Pigs in a blanket are usually made with canned crescent dough or store-bought puff pastry. But if you’re gluten-free, these two options don’t work. RIght now, canned gluten-free crescent dough isn’t available and gluten-free puff pastry can be really hard to find. 

But that doesn’t mean that pigs in a blanket are off limits! You just need to make some homemade pastry to wrap around the piggies. 

Serve them as either a snack, appetizer, or main course. That’s what I usually do. I bake a tray of these and serve it alongside a big green salad. 

Ingredients You’ll Need.

Here’s what you’ll need to make a batch of these pigs in a blanket. (The full recipe with amounts is included at the bottom of the post.)

• Hot Dogs. You can either use gluten-free cocktail wieners (mini hot dogs) and regular hot dogs cut into small pieces. 
• Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour blend. Using a different gluten-free flour might cause the recipe not to work.
• Butter. Use cold butter for the dough.  
• Milk. Helps the dough come together and adds a nice flavor.
• Eggs. One egg is used in the dough. The other is brushed on the pastry before baking. This helps the pigs in a blanket to brown..
• Baking Powder. Helps the pastry to rise. 
• Sugar. One teaspoon of sugar helps the dough to brown. Feel free to leave it out if you’d like.
• Salt. Since hot dogs contain a good amount of salt, you only need a little in the dough for flavor.

Variations.

1. Cheesy. Cut a cheese slice into small pieces. Place it under the hot dog before you wrap it with the pastry. 
2. Spicy. Place a sliced jalapeno under the hot dog before wrapping. 
3. Seasoned. Sprinkle some poppy seeds or everything bagel seasoning on the dough before baking.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pigs in a Blanket. 

This is such a fun recipe to make! There’s something I just love about rolling the mini hot dogs with pastry. The first step is making the gluten-free dough. Take your time when mixing it. It’s important to get the texture right. You don’t want the dough too dry or too wet.

Prepare the dough.

1. Whisk together the gluten-free flour with the baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2. Add the cold, cubed butter.
3. Work the butter into the gluten-free flour mixture until no large pieces remain. Then stir in the milk and egg. Knead the mixture until a dough forms. If it seems dry, add a little more milk. If it’s too sticky to knead, add a little more gluten-free flour.
4. Cut the dough into four pieces.

Wrap the Dogs.

• Then roll one piece of dough into an 8×5-inch long rectangle.
• Cut it into eight 1-inch thick strips. 
• Wrap the dough around the hot dog. This is the fun part!

Place the hot dogs, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet. This keeps the dough from unwrapping as they bake. 

When you’re done, brush each one with a little whisked egg.

Note: This recipe makes enough dough for about 40 mini hot dogs. Since hot dog packages vary, you might have a little dough left over.

Bake until Brown.

Bake these until the pastry is golden brown and the hot dogs are hot. A pan takes about 18 minutes to cook.

Air Fryer Variation. 

You can bake these in an air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 350℉ and bake the pigs until the pastry is brown. (Full air fryer directions and time are included in the recipe below.)

How to Make These In Advance. 

You can make these a day in advance. Just wrap the hot dogs with the pastry. Then cover them and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven and bake until brown. 

You can also freeze them. Place the wrapped hot dogs onto a bake tray. Freeze, uncovered, for two hours or until hard. Then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bake them from frozen in a preheated oven. Frozen pigs in a blanket take a few extra minutes to bake. 

Storing and Reheating Leftovers.

If you have leftover pigs in a blanket, transfer them to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days.

Reheat them in the microwave or in a 325℉ air fryer until hot.

Note: This recipe was originally shared in 2016. It was updated in 2024 to include new photos and a gluten-free flour blend.

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Gluten-Free Pigs in a Blanket

These pigs in a blanket are wrapped in a homemade gluten-free pastry. Serve them as a snack, appetizer or as a main course. Be sure to sure gluten-free cocktail wieners or hot dogs.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 48 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, see note (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cold butter, cubed (2 ounces; 57 grams)
• ½ cup plus additional milk as needed (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 1 large egg
• 1 (16 ounce) package gluten-free cocktail wieners or 12 full size hot dogs cut into three pieces.

Topping

• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk together gluten-free flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
• Add the butter, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work it into the gluten-free flour mixture until no large pieces remain. The mixture should be coarse, with tiny pebbles of butter distributed thoroughly throughout.
• Stir in milk and 1 egg. Milk until a dough forms. If the dough is dry and won’t hold together, add a splash (about 1 tablespoon) more milk until the dough holds together.
• Dust your counter with gluten-free flour. Knead the dough a few times on the counter and then pat into a disk. Tip: To keep the dough from sticking, dust both the dough and your hands with a little gluten-free flour.
• Cut the dough into four pieces. Roll one piece into an 8×5-inch long rectangle. Then cut it into eight 1-inch thick strips.
• Wrap the dough around the hot dogs. Place the hot dogs, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the hot dogs are wrapped in pastry.
• Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the egg mixture on the pastry.
• Bake for about 18 minutes, until the dough is light golden brown and the hot dogs are hot. Remove from pan and serve hot.
• Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes

Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour might change how the recipe works. Be sure to use a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum. 

