Gluten Free Muffin Biscuits - Easy, Soft, and Delicious

This week has been rather hot, so I haven’t done much baking. But when one of my sisters said she would be coming out  for a visit, I knew I had to bake something!

We had been trying to get together for about two months to try to get her older laptop working again.  So when she said “I’m coming out this week”, I asked if she wanted to come out, spend the night and we could spend all day working on the laptop and ‘running around’.  Well, she decided, yes, she would grab the jammies and a change and come out.

When she finally made it, it was after 10:00 PM, I thought that was a bit late to eat a large meal, so she went for a loaded salad of romaine, cukes, avocado, peppers, olives, asparagus, tomatoes, …… with a sprinkle of balsamic capers and sliced almonds.

Finally we made it to bed, we both were tired, so off to sleep..

I was in the kitchen trying to think about what to fix for breakfast.  I usually make a fruit/veggie smoothie with protein powder and I’m fine until about 3:00 PM. But I figured I should cook her a breakfast since she came out to visit for a day.  Then the light bulb popped, figuratively!  I decided to make the muffin biscuits that I had started making over the past year…

Since Gluten-free biscuits are beaten instead of kneaded, I knew a deep muffin tin would keep them high instead of spreading.

I have used them like egg ‘muffins’ and simply as buttered and jammed biscuits.  One day I had a burger patty and didn’t have a hamburger bun, so I split one and ate my burger!

If you like dry crispy biscuits, you may not like this biscuit, because it’s moist and soft.

The one requirement is a deeper muffin tin.    See the pans at the end of this post, So the real secret to this biscuit is the deeper muffin tin.  Not any old deeper muffin tin.  I will show you the differences. I found the one I have at WalMart.

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Muffin Cup Biscuits – Gluten Free

 

Ingredients

 

Dry Ingredients

1 cup Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend

1/4 cup Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

2 tbsp dried milk powder (used Sanalac)

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 pkts Pure Via Stevia (or 4 tsp sugar)

1/4 tsp Ginger, Ground

1/4 tsp baking soda

 

Fats

1 tbsp Buttery Spread, chilled

2 tbsp butter - with olive oil, chilled

 

Liquids

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup water (as needed)

2 tbsp liquid egg product (used because a whole egg is too much)

 

Procedure

Combine Dry Ingredients and set aside.

Dice the Fats, keeping them chilled. Combine with Dry Ingredients, whisking with a wire whisk until Fats has been mixed and has small pea sized “pellets”.

 

Beat in egg and buttermilk with a wooden spoon, adding water as needed. The ‘batter’ should be soft and thick, but not dry.

 

Grease the muffin cups with shortening or palm oil.  Divide dough into the 6 cups. Shape with a toothpick using swirls to even dough in the muffin pan. Do not smooth it or press it down!

 

Bake in pre-heated 375° oven for 20 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan, allow cooling slightly. Serve hot or warm.

Store leftovers, covered in a cool dry room on counter for 24 hours or refrigerated, wrapped for about a week. 

To re-warm, microwave 15 seconds, or less on high. Be careful on the microwave as if over-cooked, they become gummy and hard

 

Servings: 6

 

Nutrition (as prepared): 162 calories, 6.1g total fat, 2.2g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 2.2g saturated fat, 5.7mg cholesterol, 340.8mg sodium, 218.1mg calcium, 207.9mg potassium, 1.9mcg folate, 27.8mg phosphorus, <1mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 1.9mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 23.5g carbohydrates, 1.2g fiber, 22.3g net carbohydrates, 2.4g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, <1g sucrose, 3.2g protein.

 

 

 

 

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Tips

The shortening must be cold.  It should be whisked into the Dry Ingredients using a wire whisk by hand.  The Dry Ingredients may be pulsed in a food processor to mix and grind finer, but the fats should not be added while the mix is in the food processor or you could get grainy biscuits due to the shortening melting before it goes in the oven!

Larger Muffin pan compared to regular sized pan, on the left.

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Our Days food

Breakfast Omelet, bacon and biscuit

Romaine salad with berries  and salmon with asparagus

Frozen Lemonade

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© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Easy Gluten-Free Crunchy Coconut-Topped Scones

 These scones are easy to make and do not require any special instructions.   If you’ve made biscuits, simply follow the same method.

 

I do not make biscuits often, although I do love biscuits!  I try to make them for special occasions or with variations.  I wanted to try the Original Bakewell Cream that I recently purchased.  There is also Bakewell Cream Baking Powder.

