Gluten-Free Breadsticks Recipe

Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Breadsticks Recipe, Baked

Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free Breadsticks! 

Here they are - the gluten-free breadsticks recipe (dairy-free too) you have been waiting for. And, they were worth the wait, trust me! Wonderful taste and texture, especially soon after emerging from the oven. And, now we have also tested freezing the dough, thawing, and baking at a later time.

If you have been reading my blog lately, you probably read the blog entry about our gluten-free baguettes, French-bread, and breadsticks recipe. The breadsticks shown above are a variation on that theme, with the variation being in technique and process instead of altering the recipe itself. The recipe is super-versatile, and is proving even moreso over time.

The focus of this particular gluten-free breadstick experiment was perfecting the technique for mass-production, consistent size/shape, and freezing for extended storage. Everything has worked out well.

The recipe can be found here: Gluten-Free Breadsticks Recipe. And, you will see a discussion all the way at the bottom of the page about the techniques used to form the breadsticks and freeze them for later, and then defrost and bake them. This ability to create a large batch of GF Breadsticks at once, freeze them, and then bake them at any future time is critical to anyone wishing to serve gluten-free foods at a gluten-free restaurant, or to anyone that wants to sell frozen gluten-free breadsticks to others.

We will be mixing the GF breadstick dough up in one or two batches at a time, and then freezing them for later. Since, it is much easier to just take a few out of the freezer and bake them any time I want (versus mixing dough from scratch each time), not to mention the fact that I can not possibly eat an entire batch of these myself before the would otherwise dry out or go to waste. This is perfect for me! And, I am already getting requests from others for the bread sticks, and now I have a way to deliver them easily in a way others can bake them fresh any time they want.

I hope everyone likes them. And, if anyone is getting their gluten-free catering business or gluten-free foods business ramped up, this should make a fine addition to what you can offer your clients. The only thing I ask of anyone that wants to use this gluten-free recipe commercially is that you give credit to Laura for developing it. Laura has put a lot of effort into perfecting this recipe, and I am so proud of her baking skills!

I hope everyone likes these glutenfree breadsticks as much as we do. Now, what recipes to work on next?

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Gluten-Free Baguettes, Breadsticks, Bread Recipe

Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Herb French Bread / Baguettes / Breadsticks

New Gluten-Free Bread Recipe : Highly Adaptable

This is a picture of Laura's newest recipe, one that yields lightly-herbed Gluten-Free Baguettes, Mini-Baguettes, Breadsticks, and/or French-Bread with a fantastic texture and taste. The recipe is highly adaptable, and can form any of a few varieties of bread just by altering the size and shape of each loaf or stick (even down to tiny little crispy breadsticks the size of straws; we also plan to try making both soft and crispy pretzels with a variation of this GF recipe).

I promised to get this new gluten-free baguette recipe published this week, and I definitely dragged my feet a bit, waiting until today - Friday! If anyone was waiting anxiously for it, I apologize for being distracted. I actually had the recipe online yesterday over at my cookbook site, but only today wrote this corresponding blog entry.

Of Practical Intelligence and Dealing with Gluten

Last week I finished reading the January 2007 special issue of American Psychologist dealing with Leadership. I found it rather interesting, and also pulled this following quote from page 37 inside a segment called "A Systems Model of Leadership" by Robert J. Sternberg of Tufts University - discussing the concept of "Practical Intelligence":

Practical intelligence is the set of skills and dispositions used to solve everyday problems by applying knowledge gained from experience to purposefully adapt to, shape, and select environments. It thus involves changing oneself to suit the environment (adaptation), changing the environment to suite oneself (shaping), or finding a new environment within which to work (selection).

This got me thinking about how the average gluten-free person is so directly implicated in this paragraph. We all go through at least one of these changes - adaptation - when we first learn that we can no longer consume gluten after being diagnosed as Celiac or discovering we are otherwise wheat or gluten intolerant. We have no choice (aside from causing our bodies harm) - we must adapt to our new glutenfree environment.

Next, quite a few of us have moved through the subsequent phase - shaping - as we shape our environment to better accommodate our condition. My personal approach to shaping was to tackle one of the first perceived obstacles to remaining gluten-free; that was, the lack of great tasting gluten-free foods from which to choose, and on which I could rely, to satisfy me and help me remain gluten-free for life. In particular, I needed some great desserts to lean on through my period of adaptation, and with the help of my wife and daughter, I achieved that goal and ultimately published a gluten-free cookbook to help others facing the same situation. I have shaped the gluten-free environment for the better, as have many others within the gluten-free community.

