GF Hot Cross Buns

It's the Easter long weekend and I have been craving hot cross buns for the past month or more! (not quite as long as the supermarkets have had them stocked for).

Since discovering I am a coeliac I have tasted hot cross buns just twice! That's right twice in nearly 3 years! My friend brought me some GF hot cross buns 2 years ago from Coles and the same year my lovely sister in-law found some in Sydney for me. They weren't the same as the gluten filled hot cross buns, but they were still good to me.

I've looked around and haven't been able to find any gluten free hot cross buns anywhere.

So I searched the internet for some recipes to make my own hot cross buns. I mainly used three recipes, changing a few things, adding or removing some ingredients and making the recipe suit me. These are the recipes which I used as a guideline
http://www.hypoxi.com.au/news/2012/03/recipe-of-the-month-gluten-free-hot-cross-buns/
http://www.kerstenskitchen.com.au/2013/02/gluten-free-hot-cross-buns.html
http://www.taste.com.au/kitchen/recipes/gluten+free+hot+cross+buns,15153

I know that you are meant to eat hot cross buns on Good Friday and today is Easter Saturday, but since when have hot cross buns ever been restricted to just one day a year!

Instead of mixed fruit I decided to use craisins and chocolate melts. I have to say this worked wonderfully! The craisins still gave it the taste and texture of a traditional bun without the fruit peel (not my favourite) and the chocolate just gave it that extra kick (and its Easter so you have to eat chocolate).

There is something therapeutic about kneading dough and watching the buns/bread rise. It's very satisfying.

These hot cross buns are rather tasty! Especially fresh from the oven!

GF Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients
1cup almond meal
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 1/4 cups GF plain four
2tsp mixed spice
1 egg
275ml warm milk
50g butter melted
1 sachet of dried yeast
craisins and chocolate melts or drops to taste. I used approximately 100g of each.
3 tablespoons of honey+
Cross
1/4 cup GF plain flour
water
Sugar Glaze
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup water
Method
Mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the egg, melted butter, honey, gradually add the milk. Mix until the dough is smooth. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. On a floured surface, knead the dough until elastic like. Roll the dough into round balls (about the size of a palm), I made 10. Place on a greased baking tray (spray tray with oil), cover with a damp tea towel and let stand for 40-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Combine flour for the crosses, add water until you make a smooth paste (icing like consistency). Place paste in a piping bag and pipe a cross onto the top of each bun.

Remove tea towel and place buns in the oven for 20 minutes.

Place sugar in water in a small saucepan, mix together. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Remove buns from the oven, using a pastry brush, cover the buns in the sugar glaze. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes.

Now these delicious GF Hot Cross Buns are ready to eat!

Note: The recipe I worked from for ingredients used xantham gum, I couldn't find any but the buns turned out great just the same.

The buns are best zapped in the microwave, as with most gluten free breads, they are hard and crumble if not heated.

GF Cowboy Cupcakes

Cocktails would have to be one of my favourite drinks. From the annoucement of this month's SABH theme 'Cocktail party', I was very excited. I mentally went through my favourite drinks, thinking of how I could adapt them to fit a dessert.......



Shots are like a mini cocktail, some of them make your throat burn and eyes water, but......... there is a shot, that is smooth and delcious, the Cowboy. Granted I have left some adjectives out of the name of this shot, but I thought I best keep it PG.

Apart from the taste of the Cowboy, the presentation is always alluring, the layering of the Butterscotch Schnapps and the Baileys sitting nicely on top, separated, if it's correctly poured. I wanted to continue this allure in my dessert. A Butterscotch cupcake, with Baileys icing would be the perfect ensemble, to make the dessert appear even more like the drink, I made mini cupcakes.

I didn't want my Cowboy Cupcakes tasting like a rum drenched fruit cake. I carefully measured the Butterscotch Schnapps, only using a tablespoon and just a tiny bit of Baileys in the icing. The result........



Light and fluffy cupcakes with a hint of butterscotch, have a bite of these mini cupcakes with the icing and the marriage of the Schnapps and Baileys comes together in a naughty and delicious way.

