Gluten-Free in Five Minutes (2 page)

Now, Roben Ryberg has changed all that. With
Gluten-Free in Five Minutes,
she has combined a few simple, common ingredients into amazingly easy gluten-free dishes, baked goods, and snacks you can make in the MICROWAVE! (My favorite is the cornbread, which is wonderfully moist.) Finally, I can have my cake made from scratch and eat it when I want it, too. This book provides the luxury of convenience with homemade goodness and healthier lower-cost foods. It is a must for anyone who needs to prepare quick and safe foods using little time and equipment.

The number of people living gluten-free has increased significantly in the last 10 years, largely due to increased awareness and medical and public education about celiac disease. The estimated prevalence of celiac disease—an autoimmune disorder that can lead to damage of the small intestine and malabsorption and malnutrition—in the United States is 1 in 100 people. In addition, a new set of conditions has emerged, known collectively as non-celiac gluten intolerances. The number of people with non-celiac gluten intolerances is estimated to be seven to eight times the 3 to 4 million people with celiac disease. (Non-celiac gluten intolerances are a general reaction to gluten but are not autoimmune, nor do these conditions damage the small intestine.) The outward symptoms for all gluten-sensitive conditions can be very similar to a number of other GI problems, making it hard to diagnose them.

No matter the cause, anyone requiring a gluten-free diet for medical reasons has no other treatment options. To stay healthy, they must follow a gluten-free diet for life.

Ryberg has found a way to address a real need.
Gluten-Free in Five Minutes
is a great resource for anyone who wants to follow a healthier gluten-free diet but has a very busy lifestyle; for anyone who wants to cook but needs meals to be quick to prepare; or for anyone who does not have the typical bevy of gluten-free flours and equipment on hand to bake from scratch. A handful of common ingredients, a microwave, and a few minutes—now that is all it takes to have delicious gluten-free food.

There are moments
in all of our lives when we feel compelled to reach for the impossible, think outside the box, and walk on the wild side. This is one of those moments.

Twenty years ago, when I first started creating gluten-free recipes, most gluten-free baked goods were not so tasty and were often heavy, gritty, or dry in texture. Since then, the industry-standard approach has been to use blends of three or more alternative grains to mimic wheat flour. As gluten-free baking evolved, the food became better—but the process became increasingly complicated and time-consuming for the home cook.

Now, with just a few ordinary ingredients, one gluten-free flour, a bowl, a fork, and a microwave, you can make delicious singleservings of breads, rolls, cakes, tortillas, and much more. Together we will make really tasty gluten-free food, astoundingly fast. Now you can quickly prepare that sandwich for lunch—including the
bread—or have a piece of chocolate cake right when you crave it.
Gluten-Free in Five Minutes
will show you how.

People like great fresh food. I know I do. Unfortunately, special diets often mean settling for less—going without or purchasing packages of gluten-free breads, rolls, and cakes at great expense, hoping they’ll be edible. Sounds appetizing already! I picture the scene in my head:
Where are those $2.00 (each) rolls? Oh yes, let me dig them out of the freezer, defrost them, and then toast them just a bit. Maybe this will help them taste better ... or not.
Otherwise, we buy or mix pricey flour blends that take up lots of cabinet space, and we bake a whole loaf of bread knowing most of it will go into the freezer. If you are new to the gluten-free diet, it may seem like I am joking. If you already live the diet, you know it is reality.

Of course, I’m grateful that these days, one can go to the store and find better gluten-free product labeling and more foods available than ever before. But we pay dearly for the convenience.

Gluten-Free in Five Minutes
gives you an amazing alternative. Now you can have two fabulous slices of fresh bread, truly ready in minutes. You can have dessert every night if you want it. These baked goods are moist, fresh, delicious, and no more freezer burn. But most importantly, these recipes give you social freedom. Maybe there’s a dinner party you’d like to attend, but you need to bring something safe to eat. Your child receives a last-minute invitation for a party and he wants to have cake too, “like everyone else.” A barbecue is happening down the street and it would be nice to grab a hot dog or hamburger roll. Or maybe you’d just like to be able to eat with friends without having to plan too far in advance. All that is possible!

A gluten-free diet may be recommended for a variety of reasons: diagnosis of celiac disease (either by blood test or intestinal biopsy); dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), a skin manifestation of celiac disease; gluten intolerance; allergic reaction to ingestion of wheat; autism, Crohn’s disease, or another autoimmune
disease. Some people spend years searching for understanding of their medical issues. Weight loss, weight gain, diarrhea, malnutrition, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headaches, and vitamin deficiencies are among the more common symptoms. Mild and atypical symptoms present as well.

