SPLENDID GLUTEN-FREE BAKE MIX 2 (without xanthan gum and using gelatin)




SPLENDID GLUTEN-FREE BAKE MIX 2

  This bake mix uses gelatin and I’ve greatly simplified how to use it with gelatin. It now my preferential bake mix.  I cannot give my husband anything with xanthan gum in it, as he reacts badly to it. Gelatin is very healthy and does not cause digestive distress like xanthan gum can for some people.  Gelatin helps bind the wet ingredients and also the dry “flour” components of the bake mix to prevent crumbly outcomes, which is what the xanthan gum accomplished in the original bake mix.  If I only mention the former bake mix, it typically means the recipe has only been tested using it, however, I believe that the two bake mixes are fully interchangeable, which is so convenient!

My Older Bake Mixes, like the Splendid Low-Carb Bake Mix and Vital Ultimate Bake Mixes...If you would like to use this bake mix instead, I think you will find you need about 1/4 cup more if you are substituting for 1 cup or more and maybe 2 tbsp more if you are substituting for less than 1 cup.


LATEST NEWS: OATS ARE PALEO!  CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE - CLICK HERE!

It is imperative to use Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour for all my recipes requiring coconut flour!  Coconut flours differ in their ability to absorb moisture and that will affect the recipes.



RECIPE:

12/3  cups almond meal, OR (400 mL; 182 g)
  almond flour
3/4  cup certified GF oat flour, (175 ml; 100 g)
  (Bob’s Red Mill®, not Legacy Valley®)
2 tbsp coconut flour, (30 mL)
  (Bob’s Red Mill®) 

In large bowl, combine almond meal (grind sliced almonds in coffee bean grinder), OR almond flour, oat flour and coconut flour. In container with airtight lid, place bake mix and shake well to combine.  When measuring oat flour (only with the oat flour) into measuring cup, make sure to tap the cup on the counter top and fill to top to get the correct yield for the bake mix.  Keep bake mix at room temperature for up to one month or freeze or refrigerate for longer storage.

Instructions for substituting the bake mix in your own flour-containing recipes:  Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) additional bake mix when substituting for 1 cup (250 mL) or more than 1 cup (250 mL) flour and use 2 tbsp (30 mL) more if substituting for less than 1 cup (250 mL).  Always begin by adding an extra egg in muffins, loaves, cakes and coffee cakes, except for cookies and except if bake mix required is less than or equal to 1 cup (250 mL).  Withhold 1/4 cup (60 mL) of liquid/wet/fat ingredients; add in as needed (usually need it all). If batter after processing at least a minute is still too thick, add more of the liquid ingredients, and if accidentally the batter ends up too sloppy, then add a little more bake mix. If all the liquid has been used and the batter is still too stiff, add another egg and another if necessary. Baking experience is helpful. 

Adding Gelatin:  Use 1/2 tsp (5 mL) gelatin for less than and equal to 1 cup (250 mL) Gluten-Free Bake Mix.  For more than 1 cup (250 mL), use 1 tsp (5 mL) gelatin.  For 2 cups (500 mL) or more use 11/2 tsp (7 mL) gelatin. Gelatin is added to wet ingredients in a food processor or mixer and mixed well. Add dry ingredients and process until well combined.  That’s it.  It couldn’t be easier!

Yield:   21/2 cups (625 mL)
1/4 cup (60 mL) per serving
125.7 calories
4.5 g protein
8.9 g fat

5.7 g net carbs


Applications:  Gelatin option works in muffins, biscuits, donuts, cakes, scones, loaves, bundt cakes, cupcakes, squares and cookies. The gluten-free bake mixes need eggs in almost all applications. You will not always need gelatin; usually it is self-explanatory - for example, breading, crusts, etc. or simply where I’ve elected to omit it in a recipe.  Also, you won't necessarily need an egg for a shortbread-style crust or pastry crust.

Cookies:  Gelatin will sometimes make cookies too soft (although I’m not sure why I say this anymore, as that has not been my experience of late in my recipes).  More often than not, I don't use gelatin in cookie recipes. Just make sure you have a flat, metal spatula and transfer cookies to  a dinner plate if you can't wait for the m to cool and place in the freezer.  Keep the number of eggs called for in the cookie recipe the same and follow the instructions for replacing flour with the bake mix. Cookies will usually be somewhat fragile straight out of the oven.  Leave them to cool completely on the cookie sheet and using a thin metal spatula, place cookies in a container for the freezer or refrigerator (separate with sheets of wax or parchment paper).

Helpful Hints:  I buy the NOW® Brand gelatin in a 1 lb (0.45 kg) bag from Netrition.com.  It is more economical. When substituting the Splendid Gluten-Free bake mix 2, page 171 for some of my older bake mixes, then 2 tbsp (30 mL) to 1/4 cup (60 mL) more bake mix will be required depending on if one is replacing less than 1 cup (250 mL) or 1 cup (250 mL) or more (last 2, latter amount).  Follow same rules.  It is convenient to double, triple or quadruple this bake mix.  Almond meal:  sliced almonds ground in a coffee bean grinder.