I hope you enjoy my GF Cowboy Cupcakes as much as I have. If you would like to enter this great blog hop, JJ from 84th & 3rd is this months host.

GF Cowboy Cupcakes

 

Recipe is based on a patty cake recipe from the 'Gluten Free Bible'

Makes 12
Ingredients
125g butter (I softened and melted slightly in microwave)
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup gf self raising flour
1/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup gf cornflour
11/2 teaspoons gf baking powder
2 tablespoons lukewarm milk
1 tablespoon Butterscotch Schnapps
Icing
1 cup GF icing sugar
125g softened butter
2 teaspoons of milk
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Baileys
2 teaspoons Cocoa

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celiscus. With a electric mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth and light. Add eggs one at a time, beat well.

Sift the flours into the butter mixture and mix, add milk and Butterscotch Schnapps to make a smooth, moist batter.

Spoon the mixture into a greased mini cupcake tin (or use cupcake holders), only 3/4 full. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm and golden. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

Icing
Cut softened butter into cubes, place in a mixing bowl with the icing sugar. Cream butter and icing sugar. Add milk, Baileys and cocoa, mix through. Place icing in a piping bag, decorate the cupcakes. Allow icing to set and enjoy these delicious cakes.

Low Fat Mango & Coconut Frozen Yoghurt!!

I'm very excited to be joining this months SABH blog hop 'Licence to Chill'! It's been a few months since I've had the pleasure of participating in this exciting blog hop.

http://www.thekitchencrusader.com/2013/02/fig-and-thyme-icecream-feb-sabh.html 

I have to admit the theme Licence to Chill got the clogs turning in my brain, "what to make????"......

To me, one of the most refreshing tastes of summer is mango, and frozen mango yoghurt is just perfect. But I wanted to have a bit of twist on a conventional mango frozen yoghurt, I decided upon shredded coconut, a delicious duo!

Not only is this yoghurt tasty but its low fat at Gluten Free!, double bonus!!!

Without further ado here is this delicious Licence to Chill recipe

Low Fat Mango & Coconut Frozen Yoghurt!


Ingredients:

2 mangoes
1/2 cup honey
5 tablespoons of shredded coconut
500g tub reduced fat Greek Yoghurt

Method:

Process mangoes and honey until smooth. Add yoghurt and coconut process until smooth. Pour into a large plastic container (I used a rectangular shaped container), cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 4-5 hours until frozen.

Remove from freezer and allow to soften. Place into a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to the container and cover with plastic wrap, place in the freezer for a minimum of 5 hours or until frozen.

Remove from freezer and scoop into bowls to serve.

 

Enjoy this delicious healthy treat!

I'm back with a funny chef story

I've taken a long break from blogging for health reasons. It's something that has always been on my mind, and I'm forever thinking of things that I can write on here!

But my health is finally in a position where I can blog again and get back to the things which I love doing, blogging and being in contact with all my readers.

My husband and I had dinner at the local pub tonight, a nice quiet evening. As most coeliacs and gluten intolerant people will know, carefully reading the menu, choosing between 2-3 different meals and asking lots of questions if the meal is gluten free is just part of eating out.

Tonight I selected a chilli prawn dish, even though it appeared to be gluten free, I asked the waitress if it had gluten. After asking the chef the waitress informed me that it did have gluten as there were tomatoes in the dish!

Yes people, that's right! Gluten in tomatoes!! I informed the waitress that there was no gluten in tomatoes. She responded by telling me that apparently some coeliacs couldn't eat tomatoes! WTF????

Sitting down waiting for the meal, I realised that people with IBS are generally advised to greatly reduce the amount of tomatoes they eat. Perhaps that is why the chef was confused or thought tomatoes had gluten in them! Either that or the chef was just ignorant to what gluten is and what foods have gluten.

Despite the warning that the tomatoes have gluten in them, over 2 hours later I'm fine, no puffer fish, no reaction, thankfully no gluten.

The meal was actually quite nice.....


Morale of the story, ask questions but empower yourself with knowledge about the foods you can eat and have faith in yourself.