At first, I mourned. Months past, and I began to experiment. Sometimes, my baking sessions turned out well. I threw together a faux Fig Newton recipe that was so extraordinary from the first try that it ended up in my book. However, the bagels with teff flour? Those were gross.

Mostly, I felt mystified. Why did some recipes work while, other times, cakes fell or came out of the oven raw in the center? I was following established recipes, substituting gluten-free flour mixes cup for cup. Then this year, a breakthrough. I bought a kitchen scale.

Reading Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio, I discovered what I had been searching for – a formula. I learned that traditional bread always follows the same ratio: five parts flour to three parts water, plus some yeast. I baked a few loaves with gluten-free flours in this ratio, hoping it would work. It didn’t. They were a little too dry and crumbly, with the consistency of cornbread.

I don’t give up easily. I pulled out pen and paper, a calculator, and recipes from my website that really worked. After some time, I understood. Gluten-free bread has to be five parts flour, three parts water, and one part liquid that’s also a protein (for me, that’s one egg, which weighs two ounces. Another suggestion is flaxseed meal mixed with water, sour cream, or yogurt.) Gluten is a binder, but it’s also a protein. We have to replace both parts.

I baked a loaf of bread weighing everything on the scale: 20 ounces of flour, 12 ounces of water, plus two eggs. I threw in xanthan and guar gums for binding, some sugar, the yeast, a good pinch of salt, a bit of honey to counteract the slight bitterness of the gums, and great hope.

Three hours later, I had a good loaf of bread. Not just good gluten-free bread, but good bread.

I’ve much to learn but have started to crack the code. These days, my toddler stands on a chair beside me at our kitchen counter. As I tumble sorghum flour into a bowl, she reaches for the buttons on the scale. Gently, I block her hand. “Wait a second, sweetie. Mama needs four more ounces and then we can make this pie together.”

See Shauna’s recipe for gluten-free pie crust.

Shauna James Ahern’s and Daniel Ahern’s new cookbook is Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, published by John Wiley & Sons. Their blog is Glutenfreegirl.com.

Makes one double-crust 9-inch pie
(or two single-crust pies)

Ingredients

• 5 oz (142 g) almond flour (not almond meal)
• 2 oz (57 g) gluten-free oat flour
• 2 oz (57 g) tapioca flour
• 2 oz (57 g) teff flour
• 2 oz (57 g) sweet rice flour
• 3 oz (85 g) potato starch
• 2 tsp (10 mL) xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp (1.25 mL) guar gum
• ½ tsp (2.5 mL) kosher salt
• 2.5 oz (71 grams) or 5 tbsp (75 mL) butter, cold (or non-dairy butter sticks)
• 2 oz (57 grams) or 4 tbsp (60 mL) leaf lard*, cold
• 1 large egg
• 3-6 tbsp (90-120 mL) ice water

Method

1. In a food processor, mix almond, oat, tapioca, teff and sweet rice flours with potato starch. Add xanthan gum, guar gum and salt. Mix well.
2. Add ice cold butter and leaf lard in pea-sized pieces. Pulse food processor several times until the fats are incorporated. The mixture will look sandy.
3. Whisk egg with 3 tbsp of water. While dough is mixing, drizzle in the eggy water. If the dough feels dry, drizzle in a bit more water. If it feels sticky or wet, sprinkle in a bit of potato starch.
4. Place the ball of pie dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Roll dough between two pieces of parchment paper, about ¼-inch thick. Carefully lift the top piece of parchment paper and turn the dough out into a pie plate. Arrange until flat, fix breaks by patting dough together. Crimp edges.

*Leaf lard is the highest grade of lard and contains good, unsaturated fats, unlike the hydrogenated lard at the grocery store. Buy through a local farmer, or online.

Shauna James Ahern’s and Daniel Ahern’s new cookbook is Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, published by John Wiley & Sons, and being released September 28. Their blog is Glutenfreegirl.com.

Free of:

Filling Ingredients

• 3 cups (725 mL) apples, peeled, diced
• 1 cup (250 mL) fresh cranberries
• 1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) minute tapioca

Topping Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (85 mL) butter or butter alternative [e.g. Earth Balance], diced
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar
• 1 cup (250 mL) rice flour
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) zest of one orange

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. For the filling, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then pour into pie shell.
2. To make the topping, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with fingertips until mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Spread topping over fruit filling and bake 35-40 minutes, until topping and crust are golden.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Free of: Gluten and all top allergens

Ingredients

• 2 cups (475 mL) brown rice flour
• 3⁄4 cup (180 mL) tapioca flour
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
• 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable shortening, diced
• 1 egg or 2 tbsp (30 mL) egg replacer
• 1 tsp (5 mL) rice wine vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) water
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix together with fingers until dough forms.
2. Place dough between two rice-floured sheets of wax paper. Roll pastry out to the size of your pie shell. Remove top layer of paper and turn pastry into pie shell. Press into shell firmly and trim or crimp edges.

For traditional flour recipe, click here.

Recipe by Simon Clarke
Food photography by Chris Gonzaga

First published in Allergic Living magazine.
To order that issue or to subscribe, click here.