While gluten-free baking presents some unique challenges, other than the choice of dry ingredients, the recipes in this book utilize the classics.
Eggs: Without the protein being supplied by the gluten in the flour, eggs take on a more important role; they are another great source of protein and can create the structure of baked goods. In addition to providing protein, they also create the steam needed for starches to become firm. Egg yolk is also a rich source of emulsifying agents that makes it easier to incorporate air into the doughs and batters due to its fat and lecithin content.
Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness, as well as contributing to the browning process that takes place when a baked good is cooked. The browning occurs when the sugar reacts with the protein in eggs and the dairy solids of butter during baking, and the higher the sugar content of cookie dough, the browner it will become once baked. Sugar also holds moisture, which extends the life of cookies. Along with solid fat, it is the crystals of sugar that make small holes that are expanded by leavening agents.
The granulated sugar we take for granted today as a staple was once so rare and expensive it was called “white gold.” Sugar cane, the first source of sugar, is a perennial grass that originated in Asia but is now grown in virtually every tropical and subtropical region of the world. It was only during the nineteenth century that refining beets for their sugar became commonplace.
Fats: In all baking where solid fats are creamed with crystalline sugar, tiny air cells are incorporated into the batter, so the baked good will have a fine, aerated texture. Fat is also responsible for providing lubrication and a luxurious mouth feel. I am a devotee of only baking with unsalted butter. The milk fat in butter contributes tenderness, color, and helps build the structure of the baked good. But most importantly, it releases its delicious flavor.
Leavening Agents: A leavening agent is anything that creates volume in baked goods by foaming. Air is a natural leavener, which is why so many cookie doughs specify to beat the butter and sugar until that wonderful state of “light and fluffy.” The lightness and the fluffiness is the air that’s incorporated.
But most of the time, the leavening is left to two primary chemical agents: baking soda and baking powder. Both of these produce carbon dioxide when they are mixed with moisture. Baking soda, also called bicarbonate of soda, must be combined with an acidic ingredient like buttermilk to create carbon dioxide, while baking powder is a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar, which is acidic. Baking soda is twice as strong as baking powder, but the two can be substituted for one another.
It is important to look at baking powder carefully, however. Some brands use a small percentage of wheat starch as the “moisture absorption agent.” Most, however, use cornstarch or potato starch, including such leading brands as Rumford and Davis. But do check labels carefully.
Chemical leavening is nothing new. Amelia Simmons used pearl ash in her book American Cookery, published in 1796. Because carbon dioxide is released at a faster rate through the acid-base reaction than through the fermentation process provided by living yeast, breads made with chemical leavening became known as “quick breads” more than a century ago.
If you’re new to gluten-free baking, or you’re making these cookies and other treats as a gift for someone who must follow a gluten-free diet, the whole concept of contamination is perhaps new to you. Setting up a system so that foods containing gluten and gluten-free foods never meet can take time, but it is time well spent. Here are some rules to follow to ensure that your gluten-free products are not inadvertently contaminated by wheat flour or any gluten-containing food:
• Thoroughly wash out cabinets where gluten-free products will be stored and make sure everyone who uses the kitchen is aware that these cabinets contain only gluten-free food. However, unless the kitchen is to be free of all gluten-containing foods, it’s still wise to place gluten-free ingredients in airtight containers before storing them.
• Clean all the kitchen surfaces thoroughly before starting to prepare gluten-free dishes, and then change the dishrag and dishtowel for a fresh one. Don’t use a sponge because it cannot be properly cleaned to make it free from gluten. The same is true for porous surfaces such as wooden cutting boards. Have special ones for gluten-free ingredients.
• Have separate containers of butter or margarine for gluten-free baking. Crumbs from someone’s morning toast could have landed on a stick of butter at breakfast.
• Don’t use the same sifter for gluten-free and regular flours. Clearly label the gluten-free sifter to avoid mistakes.
• Have separate containers of ingredients for all gluten-free baking. Even though there is no gluten in granulated sugar or baking soda, molecules of wheat flour could have landed on them.
• Always place the gluten-free foods on the top shelf of the oven to avoid the risk of spills onto it. The same is true in the refrigerator; the gluten-free foods should be on higher shelves.
• Foil is a great way to avoid contamination. Use foil to keep foods separate when preparing, cooking, or storing.
• Use stickers of different colors when storing gluten-free foods to segregate them from other foods.