Finally, this leads to enabling selection and finding new environments within which to work. By definition, the only environments all of us gluten-free and coeliac types can live within are ones without gluten. But, this does not imply we must select environments that are lacking in fulfillment, flavor, and overall enjoyment. Sure, we have complications to consider, but who doesn't sooner or later in life? Many of our issues can be addressed through dietary concerns and related lifestyle changes. There are ups and downs along the way, but we generally have the ability to choose to lead rather normal lives.

We have all been forced to work on our practical intelligence skills in order to solve the everyday problems of Celiac Disease and gluten-intolerance. We apply apply our knowledge and experience to purposefully adapt to, shape, and select our environment. Given that "practical intelligence" is one of the criteria posited as essential for leadership, perhaps our gluten-free experience has given us all a dose of valuable leadership skills exercise.

I'm not sure if that this argument will hold any weight if used to argue for a promotion at work, but one way or the other, you have faced, and worked through, the steps required to develop this quality of practical intelligence that is considered a valuable trait when it comes to leadership assessment.
Well, that's enough for the gluten-free blog today, and it should give you something to think about while you're baking our newest gluten-free bread recipe this blog posting started out with. Enjoy!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Gluten-Free in Amish Country

This weekend, we had a chance to take a short drive to what's known as "Amish country" here in Ohio. It's a region of Ohio centered around Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties that has a very high percentage of Amish residents, and plenty of Amish businesses, buggies, farms, and the like to go with it. There are plenty of German and Swiss-themed buildings and establishments throughout the region, including some of my favorite reasons for visiting Amish country like the Guggisberg Cheese Factory and various bulk foods stores catering to both the local community and tourists.

On this particular trip, we made it into Sugarcreek, Ohio and stopped by a place called Swiss Village Bulk Foods (at 309 S. Broadway, Sugarcreek, OH). Much to my surprise - especially for a store in a town of less than 2200 people, this business had an incredible amount of gluten free baking products and ingredients. They had the most diverse display of Bob's Red Mill products I had ever seen in one place, with flours like teff, rice, brown rice, sorghum, and so on (the ONLY noticeably absent one was Sweet Rice Flour, aka glutinous rice flour - which I use regularly). I picked up some of the Mary's Gone Crackers that I like (and, there are a perfect complement to the various cheeses I had earlier acquired at Heini's Cheese Chalet in Bunker Hill, OH - a favorite being the Bermuda Onion cheese, or the Smoked Hot Pepper cheese (wonderful on homemade nachos, tortillas, or even crackers of course).

The thing that struck me as most surprising with this glutenfree encounter, was of course the setting. Who would have thought that in such a small town, a little bulk foods store would have a rather substantial selection of gluten free baking ingredients and such? Certainly not me. I'm always excited and glad to see gluten free diets get more attention, and it seems that awareness is spreading throughout the population. Our next stop after the bulk foods store was another Amish-themed shop in the area, and even there I ran into some pre-packaged gluten-free pancake mixes and more of the Bob's Red Mill products. So, it was more than just a freak encounter at the first place.

On the way back, I stopped at a Super-Walmart in Wooster, OH, since I heard they may have the new Anheuser Busch gluten-free Sorghum Beer called Redbridge (reviewed at that link). Sure enough, they did! So, I picked up a 6-pack for a taste test. ($7.99 / six-pack of 12-ounce bottles: nearly 1/3 less than Bard's Tale) See the aforementioned link for a more detailed product review, but the quick bottom-line is this: excellent! I really enjoyed the beer, and although it is a bit sweeter than some beers I used to like, I really think it is quite like a "real" beer!

It rained for the entire trip on Saturday, and has been raining ever since. In fact, this weather is nothing short of strange for Cleveland in January. We have daffodils emerging from the ground (some are nearing 6" tall already), as well as grape hyacyinth and crocuses. Our lawns are green, and it is anything but a typical mid-winter month here.

