Best Gluten Free Pie Crust

This pie crust was tested against others and received the best reviews from our family.  In my opinion the one made using Pastry Flour Mix I tasted just like a pie crust should  - crisp and flaky.  Bake your pies on the lowest rack in the oven to make sure the bottom gets done. Also, bake until the filling bubbles and thickens otherwise your pie will be watery.
I usually preheat the oven to 400 then bake the pie for 10 minutes on the lowest rack.  After 10 minutes reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling and thickened.

Best Gluten Free Pie Crust
21/4 cup flour mix - see below for pastry flour mix
3 teaspoons guar gum
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup full fat cream cheese
3/4 cup shortening (or lard or butter)
1 teaspoon vinegar
1egg, large
Place all the dry ingredients into mixing bowl.  Cut in the shortening and cream cheese with a handheld pastry blender or pulse in food processor.
Mix vinegar with egg and mix with fork or hands or pulse in food processor  into the flour mixture until dough comes together.  Knead dough a little.  Makes one 9" double crust and one single crust.
Pastry Flour Mix I
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup fine rice flour
1 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 1/4 cup tapioca flour

Pastry Flour Mix II
2 cups sweet rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch

Gluten Free Soaked Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yesterday evening I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and converted it to using gluten free grains and flours.  Sadly I did not write it down but did a "bit of this and a bit of that"...I will try it again and write it down as they worked out fabulously!  I had cooked leftover brown rice in the fridge and blended that till smooth with the pumpkin and egg mixture and then added rice flour and tapioca flour to make it the right consistency.  No one knew they were gluten free they were so good!  I also read about soaking grains last evening and came across a really neat blog called "Wholemade" and used her recipe to make Gluten Free Soaked Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.  I made a few minor changes to suit our tastes but most of the recipe is hers.  I like the fact that these muffins keep well, are not crumbly and use no guar or xanthan gums.  This recipe is gluten free, egg free and if you switch out the 1/4 cup milk for water or a non dairy milk and use non dairy chocolate they will be dairy free.
Gluten Free Soaked Grain Banana Muffins 
1 1/3 cups brown rice - raw, uncooked
1/2 cup millet - raw, uncooked
1/3 cup buckwheat groats - raw uncooked
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Soak the above grains and vinegar in bowl covered well with water.  Soak overnight and drain in the morning.
Next morning add to blender:
Soaked grains (the brown rice, millet and buckwheat)
1 1/4  cups water
1/4 cup milk
1 cup banana -mashed, very ripe (about 3 bananas)
2 tablespoons canola oil or other oil
4 tablespoons corn syrup or honey
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
I use a large heavy duty Vita Mix Blender.  If you have only a regular blender I would suggest doing half at a time.  Puree on medium to start and then on high to get it really smooth.
Once smooth Stir in:
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.  Fill almost to the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until light brown.  Makes 24.

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup applesauce (I used homemade)

1/2 cup canola or other cooking oil

1 cup fine white rice flour

1/4 cup teff flour (or buckwheat or chickpea flours)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg optional

1 teaspoon ground chia seed or 1 tablespoon flax meal (substitute 1/2 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum)

Method:

Put eggs, sugar, applesauce and oil into mixing bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Scoop into paper lined muffin cups.  Bake @ 355 for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Makes 12.
This makes a moist muffin...if you like it drier try reducing either the applesauce or oil by 3 tablespoons.

Very Best Gluten Free Yeast Dough - for Bread, Buns, Pizza Crust, Cinnamon Rolls.

This recipe is our family favourite - it might have a few more ingredients but it's definitely worth the effort.  It's designed for use in a large stand mixer or Bosch.  This recipe evolved from when my son and I ran a gluten free bakery together.  It can be used for bread, buns, pitas, pizza buns, pizza crust, cinnamon rolls etc.  It is my all purpose gluten free yeast dough.  I make it in a Magic Mill Mixer that can hold 7 cups water and 15 cups flour.  If you are using a Kitchen Aide type mixer you should cut the recipe in half.
Booy's Gluten Free all  purpose yeast Dough - for Breads, buns (hamburger/hotdog), rolls, pizza crust cinnamon buns. ( This recipe makes two loaves of bread and about 24-30 buns).
750 ml boiling water
6 tablespoons pysillium husk
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons yeast (not the rapid kind)
1/2 cup flax, ground
586 grams cornstarch
300 grams tapioca starch flour
60 grams chickpea flour
60 grams sweet rice flour
1 cup milk powder
2 tablespoons chia - ground
1 cup sugar (I now use 1/2 cup sugar instead and it works great)
24 grams xanthan gum  (I now use 12 grams xanthan gum and it works great you can use guar gum but the dough is not as stretchy)
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup lard (butter or margarine softened)
6 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce (can also substitute canned pumpkin)
1/3 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons vinegar
Method:
Put boiling water into larger mixer bowl.  Stir in pysillium husk (not the powder, but the coarser stuff)
Let sit 15 minutes or while you measure out the rest of the dry ingredients.
In another large bowl put:
flax, cornstarch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, sweet rice flour, milk powder, chia seed, sugar, guar gum, salt.  Wisk together.
In small bowl, place 1/2 cup warm water, 2 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoons yeast.  Let sit 10 min.
To make dough:
Turn mixer on, add the lard, eggs, applesauce, cottage cheese, vinegar and part of the flour mix.  Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the flour mixture.  Mix on medium high for 15 minutes.  Cover and let rise 1 hour in warm place.  Shape into bread, buns, etc.  If your kitchen is cool it can take at least two hours to rise.  Preheat oven to 350.  Bake buns for 20 minutes or until golden.  Bake bread at 350 for 35 minutes.
To form buns, grease your hands really well with butter or lard.  Using a spoon or icecream scoop measure out your dough and lightly form it in your hands into a smooth ball.
To form a loaf place 600 grams of dough into a well greased loaf pan.  With greased hands smooth and shape the dough.  Cover with clean t-towel to let rise.
The best bread pan for gluten free loaves is the Fat Daddio's loaf pan BP5642.  It is 4" x 8".  Wider pans do not work as well with gluten free dough.