 

These are great for brunch or entertaining.  They are the right size for potluck or buffet style meals.

 

The coconut gives them a little crunch.

 

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Crunchy Coconut Topped Scones

 

Ingredients

 

Dry Ingredients

 

1 1/4 cup Gluten free all purpose flour mix (whole-grain)

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

2 tsp egg white powder

2 pkts stevia powder (or 4 tsp sugar)

1/4 tsp Bakewell powder

 

Wet ingredients and Fats

 

2 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese (reduced fat)

2 tbsp butter with canola oil

1/2 cup coconut water or plain water

 

Topping

2 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut

 

Procedures

 

Preheat the oven to 400F.

 

Combine all of the Dry Ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Add the cream cheese and butter to the mixing bowl. Using a wire whisk, mix until the mixture is grainy like corn meal.

 

 

Mix in the water using a wooden spoon.  Use the spoon to beat and stir until the dough begins to get smooth, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the mixing bowl, as needed.

 

Grease a baking pan with shortening. Place 8 even sized portions of dough into the prepared pan.  Slightly shape using a wet spatula (with water shaken off).  Sprinkle with the coconut.

 

 

Bake about 18 minutes, until tops begin to brown.  If the bottoms are beginning to brown too much, move the pan to the center of the oven.

 

When done, remove from oven, transfer to a serving plate and serve.

 

 

 

Served with some DIY strawberry jam! They are also delicious plain.

 

 

 

Makes 8 scones

 

Nutrition (per scone as prepared): 136 calories, 5.1g total fat, 1.7g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 2.3g saturated fat, 9.3mg cholesterol, 236.5mg sodium, 33.8mg calcium, 12.9mg potassium, <1mcg folate, 29mg phosphorus, <1mg phytosterols, <1mcg selenium,  <1mcg vitamin b12, 2.8mg vitamin c, <1mg zinc, 20.1g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 19.1g net carbohydrates, 1.1g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, 2.8g protein.

 

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Tips

One recommendation is to lightly press the coconut into the scone or coat the scone with half and half or cream before sprinkling the coconut, so it will stick to the scone.

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© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

DIY Breakfast Bacon and Egg Biscuit Cups - Gluten-Free

 

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and I started out with a little green! Spinach, that is…

These biscuit cups use a DIY biscuit bottom with your choice of ingredients plus egg.

Gluten-free dough works a bit different from the gluten-filled kind.  One must beat it, to get it smooth and pliable.  I find that a wooden spoon works well for biscuits.

This is not a meal I would eat everyday, because it is high-fat and calorie for the amount of food.  The ingredients that make up the filling can be changed a bit to lower the sodium, fat and calories, by omitting or reducing the pepperoni, adding more spinach or peppers.  This was a quick fix, so I didn’t put much thought on calories when making it.

The muffin pan used is deeper than the normal one.  It is about double the size of a normal one.¹

Breakfast Bacon and Egg Biscuit Cups - DIY - Gluten-Free

 

 

This biscuit has spinach, sweet peppers, bacon, pepperoni and egg, topped with a small amount of cheese.

 

Ingredients

 

Add Ins

3 oz. pepperoni slices, chopped

2 slices bacon, chopped

6 tbsp liquid egg substitute

1/2 sweet red peppers, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup spinach, raw, roughly chopped

 

Garnish

1/2 oz. Shredded Mexican Style cheese (Kraft)

 

Biscuits

 

Dry Ingredients

1 cup whole grain flour blend (KAF)

1/2 cup Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

 

Liquids and fats

1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or water or milk of choice)

4 tbsp shortening (Palm)

1/2 cup water (as needed)

 

Procedure

 

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a deep 6-cup non-stick muffin tin with shortening.

 

2. Prepare all of your Add-Ins and measure out the cheese. Cook your bacon, if you haven’t already done so, lay on paper towel to remove extra fat.

 

3. Whisk the Dry Ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk in the shortening using a wire whisk until crumbly and mixed.

 

4. Stir in the almond milk, continue stirring adding as much of the water as needed. Continue ‘beating’ the dough in circular motions with the wooden spoon until it is pulled together and smooth.  You may need to use a spatula to scrape it together to continue ‘beating’ it to get it smooth. This takes about 5 minutes of mixing and ‘beating’.

