XANTHAN GUM RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY:

(These are actual photographs of items baked to these recipes)

VICTORIA SPONGE

Ingredients:

5oz Rice Flour
2 oz Potato starch (could use cornflour if can not obtain potato starch)
1oz Tapioca flour
8oz Butter
8oz Sugar
1 level tsp xanthan gum
1tsp vanilla essence
1.5 tsp gluten free baking powder
3 eggs
3tbsp milk

Method:

Cream butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Stir in the Vanilla Essence. (Add extra ingredients such as cocoa, dried fruit etc if desired) Dry mix the flours, xanthan gum and baking powder together, then add to the cake mixture and beat well. Finally stir in the milk. Divide into 2, greased, 8 inch cake tins and cook at 180ºc (365ºf) Gas 4 for approximately 20-25 minutes.

WHITE BREAD

Ingredients:

300ml warm water
1.5tsp Xanthan Gum
2 Large Eggs
2 Tblspoons rapeseed /Olive / Vegetable oil
1tsp Cider Vinegar
2 tsp salt
30g Dried milk powder
1 Tblspoon Sugar
200g White Rice Flour
50g Potato Starch
4.5 g Fast action /easybake dry yeast

Method:

Into a measuring jug mix the oil and the xanthan gum well for a few seconds then add the water and whisk or stir vigorously for about a minute to form a ‘gloopy texture’. Put the eggs, vinegar, salt, milk powder and sugar into a mixing bowl and add the xanthan gum /water mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Then add the flours and mix well. Finally add the dried yeast and mix again briefly.

Pour into greased baking tin and stand tin in a warm place for 1-2 hours until batter has doubled in size, then bake in preheated oven at 220C (430F) Gas 7 for 30- 35 minutes.

For Bread Machine:

Mix all ingredients as above except the flour and yeast. Mix in machine for about 5 minutes with the lid open, scraping the sides every minute or so, so that everything is well combined. Then add the Flour to the mix and allow machine to run for another few minutes, scraping as before. If the mix is too dry the paddle will spin round beneath the mix so add a little water. When satisfied add the dry yeast to the yeast dispenser. Wait till the cycle completes, remove the tin from the machine and allow to cool before tipping out on to wire rack.



Pizza variation:

Make the mix as above. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Spread the dough about 1 cm thick on the paper. The dough is too gooey to add toppings yet so bake at 220C (430F) for about 5 minutes to cook the outside.

Remove from oven and brush on some olive oil. Smother with tomato puree, add desired toppings and then sprinkle with cheese – mozzarella or cheddar etc.

Put finished pizza back into oven for another 10-15 minutes until properly cooked.

GLUTEN FREE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Makes one 8 inch round or 7 inch square cake

Ingredients:

110g/4.5 oz Rice flour
50g/ 2oz Potato starch (could use cornflour or potato flour as substitutes)
25g / 1oz Tapioca Flour
1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g/7oz butter
200g/7oz dark brown sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
1 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs, lightly beaten
800g/1 3/4 lb mixed dried fruits
100g/3 1/2 oz chopped mixed peel
150g/5oz glace cherries, halved
100g/3 1/2 oz blanched almonds, chopped
150ml Rum or brandy for soaking (optional)

Method:

If desired soak the dried fruit in the rum or brandy for a minimum of 3 hours before starting to make the cake. Strain most of the remaining alcohol from the fruit before adding to cake mix.

1. Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2. Grease a 20cm/8inch round or an 18cm/7inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.
2. Sieve the flours, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the xanthan gum and mix well to evenly distribute all the ingredients.
3. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, golden syrup and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
4. Mix the beaten eggs gradually into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last of the egg.
5. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries and the almonds.
6. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.
7. Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer.8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
9. Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.
10. Once cool, dot holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbsp of rum or brandy and allow to soak into the cake.
11. Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container,
You can spoon over a few tablespoons of rum or brandy every week until you are ready to ice and decorate your cake.