*If you are using the gelatin application for my recipes that use the original Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix  1, page 170 with xanthan gum, it should be a straight exchange, however, you  can  make small adjustments if the recipe needs more bake mix, for instance.


UPDATE:  Gelatin is a wonderful alternative to xanthan gum to prevent crumbly outcomes in baking - it helps all the components of the bake mix to work together nicely and cohesively.  It's healthy as can be, however, I started leaving out both xanthan gum and gelatin recently, but had issues with a couple of recent recipes being a bit crumbly.  To be honest, the xanthan gum worked so well (but hubby banned it in the house as it causes tummy issues for him!) and the gelatin worked well most times, but sometimes I found the baked goods to be too dense, plus I figured the math was confusing some people.  So recently, I've started using GELATIN again, but now I'm making it simpler and using much less with pretty good results so far. See the instructions with the recipe on how to use gelatin. I use a GLUTEN-FREE gelatin (click to see). 


Some of the health Benefits of Gelatin

Health Benefits of Oat Flour

The virtues of my bake mix - READ ABOUT IT HERE

Update on more experimenting with this bake mix using gelatin.  CLICK HERE.
And more experimenting:  CLICK HERE.

A word about GELATIN (click for Netrition NOW brand, which is what I use):  I have not verified this personally, however, it is possible that if you get a cakey result as one person did instead of a denser product (which is what I like BUT try the other gelatin if you prefer a lighter texture) that it is your gelatin.  Gelatin that you buy in the store is likely to do that, however, I've given the link of the gelatin that I buy in bulk (cheaper that way), that provides great results for me.  In fact, baked goodies using gelatin should be left out of the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before serving because the texture changes in the refrigerator, becoming too dense, even with the other bake mix using xanthan gum.  Nowadays I use much less gelatin as detailed above.


PLEASE NOTE:  Below are simply alternate suggestions.  I have not tested the bake mix with those alternatives, so it will be an experiment for you.  Take one of my easier muffin recipes and use that as your "test recipe" to get a baseline of how your preferred alternate product works.It is now generally accepted that non-contaminated, certified, gluten-free oats are safe for a celiac disease diet, with the exception of a small minority of people with celiac disease who have an additional intolerance to Avenin in the oat flour.

Surprising health benefits of oat flour.  Many people anti-grains these days and I personally believe it's not necessary to throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak.  There are some grains that are beneficial, oat flour being one of them.  Obviously, some people are very sensitive to any carbohydrates, so proceed cautiously with the bake mix (however, if you look at my baking, recipes are all suitably low-carb).  Please do avoid white flour and other highly processed flours and definitely avoid sugar.  On that topic, there are some breakthrough ideas re pasta and rice and how they can be consumed more safely.  Check out this thread on lowcarbfriends.com  


WHAT CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF OAT FLOUR?  Did you know Paleo people were making oat flour 32,000 years ago?  Here is the article: CLICK HERE.  Soy flour (a nice-tasting one!) could work, although I am not a fan and people with hypothyroidism should apparently avoid it, as it is a goitrogen. Sorghum flour or whole wheat pastry flour (similar carbs to oat flour), or lupin flour (low-carb and makes baked goods quite yellow sometimes, but seems to work for a number of recipes). Some people are very allergic to Lupin flour and it can cause anaphylaxis shock (so, really not a great choice, in my opinion, considering the risk! People with peanut allergies should avoid it.). Another idea is White Bean flour - I have not tried but it may work especially in bread-like applications. If you don't have Celiac, you can use any oat flour, not just Bob's Red Mill certified gluten-free oat flour.  Einkorn flour (an ancient, healthier wheat) could also suffice. I have no idea if millet flour would work or rice flour. Some people want to know why I would use oat flour in the bake mix, as many are afraid of grains these days.  I like my baking to taste more like what we were used to... more normal and less "low-carb" if you know what I mean.  I think sometimes almond flour and coconut flour baking can leave something to be desired.   I like the profile of oat flour (in any case it makes up a small portion of the bake mix) to lower cholesterol.  If slightly more carbs are not an issue, then Einkorn flour, an ancient wheat, could be a tasty consideration.  Even certified gluten-free oat flour is not good for people with Celiac who are intolerant of Avenin in oat flour.  Here is a lady who has celiac disease talking about how she can enjoy oat flour.

If you are intolerant to certified gluten-free oat flour (could be the avenin), then substitute some other gluten-free flour like sorghum flour, which others have had success with in the bake mix. Other ideas: millet flour, rice flour, quinoa flour (technically not a grain! - it works, however, has a strong taste - here is how to make it taste wonderful apparently: HERE), lupin flour (this works with bread recipes and some cookie recipes according to some people – can make baking quite yellow and some people are allergic to it), Carbalose flour (quite low-carb), Einkorn flour, an ancient wheat (last two are not gluten-free – available at Netrition.com)

Here is an experiment for brave souls:  I think it might just work to use half oat flour and half oat fiber (not oat bran) in the bake mix instead of the full amount of oat flour.

