Skip to content

Hot Cross Buns…..Worth Making Twice

April 6, 2012
tags: allergy friendly, bread, breakfast, corn free, gluten free, gluten free bread, gluten free easter bread, holiday bread, hot cross buns, soy free, yeast bread

spacer

I still can’t believe that only a year has passed since I first posted this recipe! Spring is definitely in the air here so I decided to bake a batch of hot cross buns today.  I love the original recipe, but sometimes I can’t help making a few tweaks.  This is my updated recipe, but both recipes work well.  These Hot Cross Buns are a wonderful tea time treat with just a hint of sweetness and spice.  The orange zest in the dough and glaze give these buns a wonderfully bright flavor.  If you like things a bit sweeter, just be a bit more generous when glazing.

spacer

Notes: 

Like most gluten-free baked goods, these hot cross buns taste best warm out of the oven on the day they are made.  If you do have leftovers, wrap well and freeze.  Gluten-free muffins and rolls soften and regain most of their original moistness if you heat them gently in a microwave.  Ovens can dry them out. (If you only have access to an oven or toaster oven, you can wrap the item in foil while it warms up on low heat as this will help hold some of the steam, creating a moist warming environment.)

Millet flour is a wonderful tasting gluten-free flour, but it tends to make baked goods dry out quickly.  If you use the almond flour, the almond oils and added fat will help these rolls stay moist longer. 

Hot Cross Buns

  • 2 cups  all-purpose gluten-free flour (click here to see my basic flour blend)
  • 1/4 cup  millet flour or almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (I use Authentic Foods xanthan gum for a corn free variety)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (Hain brand or homemade for corn-free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Generous pinch of ground mace

—> Place the above dry ingredients in the bowl of your standing mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment.  Turn to low and incorporate the dry ingredients for about 30 seconds.

—> To the mixing bowl, add the following wet ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk or milk substitute, warmed to 110 degrees
  • 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

—> Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds more.  Then increase mixing speed to Medium-High and beat the dough with the paddle for 2 minutes.

—> Add the following ingredients to the dough:

  •  finely grated orange zest of one orange (approximately 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (pre-soaked for a 5-10 minutes in a 1/4 cup of very hot water, then drained)

—> Mix on low for a few seconds to distribute the raisins and zest.

—>  The dough will be quite sticky and very thick (see picture below).  If you are new to making gluten-free breads, please note that it will look more like THICK, STICKY waffle batter than bread dough! Using a large, 4 TB. scoop, place dough in paper lined muffin cups.  This recipe makes 9 buns.

—> Cover and let rise in warm place (I use the top of my warmed toaster oven) for 1 hour.

—>  After the buns have doubled in size, gently brush the tops with egg wash ( 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon milk/milk sub. or water).

—> Bake at 375F degrees for 16-20 minutes or until deep golden brown.  ( an instant read thermometer should read 200F degrees)

—> Remove from oven and cool on rack.

—> Frost with:

Royal Icing

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (use corn free version if necessary)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon, softened non-hydrogenated shortening, softened coconut oil or butter

Whisk together vigorously until you achieve the desired consistency.  If you find that the shortening won’t incorporate, you may need to warm the frosting a bit more.

spacer

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Print
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • Tumblr

  • Like this:

    Like
    9 bloggers like this post.
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    5 Comments
    from → Free Eats Sweets, Yeast Breads

    Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting

    March 14, 2012
    tags: allergy friendly cupcakes, birthday cupcakes, corn free, corn free cupcakes, cupcakes, dairy free, dairy free cupcakes, gluten free, gluten free cupcakes, gluten free vanilla cake

    spacer

    Sometimes the best measure of a baker’s skill is to taste their simplest creations.  Vanilla cake, pastry cream, or a pie crust are relatively straightforward in their preparation, but they can also be unforgiving when it comes to highlighting mistakes.

    This is why many professional bakeries ask potential employees to make a génoise and a batch of pastry cream in their interview.  These two things should be relatively easy for a skilled baker, but if something does go wrong, there is nothing to hide behind.