Air Fryer Directions. Preheat air fryer to 350℉. Bake until the pastry is brown, about 8 minutes. Air fry these in batches. You don’t want to crowd the basket or tray. 

Storing Leftover. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or air fryer until warm. 

The post Gluten-Free Pigs in a Blanket appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Some of my favorite sandwiches are seasonal sandwiches. I eagerly await the first BLT of the summer. Come winter, I can’t wait for a croque-monsieur. Of course, unlike the BLT, there’s nothing really seasonal about this sandwich. Bread, ham, cheese and white sauce are available year-round.

Yet tucking into this hearty sandwich during a warm season just doesn’t appeal to me. (Probably because I am too busy eating BLTs.) Come the cold nights of January? I’m ready for a dressed-up ham and cheese sandwich.

For years I avoided this French sandwich because of the béchamel sauce. Won’t the bread turn unappetizingly soggy? No, I was wrong. Terribly wrong.

After one bite, you know why this sandwich is such a classic. It’s a total comfort food sandwich. Warm cheese, salty ham, and tangy mustard. As for the bread, as long as it’s well toasted, which is key with gluten-free bread, it doesn’t get mushy under the thick sauce.

The sandwich also makes a nice dinner along with a peppery green salad and a gluten-free beer.

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Gluten-Free Croque-Monsieur

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 8 slices gluten-free white sandwich bread homemade or store-bought
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
• 2 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk, warmed (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated (about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce; 28 grams)
• Dijon mustard
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced ham

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the bread on an 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake, flipping once, until the slices begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
• Prepare the sauce: In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the sweet rice flour. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. The paste will turn a light golden brown. In a slow and steady steam, add the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Gruyère and all of the parmesan. Whisk until smooth.
• Make the Sandwiches  Spread a thin coat of mustard on each piece of bread. Place a few slices of ham and a generous sprinkle of Gruyère on each of 4 bread slices. (Reserve about one-quarter of the cheese.) Top with a second slice of bread, mustard side down. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet. Spoon a generous amount of white sauce onto each sandwich. Divide the remaining Gruyère over the top.
• Return the sandwiches to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes to heat.
• Turn on the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted, light brown, and bubbling. Serve immediately.

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Most of the time poutine is annoyingly gluten-filled. You wouldn’t think so since it’s just fries, gravy, and cheese curds. But there are usually one or two gluten culprits at play; either the gravy contains wheat flour or the fries are made in fryers shared with gluten-containing foods. Sometimes it’s both.

So when a poutine craving hit, I headed into my kitchen instead of a restaurant. (What restaurant is going to serve gluten-free poutine?)

Two of three poutine elements, french fries and cheese curds, weren’t a problem plus the homemade fries tasted better than many of the soggy, greasy fries served in many a restaurant. It was the gravy that provided the challenge.

Poutine gravy is a thick brown gravy with black pepper and vinegar notes. For the first batch of gravy, I used all beef broth. The resulting gravy was too beefy, overtaking the dish, like it should be poured over pot roast and not poutine. After a little research, I learned that many poutine recipes use chicken stock, not beef.

Batch number two was better but still not right. While the chicken stock didn’t overpower the fries and cheese, it lacked the salty-mineraly depth that beef imparts.The next time, I used half chicken stock and half beef broth. Perfection! (For a vegetarian poutine, use vegetable stock. Just be sure it’s gluten-free.)

While tinkering with the flavor, I also adjusted the consistency of the gravy. Since many restaurants told me that poutine gravy contained wheat, I assumed the wheat was from a roux. To thicken the gravy, I first doubled the amount of sweet rice flour roux used in traditional gravy—this was a mistake. You could have cut that batch of gravy with a knife. Poutine, instead, should have the sheen of a cornstarch-thickened sauce. Could using both a roux and cornstarch work? Yes! The roux flavors the gravy nicely while the cornstarch adds additional thickness without making the gravy too pasty or thick.

The finished poutine was indistinguishable from the gluten-filled poutines served at restaurants. The biggest difference? Time. Depending on the method you use to fry your french fries, this recipe takes at least two hours to complete.

this recipe first appeared on SeriousEats.com

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Gluten-Free Poutine

Made with French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, this gluten-free poutine is rich and wonderful. 

