread

These stuffed breads are based on the Italian Stromboli I remember from my childhood. Despite not being remotely like a bacon roll, Mini Monsters name for these has always stuck in this house.

These freeze very well and are perfect in a packed lunch box (I just take mine out of freezer the night before and leave packed lunch in the fridge overnight). 

250g Orgran Easy Bake Bread Mix
220mls cold water or milk substitute (less if using the spinach)
30mls Olive (or other) Oil
2 Balls of Frozen Chopped Spinach (defrosted) - optional
Extra Flour for kneading (I use Doves Farm 
Ham
Tomato Sauce
Basil Paste/Frozen Chopped Basil

Weigh bread mix into a bowl.

Put defrosted spinach into a measuring jug, add milk substitute or water to make up to 220mls, add oil. Mix.

Add to the flour mix.

Mix with a blunt knife unto the mixture comes together.

Kneed lightly with a little more flour if too sticky.

Divide dough into two and press out on a floured surface, using your hand, to form two rectangles.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce down the middle of each.

Top with basil and ham, before folding in the sides.

Carefully move to a greased tray and bake for 20mins at 200ºC.

Cut each into 3 pieces, cool and freeze until needed.

Rosemary and Sweet Potato Scones

I baked a sweet potato today intending to have a go at making pasta, but then ran out of time for experimenting (I almost forgot to get the boys from school too, but that's another story…) so needed something else to use it in.

This is basically an adaptation of the dumpling recipe. It made 6 small triangles with a lovely crisp crust and soft middle. Perfect for dunking in tomato sauce, gravy or on their own fresh and warm from the oven (can I admit to having real butter on mine…?). 

120g GF Self Raising Flour (Orgran/Doves Farm)

50g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Vitalite/Pure

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

100g Mashed Sweet Potato*

Chopped Rosemary (I used about a teaspoon of fresh, use less if dried)

1/2tsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice

30mls Milk Substitute

extra flour for kneading

Put flour baking powder and rosemary in a bowl.

Rub in the spread until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the sweet potato mash, vinegar and milk substitute and mix with a blunt knife until mixture comes together.

Sprinkle over a little extra flour so your hands don't stick and knead lightly into a ball.

Flatten onto a greased tray and mark top with a knife so it can be broken apart when cooked.

Bake at 220ºC for 40mins.

Cool slightly on a wire rack, then break apart along the lines.

Alternatively, Flatten out with your hand to about 2cm thick, cut into circles or rectangles, place on the tray and bake for about 20mins.

*prick all over with a fork and microwave until soft (about 4-6 mins depending on size - mine gave me 200g of flesh). Leave to cool slightly, cut lengthways the scoop out the middle and mash with a fork.

Green Tea Crackers

These are for Margreet, who very generously donated the Matcha Powder to experiment with. Green tea is high in antioxidants, but also contains caffeine so these may not be the ideal snack for your little cherub to eat in vast quantities, the odd one or 2 shouldn't be a problem (1 tsp of powder is enough for the equivalent of a cup of tea, this quantity of mix makes about 40 crackers - depending on size…). 

Mini Monster loves them, but I'm not sure he's the best judge as he will pretty much eat any carbohydrate (unless someone has touched it with 'wheat fingers'!). If you're not keen to try the green tea, just leave it out and make plain crackers.

2oz Gluten Free White Bread Flour (would probably work with gf plain flour too)

4oz Ground Almonds

1tsp Arrowroot or Kuzu 

1/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1tsp Coconut Oil (room temperature so it's soft) or other oil

1tsp Matcha Green Tea Powder (or 2tsp if you want a stronger green tea taste)

50-60mls Lemon Juice or Water

Put dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Add lemon juice (or water) and coconut oil.

Bring together with a knife.

Knead lightly until smooth ball formed.

Cover with cling film and flatten slightly with your hand.

Roll out (under cling film) until 2-3mm thick.

Cut into squares with a sharp knife (or use a biscuit cutter for different shapes).

Place on baking tray.

Bake at 180ºC for 15mins.

If they are not crisp enough put them back in the oven at 160ºC for another 10-15 mins

3 Ways With Potato...

I see a lot of parents who panic about the thought of cutting out one or two foods. Milk, egg, wheat and soya free can be a bit more of a challenge, but what do you do when your child can only tolerate potato and a couple of fruits? It will be a long journey trying to expand their repertoire so just in case there is a limit to how many times you can face chips, I thought I'd have a go at a few alternatives to expand their choices!

