Can I replace regular sugar in my baking with coconut sugar?
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Q. I've been trying to use coconut sugar in place of regular sugar because of its lower glycemic index. Is it a suitable replacement for white sugar in baking?
A. I'm sure you've noticed that many store-bought gluten-free products are filled with sugar, white flours and starches (high on the glycemic index). One of the many nice things about cooking from scratch is that you can usually swap out a troublesome ingredient for one that's safer for you. In this case, a one-for-one replacement of white sugar with coconut sugar works well. Coconut sugar isn't quite as sweet as regular sugar but it delivers enough sweetness to do the trick in most recipes.
Note: Because coconut sugar is brown, it will darken the delicate hue of light-colored baked goods.
Q. My favorite bread is a Polish rye I used to get from Augusta Bakery in Chicago. When I moved away from Chicago, I worked for years to try to duplicate this bread. After many experiments, I found the answer was using sourdough. Now that I've been diagnosed with celiac disease, I've had good luck making your sourdough bread but it doesn't have the rye flavor or the hard, chewy crust I'm craving. Is there any way I can reproduce the taste and texture of the Polish rye I've been missing?
A. Rye is tough to reproduce in a gluten-free kitchen since rye flour is not gluten-free. Sourdough does deliver a tanginess that's reminiscent of rye. Gluten Free & More's October/November 2016 issue featured a no-knead bread I created that has a distinct sourdough flavor and a nice hard crust. For an added hint of sour flavor, try folding some caraway seeds into the dough before baking or add a bit of Authentic Foods' gluten-free Rye Flavor powder (available at authenticfoods.com) to the dry ingredients. Also, try my recipe for Teff Pumpernickel Bread—it has great pumpernickel flavor, which you might enjoy. It's on our website, GlutenFreeAndMore.com.
Q. When I was a kid, I ate challah bread all the time and loved it. I tried the challah recipe in your August/September 2016 issue and was disappointed with its texture. I wish it were more spongy.
A. The challah bread you enjoyed as a child was, most likely, filled with gluten, which gives bread distinct baking characteristics. Gluten-free challah, by definition, contains no gluten and without it, you won't get that same chewy (spongy) texture. What's more, the challah you mentioned is a paleo recipe, which means it's grain-free and relies on almond flour and arrowroot powder. You can re-create some chewiness by using a combination of flours from gluten-free grains but it's more challenging to do this in paleo baking.
We regularly publish recipes for wonderful yeast breads in this magazine and on our website, GlutenFreeAndMore.com. Try these to get the wonderful "chew" you're missing.
Q. Is it safe to use silicone bakeware purchased at garage sales? I lost three of my most cherished silicone cake molds during our last big move and my dear husband, through sheer patience, found the exact ones at garage sales. (They are no longer sold in stores.) As much as I love his kindness, I'm scared to use them due to potential cross-contamination. My husband says to quit making a big deal out of nothing. After all these years, he still has a hard time understanding what it means to be a celiac (me) living in our mixed household. What's safe for me to do? Can I run the bakeware through my dishwasher and let it go at that?
A. Your husband is a peach. Don't throw him away. I'm on the fence about the bakeware, however. As a fellow celiac, I understand your concern. In a perfect world, I don't share my kitchen utensils or bakeware with anything that contains gluten. But we don't live in a perfect world.
Like your countertop, pots and pans and knife blades, your silicone molds have a smooth surface. So I feel comfortable they won't retain gluten particles after being thoroughly scrubbed in soap and water. Similarly, a good washing in the dishwasher should remove any residual gluten.
The same does not apply to Silpat sheets, wooden cutting boards, Teflon skillets and other porous materials. I wouldn't feel safe using these for both gluten-full and gluten-free cooking under any circumstances.
Photography by Oksana Charla
Q. I'd like to make the No-Knead Bread shown on the cover of your October/November 2016 issue but I don't have a Dutch oven. Can I make this bread in a slow cooker with a cover?
A. No. Save your slow cooker for meats and stews. Here's how to make our no-knead bread without a Dutch oven: Follow the recipe as instructed to make the dough. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven and transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with generously oiled parchment paper. Tent the dough loosely with aluminum foil during the first 30 minutes of baking. Then remove the foil and continue baking as the recipe instructs until the loaf is done.
Q. In your October/November 2016 issue, Beth's No-Knead Bread calls for flax meal as a replacement for eggs. I am allergic to flax. Can I use eggs instead?
A. This recipe requires a long unrefrigerated rise time, so using eggs is not a good idea. Instead of flax meal, use an equal amount of ground chia seeds (also called salba seeds). If you can't find ground chia, whole seeds will work okay but whole seeds will not disperse in the dough as well as ground seeds, so they'll be evident in every slice.
Q I have a sensitivity to soy. What can I substitute for soy flour?
A. You can easily replace soy flour with an equal amount of chickpea flour, amaranth flour or quinoa flour. Check out our "GF Flour Replacements" on page 79. This chart, which is included in every issue of the magazine shows you how to successfully swap gluten-free flours and starches in recipes.
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