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free chicken stock, divided, warm (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 3 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 ounces; 42 grams)
• 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
• 1 cup gluten-free beef broth, warm (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (1/4 ounce; 7 grams)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cheese curds
• Gluten-Free French Fries for four

Instructions

• Prepare Gravy: Just before frying french fries, prepare gravy. Reserve one tablespoon chicken stock. Set aside. In medium pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add sweet rice flour and whisk to combine. A thick paste will form. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns lightly golden brown, about three minutes. Whisking constantly, add remaining chicken stock and all beef broth in a slow and steady stream. Cook until gravy thickens, about four minutes. Combine cornstarch and reserved chicken stock. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Add to gravy. Continue whisking and bring gravy to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk gravy occasionally while you prepare the french fries.
• Put together the Poutine: Remove cheese curds from refrigerator. Set aside. Fry french fries as directed in recipe. Divide cooked french fries between four bowls. Top with cheese curds and gravy. Serve immediately.

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To me, fried chicken means one thing: skin on, bone in Southern fried chicken. So when a Serious Eater asked for a gluten-free conversion of Ree Drummond’s (The Pioneer Woman) fried chicken recipe, it surprised me when they pointed me to a recipe for skinless, boneless fried chicken strips.

The how-to photos left me intrigued. Drummond dredges the chicken pieces, cut so small they are almost nuggets, in flour that’s been dampened with buttermilk.

I’d seen this technique used before in a Cook’s Country recipe but never got around to trying it. As Drummond promises, the damp flour mixture creates a final coating that contains little nuggets of extra-crispy goodness. And while the gluten-free breading is satisfyingly crunchy, it’s a little different than the original gluten recipe. Without any gluten to hold the little flour clusters together, the finished breading isn’t quite as thick and chunky as the original.

While this recipe makes really tasty chicken strips, the breading can also be used for Southern Fried chicken. For one fryer chicken, double the amount of buttermilk and breading called for in the recipe and heat oil 1 1/2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven until it reaches 375°F. Fry until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

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Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes minutes

Total Time 34 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups buttermilk (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 2-inch strips
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco, optional
• 1 cup brown or rice flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt I used Penzey's 4/S; original recipe called for Lawry's
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

• In large bowl, whisk together 2 cups buttermilk, kosher salt, and Tabasco until the salt is dissolved. Add chicken pieces. Cover bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• In large pie plate or dish, whisk brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, cornstarch, seasoning salt, baking powder, and black pepper together. Add remaining buttermilk and rub together until flour mixture is damp. If flour seems dry, add an additional tablespoon of buttermilk.
• Dredge chicken in flour mixture, coating all sides with flour. Shake excess flour off each piece of chicken. Place coated chicken on a platter or wire rack. Heat 3/4 to 1-inch of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet to 375°F. Working in batches, fry chicken. Don't crowd the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown and crisp and internal temperature registers 165°F on an instant read thermometer, about two minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to plate lined with paper towels. Season with salt. Serve immediately with barbecue sauce, if desired.

The post Crunchy Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

When most people think of food from Wisconsin, they think cheese or beer. While living in Milwaukee ten years ago, I found out that fish fry should also make this list.

Each Friday night, many Milwaukee area restaurants offer a fish fry specials. For a reasonable price, you get a plate of beer battered fish, a couple of potato pancakes and, often, a slice of rye bread. The fish fry tends to be “all you care to eat.” I never asked for more fish but, I have to admit, there were a few times when I was tempted! The batter that coated the fish was so light and so crispy. It would have been easy for me to ignore my full stomach just to enjoy a bite or two more.

Now that I’m back in New York and need to eat gluten-free, popping out to a restaurant is no longer an option. Thankfully, I live with a fish fry expert! My Wisconsin-born husband worked in a Milwaukee restaurant that served upwards of 500 fish fry dinners each Friday night. The biggest challenge in converting his recipe to gluten-free? Paring it down. His original recipe made 10 gallons of batter.

Since the original recipe contained about half cornstarch, converting it to gluten-free was easy. White rice flour replaced the wheat flour to produce a super-crisp, light batter for the fish. The best part? It’s also egg and dairy-free!

Gluten-Free Fish Fry: How to Make It At Home

Making the batter is as easy as whipping together pancake batter, and you can make it ahead of time. Greg remembers, “We were so busy at the restaurant, I made the fish fry batter hours before service started. If I hadn’t, we would have been in the weeds all night.”

To make the batter, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the gluten-free beer. (If you don’t want to use beer, go ahead and use plain seltzer.) You want the consistency of the batter to resemble heavy cream. It should flow easily from a spoon. If the batter seems too thick, add a little more beer or seltzer.

Cut your fish into individual pieces, about five-inch each. Of course this is a personal preference. If you to cut the fish into smaller pieces, go for it. I find pieces larger than five inches unwieldy to fry but that’s just me.

To help the batter stick to the fish, pat it dry, and then coat it in a white rice flour-cornstarch mixture. You don’t want too much flour, so give the fish a gentle shake after coating it. Then dip the fish into the batter. Hold the fish above the bowl for a second or two. This allows excess batter to drip off. Then gently place the fish into the hot oil. you don’t want to hold the fish high above the oil and drop it in. That’s a recipe for splatter and possible burns! Get the fish very close to the surface of the oil and gently guide it in. Depending on your fryer, you can fry up to three pieces at one time. If you fry too much fish (or anything for that matter) at one time, the temperature of the oil drops and the coating of the fish gets oily.

