Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours 

Kristina’s Bookshelf

Can Gluten-Free Mean More, Not Less?

Many desserts and other confections described simply as “gluten-free” get sold short. Baked goods made with a gluten-free flour can offer much, much more than simply being free of the protein that gives dough its elastic texture. Depending upon the ingredients— specifically the flours used—they can be deeply flavored, with a more interesting texture than is produced by standard all-purpose flours, making for a complex-tasting treat.

Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours 
by Alanna Taylor-Tobin
(Page Street Publishing, 2016)

San Francisco–based pastry chef, food stylist, and photographer Alanna Taylor-Tobin is the founder of the popular recipe website The Bojon Gourmet. Her latest cookbook features more than 100 recipes using gluten-free flours like corn, oat, chestnut, almond, buckwheat, sorghum, and others. These alternative grains possess a variety of intriguing characteristics that make for deeply flavorful baked goods. Headnotes to most of the recipes offer useful information about storage, complementary jams and other condiments, and suggestions for variations on the recipes. Find intriguing recipes like Roasted Banana Teff Scones with Muscovado Sugar Glaze; Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting; Mesquite Chocolate Cakes with Whipped Crème Fraîche and Raspberries; Chestnut Brownie Ice Cream Sundaes with Port-Roasted Strawberries; and Buckwheat Bergamot Double Chocolate Cookie. Recipes are all detailed and creative, resulting in baked goods that are memorable, special tasting, and pretty. Beautifully styled photographs show off the detail and texture of each recipe. 

Edible East Bay’s book editor Kristina Sepetys is eager to share her ideas and book recommendations with our readers.