Gluten, dairy, and sugar-free recipes can be hard to come by. A dietary plan that eliminates these three key components of baked goods can yield very poor products, if a recipe isn't well formed and up to date with the best ingredient substitutions. Gluten, dairy products, and table sugar each provide a recipe with a certain texture and baking properties, so finding a recipe that removes all of these foods is difficult enough. However, finding a recipe that eliminates such ingredients and still produces a superior product is the real challenge.
Finding Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar-Free Recipes
People are always modifying gluten-free recipes to meet their dietary needs within the confines of their own kitchen. This process can involve a lot of recipe tweaking, but for the most part, the majority of celiacs do not possess the knowledge of certain recipe substitutions that can really enhance their cooking while eliminating the proteins in dairy products and the high glycemic index of ordinary sugar.
Elana's Pantry is above and beyond the best website a celiac can find regarding gluten, dairy, and sugar-free recipes. Elana Amsterdam is a pioneer in the area of recipe substitutions and she relies heavily on alternative flours such as almond flour and coconut products as dairy replacements. Her talent extends far into the field of sugar substitutes, and so there is no table sugar present in any of her recipes. One can expects to see formulas that explore alternative sweeteners such as agave and yacon syrup, both of which are extremely low on the glycemic index.
These recipes are invaluable for celiacs who also suffer from diabetes. Brown or white rice flour may still be too starchy for a severe diabetic, so working with almond flour is an excellent way to lower the carbohydrate content of a baked item. Do keep in mind, however, that if you suffer from a tree nut allergy, Elana's Pantry will not have much to offer in the way of tenable recipes. You may have to practice variations of her recipes using the aforementioned brown or white rice flour. In doing so, you will also need to incorporate ingredients such as xanthan gum in order to increase the viscosity of your baked goods.
It is also important to remember the particular roles of dairy, table sugar, and gluten in a recipe. Gluten adds a bounce and elasticity to dough and dairy can aid the softness of cakes and muffins. Replacing gluten and dairy with rice milk and flour will not yield a comparable product. Certain sugar substitutes will not form a sticky syrup to the same degree as regular refined sugar, so the nuances of alternative ingredients are very important to consider when you attempt to eliminate gluten, dairy, and sugar.
Alternative Ingredients
One invaluable aspect of Elana Amsterdam's blog is found in the "Frequently Asked Questions" and "Ingredients" portion of the website. Here is where the eager celiac can learn all about the alternative ingredients and healthful substations that can transform an ordinary recipe into something that is not only gluten, dairy, and sugar-free, but also delicious and nutrient-packed.
Individuals who are looking to avoid the cholesterol effects of butter will be delighted to read Elana's commentary on grapeseed oil which she touts as an ideal substitution for butter in most recipes. Other alternative ingredients such as coconut flour and types of dark chocolate are also included in the repertoire where their health benefits and baking characteristics are discussed to some degree.
When you are learning to master your gluten-free recipes it is important to become familiar with the properties of ingredient substations. Each new food will likely require some modification of an ordinary recipe, and it can take a while to finesse the usage of gluten-free flours. Fortunately, some gluten-free chefs like Elana Amsterdam have made this process simpler by outlining their own baking experiences. Still, most amateur chefs will fortify the age-old truism that practice makes perfect when it comes to gluten-free cooking.
