Gluten Free Soft Pretzels

These are soft and chewy and delicious. They are well worth the effort, especially if you double or tripple the recipe and save some for later.  My daughters loved them so much they gobbled them up, and even were inspired to try them with dijon mustard.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 Tbsp almond meal

1 ¾ tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

½  cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter

2 eggs

10 cups water

1/3 cup baking soda

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

Coarse sea salt or pretzel salt

2 Tbsp cornmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit. Liberally sprinkle one half sheet pan with rice flour and sprinkle another cookie sheet with cornmeal. In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside till bubbly. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer combine flours, almond meal, xanthan gum, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix on low for about a minute to combine. Add oil or butter and eggs and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add water/yeast mixture and mix on low until incorporated. Turn mixer up to high and mix for 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides and paddle. While the dough is mixing, thoroughly coat the inside of a gallon sized zip top bag with oil take and cut about ¾ inch off of one corner. Scrape pretzel dough into bag and pipe 6 logs length of the cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes. This helps the dough to set up a bit so it is easier to form into a pretzel shape. When dough logs are chilled, remove them from the freezer and on a rice floured surface, shape the long logs into pretzel shapes. I used egg wash to stick the ends to the pretzel.

Place pretzels back on the cookie sheet and return to the freezer for 15 minutes. While the pretzels are taking their second turn in the freezer, heat 10 cups of water, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt and baking soda to a simmer in a large pan or pot on the stove top. Be sure not to add the soda to the water when it is boiling or you will have a huge mess. Remove the pretzels from the freezer and place them in the simmering water 3 or 4 at a time. Let them simmer for about 30 seconds then flip them and simmer for another 30 seconds.

Place on the cornmeal dusted cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. For extra chewy pretzels, place a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven while they bake.

Let them cool and serve with gluten-free mustard of your choice. We used Trader Joes Dijon mustard. Enjoy!

More to come, with love!

White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Scones

I make a lot of scones. They are so easy to throw together and the flavor combination options are endless. Scones are great treat to help introduce your kids to playing in the kitchen.

Scones

1 3/4 cups gluten free flour mix (I use Bette Hageman's)

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp.cream of tartar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. xanthan gum

4 Tbsp cold butter or non-dairy substitute

1/3 cup frozen raspberries

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup white chocolate chips or pieces

1 egg or substitute

1 1/2 tsp gluten-free almond extract

2/3 cup yogurt or 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat egg with yogurt or milk and almond extract. Set aside Combine flour mix, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in an large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the pieces are about the size of lentils. Add frozen raspberries, sliced almonds and white chocolate pieces to flour mixture and toss gently with a fork until combined. Add egg mixture and mix with a fork until dough is formed. The dough will be on the moist side but try not to over mix it. Scrape dough onto a floured surface (I use rice flour) and form into a disc about 8 inches across. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until golden around the edges and firm in the middle. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with butter.

Bette Hageman's Gluten Free Flour Mix

2 parts rice flour (sometimes I substitute sorghum, teff, millet or a combination of flours for the rice flour)

2/3 part potato starch (not potato flour)

1/3 part tapioca starch

Mix all ingredients well and sore in an air-tight container. I make this mix in a 3 gallon ice cream tub.


More to come, with love!