[.ca] Gluten-Free Baking: More Than 125 Recipes for Delectable ... (ISBN 0684872528)

the best book out there:
I'm not a celiac, but I am allergic to wheat, so for many years, I have sought out gluten-free recipes for the breads and pastries I've been deprived of. After trying countless recipes turning out crumbly cookies, hard, dry bread, and odd-tasting pastries, I found Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly, the best book out there. The results of these recipes taste as good as (no kidding) the ones served at a high-end pastry shop. No wonder, since the author was trained not only at Le Cordon Bleu, but also at Le Notre Patissier, the leading pastry school. She has the experience of running her own restaurant, cafe, and catering businesses as well as teaching others how to cook. She'd been exploring gluten-free baking for her clientele even before her son and daughter were diagnosed as celiacs! All these credentials add up to a well-tested, easy-to-understand, and enlightening collection of recipes. But the highest recommendation comes from my wheat-eating friends, who really DON'T realize that anything is missing or "weird" about these treats, something they've never been able to say about my past efforts, despite claims by the authors of those recipes that they'd never tell the difference. Reilly's training allows her to explain how certain classic baking techniques can provide air and lightness to gluten-free recipes, which can otherwise suffer from the density of particular alternative ingredients. She reveals which ingredients can create elasticity and provide structure in lieu of gluten, so that readers can feel empowered knowing not only how to make these recipes, but also why they work. I gained so much confidence in baking that I even made the scrumptious Black Forest Cake, a labor I probably wouldn't have even attempted in my wheat-eating days. (By the way, it's totally worth the effort.) Amazingly, the recipes range from the simplest brownies to baklava, so there's something for all palates and skill levels. With all due respect to Bette Hagman, author of The Gluten-Free Gourmet books and an undisputed pioneer in the gluten-free quest, I would love to see Reilly's take on yeast breads as well as on gluten-free cooking. I think there's enough of the gluten-free pie to go around, and all of us in the wheat-free community (and our friends) would benefit.

Celiacs rejoice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
Yahoo!! FINALLY (and I mean finally), a book that makes eating a gluten-free diet a pleasure, instead of a chore. For those who have a real dietary threat due to wheat, and other gluten grains, this is a book that will give you some ability to have some control in what you eat, rather than be a slave to labels as well as remove fears from the unknown food. First of all, it looks like a regular cookbook instead of the usual anemic-looking, bland, thin-spined books that are out there; it looks like any other cookbook out on the store shelves. The colorful photography of the finished recipes make them look as good as they taste. With that in mind, the "Boston Creme Pie" should be your first recipe. For someone who has had to look at others enjoy "flour" desserts (cakes, pastries, cookies, etc.) while having yet another slice of fruit or an incredibly boring ricecake, this was a gift from heaven. And I believe that knowing that both the author, and her children, have this food intolerance, makes you believe in the cookbook even more. Add to the fact that she is a highly trained culinary chef, and you know that you have purchased the right book. I've only gotten to a couple of recipes, but this will become my bible for having some semblance of a normal diet. And Chef Reilly has made the effort and knowledge needed to create these dishes, incredibly easy and simple to follow. The information is all there. So, for all those celiacs who want to enjoy this part of life, open the book, pick a dish, and savor every bite!!

Very good recipes:
I've made several of the recipes in the book and they have all been tasty. I have only one complaint. I wish the author had been just a bit more specific on how thin the streusel dough had to be! She wrote 'as thin as possible'. For someone like myself who has never made streusel that was quite subjective. If she had said 'paper thin, where you almost can see through it...' I would have known what to do. The streusel was the first from this book that did not come out good. Dough was rubbery. It was not nearly sweet enough (and I don't like very sweet desserts). I also noticed that almost everything I've baked had to be baked about 10 minutes longer than what the recipe called for - but that could be MY oven, not the recipe! All in all, a very very good recipe book for gluten-free dieters and I recommend it.

One of My Top Three GF Cookbooks:
Everytime I wish to make a cookie or dessert, this is the cookbook I reach for first. Every recipe has turned out and her pie crust is the easiest to roll out. Other pie crusts have tasted great but were a patchwork of pieces, while this one rolls easily for me. It is so good that when I loaned it to my mother, it never made it back to my house and I had to order another copy! My other two favorites are the two GF cookbooks by Donna Washburn.

100+ recipes for baked goods for gluten-intolerant dieters:
Over 100 recipes for baked goods for gluten-intolerant dieters presents a wealth of information for those who struggle to balance the desire for baked goods with an allergy to gluten. Recipes call for different types of flours, from almond flour and potato starch to flax meal: usually all that's needed is access to a good health food store to successfully reproduce these baked goods.