A Day of Baking – Sugar Free & Gluten Free – Mission Accomplished!

November 2, 2009 { }

If you follow me on Twitter, you might be wondering what #bakingday means. (And if you don’t follow me on Twitter, you should – we have lots of fun chatting!) My friend Phoebe got everyone excited about #bakingday a month or so ago and I watched from the sidelines. Being that it’s just Joe and I, and the shelf-life of gluten-free products being shorter than “normal” baked goods, I thought it wouldn’t be the best move for us.

But, I felt left out. Twitter was a muck with #bakingday hash tags and everyone had so much fun baking together. So, this time I’m joining in. I am so excited – especially about trying out my new breadmaker!

Here’s my baking day plan for Tuesday:

Cornbread for an upcoming Cornbread Stuffing Recipe (Yep, you have to come back for this one!) – Done!
Applesauce – I got apples for $0.49 cents a pound. I bought about 10 pounds – I’m going to can it, too. – Done -3 quarts – pics below.
Chewy Granola Bars – this time no nuts, just seeds and dried fruit. This is a request from a friend. – Done – 12 bars pics below.
Gluten-Free Bread – I got a bread maker last week on Craig’s List so I’m going to break it in. I thought it had a gluten-free cycle but it doesn’t. I’m going to try the rapid rise cycle and see how it works. – Done & pics below! I can eat sandwiches!!
Make a double batch of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for Joe – Done!

An addition – for Wednesday

Another batch of cornbread…let’s hope it works. – Done & drying for cornbread stuffing – recipe soon!
Hummus – I’m soaking the beans Tuesday night. – Done – made 1 quart. Yum!
Kale Chips – Done, – recipe to come!
Cream of Mushroom Soup using Ali’s recipe from Whole Life Nutrition – dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free – Done – 2 quarts - no pics, but this is the BEST cream of mushroom soup I’ve ever had. Stop by Ali’s site and check out the recipe. It’s incredible.
Stir-Freeze Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for Joe – Double Batch Done!
Meatballs – no sauce – Done!
Homemade Sugar-free Ketchup – I’m testing a new recipe. Hope it’s good! – Done – recipe to come soon!
5 dinners worth of Marinated chicken & pork – Done – I used Ina’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken Recipe to marinate the chicken & brined the pork chops.
Roast Chicken Breasts for my lunches this week – Done.

Updates:

1. Cornbread hasn’t been started yet. (Decided a lunch break was in order…) was a flop. I tried to change the recipe on a whim and it was too wet. I knew it was when I put it in the oven but I had high hopes. I do this more than I’d like to admit. So, that goes on the list for tomorrow.

2. Applesauce:

baking day apple sauce 1 This pot was full of apples when I started. I added just enough water so they didn’t stick to the bottom, about 3/4 of a cup, and simmered them on low heat until they were soft and reduced by about half. I use sweet apples, such as gala, so I don’t have to add any sugar. I don’t add any spices, either, so I can use it to bake with.

baking day applesauce 2 Then, into the food mill, which is sitting on a stock pot. I can put it right back on the stove to keep the applesauce warm until I’m ready to can it. I use the medium disc – I use my homemade applesauce in my baking so I don’t want it chunky – though I do love chunky applesauce.

baking-day-applesauce-3 This is my favorite part…I eat all of the apple pulp that won’t go through the food mill. It’s so good, especially with some almonds and a little cinnamon.

baking day applesauce 4 Look at that – no sugar at all and ready to can. It’s the perfect consistency. It’s been canned and is cooling.

3. Chewy Granola Bars

granola Baked and cooling Cut and bagged -…I used this recipe but didn’t use nuts or figs. Instead, I used 1/2 cup pepitas (toasted & salted pumpkin seeds), 1/2 toasted & salted sesame seeds, and 1/2 cup fruit-sweetened dried pineapple. My friend, Lisa, doesn’t like nuts and requested a nut free version – I must say that I think these are even better than the granola bars with walnuts.

4. Gluten-Free Bread Maker Bread – This is the most exciting part!!!

baking-day-gfree-breadmaker-bread Can you believe that it’s gluten-free? How beautiful!! I didn’t slice it yet because it’s still cooling, but I did see inside from hole in the bottom from the little paddle. It looks like real bread. It did fall slightly in the middle but it sounds hollow and smells fabulous. So far, for my first attempt I am thrilled. I used Karina’s recipe – check it out yourself here.

baking day gf bread sliced I am quite impressed with this – you can see that it did sink a little, so I have some trouble shooting to do. But it slices beautifully and tastes great. I could actually have a sandwich for dinner – imagine that!

Mission Accomplished! There’s talk on Twitter of another baking day at the beginning of December. I hope you’ll join in!

For more make-ahead ideas, stop by Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap.

If you bake gluten-free bread in a bread maker I’d love to know how you do it. Karina at Karina’s Kitchen has seemed to master this art, so I’ll be taking some cues from her today.

Please join us on Baking Day and jump in on the Twitter conversation! Use the hash tag #bakingday when you tweet so we can follow along with you.

Also – don’t forget that Holiday Food Fest starts on Thursday! Link your Fall Dessert at Hoosier Homemade – she’s got a great give-away, too!