    I can still remember my flip-flopping stomach when years ago I tried out for a position in a wedding cake bakery.  The owner asked me to make the largest batch of pastry cream I had ever seen.  It was so large that I had trouble heaving the giant stock pot off the stove when it came time to incorporate the butter.  I played it off like it was no biggie, but I was definitely breaking a sweat.  This bakery was known for its delicate fondant decorations and beautiful pulled sugar work, but those two applications weren’t even a component of the interview.  The owner knew that decorative skills could be taught on the job, as long as employees had a strong foundation in baking.

    Baking a good gluten-free vanilla cupcake is just this kind of test.  It seems simple, but attaining a cupcake that is flavorful and moist, with wonderful vanilla flavor is more difficult than it sounds.  After many batches and lots of tweaking, I finally have a cake I’m proud of.  One worth sharing with you.  spacer

    Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (for best results, use this one)
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (Hain brand or homemade for corn-free)
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (I use a corn-free variety from Authentic Foods)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 additional egg yolks
    • ½ cup milk or milk substitute of choice
    • ½ cup canola oil
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I use Frontier brand or homemade for corn-free version)
    • scrapings from one vanilla bean (reserve pod for another use)

    →Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

    →Place all ingredients (flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, granulated sugar, eggs, yolk, milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean scrapings)  in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-low for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until smooth.

    →Let batter rest for 15 minutes before scooping into a paper-lined cupcake pan.  Fill ¾ full.

    →Bake on center rack for 16-18 minutes.  The cupcakes will still be light in color, but they should spring back slightly when pressed.

    →Cool on rack. Frost and serve.

    →Store cooled cupcakes in freezer.  Thaw and frost as needed.

    Yield: 12-14 cupcakes depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners

    Creamy Chocolate Frosting  (Dairy-Free/ Corn-Free)

    • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
    • 2 ½ cups corn-free powdered sugar
    • 1/3 cup milk or milk substitute of choice
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla (I use Frontier brand or homemade for corn-free version)
    • ½ cup non-hydrogenated shortening
    • pinch of salt

    →Place all ingredients (cocoa, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, shortening and salt) in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Starting slowly, and gradually increasing the speed to medium, mix for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

    Share this:

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Print
    • StumbleUpon
    • Digg
    • Tumblr

  • Like this:

    Like
    9 bloggers like this post.
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    • spacer
    15 Comments
    from → Free Eats Sweets

    Vanilla Roulade with Fresh Raspberries and Whipped Coconut Cream

    February 21, 2012
    tags: coconut, coconut cream, corn free, dairy free, gluten free, gluten free vanilla cake, gluten free vanilla roulade, roulade, soy free, sponge cake, vanilla roulade, wheat free

    spacer

    This cake and I have history.

    We go way, way back……to 1996.

    Allow me to set the scene:  I was in college, living in an adorable rental house with a tidy hedge, green lawn and two of the happiest plum trees you’ve ever met.  Times were good.  I had great friends, good music, a sweet VW Jetta, and a seriously awesome boyfriend.  My days were filled with lectures, studying, and LOTS of baking.  Baking was my “unofficial” major in college.  My real major was Psychology, but my passion was for what went on in my cozy little kitchen.  This was a kitchen circa 1960′s with dark cabinets, harvest gold appliances and a sketchy electric cook-top that excelled at burning things to a crisp.  Luckily the oven behaved itself most of the time, so I did my best to exercise that baby on a regular basis.  Cookies, cakes, muffins, breads, candy.  You name it, I made it.

    Number one on the favorites list?  Vanilla Roulade.  Beautiful and delicate, I loved everything about this dessert.  Watching the egg whites transform in my mixing bowl to an ethereal cloud of shiny fluff thrilled me.  Folding the egg whites into the lovely yellow batter, or gently rolling the roulade satisfied my soul.  Plus, it’s hard to not  feel special when a slice of roulade is placed before you.