After mixing 15 minutes dough is firm enough to handle but sticky

flatten ball of dough on your palm, place 1 heaping Tbsp. filling in center.

fold edges of dough around filling and roll in hands to form

dinner rolls, scoop dough and roll between greased hands to form

nice texture!

600 grams dough in loaf pan, grease hands and shape while in pan

New Years Eve Punch - Booy Family tradition

This punch has been served at every New Years Eve gathering at the Booy's .

Booy New Year's Punch
2 lemons,
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
6 blanched almonds
2 cups water
4 1/3 cups tea
1 cup red currant juice (I substitute cranberry juice or red crabapple juice)
3 1/4 cup apple juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
Method:
Peel lemon
In large pot heat water, spices, lemon peel and almonds - do not boil.  Strain and put back in pan.
Add tea, juices, sugar and the juice from the lemon.  Heat and serve hot.

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls - Light and Delicious!

nice texture

 My daughter-in-law, Michelle, made a cake out of puréed quinoa for her daughter's birthday and it was very good and moist - with good keeping qualities.  She also made loaves of bread with some pureed quinoa and said it was quite moist but good and she would reduce the amount of quinoa next time to see if that was better.  Today I tried it out with my recipe with 1/4 cup of pureed quinoa - they worked out very well and make a nice light bun - great for dinner rolls, hamburger and hotdog buns.  I even made a loaf of bread out of 1.5lbs of the dough.

Gluten Free Dinner Rolls   - 3 dozen                                     

fresh out of the oven!

1/4 cup quinoa plus 1/2 cup water
3  cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
4 tablespoons pysillium husk (available at health food stores or bulk food stores - important to use in recipe)
4 egg, large
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 tablespoon chia seed
1/2 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)
5 teaspoons guar gum
2 cups cornstarch
1 1/4 cup fine rice flour
3/4 cup millet flour 
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1/3 cup sugar
Method:
Rinse quinoa with water - drain. Place 1/4 cup quinoa in sauce pan with 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 10 -15 minutes.   Place 2 cups water, cooked quinoa, chia seed and flax in blender or food processor.  Puree.  Set aside.
Next:  
Put 1 cup warm water into mixer bowl.   Stir in the sugar and yeast.  Add the pysillium husk.  Let sit 10-15  minutes until yeast starts to work.  Add the pureed quinoa mixture and turn on mixer.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix/knead for 15 minutes. Cover with clean dish towel and et rise  in mixer bowl for about 60 - 90 minutes or until doubles in size. ** Grease the baking sheets and using a small ice cream scoop scoop the mixture onto the baking sheet. Cover with greased plastic or a clean dish towel. Make your hands very wet and using your fingers shape and smooth the dough.  Let rise about 60 - 90 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until light brown.  Remove from baking sheet onto rack and let cool.
If you cannot get millet you can try chickpea flour, amaranth or sorghum flour.
Note: If your house is cool like ours was today it takes 90 minutes of rising time.  On a warm summer day it will be much shorter.

rinse quinoa using something like this

pysillium husk

after mixing 10-15 minutes the dough will resemble a very thick batter

after rising 90 minutes

hamburger bun before rising

Hamburger and Hot Dog buns 

Dutch Pea Soup - Easy and Gluten Free

Great during the winter months!

divided up into individual lunch servings

Dutch Pea Soup - gluten free
16 cups water (tastes even better if you use about 4-6 cups chicken stock in place of water)
4 cups split peas
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 cup sliced leak - optional but tastes good in this soup
2 tablespoons dry parsley
2 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty your stock is - add last if unsure)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups diced ham or smoked sausage (optional if using ham bone)
1 meaty ham bone (or use 1 litre of chicken  stock in place of part of the water)
Add everything except salt to the large soup pot.  Simmer, stirring occasionally for 2 hours or until peas are soft. Taste and add salt to your preference.
Pea soup always tastes better the next day.