2019-05-01_Healthy_Food_Guide_UK

OSIZECANBEEVERYTHINGSmalleritems

areoftenbettersuitedtomorefragiledoughs

andbattersastherewillbelesschanceof

breakage.It’salsoworthmakingsmaller

quantitieswhenyou’retryingouta newflour.

OTESTYOURDOUGHIfyoucan,spoona

tablespoonfulofmixtureintoa microwave-

proofdishandgiveit a blastfor10–30secuntil

cookedthrough.Thiswillgiveyoua decent

indicationofthefinishedtexture– usefulif

you’reworriedit maybetoodry.

OXANTHANGUMORGROUNDCHIASEEDS

canbeaddedtogiveextra stabilitytoyourbakes.

OSPICETHINGSUP!Someflourshavevery

distinctiveflavours,soif youbuya bagthat’s

notquitetoyourtaste,tryaddingmixedspice,

allspice,ginger,cinnamon,citruszestorvanilla.

OGLUTEN-FREEBAKESCANHARDENmuch

morequickly.It’softenbesttofreezeassoonas

theyhavecooledandeatsoonafterdefrosting.

Alternatively,a 10secblastinthemicrowave

willusuallybringmoistnessbacktoolderbakes.

A

NYONEWITHA LONG-TERMGLUTEN

INTOLERANCEwillnodoubthavenoticed,

andbeheartenedby,thewiderrangeof

gluten-freeproductsthatareavailable.Ready-made

cakes,breads,muffinsandsconesaregreatfor

convenience,butoftenpricey– andit canbehardto

finda trulyhealthytreat.Makingyourowndelicious

bakescanbecheapandsatisfying,buthowdoyou

knowwhichflouris rightforyourrecipe?

Bakingwithoutgluten

Wheatflouris widelyusedforbakingbecauseit’s

easytoproduceandcheap.Crucially,it alsohas

goodquantitiesofprotein,mainlyintheformof

gluten,whichis essentialforgoodbakes.

Glutenprovidestexture,moistness,elasticity

andstrength.Incontrast,gluten-freefloursare

oftenverylowinproteinandmuchhigherinfibre,

whichcanaffectallthesepositivebakingqualities.

Eachflouralternativewillbehavedifferently,

andthesametypeofflourcanevenvaryfrom

brandtobrand.A flourcanalsoproducedifferent

resultsfromrecipetorecipe,whichmeansa little

experimentationis oftenrequiredbeforeyou’ll

recreatetheperfectbake.

THE

GREAT

GLUTEN-FREE

BAKE OFF!

Forcookswitha glutenallergyorintolerance

therearenowmanyalternativeflouroptions.

RecipeconsultantPhilMundysiftsthrough

thebakingaisletofindhisstarperformers

GLUTEN-FREE BAKING ADVICE

Follow these tips as you experiment

to ensure a better bake

32 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE MAY 2019