If you don’t want to serve your fish in batches, place the freshly fried fish onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in a 250 degree F. oven.

When having a fish fry, I like to serve it with French fries because…why not? 🙂 In our house, coleslaw and tartar sauce are also a must!

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Gluten-Free Beer Battered Fish

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Elizabeth Barbone GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Batter

• 3/4 cup cornstarch (3 ounces; 85 grams)
• 1/2 cup white rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup gluten-free beer, more as needed

For the Fish

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless fillets (cod, flounder, or haddock), cut into six pieces
• 2 ounces 1/2 cup white rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 2 ounces 1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)

For Frying

• 2 quarts vegetable oil

Instructions

• In medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and black pepper. Add gluten-free beer. Whisk until batter forms. Batter should flow easily from a spoon, slightly thicker than the consistency of heavy cream. If it's too thick, add an additional tablespoon beer. Set aside. In large bowl or pie plate, whisk together remaining white rice flour and cornstarch.
• Preheat oven to 250°F. In heavy bottomed Dutch oven, heat oil to 375°F. Coat (dredge) cod, one piece at a time, into the white rice flour-cornstarch mixture. Shake off excess. Dip cod, one piece at a time, into batter. Allow excess batter to drop off. Carefully lower fish into hot oil. Cook until batter sets, about three minutes. Turn fish and cook until batter turns golden brown, about another three to five minutes. (Frying time varies depending in the size of the cod pieces.) Fry cod in batches, about two to three pieces at a time depending on the size of your fryer.
• Drain fish on paper towel-lined plate. Serve at once or transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven for up to twenty minutes.

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Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese: How a frozen dinner turned me into a fan.

Macaroni and cheese never grabbed me. Crazy, right? The few times I tried the American comfort classic, made with a cheddar sauce, I found it dry and unappealing. Then Stouffer’s happened.

Years ago, I watched a friend zap a pan of frozen Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese in the microwave. Like me, she generally prefers homemade to store bought. As she ate, I saw the appeal: the creaminess of the sauce. It looked AMAZING. In the name of food research, I swiped a forkful from her plate (I wasn’t gluten-free at the time.). My reaction? Well, thank goodness for willpower. It kept me from grabbing her plate, running off, and eating the whole thing in one quick go.

If a frozen macaroni and cheese achieved a creamy sauce, a homemade one could too, right?

But they never did. I tried several recipes. One recipe called for eggs in the sauce, making it more custard-like, while another used evaporated milk and half-and-half, creating a rich sauce that muted the flavor of the cheese. One version even used Velveeta, and the result was creamy but I didn’t like the flavor. Was it impossible to make a macaroni and cheese at home that was both flavorful and creamy?

Then, one day at the hairdresser (not kidding!), I flipped through an old copy of Cook’s Country magazine and saw a promising recipe for a creamy macaroni and cheese. Creamy, you say?

The amount of cheese in the casserole startled me a little. It called for….(wait for it) one and half pounds of cheese!  CAN YOU EVEN?!! Since there was more cheese than pasta (it used one pound of pasta) I worried it might be too rich but I decided to try it anyway. I converted it to gluten-free by replacing the wheat flour needed to thicken the sauce with sweet rice flour and the wheat pasta with brown rice pasta. Everything else I left the same.

As promised, the sauce, even after baking, stayed creamy.

Had I finally found the winning recipe? Yes! But this didn’t stop me from tinkering with it. One time I reduced the amount of whole milk and bumped up the chicken broth. Another time I swapped the ratio of Colby to Cheddar, using more Cheddar because I like its sharper flavor. Finally, because as much as I like macaroni and cheese, I don’t need a 9×13-inch pan of it; I reduced the recipe by half.

Finally, I’d found a gluten-free macaroni and cheese recipe I loved and boy, oh boy, was it creamy and dreamy!

Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese: How to Make It

This recipe starts with a cooked mixture of sweet rice flour and butter. This is called a roux. When you first add the flour to the butter, it will seize and get clumpy. This is totally normal. Just let the mixture do its thing while you do yours. And your thing is to stand their and stir. You want to cook the sweet rice flour until it turns a light shade of beige. This takes a minute or two. Don’t walk away from the pan or the flour-butter mixture will betray you and burn.

Once you’ve cooked the roux, it’s time to add the broth and milk. The roux thickens the second a little broth hits it. Add the broth in a slow and steady stream, whisking as you add the liquid. Do the same as you add the milk. The roux will relax and you’ll be left with a nice smooth sauce. Cook the mixture until it thickens a little. I love watching this happen!

