Invented during the Coronavirus lock-down of Spring 2020, this all-purpose blend is a tasty and subtle 1:1 substitute for AP wheat flour in most sweet and savory recipes. To make it, place 1 part (1 cup) sorghum flour, 1/2 part (1/2 cup) tapioca starch, 1/2 part (1/2 cup) gluten-free rolled oats and 1/4 part (1/4 cup) millet flour in a large zip-lock bag. Seal tightly, then toss, shake and roll until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Allow dust to settle before opening bag. Double, halve, or quadruple the recipe as needed.
There's a mouthful of springtime in every bite of these crunchy-topped, tender crumb, and delightfully sweet fruit-and-flour treats. This gluten-free version of an America's Test Kitchen favorite utilizes the mild flour blend I developed during the early months of the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown.
Yield: 6 triangular scones, each about 2 1/2 ounces
Time to make: 45 minutes active. Overnight freezing butter. 19 - 25 minutes oven dwell.
Gooey or cake-y? How about both? These classic treats fit the bill with everything you wished for (excepting cannabis). Skip the walnuts if need be, but don't pass up this recipe!
Yield: about 24, 1.5-ounce brownies.
Time to make: 20 minutes active, 45 minutes baking.
Tools needed: 1 medium, microwave-proof bowl. 1 large bowl. 1 medium bowl. Measuring cups and spoons. Whisk. 9 inch X 13 inch metal baking pan. 2 pieces bakers parchment. NOTE: Be sure to read "substitutions" below.
Don't be intimidated by the exquisite nature of this dessert, or the fancy French name of it's core pastry: Paté choux. Choux is one of the easiest baking feats. Plus, when you've finished a batch, you're well on your way to delectable cream puffs
Yield: six, 3-inch diameter puffs, each about 1/2 ounce
Time to make: 10 minutes prep, 10 minutes active, 30 minutes oven dwell
Standing at a crossroads between late-day dessert and breakfast sustenance, these biscuits are among the most fragrant treats you can bake, with an enticing aroma that seems to spread through walls. Case in point: When we baked them in our New Jersey shop, the dance studio next door would almost empty as salivating 'Tweens transferred themselves to our front door, asking, "Are they ready? Can we buy some?"
Yield: About 6, three-ounce biscuits
Time to make: 15 minutes active; 15 minutes oven dwell
Start with a single dough, divide, and spice each part differently - that's the trick to achieving a variety of flavors with a single bake-off. Pro trick: Have the ingredients measured and ready before you begin.
Yield: About 30, one-ounce cookies
Time to make: 20 minutes active. 1 1/2 hour oven time.
The rich, traditional taste of brioche is greatly enhanced with boiling before baking, a technique usually reserved for bagels. An amaranth tangzhong softens the dough while adding a significant flavor punch. Sweet or savory toppings make for luscious desserts or fulfilling brunch.
Nothing beats a small but delicious treat that can be baked in either a cake pan or a cast iron skillet. These rolls use the same method that gives Japanese Milk bread a soft, moist crumb; tangzhong, or "water roux".
Yield: 12, one-ounce round dinner rolls
Time to make: 30 minutes active. 90 minutes for dough to rise. 55 minutes oven dwell.
True love in the form of soft crumb and tender crust, this bread is a gluten-free treasure. The secret is an ingredient called tangzhong, which roughly translated is "water roux". This is a small amount of flour that's gelatinized by cooking in a mix of water and milk. Added to bread dough it dramatically tenderizes, softens and moistens the finished loaf.
Yield: One, 22-ounce loaf.
Time to make: 45 minutes prep. 2 hours proof. 75 minutes oven dwell.
Although it is perfectly fair to say that this recipe isn't a shortcake in the glutenous, store-bought "cake" sense, no one will care once the fork hits the mouth. These are actually biscuits, made using the Cinnamon-Stripe Biscuit recipe without the cinnamon. Split in half, loaded with a mix of fresh-cut and partially dehydrated strawberries and topped with whipped cream, strawberry biscuit shortcakes are the quintessential dessert of early summer.
These cookies are a treat that goes by two names in our house: Rosquillas and No They're Not. To me these soft, sweet, corn-based snacks are the closest thing I've eaten to any Central American dessert, and so I call them what I think they should be. To my wife Leslie, who lived in Honduras for more than a decade, "If your teeth are intact, they're not Rosquillas." Authentic or not, this recipe yields treats that are a cross between corn tortillas and sugar cookies.