    That’s why I was surprised when I realized I hadn’t made a gluten-free/dairy-free version of this dainty dessert.  Exactly two hours later, I was in the kitchen, working on a recipe to share with you.  It is tender, moist and flavorful and requires minimal ingredients.  It does require a standing mixer or heavy duty hand-held to whip the egg whites with, unless you’re looking for your next CrossFit workout.  After experimenting with a few different versions of this recipe, I settled on this one because of flavor, and ease of rolling.  Rolling a gluten-free cake and not having it crack into a million pieces is no small thing.  It takes a little bit of patience and a sense of humor.  Most importantly, remember that it will still taste delicious!

    Vanilla Chiffon Roulade

    → Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 17 ½ by 12 ½ inch jelly roll pan taking care not to grease the sides (this allows the cake to rise correctly).  Line the pan with parchment paper (the oil will help hold the paper in place).

    → In a mixing bowl combine the 4 egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, the vanilla extract, oil and water.  Whisk until combined.  Add the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl.  Whisk ingredients until smooth and well-combined (1 minute).  Set aside.

    → In the bowl of your electric mixer (fitted with a whisk attachment) add the 6 egg whites.  Mix on medium-low and allow the eggs to get a bit frothy (1-2 minutes).  Increase speed to medium-high and add the sugar a teaspoon at a time until it is all incorporated.  Continue mixing until the whites triple in size and hold stiff, glossy peaks.

    → Remove bowl from mixer and using a large spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter.  When there are a few white streaks still left in the batter, add ½ of the remaining whites, gently fold, and then repeat with the remaining whites.

    → Very gently pour the batter onto your prepared jelly roll pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake in the center of preheated oven for 10-14 minutes or until the top is just beginning to turn golden and the cake is starting to pull back from the edges of the pan.

    → Remove from oven and cool for 4-5 minutes in the pan.  Then run a small knife around the outer edge of the cake to insure that all the edges are free.  Sprinkle the surface of the cake with a tablespoon of granulated sugar, lay a clean (lint free) tea towel on top of the cake, and begin to gently roll the cake from the short end, into a cylinder shape – leaving the parchment paper attached to the base of the cake.  Push the cake roll up against one edge of your pan so that it doesn’t come unrolled while it cools.  Allow to cool completely.

    → Gently unroll the roulade and fill with your favorite jam.  Re-roll the roulade, using the parchment paper to help you, and removing it as you roll.  Serve with fresh berries and whipped coconut cream.  This is best served the day it’s made, but you can also store it well-wrapped in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

    spacer

    spacer

    spacer

    spacer

    spacer

    When the cake is done baking it will pull back from the edges of the pan.

    spacer

    I made a quick stove-top raspberry jam and the color was lovely, ruby red.

    spacer

    spacer

    spacer

    Coconut whipped cream is rich and fluffy, just like the real deal.

    Whipped Coconut Cream

    Place the can of coconut milk into the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

    Open the can without shaking and scrape the thick, coconut cream into the chilled bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment.  This will be about 1 cup.  Save the remaining coconut water for another application.

    Add the powdered sugar and starting your mixer slowly, increase speed to medium high and whisk for 2-3 minutes or until the coconut milk holds soft peaks.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator – up to 2 days.

    Tips for success:

    1. Use full-fat coconut milk such as Thai Kitchen.  Don’t use “Cream of Coconut” which is pre-sweetened and has a lot of added ingredients, or a light version such as Trader Joes (which I love for other uses).
    2. Use a heavy-duty mixer that can whip fast for 2-3 minutes.
    3. Use powdered sugar, or any other powdered sweetener for best results.  Liquid sweetners like honey, agave or maple syrup will prevent the coconut milk from whipping.
    4. If you would like to add vanilla flavor, stick with the scrapings of a vanilla bean, vanilla powder, or a very small amount of liquid vanilla (1/2 teaspoon).  Adding too much additional liquid to this coconut cream inhibits the whipping process.

    Share this:

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Print
    • StumbleUpon
    • Digg
    • Tumblr

  • Like this:

    Like
    7 bloggers like this post.
    Related searches:
    vanilla gluten coconut teaspoon baking
    gipoco.com is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.