 

 

 

 

5. Divide the dough into 6 even sized portions.  Gently spread it out and flatten into an oval shape to fit the muffin tin and rise up the sides.

 

 

 

6. Place one portion of dough in each cup, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides.

 

7. Divide the pepperoni among the cups, then half of the bacon among the cups, then peppers, then spinach, then remainder of bacon, then the egg.   Top the center with the cheese.

 

 

 

 

8. Bake about 25 minutes until puffed and sides of biscuits is golden brown.

 

 

 

 

9. Remove from oven, place on serving plate and allow cooling at least 3 minutes, as it is very hot in the centers.

 

 

 

 

Yield: 6 Biscuits

 

Nutrition (as prepared per biscuit): 301 calories, 17.5g total fat, 6.3g monounsaturated fat, 2g polyunsaturated fat, <1g trans fatty acids, <1g trans-monoenoic fatty acids, <1g trans-polyenoic fatty acids, <1g linoleic acid, 6.8g saturated fat, 19.5mg cholesterol, 526.7mg sodium, 171.2mg calcium, 230.1mg potassium, 13.8mcg folate, 204mg phosphorus, 58.4mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 6.9mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 16.5mg vitamin c, 1.3IU vitamin d, 28.2g carbohydrates, 2.6g fiber, 25.6g net carbohydrates, 1.5g sugar, 8.7g protein.

 

 

¹Difference between regular muffin tin and larger deeper one

 

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© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Breakfast and Brunch Biscuits - Gluten Free

Most of the conversation I hear from someone newly gluten-free is about  Gluten- Free Biscuits.  Well, let’s try to make them a little more nutritious than simply using cornstarch or tapioca flour!

I remember home-made biscuits and keep trying to make them like I was used to.  Most of the commercial biscuit mixes tend to have more starch than wheat flour, so I mix flours.
My flour blend tend to include sorghum, chickpea, potato(flour), millet and brown rice flours, and of course tapioca and or potato starch, to smooth it out.

There are two  pre-mixed whole grain mixes that I am aware of: King Arthur Gluten-free Whole Grain Flour Blend (Whole Grain Flours (sorghum, Brown Rice, Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet, Teff), Tapioca Flour.) and Hodgson Mill, Multi Purpose, Gluten Free Baking Mix(Whole Grain Millet, Garbanzo, Soy, And Brown Rice Flours)

I would use the KAF mix for cookies or part of a bread mix, because I tend not to add Teff or Quinoa flours to biscuits. I purchased the Hodgson Mill mix in the past, but no longer will due to the soy flour it contains.  I have since gone soy-free also for health reasons.  It is a very good mix, if one does not have issues with soy beans.

So, I always start out with 1 1/4 cups of my whole grain mix and then add additional starch or an additional 1/4 cup of the whole grain mix, depending on what the end product will be.  For Biscuits, its 1/4 cup of another starch or less dense fiber flour.

Since I tend to have brunch rather than breakfast, I made biscuits suitable for either.
Actually, I saw a recipe for Elsie’s  Biscuits in a cookbook by Southern Living Homestyle Cooking, chapter Taste of the South that gave me the nudging to make biscuits.   That recipe uses sour cream instead of yogurt.  The yogurt I used was not on the market when the cookbook was published.  Over all the cookbook recipe is a really good one.

I had decided to make an omelet (liquid egg product).  I discovered that I only had liquid egg whites and no liquid egg product, so a little substitution has to be done.  Egg white with cumin and turmeric to change the color a bit.

After mixing up the biscuits, and dividing the dough into 6 balls, I added  a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese to three of them.  So there are 3 plain and 3 with a little cheese.



Breakfast N Brunch Biscuits


Ingredients 


Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Self-rising Whole Grain  Baking Mix
3 tbsp tapioca flour or starch
2 tbsp potato flour (not potato starch)
1 tsp sugar

Fats
4 Tbsp Buttery Spread  (used Earth Balance) ( or butter or shortening)

Liquids
2 tbsp 0% Greek Yogurt or sour cream
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 pinch Vanilla extract or cinnamon
Optional Add Ins

3 tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Procedure


Preheat oven to 400 degree F.

Combine all of your Dry Ingredients. With a pastry blender or wire whisk, cut in Fats  into Dry Ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.



Combine Liquids  and add all at once to the Dry Ingredients; stir with a wooden spoon until moistened.
 


Stir the dough about 15 more seconds as it pulls together.