As soon as the sauce thickens, add your grated cheese. Now, don’t add it all at once or it’ll clump and make you sad. You want to add a handful (about 1/2 cup) at a time. Stir the sauce gently after each addition and allow the cheese to melt into the sauce. If you stir the sauce too fast, the cheese might break and make the sauce oily. Don’t stress about this too much. If you go slow and steady, you’ll be fine. Add cheese, one handful at a time, until you’ve added all of it.

At this point, your pasta should be ready to drain and add to the sauce. If the pasta isn’t ready yet, reduce the heat under the cheese sauce to low and stir it occasionally while you wait. When the pasta’s ready, drain it, and stir the pasta into the sauce.

Transfer the macaroni and cheese to a 9×13-inch pan, sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top, and bake until bubbly.

Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese: Variations

Sauce: Replace the chicken broth with gluten-free vegetable broth for a vegetarian macaroni and cheese. If you want a rich sauce, omit the broth and use all milk; for a (slightly) lighter-tasting sauce, use reduced fat (2%) milk. Skim milk doesn’t work as well.

Pasta: When cooking the pasta, boil it until it’s al dente or it will overcook and become bloated and mushy in the casserole. Look for your pasta to be firm but yielding. If it crunches when you bite into it, cook it a little longer.

Cheese: The combination of cheddar and Colby provides great flavor and creaminess. If you prefer to use all cheddar or all Colby, go ahead. Or use any combination of the two.

Topping: You’ll sprinkle gluten-free breadcrumbs over the macaroni and cheese before baking. If you don’t have gluten-free breadcrumbs on hand, replace the breadcrumbs with grated Parmesan cheese.

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How to Make Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese

If you like a slightly less cheesy gluten-free macaroni and cheese, reduce the cheese from 12 ounces (total) to 8 ounces (total). Feel free to do this as you please, reducing either the Cheddar, the Colby, or both!

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8 to 10

Author Elizabeth Barbone GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 8 ounces gluten-free elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 ounces; 42 grams)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (3/4 ounce; 21 grams)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, homemade or reduced sodium (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 1 cup whole milk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 ounces extra sharp Colby cheese, grated
• 3 tablespoons cup dried gluten-free breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Fill a medium (3 quart) pot 3/4 full with water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When water reaches a boil, add one teaspoon salt and pasta. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon during the first few minutes of cooking. Set a colander in the sink drain the pasta.
• As soon as you start your pasta, begin your sauce. In a large (5 1/2 quart) pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is translucent, about one minute
• Switch to a wire whisk. Add sweet rice flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and light brown, about three minutes.
• In a slow and steady steam, add chicken broth and milk. Whisk until mixture thickens. Cook until mixture is thick and beings to bubble. Add cheese, one handful at a time, until incorporated. Stir gently using a wooden spoon until cheese melts. Sauce should be smooth. Reduce heat to low.
• Check pasta. When it’s almost tender, drain and return to cooking pot.
• Add pasta to sauce. Stir to combine. Pour into an 8x8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese evenly over the top of pasta.
• Bake until sauce is bubbling and edges are starting to turn golden brown, about or 25-30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for ten minutes before serving.

The post How to Make Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

The other night I planned on making “brinner”: breakfast for dinner. It’s one of my favorites. Then I looked at the garden and saw lots of ripe tomatoes. I thought, “Too bad I can’t put tomatoes on pancakes. I guess I’ll make BLTs instead.”

Then I stopped.

Tomatoes on pancakes would be soggy, of course. But I wondered if they’d work on waffles. That’s right, gluten-free waffle blts. Oh, they’d be (w)BLTs! I smiled. I already loved this idea. Don’t you love it when that happens? Inspiration grabs you and you think, “Go, me! That’s great! Self, you are amazing.” (Do I sound like Leslie Knope? I’ve been told I sound a little like her from time to time. OH MY GOD. As I was typing that, I realized that I made a Leslie Knope reference in a waffle post. ahem)

AnyWAY, (w)BLTs  sounded amazing to me. Since the flavors of a classic BLT can’t really be improved, I kept things simple. I added a little chopped rosemary and black pepper to the waffle batter and whipped up some basil-garlic mayo. The results exceeded even my Leslie Knope-high expectations. As we ate, I kept saying, “Why haven’t I done this before? Waffles. Bacon. Tomatoes! It’s perfect.”

I ate my (w)BLT open-faced; Greg–who is a waffle-lover and a BLT-lover and, therefore, was in heaven,– split his waffle in half and used it like bread. Either way worked well as a BLT delivery system. I like to believe that even Leslie Knope would approve.

