Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix & Flour Blend - Update

The plot thickens...... Today when I was making another loaf of bread with the mix I received the other day I noticed that the ingredients on the bag are not what is listed on Amazon.com for this item. So here are the ingredients of the various products for your reference.

Wheat Free Bread Mix

INGREDIENTS: Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar, Chicory Root, White Rice Flour, Millet Flour, Honey and Molasses; Rice Bran, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum, Yeast Packet.

Bread Mix & Flour Blend

AMAZON INGREDIENTS: Tapioca Flour White Rice Flour Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar Brown Rice Flour Sweet Rice Flour Sorghum Flour Xanthan Gum. Yeast Not Included. Sea Salt Rice Bran Molasses & Honey Millet Flour Chicory Root

PACKAGE INGREDIENTS: Sorghum Flour; Tapioca Flour; White Rice Flour; Sweet Rice Flour; Brown Rice Flour; Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar; Chicory Root; Millet Flour; Molasses & Honey; Rice Bran; Sea Salt; Xanthan Gum. Yeast Not Included.

Pamela's Wheat Free Bread Mix vs Bread Mix & Flour Blend

The Taste Test - Pamela's Wheat Free Bread Mix vs Bread Mix & Flour Blend



Pamela's came out with a new flour mix called the "Bread Mix & Flour Blend". It is available in 4 lb bags. I decided to try it yesterday and made some hamburger buns and a mini loaf. I had made a Wheat Free Bread Mix on Sunday so now was the time to do a taste test side by side.

I posted a picture (above) of the two breads side by side. The small loaf slice is the new bread mix and the larger one (right) is the old Wheat Free version. They look the same. Same color and texture. But would they taste the same?

So I warmed them both up a tad and added some butter. I think the "Wheat Free" was a little sweeter and this is probably due to more sorghum in the ingredients but to be honest. If you gave me both and didn't tell me I would think they were the same thing. It took several back and forth of tasting to even notice the slight difference.

So thumbs up for the new mix. You get 3 - 4 lb bags on Amazon.com for $35 with free shipping.

Wheat Free Bread Mix

INGREDIENTS: Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar, Chicory Root, White Rice Flour, Millet Flour, Honey and Molasses; Rice Bran, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum, Yeast Packet.

Bread Mix & Flour Blend

INGREDIENTS: Tapioca Flour White Rice Flour Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar Brown Rice Flour Sweet Rice Flour Sorghum Flour Xanthan Gum. Yeast Not Included. Sea Salt Rice Bran Molasses & Honey Millet Flour Chicory Root

Gluten Free Coconut Oat Waffles

On an impulse I bought a package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats. What on earth will I do with them? Well today I figured it out. I made some waffles! These were so tasty and a change from the normal spongy waffle. I think these will definitely stick with me today.

Gluten Free Coconut Oatmeal Waffles

1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats (or Oats)

2 cups Warm Water

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup cane sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbs Coconut Oil

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and batter like. Add water if too thick. Spray your waffle iron with oil and cook until golden brown.

Great nutritious comfort food on a cold day....

To your health - Gluten Free!

Stephanie

Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

I was looking for something different to do with my mushy bananas on the counter. Banana bread is getting too familiar and the kids are not excited to eat it. So what could I do with them? So I decided to try a new blend. I have a can of Trader Joe's Pumpkin and 4 mushy bananas. Let's put them together and top them with cream cheese frosting so the kids will be more inclined to try them. I have a problem with them that if it doesn't have chocolate in them they are not interested. When these were done and on the counter - they started begging to have one. After dinner will be the taste test. I tried them and they are Yummy!

In case you are wondering - the big muffins have some raisens in them. Those I will eat.


Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting


1 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 small)
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°.
In large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
In separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
Stir in eggs, mashed bananas, pumpkin, spices, and vanilla until well blended.
Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Here are my mini muffins:

Here are my frosted muffins. They are more appealing to my kids. :)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter at room temperature (1 stick)

8 oz cream cheese

2-3 cups powdered sugar (or add til the consistency you desire)

1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients in the mixer and blend until smooth and creamy.