The ice storm that pounded the Midwest just missed us to the North and West it seems, so instead we are getting our precipitation as rain (and many a yard look like shallow ponds now). I'm thankful the ice missed us, since it can be utterly devastating to the trees — we went through that a couple Springtimes ago here. According to the forecasts, our bizarre warm January is to finally switch gears and enter a deep freeze this week, which is probably a good thing overall even though I don't care much for the cold. I've been waiting for some cold weather to do a bit more baking and working on some other gluten free recipes I keep promising to get to.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Gluten-Free Traditional Thick Pizza Crust Recipe

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Recipes

Gluten-Free Traditional / Thick-Crust Pizza Dough

Traditional Thick-Crust Pizza, now Celiac-safe

One of the all time most-missed foods for Celiacs and persons that must adhere to a gluten-free diet is pizza. I know that I personally suffered withdrawal symptoms and anxiety when I was told I would not be able to eat my favorite Chicago deep-dish pizza, or my favorite Denver thick-crust pizza from Beau Jo's, or even my local favorite Donte's Pizza here in Cleveland, Ohio. Pizza was a large part of my life back in the pre-Celiac and pre-gluten-free days, and I have longed for a wonderful replacement pizza that fits into the GF diet.

I have tried a few different purchased glutenfree pizza crusts and pizza dough mixes over the years, and none really made me think I was eating real pizza. My wife has worked on various pizza-crust replacements, and came up with some decent ones that used a batter approach for quick and easy iron-skillet pizza crusts, and more of a dough-type thin-crust sheet-pizza type recipe. These were fine, but admittedly not nearly the same as the "real" thing.

The new Yeast-Raised Gluten-Free Pizza-Crust Dough Recipe

Enter the latest pizza crust from Laura: a traditional yeast-raised gluten-free and dairy-free pizza dough recipe that produces a wonderfully convincing pizza crust that has excellent taste and texture, including a nice crusty crust with a soft bread-like interior. It holds together wonderfully, just as a pizza crust should. Some of its wonderful flavor comes from Teff and Millet flours, along with rice flour.

I can not do this recipe justice with just words, so check out the pictures here and on the dairyfree and glutenfree traditional thick-crust pizza recipe page, and then make it for yourself. Being a yeast-based GF pizza crust, you will need to be patient and allow the crust to rise, and ideally you will have a candy-thermometer or similar device handy to get the warm-water temperature right for best yeast-development results.

And a Homemade Gluten-Free Pizza Sauce Recipe

Laura also included her homemade gluten-free pizza sauce recipe on our website in case you need or want one. It's really simple to make, and has a good flavor on pizzas, as you would expect of a pizza sauce.

Normally, my wife and daughter give in and order their pizzas from a nearby pizza shop instead of sticking to a gluten-free diet with me (thankfully, they do not need to adhere to a Celiac or GF diet as I do), but this pizza crust recipe is close enough to the real thing that my daughter will actually accept it as "pizza". And, that is saying a lot! I too can accept it as pizza. It is not as good as my old favorites from Chicago and other places, but it has reached a level of desirable taste and texture where I can actually be satisfied that my pizza dinner satisfies my craving for a pizza.

Comparing this Gluten-Free Pizza-Crust to "Normal" Pizza

I give it a 7 out of 10 rating, compared to the 10/10 rating my all-time real pizza crusts would get - so, this "7" is a very strong rating considering it is a gluten free pizza crust. This is by far the best gluten-free pizza crust I have ever had, and if Laura ever creates a 9/10+ rated crust, she will have accomplished the "impossible" in my opinion. In fact, I already tell her she's more or less done it with this one. Who knows, maybe she will find a way to tweak this thing up to an 8/10 yet (I want to try making a Chicago deep-dish with it yet and see if that does the trick, though I need a deep-dish pizza pan to try it in).

Slice of Gluten-Free Thick-Crust Pizza

That is a picture of the interior of the crust, showing how it raised nicely and how the bottom and outside exposed dough browned and crusted beautifully, while the inside rose well to deliver a thick-crust / traditional style pizza. I am rather sure you enjoy the Recipe as this has been quite popular with everyone who has tried it!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available, including some other pizza-crust variations.

Blueberry Buckwheat Teff Gluten-Free Waffles

Blueberry Buckwheat Teff Gluten-Free Waffles

Incredible Gluten-Free Waffle Recipe

These waffles are definitely a favorite breakfast recipe of mine. There will be no more boxed waffles for me now that I have a far superior glutenfreee buckwheat variety available fresh from scratch. And, my wife created these wonderful treats for part of my Christmas gift!