Adhering to a gluten-free diet requires the strict avoidance of all wheat, rye, contaminated oats (cross-contaminated from field to factory), and barley. It is a simple prescription that can be very difficult to implement as wheat seems to be everywhere. It is obvious that some foods contain wheat (or rye, oats, barley), like breads, cakes, and cookies. But it is important to look closely in foods that you wouldn’t suspect of having an offending ingredient. Check chips, soy sauce, soups, granola bars, sauces, spice blends, condiments, and many other foods! Federal regulations mandating that manufacturers disclose whether their products contain major food allergens (e.g., milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans) have recently made food ingredient labels easier to decipher for dietary concerns. It is hoped that the Food and Drug Administration will soon have a defined and implemented standard for “gluten-free” as well.

With all my cookbooks, my goals have been simple: make it taste good, make it safe, and make it easy. That has never changed, and
Gluten-Free in Five Minutes
is no exception. However, my food science interpretation has evolved dramatically. Twenty years ago, had someone said I would be making light, delicious cake or bread using only brown rice flour or sorghum flour I wouldn’t have believed them. Today it is reality. Incredible though it may seem, you really can use a microwave to make everyday baked goods!

One last note: While I do have several “non-baked” foods in here, this book is not a “how to make
everything
in the microwave” book. But what it does, it does extremely well—cakes, breads, cobblers, and more. It is the answer for quick servings of everyday foods you might be missing. In addition, recipes use just one flour, no xanthan gum or other binders are necessary, and many
recipes are dairy-free as well. These whole grain breads and baked goods don’t crumble and they taste great. With the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe, you don’t even need flour—just cocoa! And when the first strawberries of the season are at your market and you just can’t resist, you can enjoy them with a Pound Cake, Chiffon Cake, or Angel Food Cake.

Whether you are a college student hoping to have safe food in your dorm, a mom who packs a child’s lunch every day, a healthcare professional making food for a patient, a restaurateur wanting to meet the needs of a special customer, or simply a regular person hungry for one great serving of cake, welcome to the insanely fast side of eating well!

CHAPTER 1

Kitchen and Baking

For those who must avoid gluten,
there are two primary areas of food concern. The first is ingredients, and the second is cross-contamination.

The recipes in this book call for very common ingredients and use only one gluten-free flour at a time—usually brown rice flour or sorghum flour. Unlike many other gluten-free recipes, for these you do not need the often-used specialty binder xanthan gum. This is especially nice for people who must avoid xanthan gum due to sensitivity (because it is often produced from a corn-sugar foundation).

The second area of food concern is cross-contamination. Simply put, your gluten-free ingredients and finished dishes should never come into contact with anything that has had contact with unsafe foods. Here’s a helpful list for your kitchen.

Fortunately, few specialty tools are needed for gluten-free cooking in the microwave.

One 2-cup capacity Pyrex or other similarly sized glass measuring cup or mug

1 fork

1 knife (use backside to level ingredients in measuring spoons)

1 rubber spatula

1 set of any major name-brand measuring spoons (a set that includes a ⅛ teaspoon measure is especially nice)

sharp knife

cutting board (not used with gluten-containing foods)

Microwave:
All recipes were tested using a Whirlpool 1,000-watt microwave. There is a rhythm to the cooking times in this book. Most recipes cook on high for 2 minutes. Please adjust cooking times based upon the results using your microwave since each one is just a little different. Incremental adjustments of no more than 15 seconds, more or less, should be utilized as the basis for any cooking time changes.

Two 1-cup capacity Pyrex or other microwave-safe baking dishes (preferably with straight sides)

One 2-cup capacity Pyrex or other microwave-safe baking dish (preferably with straight sides)

One square 2-cup capacity Pyrex or other microwave-safe baking dish (available online and in larger kitchen supply stores)

1 microwave-safe butter dish (inverted top used for making hot dog rolls)

1 microwave-safe plate

1 plain glass shot glass (to use in making bagels)

1 or 2 potholders

New toaster dedicated to gluten-free foods only or toaster bags

Pretty microwave-safe bowls for cooking and serving

Toaster oven for crisping pizza crust and bagels

Pan for making French Toast Circles (page 19) (only recipe requiring a pan)

Brown rice flour and sorghum flour are the primary flours used in this book. White rice flour has been used when lightness of texture and color are very important. Cornstarch and/or cornmeal have been used for variety.

Brown rice flour and white rice flour.
Bob’s Red Mill brand has been used exclusively in testing recipes in this book. This brand is available in most larger grocery stores and health food stores and is also available online. See the Appendix for ordering information.

Cornstarch and/or cornmeal.
Please note that some brands are not produced in dedicated gluten-free facilities, which means there is some risk of cross-contamination. Calling the manufacturer (most list a phone number on the package) is the best way to evaluate any cross-contamination risk. Cornstarch and cornmeal are available in nearly all grocery stores.

Sorghum flour.
Bob’s Red Mill brand has been used exclusively in testing recipes in this book. This brand is available in most larger grocery stores and health food stores as well as online. Ordering information can be found in the Appendix.