Disclaimer: I received a free product for my post! These views are my own and were not at all influenced by the party who gave me this opportunity..
Baked goods go over very well in our family. Muffins, pies, sweet breads…they’re all delicious. Unfortunately, I have a hard time knowing how to make them in a healthier fashion. I have been trying to stay away from gluten when possible and using more wholesome ingredients, so the Gluten-Free Baking cookbook from Parragon Books has been helpful.
This book retails at $12.99 and is hardcover with a protector on it. Take a peek inside below!
What I Love
This cookbook was easy to follow. The recipes I tried were fairly straightforward. The food photos in the book were also a great help in letting me know if my dish turned out the way it was supposed to. I love the in-process photos too.
Per the request of my husband, I made the Banana Bread and Key Lime Pie. At the top of each, the book includes some fast nutritional data like calories, fats, carbs, and sugars.
At the beginning of this baking cookbook, there is loads of information about gluten, Celiac Disease, wheat allergies, gluten-free and gluten-containing foods, tips for eating out when gluten-free, and more. As someone trying to cut back on gluten, I really did not realize some of the foods that contain gluten. They even included quick recipes for making your own flour mixes (all purpose, self-rising, cake flour, bread flour….)
The book has five sections with categories that include cupcakes and muffins, cookies and bars, family and celebration cakes, desserts and pies, and breads and savory pastries. There is a great selection. I have a huge, growing list of recipes I plan to try.
As I mentioned, I tried the Banana Bread and Key Lime Pie. The banana bread was simple to make and tasted pretty good, though it was a little dry and flat for me (but I am very partial to my own banana bread recipe.) It also had a slight Ginger Snap Cookie taste. My kids enjoyed it.
The Key Lime Pie was actually pretty good and looked beautiful. I am not a big Key Lime Pie fan, but my husband really wanted it. He is in love with it. The filling was a little bit tart, just like we like things. Since Key Lime Pie is my father-in-law’s favorite dessert, I know I will be making this again in the near-future. I am actually going to see how well a pie piece freezes too, since we won’t eat the whole pie ourselves.
What I’m Not Huge On
While it’s completely unnecessary for the success of the cookbook, I really missed having little tips on each page like the other Parragon Books I’ve reviewed. I could have used some advice on getting the most juice out of limes since I struggled to get the needed amount out of the limes required.
I also found that there are very few inexpensive recipes in this book. If you are used to eating gluten free and spending a lot on more wholesome ingredients, it may not seem a big deal, but I struggled to find xanthan gum, amaranth flour, and sunflower oil locally. If I decide to start making these more frequently, I will probably make a trip out to an organic food store and buy the ingredients in bulk.
Overall, I really enjoyed baking the recipes we chose and am excited to try a few more soon. I really love learning more about gluten-free eating as well.
You can purchase this book on Amazon.com (affiliate link.)
Visit Parragon Books on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Key Lime Pie looks wonderful!
It was really tasty!