Thinking about Thanksgiving? My favorite gluten-free products

Although I mostly write about gardening, I am also gluten-free, and lately, I’ve received a lot of requests to write about my favorite gluten-free products. The week before Thanksgiving seems like a good time. If you’re looking for traditional gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes, I have you covered with my mother’s cornbread dressing–I now use butter instead of buttery sticks, but both work well–Waldorf apple salad and gluten-free cherry pie. Just use canned cherries instead of fresh.

Favorite gluten-free flour mixes:

First, about flour mixes, they are mixes because straight rice flour–often used in mixes–is gritty and flat and doesn’t make decent baked goods. I’ve watched flour mixes improve greatly over the last ten years. Usually, gluten-free flour mixes contain either brown or white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, sometimes dried milk and, maybe, some type of binder like xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is derived from corn though so, in recent years, more companies are removing binders from gluten-free items. Another common binder is guar gum.

You can often substitute a good gluten-free flour mix for wheat flour. No, it will not taste exactly the same, but in many baked goods other than yeast bread, gluten-free flour mixes below work very well. You can make Thanksgiving gravy with them and create quick breads, pastry, and cakes.

Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Flour is probably my favorite flour mix although there are many other honorable mentions. You can buy it online, or you can find it in Oklahoma at Sprouts Farmers Market and at Williams Sonoma. Williams Sonoma has several baking mixes with Cup4Cup as their base too. I recently tried the Meyer Lemon Bread mix. It was delicious. I added poppy seeds because I like the crunch. With whipped cream, it would make an excellent dessert at Thanksgiving. So would these lemon squares I’ve made many times.

The Cup4Cup website has some great recipes. Developed by the chefs at the French Laundry restaurant, Cup4Cup flour mix is composed of “cornstarch, white rice flour, brown rice flour, milk powder, tapioca flour, potato starch and xanthan gum.” It does contain milk products. Some gluten-free people can’t handle milk products. I couldn’t for many years, but as my stomach and intestinal tract healed, I am now able to eat them. I am so grateful for this.

King Arthur Flour Multipurpose Flour, Gluten Free. King Arthur Baking Company created this flour mix, and it’s up to their high standards. This is the all-purpose gluten-free flour, but they also have a cup for cup version along with other baking mixes. The ingredients are “white rice and whole-grain (brown) rice flours, tapioca starch, and potato starch.” I found this information on King Arthur’s website which has great recipes, both GF and regular. Note that potato starch lightens baked goods so it’s a great addition if you can handle nightshades. Some people can, and others cannot.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. I love Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. I don’t like their regular GF flour.  The regular one has pea protein which makes my stomach hurt. It also gives baked goods a “unique” taste. This flour doesn’t have the pea protein and works great in most recipes. The ingredients are “sweet white rice flour, whole grain brown rice flour, potato starch, whole grain sweet white sorghum flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum.” What makes this mixture interesting is the addition of sweet white rice flour and xanthan gum. I mentioned binders above, and the sweet white rice flour is a nice addition. It adds softness to cakes and other baked goods. In gluten-free baking books, you will often see it added to cakes. It’s not completely necessary, but bakes in a better texture.

Favorite Gluten-Free Breads

[bctt tweet=”The first thing you find out when you become gluten-free is that good bread, like a good man, is hard to find.” username=”reddirtramblin”]

From 2007 to 2014, I bought every gluten-free cookbook out there and attempted to make bread that would replace or rival wheat bread.

Here’s the truth as I see it. You can make really good gluten-free bread, or buy it, but you have to quit thinking it’s going to taste like wheat bread. Although you can make bread that has a wheat-like nuttiness, I have never been able to make something with the same texture, the same bite.

Cinnamon raisin pecan bread made with teff flour and other good things

Sliced gluten free pecan bread with Earth Balance spread.

Gluten and Dairy Free, Healthy Zucchini Bread

I even made the Flying Apron Bakery’s labor-intensive bread shown in the first two photos above. It was pretty good, but I’ve since made better.  Quick breads and muffins are the easiest things to make, and if you haven’t tried my retooling of Marion Cunningham’s nutmeg muffins,  you really should. They are amazing on a cold morning with a cup of tea or coffee.

[bctt tweet=”Bread straight out of the oven is one of the best things in life. After you turn 50 though, it will also put a rubber tire around your waistline” username=”reddirtramblin”].

