Tips for Successful Gluten Free Baking

A nice domed loaf...that sunk later. The joys of GF baking!

Over the past several years, I have learned a lot about baking gluten free. It is definitely a science, which the 'just throw stuff in a pan' part of me struggles with. I am not an expert at baking gluten free, but I have learned several things that can help lead to a successful end-product. This is not an all-inclusive list, but hopefully it will help you regardless of whether you are new to the GF baking scene, or have been around it for awhile. Feel free to comment with any tips or suggestions that I didn't list (or may not know). I'll try to update this list periodically.

Spinach and Tomato Pie

I am really not a big fan of traditional pie crust. I don't like it in pies and I don't like it in anything else. I always look for ways to create a crust alternative, whether it's a graham cracker crust for desserts, or shredded hash browns for a recipe like this.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Biscuits

I typically only bake when I get a mad craving for something. Which in this case, I was dying to get my hands on a cinnamon roll. And at the mere mention of it, my husband decided he really needed one too. Not wanting the both of us to turn into ravaging cinnamon-roll craving monsters, I broke down and decided to make some.

Gluten Free Crumb Topped Banana Bread

Normally I don't bake unless I have a reason to. Sounds odd, but whenever I have something sweet in the house I usually end up finishing it off way too fast. So to save myself the calories, I just don't bake very much, problem solved. However, this bread came to be because I had some over-ripe bananas that I didn't want to go to waste. 

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Often during the week I am just too tired to even think about attempting to bake gluten free. Occasionally though, I get a rare burst of motivation to attempt it. That's what happened with these biscuits. I was looking for a fluffy buttermilk biscuit recipe, but every gluten free one I found had way too many ingredients in it for my liking. So I decided to modify a non-gf recipe and see what happened. 

Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnut Holes

I've been meaning to make gluten free doughnuts for quite some time now, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Obviously, it's a bit more of an undertaking than this lazy girl typically prefers. However, when I came across this recipe for Apple Cider Doughnut Holes, it looked fairly easy and manageable, and it proved to be just that. 

Mini Gluten Free Banana Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Peanut butter and bananas, seriously. What's not to love?? When I discovered how amazing peanut butter and banana sandwiches were several years ago, I was hooked. Now I like to find ways to incorporate the two ingredients any way I can - even if it's as simple as eating a banana with PB right from the container. Comfort food for the win.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

To be honest, I was a little concerned that I was not going to be able to post this week since we spent all weekend moving into our new home! I am very excited about all the space I now have to spread out in, and that my kitchen is now double the size of my previous one. Let me tell you, having only nine sets of cupboards, two drawers, and no pantry was not a picnic. Now I have so much storage, it's almost overwhelming. But you won't hear me complaining. 

Gluten Free Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I came across this recipe for Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake on Pinterest and knew just from the picture that I would have to make a gluten-free version of it. Boy am I glad I did. The cake turned out super fluffy and moist, and was aptly described by my husband as "like a blueberry muffin in cake form". I will definitely be making this again, and not just for breakfast. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cobbler

This amazing gluten free chocolate cobbler is any chocolate lover's dream. It's moist, gooey, chocolatey, and very delicious!  It had occurred to me that I haven't posted a dessert in quite some time (sorry!), so I am making it up to you with this super delicious chocolate cobbler. Serve it warm with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, and you will have yourself a very decadent dessert.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bites

My dream was to be able to provide a resource to all of you who follow a gluten free diet, whether it be by choice or necessity like myself, so when I started A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Living Gluten Free back in July 2012, I had no idea how much it would grow over the months to follow. Many of you have provided such wonderful feedback, and I have been able to watch my dream grow and begin to thrive. Every comment and message I receive has been so heartwarming for me, and I am thankful every day to be able to help all of you to enjoy your life without worrying about dietary restrictions. This is a little sappy, I know, but I thought it was appropriate with the approach of Valentine’s Day to share how much I appreciate all of you and your amazing support! Seriously though, I couldn’t do this without you.

Mini Gluten-Free Cheesecakes

To begin, Happy New Year! I still haven't quite come to terms with it being 2013 yet, but I have high hopes that this year will be a great one. I thought I would start out the new year right by sharing with you a recipe for mini cheesecakes. Cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I would say is definitely a good first post of the new year. 

Annual Holiday Baking 2012

Every year I look forward to the day when my mom, sister, and I gather to bake a variety of holiday goodies. This tradition is always a blast that includes making messes and lots of laughs. I wanted to share our creations with all of you since our annual holiday baking has been strictly gluten-free ever since my diagnosis. This makes for an added challenge, but a much more accomplished feeling when we step back and admire our work at the end. So here you have it, our holiday spread. If you would like a recipe, just comment below and I will be more than happy to share it with you. 

Best-Ever Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

There are a few foods that I have yet to find a good gluten-free option for. I knew when I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease that the hardest thing was going to be giving up all the delicious carb-filled sweets that I love so dearly. Luckily, I have found good gluten-free alternatives for most of my beloved desserts.

Birthday Extravaganza: An Owl Cake For Melanie

You only get one 21st birthday, so it should be something to remember. My 21st birthday was not all that exciting, in fact, we were flying home from Las Vegas. Woo. So when it was time for my younger sister's coveted 21st, I was going to make sure that she would have a blast.

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

Cheese and garlic, what's not to love?? We were going to be grilling steaks for dinner and I wanted something extra for some fill and flavor, so I decided to go with a biscuit that combines two of my favorite things: cheese and garlic. These biscuits were super easy and they turned out very delicious.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

I will take almost any excuse to bake. When I found out today was "National Chocolate Cupcake Day", I figured that was as good of an excuse as I could get to bake. I don't recall the last time that I made cupcakes anyway, so this worked out perfect since I am probably well overdue.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

As soon as the weather starts turning cooler and the leaves on the trees start showing their beautiful colors, I get in baking mode. Last year, I got a ton of honeycrisp apples from my grandparents and wanted to bake something with apples to use them up. So after some searching around, I settled on making apple crisp. 

Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Tuna noodle casserole has been one of my favorites ever since I was little. I would always get super excited when mom would announce that she was making it for dinner (yes, I have always loved food this much). So now that I am off on my own, tuna casserole remains a staple dish in our home. 

Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake has always been one of my favorite desserts, and is a love that my dad also shares. Since I had not had the cake since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease almost four years ago, and dad's birthday was coming up, I decided to attempt it. I am so glad I did since this cake turned out amazing! Dad told me three times how much he enjoyed it. Dad's Birthday = success.