These waffles make use of buckwheat and teff, but yet remain a wonderfully light and fluffy waffle with the perfect flavor combination from Blueberries, grains, and a hint of Cinnamon. With your own waffle iron, you will soon find you are not missing out on anything when it comes to your waffles. Here's a link to the Blueberry Buckwheat Teff Gluten-Free Waffles Recipe.

I have not been making the daily gluten free blog posts recently, as I have been rather busy lining up book sales avenues for us. This week we added a large online GF-products retailer that should have our books in stock within the next couple weeks (I just shipped them a batch this morning, and was told it will take 7-14 days for them to make the journey). We are certainly happy to have them offering our book soon, since they have national coverage and a good presence on the web.

This same firm can supply the Sweet Rice and some other flours/ingredients for the gluten free baking at the same time, by mail order. I actually considered selling ingredients with my books at one time, but I am not quite ready to go into the GF baking supplies business - I don't want to stock all that stuff per se, and the only reason I would do it is to make glutenfree baking as simple as possible for someone to get started with. 

I considered working out some sort of "gift basket" package for the Gluten Free Desserts Cookbook, where I make a "Starter package" (or a few variations) that include all the ingredients needed to start baking a Gluten Free Carrot Cake, or a Gluten Free Boston Cream Pie, or some other popular desserts. That way, when someone purchased and receives the book, they would be all set and ready to go. But, I really don't have any easy way to stock all those supplies, not to mention the shipping is complicated compared to simply mailing books.

Next, I still have a new, and absolutely wonderful, gluten-free pizza-crust recipe [there it is now!] to post in the next few days.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Millet Flax Waffles

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Millet Flax Waffles : Laura's Awesome Recipe!

Buttermilk Waffles: Gluten-Free Recipe

Here is a recipe to start off any day in a great way — Glutenfree Buttermilk waffles recipe, for waffles that are light and fluffy, with a mild flavor, and simply delicious! I just top mine with a bit of pure Maple Syrup end enjoy eating waffles as good as any "regular" ones.

You will need a waffle maker for these, which thankfully I received for Christmas this year (a dedicated gluten-free one, only to be used with Celiac-safe recipes!). It's probably no coincidence that my awesome wife created this new recipe about the same time she presented me with the waffle maker as a Christmas gift : perfect! This new waffle maker is the only one we own, and it will not be a problem keeping the wheat-eaters happy, since these new GF waffles are just as good as any alternative (the only thing better may be this gluten-free blueberry buckwheat waffles recipe my wife also create for Christmas)!

Hope you enjoy these latest GF recipes, the waffles, and the blog. Happy baking!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Brown Honey Bread

Laura's Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free Brown Bread (with Honey Accents)

Another Holiday Gluten-Free Recipe : Brown Bread

The holiday break afforded my wife the opportunity to do quite a bit of baking and developing new recipes. The above pictured Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Brown Bread with Honey Accent is one of the winners that emerged from the kitchen during the past couple weeks. It has been through the taste-testing and confirmation phase now, both here at home and having been served in a rosemary/garlic variation for a Christmas dinner among other things.

This bread has a wonderful "honey wheat bread" flavor and texture, and is great for sandwiches, toast, French-toast, and so forth. We sprinkle the top with whole buckwheat kernels prior to baking, just for a little something extra. If you have an event coming up where you want to serve a great tasting gluten free bread, bake this bread recipe a few hours before the event and you will be sure to have a fresh-out-of-the-oven hit with your guests (and, chances are, most people will not even have a clue it is gluten-free). As I mentioned earlier, the bread lends itself to some rather easy variations — one being the rosemary/garlic version we served for Christmas (If anyone wants the exact formula, let me know and I will see if my wife kept the formulation written down somewhere). So, have fun with changing it up a little if you want a slightly different accent flavor.

The GF bread uses a variety of healthier and nutritious gluten-free grains, including: teff, buckwheat, and flax. So, if you have these grains/seeds nearby and wanted a recipe to use them in, here you go.

More recipes are on the way in upcoming blog entries for 2007!  And, be sure to check out the recipes at my cookbook website (link below).

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.