When Carol Fenster was told by her doctor: “Don’t eat wheat!” in 1988, she got to work revamping her entire repertoire of dishes to exclude gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat. Twenty years later, Fenster is considered the “gluten-free goddess.” She is the author of seven books on the subject, including her comprehensive bible on gluten-free cooking and baking: 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes (Wiley).

Gluten intolerance has become one of the nation’s leading dietary concerns. A careful diet is the only treatment for the condition. More companies are producing gluten-free foods, giving people more choices to make this way of eating work. But preparing your own food is the best way to know what’s really on your plate.

In 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes, you’ll find formerly off-limit dishes such as Margarita Pizza, Homemade Pasta, Buttermilk Pancakes, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Gluten-Free Challah. Fenster proves that a gluten-free lifestyle is not a sacrifice and doesn’t have to be boring. She includes a clear definition of gluten, including the foods where it’s found, as well as substitutions.

There is a comprehensive baking section, including a guide to using and blending gluten-free flours. There are also excellent pointers on reading food labels and how to build a gluten-free pantry. For more information about Carol Fenster and her books, visit her website at www.savorypalate.com.

Here are some gluten-free recipes and tips that I’ve chosen for your enjoyment!

 
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour 35%
1 1/2 cups potato starch or cornstarch 35%
1 cup tapioca flour 30%
 
Whisk the ingredients together until well blended. Store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place. You may refrigerate or freeze the blend, but bring it to room temperature before using. Makes 4 cups. You may double or triple the recipe.
 

The cake below is a family heirloom that Fenster’s mother made frequently during her childhood. It’s a small cake, sometimes called a “snacking cake,” and it is perfectly suited for converting. Why?

• Cakes with baking soda are more often successful than those with baking powder. We don’t know exactly why, but baked goods leavened with baking soda seem to perform better than those leavened with baking powder. Baking soda, which is alkaline, requires acidic ingredients (such as the cocoa in this recipe) to achieve the proper pH balance. Since gluten-free flour blends are generally low-protein (once they’re blended with the high-carbohydrate flours of potato starch and tapioca) and are more acidic, they work well in cakes that are leavened with baking soda because the alkalinity of the baking soda helps balance the acidity of the flours and other ingredients.

• This cake uses natural cocoa rather than Dutch cocoa (which often requires baking powder).

• The cake is small (under 2 cups of flour), so it bakes more successfully than a larger cake because you can use smaller baking pans that allow the heat to penetrate to the centre of the batter more readily.

You will see the original cake ingredients first. The second recipe shows how Fenster modified them to use Carol’s Sorghum Blend (above), followed by the recipe directions.

Original Ingredients:
 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee
1 tsp. vanilla
 
GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
 
1 1/4 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend
1/2 cup natural cocoa
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter or buttery spread
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee
 

Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease a 9-inch round nonstick (gray, not black) or 11×7-inch rectangular pan.

Sift the flour blend, cocoa, xanthan gum, soda and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until well blended. Beat in milk, egg and vanilla. Add sifted flour blend alternately with hot coffee, beginning and ending with flour. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.

 
Challah is typically braided, but this dough is far too soft, so it is baked in a 9×5-inch pan.
 
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
white rice flour for dusting
2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, divided, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend (above)
1 cup potato starch
2 tbsp. Expandex modified tapioca starch*
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. guar gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cider vinegar
 

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside to foam 5 minutes.

Generously grease a 9×5-inch nonstick (gray, not black) loaf pan. Dust the bottom and sides of the pan lightly with white rice flour.

In the large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat eggs and egg yolk on high speed until thick and foamy, about 2 minutes. Blend in oil and sugar. Add sorghum blend, potato starch, modified tapioca starch, xanthan gum, guar gum, salt, vinegar, and yeast-water mixture. Beat on low to gently blend ingredients, then increase speed and beat on medium for 30 seconds or until mixture is thoroughly combined.

Transfer dough to pan and let rise in a warm place (75 to 80 degrees F) until dough is level with top of pan, or about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Whisk the remaining egg yolk with 1 tbsp. of water and gently brush top of loaf.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until temperature reaches 205 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into centre of loaf. Remove from oven and cool bread in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Slice with electric knife or serrated knife. Makes 12 servings.

*Available at www.expandexglutenfree.com. Modified tapioca starch was unavailable to the home cook but that changed in 2005. It makes gluten-free baked goods look and taste more like food that contains gluten.

 
America’s favourite cookie is easy to make and sure to delight everyone. If you wish, you can buy chocolate chunks or chop the chocolate yourself rather than use chocolate chips – as long as you verify the chocolate’s gluten-free status. Serve these cookies by themselves or with ice cream.
 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or buttery spread, at room temperature, but not melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend (above)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup gluten-free chocolate chips, such as Tropical Source
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
 

Place a rack in the lower-middle position and another in the upper-middle position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375. Line two 15×10-inch baking sheets (not nonstick) with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda and then gradually beat into the egg mixture on low speed just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Knead the dough with your hands a few times to make sure the chips and nuts are thoroughly incorporated.

Using a wet tablespoon or a #50 metal spring-action ice cream scoop, drop 1-1/2-inch balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, 12 per sheet. Place one sheet on the lower–middle rack and another on the upper-middle rack of the oven.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets between racks halfway through baking, or until the cookies start to brown around the edges. Cool the cookies 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store, tightly covered, for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Makes 24 cookies.

Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author, cooking teacher and food consultant. For information about her cookbooks, cooking classes and culinary services, call 416-226-2466 or visit her website at http://www.gourmania.com.