I have decided I am going to enter the county fair this year now that I am feeling better. They have a gluten-free category, so I am working on tweaking my sourdough sandwich bread and snickerdoodle cookies. I am also going to make a GF pumpkin bread. There is a separate contest for huckleberry blonde brownies, so I am working on a gluten-free version.
The last time I entered anything into the fair was back in 2008, where I won a red ribbon for my mead. This year, I am hoping for blue ribbons.
My sandwich bread just needs a bit of tweaking with the added xanthan gum; the last loaf I didn't add it, just going with the xanthan gum in my Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour blend. The crumb was more open, but the slices were too delicate, even when I sliced it thicker than usual. So this loaf, I cut back on the amount of the extra.
I went with 3 grams of xanthan gum instead of the 4 I usually add. It came out well. I will see about using only 1 gram next time. Fortunately, I have plenty of room in the freezer, as I will need to slice up the loaves to freeze. I can't eat my bread fast enough. The last loaf went off in the heat.
My first try at the GF huckleberry blonde brownie was okay, just too darned sweet. I will use a lot less brown sugar next time. The original recipe called for 1 cup of packed brown sugar. Next time, I will spoon the brown sugar into the measuring cup and level it. Hopefully, this will cut the sweetness so the huckleberries don't get lost. I may also look at adding a bit more baking soda and powder to give it more of a rise. I can't do too much experimenting, though, because I only have two or three cups of huckleberries left in my freezer. Though I do have frozen blueberries, I can use them for experimenting and save the huckleberries for the final bake.
My first pumpkin bread came out yummy, though it was quite delicate when we sliced it and fell apart easily. I used Bob's 1:1 since I was following the recipe I found exactly. Next loaf, I will use my Premium Gold whole grain GF flour blend. I prefer a more robust flour blend for quick breads.
I still haven't decided to enter a coffee cake. The local historical society does a historical recipe challenge. I would have to do it glute-free, of course, so not sure if it will qualify. I just make a batch to see how it comes out, even if I don't enter one.
Comments