Member Reviews
These recipes sound amazing - I wish they all had photos to accompany them! Living that AIP/food elimination lifestyle, I would've loved more info about substitutions for things that Fahrenkrug lists in her recipes that we can't eat, like corn-based and other grain-based flours and xanthan gum, but I realize that is a very specific need and not likely to be considered by most. Still, nice to have a resource for some good gluten-free, dairy-free treats!
I'm thankful to the publisher and to Netgalley for an ARC of The Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Dessert Cookbook. I have one vegan in my family and one who doesn't eat gluten, and it's next to impossible to find dessert recipes that satisfy the restrictions of both diets. This book is perfect. Beautiful pictures, and delicious food!
Fahrenkrug is a very knowledgeable and well educated on gluten. Some of the points she brought up in the beginning chapters made me reevaluate how I use my kitchen. It was an eye opening experience reading this book. It would be both hard and easy to with to this baking style. Once you got set up for it, the process would be easy. If this is an important step for you, the benefit really out ways the setup. And this cookbook is filled with yummy desserts, breakfasts, pies, etc. This book makes healthy more appealing!
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. The opinions are my own.
This book helped me bake for friends with allergies! I'm a pretty good baker, but I was flummoxed when my usual recipes wouldn't be edible for them.
I try to eat Gluten free as much as possible but I have a friend who has to eat gluten free and diary free. I showed her this review copy and she was so excited. We both said the recipes were easy to follow with clear instructions. Substitutions were given if you did not make your own flour batch. So excited that this book is available.
Rockridge Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of the Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Baking Cookbook. I was under no obligation to review this cookbook and my opinion is freely given.
This cookbook begins with a great introduction, detailing how to transition to a gluten-free kitchen, what gluten is and how it works, and charts including different gluten-free flours and how to use them. The author also goes through different starches and binders, has recipes for custom blends of gluten-free flours, and baking charts for dairy-free items. Additionally, the author takes the time to go through some troubleshooting, which is very helpful for figuring out issues with pie crusts, cookies, breads, and the like. There are great tip boxes scattered throughout the cookbook, including little factoids that will help readers consider the dairy-free, gluten-free lifestyle.
The recipes are broken down into logical sections, with each recipe listing the relevant data, such as nut-free or gluten-free. There are also tips at the end of each recipe, including information such as storage tips.
The section entitled Breakfast Treats includes great offerings like Silver Dollar Pancakes, Lazy Day Cinnamon Coffee Cake, and Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Breakfast Bake (a cross between a quiche and a cake, which is perfect for a holiday table). I liked the fact that there were items here that were cooked, not just oatmeal or granola.
The Yeast Bread and Rolls section includes familiar offerings like White Bread, Bagels, and Homemade Dinner Rolls, all made gluten-free. It will open up readers minds to the possibilities and confirm that being gluten-free does not mean sacrificing delicious bread.
Some of my favorite recipes were in the Pizza, Flatbreads, and Crackers section, as the flavor profiles are sometimes unique and often familiar. I love the delicious Gluten-free Restaurant-style Pizza dough, with endless possibilities for toppings whether you follow a dairy-free diet or just gluten-free. The parade of pizzas, delicious flatbreads, and surprises like Graham Crackers give many possibilities for meals or great snacks.
Cookies and Bars include many classic favorites, like Gingerbread, Almond Biscotti, and Peanut Butter Cookies. There are great bars like S'mores Brownie, Lemon, and Quick & Easy Energy Bars. Readers need to look carefully at these recipes because some do not include all alternative ingredients.
Cakes and Quick Breads have recognizable favorites like Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting and quick breads like Banana-Nut, Pumpkin, and Lemon-Poppy seed. The cake I most want to try is Angel Food Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream and Strawberries, but all of the recipes in this section are worth trying.
Sweet and Savory Pies and Fruit Desserts is a section filled with possibilities for both dinner and dessert. The section starts out with two great pie crust recipes, one for sweet and one that could work for both. Sweet treats like Pumpkin Pie, Double Chocolate Tart with Raspberries and Coconut Whipped Cream are followed by savory ones, like Chicken-Mushroom Pot Pie and Bacon, Mushroom and Thyme Quiche. I love the fact that there are different types of offerings in this section, opening readers eyes to the possibilities.
Finally, readers should know that not all recipes in this cookbook are both dairy-free and gluten-free. Many of the recipes include many ingredients and have a lot of steps, although they mostly are not difficult. The biggest drawback to the Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Cookbook is that there are very few pictures. I am not a fan of cookbooks that neglect the visual aspect of cooking, as there are many recipes that I might not try if I do not know how they will turn out. Additionally, some of the recipes are confusing, including eggs but using vegan butter. I wish the author had included alternate ingredients, like the flaxseed egg, in the right proportions to make the recipes dairy-free.
Overall, this is a great cookbook and one I would recommend to other readers.
I adored this cookbook! I will be baking recipes from it for weeks to come! It was surprisingly technical and I learned a lot about the various kinds of gluten free flour and different baking techniques. Overall, I really enjoyed this!