That said....Surprising Health benefits of oat flour.  Please do avoid highly processed white flours and sugar, etc. Here is the article.

Another idea:  Carbalose Flour (CLICK) could possibly replace the oat flour (it is not gluten-free).  if you can have gluten, my Splendid Low-Carb Bake Mix is another idea.

WHAT CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF ALMOND FLOUR?  Hazelnut flour or Walnut flour mixed with hazelnut flour.  Some have tried Chestnut flour.  If you cannot have nuts at all, find a wonderful Nut-Free Bake Mix here (I believe the oat flour version was the most popular). Sunflower seed flour... cheaper and works with this bake mix: http://www.thekitchn.com/glutenfree-sunflower-seed-flour-187105. When using sunflower seed flour, don't use baking soda...use baking powder.  You may need a little more baking powder...about double the amount of baking soda.  Baking soda can make sunflower seed baking turn green.

WHAT CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF COCONUT FLOUR?  Golden flaxseed meal.  I'm not sure the baking will taste as good, as I'm not a fan of flax, however, it is an alternative.  Another alternative could be oat fiber and that would probably taste wonderful.  It is not certified gluten-free, and to my knowledge there is none available...it could be contaminated with wheat, so not suitable for people with Celiac disease.  Ground Chia seeds might work...however, add it to the wet ingredients....this is where it becomes tricky...how much to use?  Another idea is OAT FIBER.  I have not tried this, but it sounds to me like it would work!

I usually try and freeze goodies to keep us from eating too much.  At any rate, not a whole lot to share lately, but I found this pic of my beloved bake mix.  I don't know what I would do without it; just so useful for so many baking applications.  Remember everyone is different.  You may be able to use this bake mix for some things like English Muffins or hamburger buns and an occasional dessert, and still lose weight, and some may find they can't have it until maintenance.  It is not Induction friendly, however, if you are simply having 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day, this bake mix can make your WOE way more exciting and livable for the long term. Besides you now have a way to use some of your own favorite recipes (not just ones that I pick), substitute the bake mix for the white flour (follow instructions) and usually get great results.  This bake mix typically needs eggs, but I've been surprised by others using this bake mix in some recipes where apparently it wasn't necessary.  It's just more predictable if you have eggs in the recipe.  For instance, a loaf or bread without eggs is not going to work with this bake mix.  

I usually keep my bake mix in the container shown above.  We have a hot and humid climate and we don't use air conditioning other than in the one bedroom.  It normally is fine at room temperature in the airtight container for at least a month .  If I need to store leftovers for longer, I freeze it and typically use that for "breading" veggies and fish, etc., as usually I don't have a lot to freeze.  However, after thawing completely and shaking it in your container to mix well, it should be good to go for baking.  I have also used it straight out of the freezer - somehow with the other ingredients in the bake mix, it typically doesn't form clumps, which almond flour on its own has a tendency to do when frozen (just use your food processor (use the pulse button) to process briefly to get rid of clumps).

Why the small amount of oat flour over time should help lower cholesterol:  READ ABOUT IT HERE

The virtues of my bake mix - READ ABOUT IT HERE

Quote from a fan on our Facebook page and a nurse by profession: "I am a 20g or less low carber. Live in ketosis. I use Jen's bake mix often and never have any problems, never go over on my carbs, never knocks me out of ketosis. And it has opened up a whole world of amazing dishes, from low carb breads/rolls, even to veggie dishes (ie yellow squash casserole). Look at her carb counts per serving, very low...

When people go low carb, they give up a lot, (of course they gain so much more)...you are right in that the bake mix gives baked goods a feel, taste, and texture that is closer to mainstream baked goods, and does it with VERY little carbs. Nut flours are nice, but a bit heavy, and excess nuts are also not a good idea. Coconut flour is really nice and light, but you gotta use a million eggs! Lol!!! So this very low carb bake mix can help win a lot of folks over to low carbing and a healthier way of life by giving them something that seems close to what they are used to. Ok. Climbing off my soap box now! Lol!

For those that don't have a particular intolerance to oat, it is a very small amount and would still allow a person to stay low carb. She uses the gluten free oat flour. I don't particularly eat the oat for the cholesterol benefits, because low carbing in general will provide all the help with cholesterol you will need. I think most people in the grain free world view wheat as the real culprit. I am completely wheat and gluten free by choice. (I have no food allergies or intolerances.) Yet after carefully reviewing Jen's recipes and carb counts using the bake mixes, I gave it a try. I love the bake mix! And as I said, I keep at 20g or below and stay in continual ketosis. Can't get much more low carb than that. So as long as a person doesn't have a specific intolerance to oats, I encourage all to try!"


For other great Low-Carb, Gluten-Free recipes by the team & me:

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