Please scroll down for recipes for Potato Farls, Potato Gnocchi and Potato Biscuits!

Potato Farls (makes 8)

400g Floury Potatoes (e.g. King Edward) - about 3 medium potatoes

40g Potato Flour (or any other flour you can tolerate)

salt and pepper (optional, I didn't bother)

Prick the potatoes with a fork.

Microwave (or oven bake) until soft - in my microwave this takes about 4mins, then I turn them over and do another 2mins.

Cool enough to handle, then peel off the skins.

Mash the flesh with a fork (you could add a little dairy and soya free spread or vegetable oil, but I did it without for this).

Add salt and pepper, if using.

Mix in the flour and knead gently to form a soft dough.

Divide the mixture in 2.

Press, or roll, out onto a floured (use potato flour for this too) board until about 4-5mm thick.

Cut into 4.

Place on a hot griddle/frying pan until lightly browned.

Flip over and fry the other side.

Repeat with the rest of the mix.

Any left over are nice toasted and spread with a little dairy and soya free spread.

For some more creative ideas on how to use your potato cakes, check out The Recipe Resource here.

Gnocchi 

I tried with the other half of the mix from the potato farls initially, but without the extra flour to hold them together, they just floated away in the water. 

400g Floury Potatoes (e.g. King Edward)

80g Potato Flour (or any other flour you can tolerate)

salt and pepper (optional, I didn't bother)

(For pictures of the initial stages, see above as I used the same batch to make 1/2 quantity of each recipe)

Prick the potatoes with a fork.

Microwave (or oven bake) until soft - in my microwave this takes about 4mins, then I turn them over and do another 2mins.

Cool enough to handle, then peel off the skins.

Mash the flesh with a fork (or masher, or ricer…).

Add salt and pepper, if using.

Mix in the flour and knead gently to form a soft dough.

Roll out into long sausages about 1cm thick.

Cut into 2cm lengths.

Press the top lightly with a fork (dip in more potato flour if sticking).

Place in boiling water and simmer for 2-3 mins until float up to the surface (you may want to do this in batches and remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon).

Toss in olive oil (or other suitable oil), dairy & soya free spread.

Or for the creamy pesto topping in the next picture:

Toasted some chopped hazelnuts (ran out of pine nuts), add a spoonful of suitable pesto* and dairy free cream, stir together, then toss in the gnocchi.

*Barts Infusions Basil Paste - not technically pesto, but has all the taste with no pesky cheese or nuts added (haven't checked for traces)

*Le Conserva Della Nonna Dairy, Nut and Gluten Free Green Pesto Sauce (contains pine nuts)

Biscuits

This isn't like a normal dough to handle, so my advice is be gentle, use a small cutter and I probably wouldn't start with a fancy shaped one...

80g Potato Flour

20g Caster Sugar

2tsp Suitable Vegetable Oil (I used sunflower)

50g apple and strawberry puree* (or other suitable fruit puree)

extra sugar for sprinkling

Put flour and sugar in a bowl.

Add the oil and most of the fruit puree.

Mix with a knife until it all comes together.

If it's still a little dry (visible flour) add more fruit puree.

Knead lightly (this is an unusual texture to work, like playing with wet sand but without the grittiness, so don't panic and think you're doing it wrong).

Place on a piece of floured (use potato flour again) cling film.

Lightly flatten with you hand.

Top with another piece of cling film and roll out very thinly (about 2 mm).

Dip your cutter in potato flour and cut shapes.

Carefully move them onto a baking tray (don't bother trying to lift by hand, they will break, use a pallet knife - or fish slice -, I had to dip mine in flour again before sliding under each biscuit or they stuck to the knife).

Sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar  (I forgot to do this and after 10 mins baking wet the tops with water, then sprinkled some with sugar).

Bake at 180ºC for 20mins, turn over and bake for another 10 mins (mine were baked for 40mins and were very hard, so hopefully reducing cooking time will give the right amount of crunch…). Surprisingly pleasant biscuit, despite the restrictions! As they are so crispy, I might try a savoury  cracker version too.