Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Pass the Biscuits Please

One of my least favorite things to make Gluten Free is bread.  Sorry, but it's true.  It's not that making GF bread is particularly difficult or that the results don't often turn out tasty, but working with GF bread dough is messy, sticky, and a pain in the butt.

I have tried all the expert tips, yet, I can't seem to get more bread in the loaf pan than what's stuck on my hands, in the mixer, on the mixing paddle, or in the rising bowl.  Plus, bits of dough usually end up in my hair, on my face and stuck in between my fingers (which I've even needed to use a scrub pad on, in order to get dough off.)

That's why this recipe folks is GOLD.  I wanted to make something quick and easy for an FBLA meeting I was attending.  Since our meetings are usually potlucks at brunchtime, I wanted to make something more brunchy, easy to serve, and portable.  For some reason, I figured that biscuits would really fit the bill.  I wasn't really taking into account the fact that biscuits would be a bread of sorts.  When I was searching for a great recipe, I picked one of the least complicated ones I could find.  Sometimes, I worry when I see an uncomplicated GF bread/quick bread recipe that it won't work.  As you'll find, that is not the case here!

Thank you Google for sending me to a Celiac.com article page highlighting biscuits and rolls.  I found this wonderful recipe which you just know I had to change ever so slightly.  If you stick to the original recipe though, you can make great biscuits entirely allergy free.  That's right, entirely allergy free.  I added some cheese (which of course is dairy) and I used dairy milk but you can add a cheese substitute like Daiya and any milk sub and make a fantastic allergy free and vegan biscuit.

These are not messy, easy to handle, quick cooking and delicious.  I used a greased mini quiche pan to make the biscuits smaller for easy sharing.  You can easily use an english muffin pan to make them a little larger.  If you want, to free form, you can roll a ball of dough with your hands and press down to a circle on some parchment over a cookie sheet.  I didn't cook them free form though, so I don't know if they'll keep their shape.

Alright, let's get southern up in here-

Savory Biscuits
with Cheddar, Garlic, and Thyme


Ingredients:
2 cups GF flour mix (I used my rice mix w/ guar gum.  I tend to use rice mixes for non-GF ppl)
1/3 cup + 1 tbs Earth Balance Soy Free Spread
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (I use corn-free)
1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or non-dairy sub)
4 gloves sauted garlic or crushed garlic equivalent
1 tbs thyme or thyme to taste
3/4 cup milk (I use lactose and fat free; you can use a milk sub)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the milk in a mixer with paddle attachment or food processor and blend until mixture looks like the spread is cut up into pebbles giving the same sand effect as when you make pie crust.
Add milk and mix until it looks like a dough.
Form biscuits however you choose by hand, in pan, drop, or cut.
Bake for 10 minutes.

That's it.  Trust me you'll love these.  For the girl who hates to make GF bread and quick breads, this may just have made me a believer!