Optionally divide the dough in half and add cheese to one half.
Divide the dough into 6 portions, using food service gloves and a biscuit cutter to help shape it. Place biscuits at least 1-inch apart on a lightly greased or parchment paper covered baking sheet.






Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve hot





Servings: 6

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 213 calories, 8.8g total fat, 3.7g monounsaturated fat, 1.9g polyunsaturated fat, 2.2g saturated fat, 2.9mg cholesterol, 29g carbohydrates, 2.3g fiber, 26.7g net carbohydrates, 4g sugar, <1g starch, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 215.6mg sodium, 127mg potassium, 4.5g protein, 129.7mg calcium, 47.2IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, <1mcg vitamin k, <1mg iron, <1g lysine, 1.4mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.

Who doesn’t love freshly baked gluten-free biscuits?

My mother baked from scratch, so our daily bread was either biscuits, yeast rolls or corn bread.


I came from a very large family with just one brother.  So you can imagine how he got the brunt of the girl’s jokes and teasing.   He figured out at a very early age that he had apparatus that he could use, if we did not leave him alone…  I remember when he was around 2 years old, when he seized the only option he had to stop us teasing him.  He reached in his pants to get his super soaker and of course we made tracks in the opposite direction. 


It’s funny how you remember the things that happened when growing up. Back then they may not have seemed so funny, but now they are fond memories.


Of course, when I was in college, sharing an apartment with about four other young women, we bought canned biscuits.  They were never like those we baked at home.


All of the girls in my family learned to bake biscuits very early.  We learned to basically cook, because the person cooking, did not have to clean up afterwards!


Usually, I bake about 6 biscuits and warm one when I want one for breakfast.  I had none in the fridge, so I had to decide what kind to bake today.  As I was going thru my cookbook, I saw a recipe for Paula Deen’s Sour cream Butter Biscuits and decided to attempt to make them gluten free.  Well, I discovered that I did not have sour cream, so decided to just use 0% Greek yogurt instead.  The idea of the biscuits is a very good one when you have all the ingredients.  I had to add some liquid because there was no fat (liquid) in the substituted 0% yogurt.   But they came out tasty!


Paula Deen’s original recipe is here:Paula Deen's Sour Cream Butter Biscuits


This is my version made today.   I need to get the sour cream so I can make it just like Paula!  Hopefully Paula doesn’t get upset that I snagged her idea.  That Paula can cook!





My version of Paula Deen's Sour Cream Butter Biscuits - gluten free


Ingredients


3/4 cup gluten free whole grain self-rising mix
1/4 cup tapioca flour
3 tbsp butter flavored Spectrum shortening (or butter)
4 tbsp 0% Greek Yogurt 
1/4 cup water


Procedure

• Combine all ingredients. A wire whisk works fine for mixing in the shortening.  Use a wooden spoon or your food service gloved hands to work the ingredients entirely.
• Shape into biscuits on a parchment paper covered baking sheet or place into a greased muffin tin
• Preheat oven to 400F
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes

•  Serve with your favorite spread

Yield: 4 to 6


Nutrition Facts (per biscuit, based on 5 biscuits)
Nutrition (per serving): 157 calories, 7.4g total fat, 1.9g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, <1g linoleic acid, 4.4g saturated fat, 18.5mg cholesterol, 20.1g carbohydrates, 1.5g fiber, 18.6g net carbohydrates, 1.3g sugar, 0mg stigmasterol, <1g starch, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 69.6mg sodium, 55.9mg potassium, 2.9g protein, 65.2mg calcium, 237IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, <1mg vitamin e, <1mcg vitamin k, <1mg iron, <1g lysine, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.

Sweet Potato Muffin Top Biscuits - with Flax Meal and Hemp Protein Powder - gluten-free

I have heard a lot about protein powders, so I decided to try adding some to this Sweet Potato Muffin Top Biscuit.

I recently bought a bag of cold-milled flax seed meal without realizing that a bag was already in the refrigerator. My refrigerator is stocked with gluten-free flours and my made-up mixes, so it could easily hide behind something. I also have a container of Hemp protein powder (with fiber). Of course, this is not the same as the illegal drug, no; there is no THC in the ground seeds or final product. The hemp seeds do not contain THC.

I have tried a lot of pre-made mixes and individual flours. I prefer the individual flours, because I can make a mix tailored to my tastes and nutritional requirements. There is one bread mix that includes sorghum flour that I buy because it can be used for any bread, biscuit or scone. The texture of bread made from the mix is close to wheat bread. I have even used it for quick sweet breads.

