A wonderful gluten-free site you need to bookmark!

Vintage magazine ad from my collection

Often in the past, I've tried to post every day in December either here or in my Christmas blog, and occasionally in both!  I must say that this year, I really don't know if that's going to happen.  I did 31 posts in July on my Christmas blog, and 31 posts in October here on this blog, but those were the result of careful planning and scheduling ahead of posts.  I had hoped to do that in regard to December posts, but here I am on December 1, winging it!

I had a comment on the previous post, the one about preparing for Christmas baking.  I'd mentioned that I had stocked up on the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. It is an amazing gluten-free flour blend (it includes the xanthan gum) that can be substituted cup for cup for regular all-purpose flour in baking recipes.  It works perfectly for cookies, which made me very happy.  I can live without cookies on a daily basis, but I do love baking my old favorite Christmas cookies!

A reader, Susan B, asked if this flour works for making loaves of bread.  I'm sorry to say that in my experience it does not.  The label says that it is great for cookies, cakes, brownies, pancakes, pies, muffins, and more.  I've tried it in cookies and biscuits and have been very pleased with it.  I did try it in my old focaccia bread recipe and it didn't work for that at all, so I can't recommend it to Susan for loaves of bread.

However, what I can recommend to Susan for any type of gluten free recipe is this blog: Faithfully Gluten Free.  Jeanine, the recipe developer and blogger behind this site, has in my opinion the very best gluten free recipes out there.  Jeanine has celiac disease, so you need not fear that her recipes contain even a speck of gluten.  And they are great!  I've made several of her Christmas cookie recipes, nearly all of her baked doughnut recipes (loved by my grandkids!), plus muffins, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, and what I believe to be the very best gluten free sandwich bread ever. 

  If you or someone you know tries to eat gluten-free, head on over to Jeanine's site and look around.  The recipes are very easily searched, and you're sure to find one or more you'd like to try.  Happy baking -- and Happy December!