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Forum THE LOUNGE Gluten Free Baking

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    • jerseygirl
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        Anyone got some tried and true Gluten Free cake recipes? (Ellie, Im counting on you having a couple!) 

         I have done a few before, that generally are flour free. I’m not a huge fan of using GF flour as it leaves an after taste and texture I don’t really like. However, GF eaters may not notice that too much.  Possibly the choice of flour and combo of other ingredients helps…

        Im needing to do some GF baking and would love some fail safe type recipes.  TIA! 


      • Muchelle
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          Last year I made a GF cake to bring as a present to a dinner I was invited to. I used chestnut flour mixed with bitter cocoa powder If you’d like I can translate the recipe!


        • jerseygirl
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            If it’s no trouble, Muchelle. Thank you!


          • Muchelle
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              No probs! So, for a 24cm Ø cake tin:
              – 240gr chestnuts flour;
              – 60gr bitter cocoa powder;
              – 125gr white sugar (or 70gr brown sugar);
              – 300ml fresh milk;
              – 5 eggs (M or L, not the extra big ones);
              – 1 tablespoon baking powder;

              As for the procedure, sift & mix flour and cocoa to ensure having an uniformly coloured dough, add in the other dry ingredients, mix, throw in the wet ingredient, mix until smooth, check taste to see if you’d like it sweeter and make adjustments. Bake at 180°C static for 45 minutes.

              It’s very tasty by itself or served with ice cream or whipped cream

              Just mind that chestnut flour expires (at least I didn’t know, I found out the hard way, bleh)! 
              This batter is also good for cupcakes & it’s good also if a few days old. It dries up and makes good coffee dunking material for breakfast.

              EDIT: I can ask my celiac friends for more ideas if you need


            • Tuppence
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                jerseygirl, have you ever tried making raw desserts? I make them a lot, not only because they are delicious but because I’m a lifelong vegan, and in addition to abstaining from animal products I don’t eat any processed food. They tend to be gluten free by default (and free of refined sugar and a whole host of other nutritionally devoid ingredients often found in sweet treats.)

                I’m also a qualified pasty chef, so let me know if you want some recipes! You’ll be amazed at what can be made sans gluten without compromising taste and texture.

                Also, chestnut flour is one of my favourite baking ingredients! It isn’t cheap and doesn’t have much of a shelf life, so if you’re going to purchase some your best bet would be to find an organic grocer that sells pantry items by weight (the produce sold by these places also tends to be fresher than prepackaged.) I’m not sure whereabouts in Australia you’re based, but I can give you the names of what I think are the best organic grocers in Melbourne and Sydney!


              • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                  Does it have to be strictly gluten-free for someone with coeliac disease, or just gluten-free for someone who cut it out of their diet? If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, please check all ingredients for the gluten-free logo and scrub out your baking pans twice, or line them with baking paper everywhere. They’re notorious for having small nooks and crannies where little pieces of gluten-containing flour get stuck. This often goes wrong at my MIL: all ingredients GF, but the baking tin was contaminated. (Hums along to Judas Priest: Breaking the loo, breaking the loo…”)

                  I use GF flour for nearly all cakes which I make, the Schär brand is great for this: no aftertaste. It’s the leading brand in Europe. I don’t know if you can buy it down under, but the “Kuchen und Kekse” mix (sometimes called Mix C) is a miracle. If you can get it there, I’d recommend a Dutch regional specialty: a Limburgian vlaai. A thin bread-like crust filled with a lot of fruit filling, topped by a classic roster pattern sprinkled with coarse sugar pearls. I’m half Limburgian, and for my birthday I usually bake at least two of these vlaaien. The tradition is to have at least two large pieces with wicked amounts of sweet whipped cream, doing otherwise will surely offend your hostess ^_^ The Dutch may be known as frugal, but below the rivers people have a more Bourgondian lifestyle. If you want to bake this, I’ll post a recipe. The most traditional flavours are: cherry, apricot, rice pudding and apple/crumble. I wanted to show a pretty picture of an apricot vlaai which I baked last year, but all my whatsapp data of the last year were lost. So here are some stock pics:

                  Cherry vlaai

                  Apricot vlaai

                  If you can’t get Schär or don’t want to use the flour at all: this recipe works great as well. I tried this orange and polenta cake from Jamie Oliver and it was absolutely scrumptious. If you’re cooking for someone with CD: make sure your polenta has the GF logo.
                  http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/orange-polenta-cake/


                • jerseygirl
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                    Ooh my mouth is watering! Its very late here so I’ll come back to this thread tomorrow when the brain cells are firing better. Re the jamie oliver recipe, Ive made something very similar (even the quantities are very similar). It was Nigella Lawsons lemon polenta cake. I like the look of the syrup in Jamies recipe. The lemon one has just a simple syrup of juice and sugar.
                    Recipes not need be coeliac safe. This is just for people choosing to low gluten or omitting gluten from their diets. That trend we’ve discussed before. There was actually something in our media here this week how this may cause more harm then good. It came to mind what you told me about undiagnosed coeliac disease…

                    Thanks for your input also, Hazey Jane! I will need to “pick your brains” more also. Im very intrigued about chestnut flour. Chestnuts are in season here and I saw in a local store last week. Ive wondered about attempting to make chestnut flour. I did find a local place that sells it. $7.75 for 250grams.

                    ETA: Muchelle, does that recipe have any oil or butter? Or does the eggs and milk give it enough moisture?


                  • Muchelle
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                      no oil and no butter except for what needed to grease the baking pan


                    • Tuppence
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                        Feel free to pick away, jerseygirl! I’ve never made my own chestnut flour, I think you might have your work cut out for you, given how fiddly they are to prepare, and you’d want to make sure all the moisture is removed prior to milling was you’d just end up with a sticky mess. I did find this set of instructions if you want to give it a go! If you do, be sure to let us know how it turns out. Chestnut season is one of the very few things I like about winter! 

