Korvapuusti, pulla, vanilla buns redux

The quick and dirty pulla is nice and all, but it's just not the same as a good ol' cinnamon roll. Unfortunately, chipmunk can't have cinnamon, so these are just regular vanilla buns. Taste good, though! I'm really happy with this dough, it came out soft, buttery and not too sweet. Easy to roll out, too.

Here's the recipe:

Vanilla buns - gluten free, egg free, soy free, corn free, nut free, dairy free 

5 dl liquid (coconut milk with water works great)
2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
1 tbsp yeast
1,5 dl sugar
7 dl all purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom
100 g margarine melted

Mix liquid with psyllium husk powder and yeast. Allow to stand for 5-15 minutes until the psyllium gels. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll out dough with flour, spread with margarine mixed with vanilla and some sugar. Roll it up, cut into triangles, pinch the top down and let rise for about 30 minutes. 

Brush risen buns with cold coffee, sprinkle with sugar pearls and then bake at 225C for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Cool, then eat. Or eat them warm. They're good either way.

Quick and Dirty Pulla and further restrictions

Pulla is a finnish traditional sweet bread. Kind of like brioche, but less fatty.

Pulla made in cake tin

 It's tasty, but commonly made with wheat, eggs, milk, butter and sometimes also raisins and/or almonds. All of which are Not Good for little Chipmunk. Took many trials and failures to get this recipe sort of right. When I finally completed a good one, using soy, it turns out we have to drop soy from Chipmunk's diet yet again. Luckily, the recipe works fine without, so here is the updated formula.

Chipmunk approved.

My pulla is made in a cake tin, partially because I'm lazy, and partially because the dough is so sticky that it's difficult to work with otherwise. If I make it drier, the end products don't retain the soft, pillowy goodness that pulla is supposed to have. Hence, quick and dirty pulla!

This is usually all that's left a few hours later

100 g melted margarine
200 g non-dairy milk of choice (I use home-made coconut milk)
50 g sugar
280 g all-purpose GF flour (my blend is in this post)
2 tsp dry yeast
1-2 tsp ground cardamom
0.5 tsp salt
(1 tsp baking powder if impatient) 

Mix all together, spoon into pan, let rise for about half an hour (or add the baking powder to dough and bake immediately). Bake at 200C for about 20-25 minutes, depending on how thin you spread it. Cool somewhat and enjoy!

Mmm, tasty

The restrictions part of this post come from our recent visit to the doctor.

How to Test Allergens in a Fun Way

It's a while since we've tested grapes. I thought, the more processed, the better. So, we're testing with wine! Now, before you all go call child protection services, hear me out. This is a very typical recipe from Italy, the alcohol burns out while cooking, so no biggie.

Aren't they pretty?

Cookies are a pretty nifty way to test for food allergens. It gets cooked, so any reaction is somewhat lessened compared to sampling a raw product. Also, the amount of potential allergen per cookie is rather small. So, if you manage to limit the amount of cookies consumed (ha ha) it should be a rather safe way to test.

At least, the theory is, that it gets cooked before sampling... Chipmunk disagrees with this point. 

The dough for these cookies is a pretty purple colour, and the consistency is firm enough for a toddler to handle without too much difficulty. It rolls out wonderfully, could probably make brilliant cut form cookies as well. I elected to make the traditional donut shape for two reasons. Firstly, it's easier for Chipmunk to do. Secondly, it's a lot faster to roll out little donuts than cut out cookies.

Without further ado, here's the recipe to traditional Italian wine cookies!

Ciambelline al vino (rosso) 

2/3 cup wine
2/3 cup neutral tasting oil, e.g. sunflower
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
AP GF flour* approximately 3-4 cups 

Note: I will update this to weight measurements eventually! 

Mix the wine, sugar, baking powder and oil together. Add enough all purpose flour until it forms a ball, but isn't too sticky to handle. Better too sticky than too dry.  

Roll out as you wish, decorate with granulated sugar and bake in the oven at 180C for about 15-30 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. They should get a pretty golden colour on top, the sides will probably stay pinkish. 

* All Purpose Gluten Free flour blend. I use this blend for most of my baking when I'm too lazy to mix and match a custom blend. It's neutral in taste and goes great as a substitute 1:1 for regular wheat flour.

650 g rice flour (mostly brown, with some white)
250 potato starch
100 g tapioca starch
1 tbsp xanthan gum