The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking by Peter Reinhart Read Free Book Online Page B

and stir with a large, sturdy spoon until evenly combined. Because these recipes are gluten-free, there’s no need to develop any gluten, and therefore no need to knead and no fear of overmixing because there’s no gluten to toughen up the dough! Mixing takes only as long as required to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients, usually less than 2 minutes. Occasionally we call for mixing the dough for a few minutes to aerate it slightly, which yields a better rise. As in any recipe, it’s a good idea to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times during mixing, to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
    Mixing with an Electric Mixer
    If you use an electric mixer, the procedure is essentially the same; it just requires less muscle power. Start by whisking the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Next, put all of the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix at low speed until thoroughly blended, starting with any eggs if you wish. Then, with the mixer still running at low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Once they’re added, increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined. Where longer mixing is required to aerate the mixture, the instructions will specify this. And, as with hand mixing, scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
    Note that in a few recipes we call for beating egg whites or cream until peaks form. This task is arduous by hand, and in these instances an electric mixer is your best bet. Likewise, a few of the mixtures are very stiff, especially those calling for cream cheese. In all of these cases we’ve written the primary instructions to use an electric mixer, with hand mixing given as an option.

    Using Texture as a Guide
    Within each recipe, you will see cues for how the dough should look and feel. Here are examples of what we mean:
    •  Thick, sticky dough means that the consistency of the dough will resemble cooked oatmeal or porridge, and it will be sticky. A spatula or wooden spoon will stand straight up when inserted into the center of the mixture. The dough will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon, and is even moldable once transferred to a baking sheet. This description applies to many of the recipes for breads, cookies, hush puppies, andcrackers. In some instances, we will say very thick and sticky, which means it’s even thicker and almost, but not quite, stiff.
    • In these recipes, our description of stiff dough is often punctuated with the words “playdough-like,” because not only will a spatula or spoon stand straight up when inserted into the center of the dough, but also the dough will hold its shape when formed into scones, biscuits, breadsticks, pretzels, piecrusts, and cookies. It won’t stick to your fingers the way a thick batter does, and peels off much like playdough does.
    •  Smooth, sticky dough (which is aerated or made fluffy in some recipes, and also pourable in some instances), such as pizza or focaccia dough, as well as some bread and cake doughs, requires a pan to help it hold its shape. These smooth doughs are often poured or spread into the pans rather than formed into freestanding shapes. When working with these doughs, use wet hands and tools (dipped into some water or rubbed with oil) to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
    •  Loose, pourable dough, used in our recipes for pancakes and waffles, is slightly thicker than a milkshake and is the loosest of the doughs.
    If any of your doughs don’t conform to these cues, adjust the liquid or flour amounts accordingly. In most cases, a different consistency means that one of the ingredients was drier than usual, or the ingredients may have been measured out incorrectly.
    Shaping
    Because these baked goods are generally made in loaf pans, muffin tins, and other such pans, you don’t need to learn elaborateshaping techniques, as