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Waffle BLTs

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Basil Mayo

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (4 ounces; 226 grams)
• 10 basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
• freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

For the Topping

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 8 slices bacon preferably smoked
• Large bunch baby lettuce leaves or several large Romaine leaves torn into small pieces
• 2 large tomatoes, thickly

For the Waffles

• 1 cup white or brown rice flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 ounces 1/2 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams, out of shell)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
• non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

• Prepare the Basil-Garlic Mayo: Stir together mayonnaise, basil, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Prepare the Bacon: Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add bacon. Cook until crisp, about five minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
• Prepare the Waffles: In medium mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, cornstarch, sweet rice flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, rosemary, salt, xanthan gum, and black pepper. In small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil until smooth.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Using balloon whisk or handheld mixer, blend until batter is smooth. No lumps should remain.
• Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Spray iron generously with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon batter onto hot iron (amount of batter will vary depending on your iron) and bake until golden brown and crisp.
• Assemble: Remove waffles from iron. Break apart. Spread basil-garlic mayonnaise evenly over waffles. Top with lettuce, tomato and bacon slices. (You might need to break the bacon slices in half so they fit on the waffle.)

The post Gluten-Free Waffle BLTs appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Gluten-Free Tomato Tart or The Reward of Summer

My garden started churning out tomatoes. I always eat the first few tomatoes right from the vine with a whisper of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.” But after that? It’s tart-makin’ time! (And BLT makin’ time, tomato sauce makin’ time…you get the point.)

To say I wait for a gluten-free tomato tart all year is not an exaggeration. In fact, I blame thank my love of tomato tarts for the ridiculous number of tomato plants in my garden each spring. Just the promise of a tart influences my tomato selection. I’m always thinking, “How will this kind look/taste in a tart?”

I think any tart is only as good as its crust. This one is made with a parmesan-rosemary scented short dough. It’s sturdy enough to stand up to juicy tomatoes but still tender enough not to be confused with pizza dough. The delicate nature of gluten-free tart dough prompted me to press it into the tart pan instead of rolling it out because the dough broke apart when rolled. (Remember it lacks the gluten that strengthens wheat-based doughs.)

As for the filling, tomatoes are the star, of course, but the provolone and caramelized onions act as supporting characters and offer a salty-sweet note. As with sweet tarts, this one welcomes playfulness. Vary the filling depending on what cheese or vegetables you have on hand. Use whatever you love and let us know what you create!

Allergen Notes

This gluten-free tomato tart is naturally egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free. It does contain dairy. If you are dairy-free, you can still make this tart.

For the tart dough: omit the parmesan cheese and replace the butter with a solid shortening, increasing the amount of shortening used by two tablespoons to make up for the cheese.

For the filling: omit the provolone and, right before filling, lightly brush the crust with olive oil. This keeps the crust crisp. The dairy-free version of this tart is very good but does lack the golden brown color dairy imparts to the tart. Bake the crust until it’s firm and aromatic, about 20 minutes.

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Gluten-Free Tomato Tart with Parmesan-Rosemary Crust

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 cup finely ground white rice flour (4 ounces; 226 grams)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces; 70 grams)
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 teaspoon rosemary chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into six pieces
• 1/4 cup water, water

For the Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 6 slices deli slices provolone or 4 ounces grated (about 4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into (about) 1/4-inch slices (about 16 ounces; 453 grams)
• nonstick cooking spray
• Kosher salt
• 4-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Instructions

• In bowl of food processor, combine white rice flour, cheese, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, rosemary, and salt. Pulse to combine.
• Add butter. Pulse until no large pieces remain. Add water, run food processor until dough forms.
• Lightly spray a 10-inch tart pan. Pinch off one-tablespoon pieces of dough and place into bottom of tart pan. When all dough is in the pan, press dough down to cover bottom and sides of the pan. Lightly cover pan with plastic wrap and freeze tart for 30 minutes.
• While tart is chilling, begin the filling: Melt butter in heavy-skillet over medium-high heat and add onions. Stir onions frequently. When onions begin to brown, reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and very brown, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove tart from freezer and pull off plastic wrap. Bake tart until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove tart from oven and place on wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Place cheese evenly in bottom of tart.  Spoon cooked onions evenly over cheese and top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
• Bake until tomatoes soften, about 18 minutes. Place tart on wire rack to cool for about five minutes before cutting. Sprinkle chopped basil over tart. Cut tart into wedges and serve.

The post Gluten-Free Tomato Tart with Parmesan-Rosemary Crust appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

I’m so excited about this one! Finally, gluten-free flour tortillas!

Really, I don’t need to tell you why flour tortillas are awesome. You either love ’em or you don’t. Me? I’m in the love camp. So it thrilled me (thrilled, thrilled, THRILLED me) when this recipe finally came together.

This recipe makes a chewy, flexible wrap. Ready to begin?

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Be sure to select a bowl with an opening large enough to reach into. This is important.

Add shortening or lard. While this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free, it isn’t fat-free. And that’s a good thing! The fat adds a pleasant flavor and texture to the wraps. Don’t skip it!

It’s best to do this recipe by hand. Reach right into the bowl and work the shortening into the flour with your hands. A snapping motion of your fingers accomplishes this task quickly. You don’t want any large pieces of shortening to remaining.

