Whether you’re an experienced gluten free baker, or tempted to give it a try for the first time, Clare Marriage, founder of FREEE, the #1 gluten free flour range in the UK, has shared her top tips for free from Easter baking.
Follow Clare’s advice to create soft and light sponge cakes, deliciously flaky pastry and breads with a firm crust and soft bite, all certain to please friends and family whether they are gluten free or not.
So, for perfect gluten-free bakes this Easter, follow Clare’s tips below. And for Easter recipe inspiration, visit freee-foods.co.uk, where you can find ideas for everything from Gluten Free Victoria Sponge and Gluten-Free Apple Pie, to Gluten-Free Oven Baked White Bread and more.
- The number one piece of advice, whether you are baking cakes, bread or pastry, is to follow a gluten free recipe, rather than trying to adapt one, and to stick to that recipe as closely as possible, without omitting or substituting any ingredients or steps. If, after doing this you still have problems, there are some tweaks that can help you get out of any sticky situation!
- If your gluten free cakes are flat and heavy, the oven may not be hot enough or you could have overmixed. Be sure to pre-heat the oven 20 minutes before baking and try to gently fold the flour into the mixture to avoid overmixing.
- Alternatively, your gluten free cakes might be too crumbly. This could be due to not using enough liquid or cooking the cake for too long. Next time, try adding a little more liquid to the mixture, or a pinch of FREEE Xanthan Gum which can help strengthen the structure of bakes and reduce crumbling.
- If your gluten free bread is crumbly, this could be due to not using enough liquid or not mixing the ingredients thoroughly. Try adding a little more water next time for perfect gluten free bread!
- Gluten free bread batter can be very sticky. If you find your bread batter is sticking to the bowl, try drizzling a little oil over it and using a spatula to turn the mixture over so it is fully coated.
- If you find gluten free pastry difficult to handle or roll out, this could be due to insufficient water in the dough, or the mixture not being elastic enough. Sprinkle a little more water over the dough until it comes together easily into a ball or try rolling the pastry between two pieces of greaseproof paper or parchment and pressing it into the dish with your fingers, to avoid over working it. Again, adding a pinch of Xanthan Gum to the flour and mixing well before making the pastry can also help stop your pastry breaking up.