Maybe I’ll write a post one day on what they don’t tell you about growing older. Ha! So, I’ve stopped making bread most of the time. Occasionally, I’ll pull out my recipes for a special occasion like St. Patrick’s Day and make soda bread, but Bill and I don’t really need the extra carbs.

In the meantime, I buy great sliced bread for the times when I want a sandwich, and I want one about every two weeks. I keep my bread double wrapped in the freezer to keep it fresh. The secret to good gluten-free bread is to always toast the bread. I have a Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ, Silver.

Yes, it was pricey, but I have to toast all of my gluten-free items separate from my family’s stuff, and I love the convection feature. I use it for everything from gluten-free chicken nuggets to pizza, and, obviously, toast. It’s the best purchase I’ve ever made. We still have a regular toaster for the kids’ breakfast toast.

My hands-down, favorite gluten-free bread is Canyon Bakehouse bread. If I’m ordering online, I get the Canyon Bakehouse Variety Pack Gluten Free Mountain White Bread , Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Deli Rye Bread and San Juan 7-grain Bread. I like all of the flavors, but the white bread is my favorite for sandwiches. It’s also what I’ll use in my cornbread dressing this year. I buy it fresh at Target and Sprouts and sometimes, frozen at Whole Foods.

Canyon Bakehouse also came out with a heritage bread with seeds and nuts. It makes a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich that I like served with Amy’s Organic Soups, Light in Sodium Cream Of Tomato, 14.5 Ounce (Pack of 12).

For dinner rolls, I like these Udi’s Gluten-free Classic French Dinner Rolls.  Sure, you can make your own rolls, but Thanksgiving has enough work in it already. These rolls are delicious.

Gluten-free turkey

Gone are the days trying to find a turkey not basted in wheat. You have a lot of options now. Most fresh turkeys say gluten-free on the package, and many of the larger turkey brands offer gluten-free turkeys. Just read packages carefully and be sure to remove the gravy packet. I’m not making the turkey this year, but I’m pretty sure I’m fine there too.

If your family loves ham instead, check the packaging there too. Usually, whole or half hams without additives and fillers are fine.

Best gluten-free pizza

I know this post is basically about Thanksgiving, but you need something else to eat when the leftovers run out. I love pizza. If I’m going to eat carbs, it’s going to be pizza. My favorite pizza is made at local restaurants, including one national chain, B.J’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. Their gluten-free pizza is delicious. However, my favorite gluten-free pizza comes from a local chain, Hideaway Pizza. They rewrote the book on gluten-free crusts, and they are really good at telling you which toppings are gluten free and which are not. Pepperoni Grill also has excellent Italian-style, gluten-free pizza. They also get food allergies and sensitivities and are a wonderful option for eating out.

As for frozen pizzas, the big three of gluten-free, Udi, Glutino and Amy’s are all just O.K. My personal favorite is BOLD Organics. The crust is delicious, and the toppings are great. It’s also dairy-free. Here’s the story behind this young company’s pizza. I also like Against the Grain’s pizza. It’s very good. One day, I’m looking forward to trying Conte’s gluten-free pizza. It’s not available in Oklahoma yet.

Pies

If you’re making one-crust pies, I have good news. Sprouts Farmers Market has frozen gluten-free pie crusts that are pretty darn good. Whole Foods also has their version. I’m planning on baking an apple pie this year with two crusts so I’ll be making my pie crust. I used to use a different brand of pie crust mix, but I now love Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix, 16 Ounce. Of course, you can make pie crust from one of the flour mixes, but I would choose a recipe developed by the company that developed the mix. Moisture and ingredients really affect a pie crust. That’s why I just use this mix I can find almost anywhere now, including Sprouts and Whole Foods. If you see this mix, snap it up because stores sell out of it quickly this time of year. I freeze mine.

I do make a couple of changes to the directions on the back of the package. I add one egg as a binder and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar seems to help with crunch. I also brush my upper crust with a little milk and sprinkle sugar on top. I find milk works better than butter for this purpose. I use my food processor to bring all the ingredients together and then refrigerate the crust. I also use two sheets of wax paper to roll out my crust, or the Glad Press ‘n Seal wrap. I put the sticky side down on the counter. It takes some practice, but I think gluten-free pie crust is easier to make than wheat crust.

I hope this post is helpful for those of you facing our national wheat-filled holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and safe eating my gluten-free friends.

Note: I was not given any compensation for any of my thoughts on gluten-free products or foods. I doubt they even know I occasionally write about gluten-free eating. However, this post does contain a few Amazon affiliate links which help pay for the cost of maintaining the blog. Thanks!