Gluten Free flours/ bread mix/ pasta on prescripti

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village.green, Oct 13, 4:17pm
I use a lot of ground almonds (I buy in 1kg bags) in my baking as well as coconut flour. On Thursday I made a very sticky (growups due to choc and coffee) gluten free fudgy cake of Sophie Gray's and it was amazing using ground almonds.I've made it a few times, very very good, of course it contains lots of sugar and butter!
davidt4, Oct 13, 4:48pm
Would you like some recipes for flourless cakes!
toadfish, Oct 13, 8:17pm
No thanks, luckily we don't have to worry about gluten allergies in this house. and as i said about my sister in law is really clever. gluten free baking mix just gives her other options and to be honest I couldn't tell you how much or little she used them any more,Ijust remembered her telling me about the prescription in the early days after they were diagnosed.
uli, Oct 13, 11:17pm
For all people who need a cookbook for gluten free sugar free baking - I can recommend this one by a world famous baker - Peter Reinhart - andDenene Wallace: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Joy-Gluten-Free-Sugar-Free-Baking-Peter-Reinhart/9781607741169 currently on special. Free freight to NZ. While I wouldn't eat those items daily - for a festive invitation the recipes are very suitable. Additionally, each recipe can easily be made vegan by following the dairy and egg substitution guidelines. So if you buy one of those gluten free books - this is one of the best ones on the market.
buzzy110, Oct 13, 11:30pm
Going without grains isn't low carb. There are plenty of other carb foods available. Grain free = gluten free and for a coeliac, surely that is the point.
bedazzledjewels, Oct 13, 11:32pm
The book Uli mentions is also in the Auckland library system.
ezra62, Oct 14, 4:43pm
Yes David4 I would be interested in a recipe for flourless cakes. I watched the programme last night on the Wheat belly issue and think I might give it a go.
bedazzledjewels, Oct 14, 4:50pm
Ezra - see if you can get the book "Wheat Belly" out of your local library. It will help you a lot. I think the flourless cakes, based on ground almonds, are the nicest ones - dense and lovely.
I see that in the Auckland libraries there's a waiting list of 99 people for Wheat Belly.
davidt4, Oct 14, 4:52pm
Here's one that I make for special occasions.It is best made the night before you serve it.

Chocolate Almond Cake (Elizabeth David)

Serves: more than you might think

125g bitter chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids, I use Green & Black 85%)
1 tab. brandy
1 tab. strong coffee
100g butter
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 160° C.Butter an 18 cm round tin and line bottom with baking paper.

Put chocolate, brandy & coffee in a bowl over hot water and allow to melt undisturbed.Stir gently to combine.Add butter & sugar and combine.Add almonds and mix well.Beat egg yolks and mix in well.

Beat egg whites until firm, beat in a large tab. then pour chocolate mixture into remaining whites and fold in gently.

Pour into tin and bake 40 – 45 min until almost set but still a little soft in the centre.Cool completely in tin (best overnight).Turn out carefully.
vmax2, Oct 14, 4:54pm
davidt4 do you have any without sugar as well!I have some here, but it's always nice to vary things a bit.
davidt4, Oct 14, 4:58pm
Here's one based on a recipe from Uli; it is quite substantial and keeps well.

Spiced Nut Cake

Chop the nuts to your preferred size.

2 cups Almond meal
1 cup desiccated coconut (ground fine in a spice grinder)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup caster sugar or brown sugar
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1.5 cups chopped walnuts
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp ground allspice
200 grams butter, melted
5 eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 160 C.Line a 22 cm cake tin with baking paper (or butter well).

Combine dry ingredients. Beat the eggs one at a time into the melted butter and mix in the vanilla extract.
Add the butter/egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into the cake tin and bake about 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
davidt4, Oct 14, 5:00pm
I don't think it's possible to make a cake without some form of sweetening.I avoid artificial sweeteners, so on the rare occasions that I make desserts I use sugar, mainly palm sugar.
vmax2, Oct 14, 5:11pm
It is possible.It's what I serve at my children's birthdays.You replace sugar with bananas or mashed pumpkin or pureed apple.
uli, Oct 14, 11:12pm
vmax2 - bananas and apple have of course fruit sugars (=fructose) in them - which is the worst form of "sugar", as the body can only process them via the liver.

Glucose (which is made when the body breaks down starches such as carbohydrates) are the most benign sugars you can eat.

Fructose, (the type of sugar found naturally in fruits) - researchers at the University of California Davis report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that consuming too much fructose can actually put you at greater risk of developing heart disease and diabetes than ingesting similar amounts of glucose.

I would much rather use honey or normal sugar (sucrose) in small quantities as at least they are 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

On labels sucrose will be listed as sugar, glucose can appear as dextrose and fructose as corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup.

Boring - I know :)
bedazzledjewels, Oct 14, 11:22pm
Uli - it's good to have you back.
vmax2, Oct 14, 11:53pm
Thanks for that uli.My daughter cannot tolerate sugar at all, even honey.Cooked fruit is better tolerated than raw for both of us.