Add the water. At first, just half a cup cold water. Stir it into the flour mixture.

The flour mixture will be dry. VERY dry. This is normal.

Add 1/4 cup additional water. Stir. If the dough just begins to hold together, stop adding water! If the dough remains dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.

You want to add the water slowly. If this dough gets too wet, it’s impossible to work with. Don’t let that scare you! Just be cautious when adding the water and the dough will be fine.

Generously white rice flour your counter. Turn the dough and any dry ingredients that are clinging to the bottom of the bowl onto the counter. Dust your hands with flour and begin to knead the dough.

You want the dough to be smooth. If at any point during kneading the dough is wet, knead in more flour. If the dough doesn’t come together, add a splash more water. During this step you really want to feel the dough. The texture you’re looking for is similar to play-doh: damp but not wet.

Once you think you’ve got it, pinch off a piece of the dough. Roll it between your palms. It should be easy to handle. You don’t want the dough to stick to your hands or fall apart. Again, think clay or play-doh.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming.

Cut open a plastic bag and place it on a tortilla press. Dust the bag with flour. Don’t skip this or the tortilla will stick to the plastic.

Pinch dough, you want about two tablespoons, and roll into a ball. The dough should not stick to your hands. Place dough into tortilla press. It’s a good idea to place the dough ball closer to the hinge than right in the center. Then simply close the press. The dough flattens under the pressure.

Don’t have a tortilla press? They are worth the investment. But, until you get one, you can make this recipe. Simply slip the dough ball between two pieces of floured parchment paper. Then use a heavy skillet and “squish” down the dough ball.

Slide the tortilla–still in the bag– off the press. Gently pull the plastic bag off the tortilla. Go slow. If the dough rips, don’t worry. You can re-roll the dough.

Hold the tortilla in your hand. Pull away the bag. You don’t want to pull the tortilla or it could rip.

Hold the tortilla in your hand. Pull away the bag. You don’t want to pull the tortilla or it could rip.

If your tortilla isn’t as thin as you’d like, re-flour your bag and return the tortilla to the bag. Gently roll out the tortilla.

Heat your cast iron skillet until it smokes lightly. Add the tortilla. Cook the first side for about three minutes.

Flip! The second side doesn’t cook as long nor will it get as dark.

As soon as the tortilla comes out of the pan, place it on a plate under a clean, dry towel. Cover. The steam will soften the tortilla. This is a good thing.

The tortilla shown in the pan above is just a wee bit dark. That’s ok! Adjusting the heat takes some practice. The tortilla above, however, is pretty perfect.

Same tortilla. Different side. As you can see, the second side isn’t as dark. If we cook the second side too much, the tortilla might tip into the “too crisp” stage. At that point, even placing the tortilla under a towel to steam for a minute won’t soften it.

Here’s what you want to avoid. Learn from my mistake! The pan was too hot when I put the tortilla in it. The resulting tortilla almost burnt. If you get a tortilla or two like this, reduce both the heat under the pan and your cooking time.

And here the pan was too cold. The tortilla did cook but it’s anemic. If your tortilla looks like this, increase the heat under the pan.

If you are new to making tortillas, you might have a few that aren’t “just right.” That’s ok. (Well, it’s a bummer in the moment.) With practice, you’ll get the hang of it. In fact, try making a “play” batch first. You don’t want a wonderful meal waiting for your first batch of homemade flour tortillas.

If you make a play batch, you could throw in, say, some lettuce, turkey, and lettuce. And you will LOVE it. I promise.

Or you could just stare at the plate of tortillas you made and beam with pride. That’s a good option too!

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How to Make Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas

Soft Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white rice flour (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 57 grams)
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening or lard (1 ounce; 28 grams)
• 3/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed (6 ounces; 170 grams)

Instructions

• In medium bowl, whisk together white rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
• Using your hands, cut in the shortening. Do this by using a snapping-like motion with your fingers. No large pieces of shortening or lard should remain.
• Add 1/2 cup cold water. Stir with a wooden spoon. Dough will be dry. Add another 1/4 cup water. Stir. Feel the dough. If it starts to hold together and feels damp, stop adding water. If the dough feels dry, add another two tablespoons water. Repeat until dough is moist but not wet.
• Generously white rice flour your countertop. Turn dough out onto counter. Flour your hands lightly with white rice flour. Gather dough into a ball. Knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too wet, knead additional white rice flour into it; if the dough feels dry, knead a splash more water into it. You want the dough to be easy to work with. Pull off a little. Roll it between your palms. It should not stick or fall apart. The dough's texture should be similar to clay or play-doh.
• Cover dough with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming.
• Heat 10-inch cast iron skillet (non-stick pans don't work well. They don't get hot enough.) over medium heat. While skillet heats, line a tortilla press with a cut open plastic bag. (Only cut open the bag on two sides. The "hinge" of the bag should line up with the hinge of the press.) Dust the bag with white rice flour. Pinch off a dough ball, about two tablespoons. Roll dough into a ball.
• Place the dough ball into the press and close to flatten. Slide the bag off the tortilla press. Gently pull the bag away from the tortilla. Lift the tortilla into your hand. Pull away the second piece of plastic. If the tortilla seems thick (which doesn't happen too often), dust the bag with flour, return the tortilla to the bag. Dust the top of the tortilla, cover, and roll out a little.
• Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high if the skillet isn't smoking lightly. Place the tortilla into the skillet. Cook, about three minutes, until the tortilla is golden brown.(As your first tortilla cooks, begin pressing out the next tortilla.) Flip. Cook an additional minute. Remove and place hot tortilla onto a plate. Cover with a clean, dry towel.
• Repeat. Tortillas are best enjoyed right away. You can store them overnight in a sealed bag. Reheat by placing into a warm skillet.