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Comments

22 Responses to “A Day of Baking – Sugar Free & Gluten Free – Mission Accomplished!”

Lauren
November 2nd, 2009 @ 10:37 pm

Very cool! I’ve seen the #bakingday stuff around, but don’t think I’ll be joining. Something about being in school and having missed all of last week being sick. Maybe next time – especially if its on a weekend ;D. Or over a holiday break!

Can’t wait to see what you make!

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
@Lauren, Maybe they’ll let you take over the home-ec department one day. I’m sure you could teach them a thing or two.

[Reply]
Lauren Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@Amy, I’m sure I could! In fact, I’m not in Foods class, as I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything we’d make!

Anyways, everything looks delicious! In terms of your cornbread – I find that when I make too many modifications, it tends to fail. I once made muffins where I switched the oats for quinoa flakes, the wheat flour for gf flours, the All-bran for a gf bud cereal, the whey protein for hemp protein and something else – they were green and very odd! They didn’t taste horrible, but the texture and everything was way way off!

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
@Lauren, I’m laughing out loud! I learned that lesson the hard way, too. The only change I made was adding masa harina and it was just too soft.
Sandy Gillett
November 3rd, 2009 @ 8:31 am

I’m just not that adapt on Twitter yet, I don’t even have an iphone! But this is very interesting to me and sounds like a blast! I will be checking in thoughout the day and will enjoy keeping up with all the fun via your blog and Facebook (not adapt on that either). Blessings!

[Reply]
Alta
November 3rd, 2009 @ 8:53 am

Have fun with all your baking! Sounds like a good amount of tasks to accomplish!

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
@Alta, I thought I was taking it easy since it’s my first time…if I was honest I’d have to say I have a HUGE mental list that I wasn’t brave enough to put on-line. It’s the perfectionist in me.

[Reply]
Alta Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
@Amy, I do the same thing all the time! I plan my weekends with 101 things to accomplish in the kitchen!

[Reply]
SnoWhite
November 3rd, 2009 @ 9:36 am

Looks like you have a fun-filled day ahead of you! Enjoy.

[Reply]
Kim, The Food Allergy Coach
November 3rd, 2009 @ 9:49 am

Ah hah! I wondered what baking day was all about. Perhaps I’ll join sometime. My mom just made me some cornbread (it’s a tradition) and I just turned it into stuffing. The post will be up this week sometime. It’ll be interesting to see the differences in our versions!

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:57 am
@Kim, The Food Allergy Coach, I’m going to post my cornbread stuffing next week for Holiday Food Fest at Tasty Eats at Home. Someone e-mailed me and wanted a good cornbread recipe that would hold up for stuffing. So, that’s why mine is going up. Can’t wait to see the differences, too. I think that’s the best part of food blogging – learning together.

[Reply]
Debbie Aristone
November 3rd, 2009 @ 9:58 am

This is a recipe I came up with last night. My husband loved it, and it’s gluten free.
I called it “Mock Lasagna”.
I used cooked hash browns(in Canada, M&M’s Brand which are low in salt, no cholesterol, and no gluten. They use non-hydrogenated canola oil)as my base. Cook in pyrex dish according to directions. Then add your favorite lasagna ingredients, top with your choice of cheese, and cook until bubbling at 375F.

[Reply]
Sandy Gillett
November 3rd, 2009 @ 2:11 pm

Everything looks wonderful Amy. The bread is gorgeous! I can’t wait to hear how it is sliced.

[Reply]
Jessica Meyer
November 3rd, 2009 @ 5:35 pm

You sure had a busy baking day! Everything looks fantastic. It makes me want to buy a bread maker so I can bake some of that beautiful “normal” looking bread!!!

[Reply]
carrie
November 3rd, 2009 @ 6:02 pm

Amy, I think your bread looks great! It did not sink much and that is very normal for gluten free bread! You did a great job! Most of my bread does sink slightly upon cooling, but it doesn’t affect the wonderful taste or texture. Enjoy it and be proud you made your own GF bread!

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
@carrie, That’s good to hear, especially coming from you. I am still a little shocked that it came out so well. Thanks for your feedback…it helps so much when you’re trying to figure out a new gluten-free baking project.

[Reply]
Sandy Gillett
November 3rd, 2009 @ 6:59 pm

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who has flops that go directly into the trash. I am very interested in the moistness of the bread tomorrow. And wouldn’t a sandwich or a piece of toast be wonderful?

[Reply]
FishMama@LifeasMOM
November 3rd, 2009 @ 9:19 pm

So glad you joined in! And it’s really freezer cooking day, though the hashtag is probably here to stay.

Don’t worry about your bread. Wheat bread in the bread machine does that, too. Looks just like what I make.

[Reply]
Amy Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 pm
@FishMama@LifeasMOM, I have no idea how to freezer cook…but I’m going to attempt meatballs tomorrow. It’s been fun! So glad you organized everything.

[Reply]
Linda
November 4th, 2009 @ 7:30 am

Everything looks great. I wish I could participate, but Tues. and Wed. are my busiest days, and especially so this week.

[Reply]
Liz@HoosierHomemade
November 4th, 2009 @ 8:57 am

That applesauce looks awesome! And the bread does too! Great job!
~Liz

[Reply]
Sandy Gillett
November 4th, 2009 @ 5:50 pm

You are amazing!

[Reply]