Now that I have all of this stuff,  I need to use flax seed meal and hemp protein powder at every opportunity.

This time, I sort of improvised in making the muffin top biscuits, since I wanted to add in the ‘extras’.  The flavor is a little different from the first Sweet potato biscuits, the hemp protein powder mutes the potato taste somewhat.   I expected the protein powder to be over-whelming, so I added a little more cinnamon and nutmeg.  This biscuit is a little less crisp than the first one because of the buttermilk.  I could increase the xanthan gum to make it a little more crisp.

Sweet Potato Muffin Top Biscuits - with Flax Meal and Hemp Protein Powder - gluten-free

Dry Ingredients
1 cup gluten free whole grain self rising flour blend
2 tbsp flax seed meal  (ground flax seeds)
2 tbsp Hemp Protein Powder (with fiber)
2 tbsp tapioca flour/starch
2 Tbsp fine milk powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
3 1/2 tbsp palm shortening
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup (or agave nectar or honey)
1/2 cup puréed sweet potatoes or yams
1/4 cup buttermilk


Procedures
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease the muffin-top pan or a heavy shiny baking pan with shortening or oil. Put just enough shortening to put a film on the pan. Dark pans will cause the bottom to burn before the biscuit is completed cooking
3. Combine all Dry Ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to mix.

4. Whisk in the shortening until mixed in and crumbly.

5. Combine the sweet potatoes, maple syrup and cider vinegar. Stir it into the Dry Ingredients until mixed. Stir in the butter milk just until mixed.

6. Divide the dough into the prepared muffin top pan or into 6 mounds on the baking sheet, depending on how large you want the biscuit to be.
7. Use the spatula to gently stretch the dough into the muffin top tins or into a rounded shape on the baking sheet

8. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes depending on size of biscuit. The moister the biscuit, the longer it takes to bake. When edges are browned and the top springs back, remove from oven. Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes.

9. Serve warm, plain or with your favorite spread.

Yield: 6 biscuits

Nutrition Facts - 1/6th of recipe (as prepared)
Nutrition (per serving): 232 calories, 9.2g total fat, <1g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 7g saturated fat, 1.1mg cholesterol, 153.4mg sodium, 187.3mg potassium, 34.1g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 30.1g net carbohydrates, 8.4g sugar, <1g sugar alcohols, 3.7g protein, 1.9mg iron, 6mcg folate, 6mg vitamin c, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <;1mg niacin, <1mcg lycopene, 3.5g aspartic acid.

I really like creating, modifying and trying out new recipes. But it would be really nice to have a live-in gluten-free chef!  Or one who makes house calls....

Baking with Dried Fruits - Healthy or Just Delicious?

I decided to use some of the dried fruits just sitting in the pantry. Normally, I use dried fruits for making nutrition bars or granola or just eating. So I will be clearing the pantry, baking cookies, biscuits (scones), muffins and bread. Of course I always add some to trail mix.
One benefit of dried fruit is the fiber. Nothing better than a “natural” good-tasting laxative!
There are a few bloggers and health nuts who just love throwing nuts and dried fruits in a food processor and calling it dessert. Well, I may just be one of those nuts too!

I whipped up this tasty biscuit mix late one night. Mixed it up and baked it the next morning.

The result was enough dough for about 12 biscuits..I called my final product: Fruits-Nuts-Flax Savory Biscuits 

ProcedureI dumped the fruit, nuts and a little flour and into a food processer and pulsed away.  No need to measure, just decide how much fruit and nuts you want to use and add enough flour to un-gum it!

I added in an egg, some kefir, and oil. Didn't have any buttermilk, so improvised.   Using a wooden spoon, I stirred the mix, adding water as needed to get the right dough consistency. Kefir loses its probiotic properties when heated.

A spatula and wooden spoon is needed to get the biscuit shaped mound on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. .

Decided to make some mini biscuits too, so I added a tablespoon or two of additional water to half of the dough to loosen it up  And of course, I had to spray the mini muffin pan with an oil spray.
Dolloped the dough into the mini muffin pan, using tines of a fork to spread it out.

Final count: 6 biscuits and 12 mini biscuits.

Actually they came out quite good... So now to try to figure out measurements and re-make so I can add  a kitchen tested recipe to the cookbook.


Even added in a few Brazil nuts to my trail mix.