The post How to Make the Best Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas appeared first on Gluten-Free Baking.

Yesterday I posted a picture on Facebook of my pasta dinner. One of my friends asked about how I cooked the pasta. Since she was the second person to ask me in a week, I felt a post was in order.

Here’s how to perfectly cook gluten-free pasta every time:

Use a large pot!

You’ll need about 6 quarts of water for 1 pound of gluten-free pasta. Gluten-free pasta would love nothing better than to stick together. A large pot with lots of water gives the pasta enough room to boil and not stick.

Use LOTS of salt.

There is an old Italian cooking adage about how pasta water should be as salty as the sea. Isn’t that a lovely? If you’ve ever gotten a mouthful of seawater, you know how salty it is! Adding salt to the cooking liquid helps to boost the flavor of pasta. On its own, gluten-free pasta is pretty boring. Salting the water really makes a difference to its flavor profile. You’ll want to use about 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt per pound of pasta. I bring my water to a boil, add the salt, return it to a boil, and then I add the pasta. Which brings me to…

Cook your pasta in boiling water!

I know. I know. On the back of bag it states that you can “cook” your pasta in a covered pot of hot water. Hrmp! If you want a pot of sticky, yucky pasta you can do it. If, however, you want lovely, silky pasta, you need to cook it in boiling water. Be sure your water is a boil when you add the pasta and returns to a bubbling boil while the pasta cooks.

Don’t add oil!

There is this cooking myth that adding oil will prevent your pasta from sticking together. Not true! (To prevent pasta from sticking, see #5). Oil in pasta water floats to the top of the pot. When you drain the pasta, it will stick to your lovely cooked noodles. And you know what this means? It means the sauce won’t stick to it! You’ll end up with noodles that can’t hold sauce and, when chilled, will take on a weird crunchy texture. Ew! So no oil in the cooking water! Thank you!

 Stir!

Gluten-free pasta will stick to itself if you don’t prevent it. How to prevent this from happening? Stir it! As soon as you drop the pasta into the boiling water, begin to stir it. Keep doing this for about 30 seconds. Then, continue to stir occasionally while it cooks. The first 3-5 minutes are the most important for stirring. This when your pasta is stickiest.

Taste.

The cooking time printed on the back of the bag never, ever seems to be right. After about 6 minutes, check your pasta. Some pastas cook in under ten minutes, other take about 12. For gluten-free pasta, you want it to be cooked thoroughly but not mushy. When you bite into the pasta, look at it. If there is a dark spot in the center it is not done. The texture and color should be the same all the way through.

Check it.

When overcooked, gluten-free pasta becomes mushy. After the initial tasting, check it every minute. This will ensure that you don’t overcook it.

Reserve some cooking liquid.

Right before you drain the pasta, ladle out about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Gluten-free pasta really soaks up sauce. To loosen your sauce, add a bit of the cooking liquid to your pasta when you add the sauce. In fact, you want enough sauce and liquid so that it looks like too much. This will prevent your pasta from becoming dry.

Drain

Use a large strainer to drain your pasta. Don’t rinse the pasta in cold water. All that does is cool down the pasta. You don’t want cold pasta.

Return Pasta to the Pot

After draining, return the pasta to the pot to add the sauce. Trying to sauce the pasta in the serving bowl is messy. Topping pasta on individual plates leaves some pasta dry.

Sauce

Add your favorite sauce. If you make homemade sauce, awesome. If you buy pre-made sauce, awesome! Just be sure it’s gluten-free. And read labels each time. Ingredients change.

Reserve a little of the sauce to top each plate. This also makes it easy to adjust the amount of sauce. Some folks like a little. Some a lot.

Stir

Give it a good stir. You want to coat each noodle with sauce.

Serve!

Pasta is best served right after it’s made. Gluten-free pasta doesn’t taste great cold. Nor does it make a good pasta salad. If you have leftovers, reheat before you eat.

And most important of all…

Enjoy!

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