By Caroline S. Lemon bars are my favorite dessert, so I thought they deserved some experimenting. I wanted a gluten free lemon bar with minimal amount of sugar. I love the natural flavor of lemon so I didn’t think they needed three cups of sugar to balance out the flavors. The sweet, shortbread crust pairs well with the tangy lemon. If you like lemons, you will want to try this recipe! Let's bake it! Gluten free Easy ------------- Hard Difficulty Level: 4 spoons Prep time about 40 min. Cook time 15-20 min. Total time about 60 min. Ingredients: Crust
Ingredients: Filling
Instructions:
If you bought a bag of lemons like I did you might be wanting to find how you can use them. Lemonade, lemon meringue pie, or, another one of my favorite desserts, lemon bundt cake are some great options. If you are really in a lemon mood you can also try lemon chicken. By Caroline S. Baking can be a fun hobby, but when ingredients don’t combine and cakes don’t rise it can turn into an all day project. Here are five baking tips to help you avoid the baking blues. 1. Use room temperature ingredients: It’s really easy to just take the ingredients right out of the fridge and start, but many baking recipes will actually be easier if you let your ingredients sit out for about 30 minutes. Eggs, milk, and butter are some of the most important ingredients you’ll want to let sit. If you try mixing cold butter and sugar I guarantee you will spend more time mixing it than you hoped. When you add a cold liquid to a batter you will probably find other ingredients hardening up again, like coconut oil or butter. 2. Let cakes cool: How tempting they are, but if you don’t want a mess, cakes should be cooled for twenty minutes unless otherwise stated in the recipe. 3. Get to know your flours: If you are new to gluten free baking, you’ll want to find what kind of gluten free flours you like best. Try a pancake or waffle recipe with a certain kind of flour and see what you think. You will be able to see what kind of texture and flavor different flours can contribute to a recipe. You will be able to analyze the flavor and texture of a certain kind of flour easily in a waffle or pancake. 4. Don’t only use a toothpick to check if a cake is baked: A toothpick is a very accurate way of knowing if your cake is finished baking, but don’t let it fool you. A cake should spring back if you place your hand on top of it. A nice golden brown top is another key for a baked cake. 5. Don’t bake with old ingredients: If you don’t bake frequently buy small amounts of ingredients such as baking soda and baking powder. If they are very old they probably won’t help cakes or muffins rise. To know for sure put ¼ teaspoon of baking powder or baking soda in ½ hot water. If you are testing baking soda also add ¼ teaspoon of vinegar. If it fizzes it is still good to use. References: http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cake-baking/cake-baking-pans https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-gluten-free-baking-tips-from-a-celebrated-chef-113793053258.html http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/mary-berrys-top-10-baking-tips http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-test-if-baking-soda-or-baking-powder-is-expired-tips-from-the-kitchn-111759 http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/make-baked-good-better http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/baking/baking-ingredients By Caroline S. I have enjoyed baking since I was little. However, with some of my family, including myself, having food allergies or sensitivities, we have had to change the way we bake. It has been surprising how tasty the recipes turn out, even when taking out wheat, substituting ingredients, or using different sweeteners. If you have allergies or are just trying to eat healthier, baking can still be fun and delicious. Now, why don’t we look at a fairly easy recipe contains allergy friendly ingredients. Let’s bake it! Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, nut free, vegan. Difficulty level: 2 spoons Prep time 20 min. Cook time 55 min. Total time 1 hr. 15 min. Ingredients
Ahhhhh! Warm chocolate-chip bread with about one and a half zucchinis that no one will even taste. This bread has healthy ingredients, but I often forget that when I eat it. It is a perfect bread for a cold winter day. Baking in the winter is especially nice. It brightens up my day with something fun to do inside while it snows outside. After baking, it is always nice to sit down and eat what you have made in your warm house. What to bake next? Do you have zucchini left over from baking your bread? Zucchinis are most often used in bread, however, cookies are another great zucchini treat. If you want a dinner to match your bread, you can also try making lasagna with zucchini instead of pasta. (Original recipe from sondibruner.com) |
~COLUMNIST~
Alexia E. B. |