Learning about Gluten

Learning about Gluten and Baking

I love to know more about food, this is part of me since my mom got sick and then after she left us. Maybe because I want to be healthy and I love cooking but  also because  I like to find ingredients that are better for my health and my skin too.

What is gluten?
Is a protein found in wheat, it helps food maintain their shape.  I know about holding the food together because onces I didn’t use the regular flour and my cake wasn’t  good.

Where it gluten common found?
In bread , baked products, soups, pasta cereal, sauces,salad dressing.

What are the common symptoms?
Bloating, diarrhea, pain tiredness, skin rashes and anxiety.

Here I have a free gluteen list :
Maybe is not everything but it will help to know about most comon gluten-free food.
Also the best way to avoid eating gluteen is to avoid process food.

Fruits-

Apples, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, cantaloupes, figs.
Vegetables-
squash,carrots,avocado,broccoli, potatoes.
Meats

I recommend organic meats, Beef, chicken, lamb,turkey.
Now my recently  experience,  I learned with regular flours, they contain gluten. Looking for a better alternative I found so many varieties of flours to choose from, because this winter time I feel the need to bake more and I want to do breads, cookies, cakes and pancakes . I can buy the premade gluten free box or do from scratch, I choose the second alternative.
But I needed to find gluten-free flours and I found this three alternatives :
-Sorghum flour:
Add flavor for cooking and baking, hight in protein, iron and fiber.
-Almond flour:
Good source of vitamin E can be using for baking.
-Organic rice flour:
Ideal for a variety of recipes is fat free and sodium free too.
Using them in a recipe, it change the flavor and the texture of any product plus is gluten-free.
I did yesterday a gluten free pound cake, following a recipe that it came with my flour.
The only change I did is I added pumpkin puree one cup , because i love pumpkin.
It came delicious, hope you try it !
Recipe is in this picture , courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill.

Pound Cake recipe

1 cup of Sweet white rice flour

1/2cup Sorghum Flour

1/4 Corn Starch

2 tsp Baking Pounder

1 cup of butter room temperature

1 cup granulated Sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Follow the steps on the picture, and conbine the Flours, Cornstarch and baking Powder  and blend together. Add the dried  ingredients  to the wet  until is  mixed together. Bake for almost 60 minutes at 350°, Cool for about 10 minutes.

 

Hope you can bake more this winter , its better, fresh and delicious plus you choose the ingredients that are safe for you. My next adventure is to learn how to make breads, I will write about it , as you see I have quite a few passions,  motivation, makeup http://Hildasownglamour.com , cooking and learning to be healthy.
xoxo