To your health - Gluten Free!

Stephanie

Gluten Free Calzone

GLUTEN FREE CALZONE

1 1/2 tsp Dry Active Yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
3/4 Cup Sweet (Glutinous) Rice Flour
2 tsp Italian Seasoning Mixture
1/2 tsp salt

Combine yeast, warm water and sugar. Mix lightly and float olive oil on top of the yeast mixture. Let stand for 10 - 15 minutes. It should be bubbly on top before use.

Mix flours seasoning and salt and add wet yeast mixture. Divide dough into 3 parts (or 2 if you want the calzone bigger) . Lightly dust a surface to roll out the dough. I use parchment paper to roll it out because then you can bake on the paper. Roll into a circle approx 11-12 inches in diameter (or 14-15" if doing 2 calzones).

Spread pizza sauce on 1/2 of the dough and top with fillings (cheese, ham, pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, etc).

With the paper still "attached" gently fold it over and pull the dough away from the paper.

Crimp the sides of the dough to seal the fillings in for baking. Use a fork to do this. Then trim the edges with a knife.

This is what it looks like. Lightly spray the calzone with olive oil. I got a Misto for Christmas and I love it! You can fill it with whatever oil you want and it doesn't contain any preservatives.

Place small slits in the top of the finished pocket (not shown) and bake on the parchment paper for 20-25 minutes (or until lightly browned) at 375 degrees.

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

I must be crazy. I got up at 6 am and started making these muffins. They were out and cooled in time to put them into my kids lunches. Today's lunch is muffins and yogurt plus some GF pretzels and applesauce.

These are GF, CF, SF.

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins (yields approx 12-14 muffins)

1 cup extra finely ground brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch (not flour)
2 Tbs plus 2 tsp Tapioca Flour /Starch
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup agave nectar (I used coconut palm sugar)
1/2 cup coconut oil (melt if solid) - can use vegetable oil instead
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs coconut milk
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non stick spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon and salt. In a second bowl, combine agave nectar, coconut oil, coconut milk, eggs and applesauce. Add the flour mixture to the "wet ingredients" and mix well until fully blended.

3. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, filling each to about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: I added 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to my muffins too.

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Beef de Roma

We tried a new recipe tonight. It was so good! Both kids gave it a thumbs up. The hardest part was getting the brown rice to cook. This one's a keeper!

BEEF DE ROMA

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
3 cups rice, prepared
1 16-oz cottage cheese
Grated Parmesan, to garnish

Brown meat in a skillet; drain. Add onion, pepper, garlic, seasonings, and tomato sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Layer rice, cottage cheese and meat mixture in a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake 10 minutes longer or until golden. Serves 4-6

Gluten Free Broccoli-Chicken Lasagna

Tonight's dinner is going to use 1/4 of the chicken that we ate earlier. Trying to keep up with my leftovers is proving challenging.

Gluten Free Broccoli-Chicken Lasagna

1 stick butter

1 cup gluten free flour mix

1 T Chicken bouillon granules

pepper to taste

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

3 cups Milk

1 cup water

3 1/2 cups shredded Italian-blend Cheese

2 cups cooked chicken (diced)

3 cups broccoli flowerets, cooked

6 strips of Tinkyada GF Lasagna Noodles

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium / low. Stir in the flour, bouillon, pepper and Italian seasoning. Gradually stir in milk and water. Cook and stir until thickened. Add 2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Mix in chicken and broccoli. Spread 1/3 of the mixture onto the bottom of a 9x13" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Put the next 1/3 of the mixture on the noodles. Place the next 3 noodles on top. Add remaining mixture and top with the 1 1/2 cups of cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Organic Gluten Free Goulash

I went to the grocery store for the first time since New Years Eve. I was armed with a list and came out with just a few items more. I had two items that I could not get on my list so I will have to do that tomorrow. So far I spent $11.75 at CostCo on a bag of Trail Mix and some bananas. Today I bought a few things at Meijer and the total was $39.95. My other purchases will be around $15 so the total for the week will be under $70. We ate from the freezer and cupboards. This also included breakfast and lunches for the kids.

