Gluten free, anyone?
“Gluten Free Baking” by Simon and Alison Holst
by Tamara Jones
As I try quite hard to be gluten free, owing to a visit to the local osteopath who was horrified by the symptoms of my gluten intolerance, I am always on the lookout for good gluten free recipes. Books like the Holsts’ are only recently becoming more plentiful as public demand grows, and the recipes are improving also.
It is very hard to find a good recipe for gluten free white bread, and it’s difficult to find a soft, white loaf to buy ready-made as well, so it was a bonus to find a recipe for this in the cookbook. It would pay to read through the ingredients list before attempting any recipes though, as some of the recipes call for unusual items such as chickpea, tapioca, and rice flours; as well as guar gum.
The recipe for ciabatta bread or pizza base is also good; and there are scone, muffin, cake, pikelets and biscuit recipes. I rate this book 9/10 and am considering buying it. I would have given it 10/10 if the authors had included a list of substitute ingredients, but you can do this yourself if you have access to the internet.
By the way, there are other gluten free recipe books in our collection – reserve online or ask any of our helpful staff members next time you visit.
Tararua Library
I’m amazed that breads can be made without any wheat or other flours full of gluten. Looks like something worth checking out!