Several years ago, my friend Laurie introduced me to what is now my favorite gluten-free baking mix – “1-2-3 gluten free”. (www.123glutenfree.com) Not only are they gluten-free, most are also free of dairy/casein, peanuts/tree nuts, egg, soy, sesame, corn and sugar. (Depending on the product – READ your labels!) These mixes work great for everyone in our immediate and extended family. (I’ve been told food allergies tend to be genetic, and that seems to be the case on my side.) These mixes also come with a simple added perk: They give you not just one recipe on the back of the box, but 4 or 5 more are printed on the inside of the box. This allows you to use the same mix with a change-up on one or two ingredients giving you a different flavored treat! They offer mixes for cakes, rolls, pan bars, cookies, poundcake, brownies, biscuits, pancakes, cornbread and a flour mixture.
I’ve only used of few of their products (more on that later), but so far, my favorite is the “sweet goodness sugar ‘n spice Pan Bars “ baking mix. When making this bar, I use their recipe which includes canned pumpkin. After baking, I drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the top. It makes a 9” x 13” pan of flavorful, moist, soft pan bars that can be served as either a dessert or a breakfast cake. (Flavorful, moist and soft are all thrilling to me because for years, those 3 words did not go hand in hand with gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free baking. I’m sure many of you can feel my pain.)
Now, why have I only used a few of the “1-2-3 gluten free” products? They are not easy to find in stores. I’ve tried looking in Kroger, Walmart, Target – all unsuccessfully. I’ve had a bit of luck finding a few of their mixes in some, but not all, Meijer stores. I do realize that these mixes may be carried in these stores in other regions – they’re just not in mine. I’ve reluctantly looked online. I’m not a fan of online shopping. Online shopping can mean having to buy large quantities and let’s not forget about shipping costs. It can get expensive quick. While I was looking online, I found some of the mixes at a company called VitaCost. (www.vitacost.com) While they offered a fair number of mixes, most of the ones I was interested in were “out of stock”. They did have a poundcake available, so I ordered it.
A few days later I received my “delightfully gratifying just a hint of lemon Poundcake” baking mix. My first thought: Lightly flavored “anything” when baking gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free is not, in my opinion, a good idea – these foods can tend to taste a bit like cardboard. You gotta have some added flavor. I was pleased to see they must feel the same way because the recipe on the back of the box was for an orange poundcake. (My grandma used to bake a dessert with an orange flavor to it. I liked it, so I was hoping I’d like this too. Fingers crossed!) They also had 5 alternate recipes printed inside the box. – I really like that they give you several alternatives. The recipe I’d chosen called for ¾ cup of either citrus soda-pop or orange juice. Soda-pop?!? Yikes! I’ll stick with the orange juice. This mix made up a lot of batter, so I decided to do some in a muffin tin and the rest in one full size loaf pan. I like to use different pans when baking something new to see if there is a variation on how well one turns out versus the other. All of them baked up beautifully – they actually puffed up! After taking them out of the oven, I let them cool a bit before drizzling the muffins and the loaf with my powdered sugar glaze. Kevin and I each ate 2 of the muffins while they were still warm. The next morning we ate a couple more for breakfast. That evening we cut into the poundcake (loaf) and enjoyed it with fresh strawberries. This poundcake mix was definitely a success! It also made a ton of cake, way more than the two of us could ever eat in just a few days. You may want to freeze some of the cake.
These mixes are a bit pricey at $7 – $8 per box, although they usually make about 2 times more than any of the other mixes you can buy. I don’t bake with these mixes often. I like to keep a box or two on my shelf, so when I’m in need of a baked good quick, I’ve got one. (This is especially handy because you know when baking for allergies, nothing is fast.)
Below I have a picture of the front of the box and the back of the box showing the recipe. I also took a picture of the muffins and the poundcake, but didn’t think to take a picture of one of them cut open so you could see what it looked like inside. (My bad.) As far as my using their recipe; the only variation I really had was using my Ener-G Egg Replacer instead of 5 eggs and my Earth Balance Buttery Spread instead of butter. That’s it. I’ve also typed up a probably not so helpful recipe for my powdered sugar glaze. I don’t really give you any measurements. I just mix it up till I think it looks and tastes good.
Brenda’s Powdered Sugar Glaze
*Word of warning: A little bit goes a long way!
- Powdered sugar
- Melted butter (or whatever butter substitute you use) – maybe ½ teaspoon or so
- Splash of vanilla extract
- Milk (whatever milk or milk substitute you use)
Melt the butter in a microwavable glass dish, add a splash of vanilla extract, then the powdered sugar, add milk to thin and stir till you get the consistency you want. (If you’re like me, you will have to repeat the powdered sugar and milk a couple of times till you get it right. The good news is that this will freeze well.)
Enjoy and thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels!)