Gluten Free Organic Goulash
1 lb Grass Fed Beef $3.25
1 bag of Trader Joes Organic Penne Pasta $1.99
1/4 Organic Green Pepper .25 cents
1/4 Organic Onion .25 cents
1 Can Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato Soup $2.29
1/2 Bag Organic Meijer Brand Corn $1.15

Total Cost for a meal and some leftovers for lunches $9.18

The kids also had some homemade applesauce. I get the apples from a local orchard for $8 / peck. I can get 4 quarts from one bag. That's only $2 per quart for no sugar organic applesauce.

Being a Good Steward This Year - The Grocery Challenge

I have decided that this year I need to be a better steward of my gifts from God. Overall I think I do OK but I want to see if I can improve in the area of meals. My goal is to plan more nutrient dense meals for less. I find myself getting busy, pop into the grocery store, grab a few items and then get home to find out I already have 3 of something and none of something else I needed. I also want to plan things so that those partial cans of things get used in something else, the leftovers are sent with my kiddo's to school or eaten for another family meal.

So here is my first run at 2 meals. Today I baked the Ginger Lemon Girl Favorite Sandwich Bread. I doubled the batch and made 1/2 into 2 mini loaves and 8 hamburger buns. I took the other 1/2 of the batch and made a loaf of bread for sandwiches for the week. By the way this bread does really well on the counter. We had it there for almost a week w/o it drying out. Today I noticed flecks of white mold so the last 3 pcs went to the birds.

Two meals (Chili & BBQ's) Ingredients total $13.20.

Grass Fed Ground Beef (1 2/3 cups) $4.75
Can Organic Kidney Beans $ .99 cents
Can Organic Northern Beans $1.78
Can Organic Beef Broth $2.79
Can Organic Tomato Paste $1.09
Leftover 1/2 of 28 oz Can of Organic Diced Tomatoes $1.45
1/2 Organic Red Onion diced .32


First I made chili. I browned the ground beef and took 1/2 of it and put it in a soup pot with once can of kidney beans, northern beans, beef broth and 1/2 the can of tomato paste plus the leftover diced tomatoes. Then I added 1/4 of the red onion. I seasoned it with 1 Tbs Chili powder, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp Penzeys minced garlic, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp celtic sea salt and some pepper. I also added a few red pepper (the hot flakes) for some "zing".

Next, I made BBQ for the buns I baked. I took the other 1/2 of the ground beef and added the rest of the tomato paste with 1 cup of water. Then I added the other 1/4 of diced onion. For seasoning I add 1/4 cup of ketchup (I use Trader Joes because it uses sugar and not high fructose corn syrup), 1 Tbs Yellow Mustard and 2 Tbs Brown Sugar. I simmer it and add a touch of celtic salt and pepper.

Tonight we had:
Rotisserie Chicken from CostCo $4.99
1/4 the bag of Peas and Pearl Onions $1.25
Au Gratin Potatoes from Trader Joes (no hydrogenated oils) $1.99

Dinner cost: $8.24 for 4 of us but....... 1/2 the chicken was left so it will be used for another meal so really it was only $5.74 for the entire meal.

I currently have a banana bread (Bette Hagman's) in the oven. Thankfully I made up the Four Bean Flour mix for Christmas baking and had leftovers so I put the flour in the freezer. I used 2 very squishy banana's on the counter for my bread. I put it into my mini loaf pans so I can freeze one for later. My kids will need snacks this coming week.

So far so good. No trips to the store since New Years Eve. I will continue to try to be creative with what is in the house for the next few days.