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I’m certainly not an experienced baker at all….yet I love giving things a go. Plus when you are wheat intolerant it can be cheaper to make things yourself rather than buy them. So in the back of my mind I had planned to try making some hot cross buns in the run up to Easter. Typically life ran away with itself, time fly by and on Easter Sunday there were still no hot cross buns.

However on Easter Monday I was tweeted a recipe to try….it being a rainy Bank Holiday I decided to take the plunge. These aren’t something to bake in a hurry but if you are around the house and have time to let them rise then give them a go! I had to adapt the recipe which I admit did make me quite nervous, however I was delighted with the results and a teeny bit proud of myself 😉

The Recipe:

200g Rice flour

100g cornmeal

100g rye flour

50g tapioca starch

50g potato flour

(Alternatively 500g of a good GF flour mix)

1 tsp xanthum gum

2 tsp yeast

300ml warm milk

75g caster sugar

50g marg

1 egg

Mix all the above together to make a dough, but don’t knead it. Then place into an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place. This took about 1 1/2 hours for mine. It should almost double in size and it feels risen to the touch, springy and doughy.

Whilst it rises have a sit down, a cuppa, sweep the kitchen, do some catching up on twitter (you get the idea) and also mix together:

1 tsp olive oil

zest 1 orange

100g sultanas

1tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 grated nutmeg

Mix this fruity bunch into the dough and leave it to rise once more. I left mine most of the afternoon. Leaving it longer than needed won’t harm it. Then shape into rounds, about 12, and get ready for the creative bit. Mix a couple of tbsp of gluten free flour with a drizzle of water and mix to a thick paste. Pop into a piping back and pipe on your crosses. Here’s mine before cooking:

Pop in the oven at Gas Mark 7 for 20 minutes. I checked mine and swapped the upper and middle trays over half way through. Leave to cool on a wire rack and enjoy. Yum.

Wheat Free, Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns — Wheat Free Hot Cross Buns

Due to the fact I have Crohn’s disease I’m on a wheat free diet. I’m not allergic to wheat, but definitely intolerant to it and I know quite soon after eating something that contains wheat. Wheat free food and all specialist food can be quite expensive so my way around that is to shop around and to make as much of my own wheat free food as possible. This means my cupboards are full of weird and wonderful things like Xanthum gum (one of my fav things, it has made my bread so much better) and many flours. I typically like to use rice flour, rye flour, potato flour, chickpea flour, cornmeal, cornflour and tapioca flour. Buying all these flours can certainly add up, but there are a few tips and tricks I can pass on….

Don’t expect these specialist flours to be a good price at your local supermarket, but do keep checking as they sometimes have offers on.
Look online at the specialist health food stores, again they often have offers on.
Try health food shops and farm shops. One of my farm shops has the most fantastic range of wheat free foods and often has deals on.
Ethnic shops can be great. I get my rice flour, tapioca flour and potato flour plus rice noodles from the Chinese shop and my chickpea flour from the Indian shop. Much cheaper than anywhere else.
Although the premixed flours you can buy are easy they are not always the best, try mixing your own blends. I find rice flour with cornmeal and rye flour is good for bread.
Making your own bread is cheaper and usually better for you as you can control what you put in and add extra bits….I like a selection of seeds in my bread.
Most bought bread has a high salt content, when I make mine I put a tiny amount in or none at all.
Other wheat free goodies I regularly make are crumpets, pancakes and scones. Yum.

Here is a selection of the goodies I bought today from my local Chinese shop, now to get baking 🙂

Dietitian UK

Tag Archives: flour

Wheat Free, Hot Cross Buns.

Wheat Free Flour Tips.

Freelance Dietitian specialising in helping those with Eating Disorders and a Media Spokesperson for the profession.