                        If you’re starting with fresh, raw nuts (I’m assuming you left those spiky shells back in the woods somewhere), use a serrated knife to make an X on the flat side of each nut, then place them on a cookie sheet. 

                        Cutting the peels allows steam to escape from the nuts and prevents them from exploding in the oven. Roast the chestnuts at 400° for 25 minutes. You’ll notice the skins start to peel back from the X. The shells and inner skin will come off easily when the nuts are still warm. If they cool down and stiffen up, zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to reheat and make the skins pliable again. 

                        I slice whole nuts in half before drying them to speed up the dehydration process. Spread your peeled and sliced nuts on a dehydrator sheet and dry at 105 F for 12-24 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, dry them on a cookie sheet in your oven on the lowest possible setting. You’ll know they’re done when the nut pieces are so hard you can’t break them in half with your fingers. 

                        Using a spice grinder or blender, grind your dried chestnuts until the flour reaches the degree of fineness you need for your chosen recipe. If you’re making polenta, stop when the flour has a texture similar to that of cornmeal. 

                        Chestnut flour should be kept frozen or refrigerated. This way it can be stored for up to six months. 


                      • Tuppence
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                          Ellie, I LOVE vlaai! We do have Schar in Australia but I’ve never used it myself. We are quite spoilt here when it comes to gluten free comestibles! I’m not coeliac but I do eat a lot of gluten free food anyway because I am not a fan of wheat.


                        • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                            Great, where did you taste it? I know there are a lot of cloggies in AUS & NZ, so are there any Dutch shops? I’d love to come to Australia, because I’ve heard it’s coeliac paradise over there. Is it true at at least 5% of the population eats GF? My boyfriend refuses to go, because he’s afraid of spiders. He’s convinced that there are spiders the size of saucers everywhere. That’s too much Attenborough for you

                            If you want, I can put up a tutorial to making GF vlaai, but you’ll have to wait until it’s my birthday in a few weeks so I can take pics.

                            Sorry to say, but NL is coeliac hell and this is extremely ironic. It was discovered by a Dutchman here in NL during WW2! 1/100 of the population has it, but only 1/800 people are diagnosed with it. This is mostly due to uninformed GP’s, a general lack of doctors and severe budget cuts to keep health care affordable. Most GP’s are still being taught that it can only be present from childhood and that you have to be underweight and suffering from diarrhea. This is the classical manifestation which only affects 1/8 people with CD. Most GP’s are also swamped with patients because of the lack of doctors, so they tend to wave away anything which doesn’t have clear symptoms and isn’t life-threatening.

                            I was diagnosed when I was already well past puberty, and I’ve heard for 4 years: “Yes, everyone has stomach upsets now and then, why are you here? You probably just have an irritable bowel, please leave and only come back when it’s serious.” After a lot of self-experimentation I found out that it seemed to be caused by products with grains. I went back and literally demanded to see a gastro-enterologist, the doctor sighed as disdainfully as he could and gave me the note. Here in NL you have to get a permission slip from a GP to see a specialist, doing so without permission will get you sent away. We really do have a lack of doctors. If you show up in the ER with something they think is not serious enough, your insurance may refuse to cover it. Don’t know if your ankle was broken or sprained when you fell off your bike? Best visit a GP first, because if it isn’t broken you’re going to have to cough up for wasting precious ER time. Brutally efficient much?

                            It’s no surprise that most coeliacs never get a diagnosis, and that most people in NL have never heard about it. What they have heard about is the tiny niche group of fad-dieters who loudly claim gluten are the root of all evil and gluten-free are the cure to everything. That doesn’t help for the image, and it’s definitely not good for eating in restaurants. The only upside is that we have a lot more gluten-free products and the quality has improved over the years. Even large supermarkets have their own sections now, which lowers the prices a lot. You don’t have to buy at health food stores anymore, who tend to be on the pricy side if you put it kindly without using the words “blatantly ripping off”. Oops…


                          • vanessa
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                              Interesting. I was actually looking for the may pictures thread and saw this. I’m also GF. I had the celiac blood test done, but they assumed I has been eating wheat for the test to react, and I hadn’t. So it was a negative result, but I don’t know if it was a true negative or false negative, since they made assumptions that weren’t tru. Either way – I knw how gluten makes me feel and I avoid it like a plalgue. I do a lot of GF cooking, but I haven’t ever made a cake. I’d honestly look for a GF cake box recipe… They typically have the right mix of starches in the flour, to make a nice cake. Probably the easiest GF cake to make in my opinion – is a flourless chocolate cake. From what I remember, the ingredients are egg, butter, sugar, and chocolate. I just don’t bake a lot of cake type things. I do muffins, scones, occasionally cupcakes, waffles, pizza dough, sometimes pies, and breads.


                            • Tuppence
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                                I had vlaai when I was in Germany. I went to school in Darmstadt for 6 months and I tried it on a trip to Bremen. A tutorial would be splendid! There is actually a giant Dutch supermarket near my dad’s house.

                                Your boyfriend is right about the spiders! I actually love them. I like having big huntsman spiders around because they take care of all the flies, and flies are the worst. I’ve always wanted a red kneed tarantula as a pet but they can’t be kept legally here. So I compensated by getting a huge one tattooed on my forearm (incorporated into my sleeve.) It does a good job of making arachnophobes very uncomfortable.

                                I’m so sorry you have to deal with all that food-related unpleasantness, it can’t be fun having to scrutinise every single thing before eating it. I know what you mean about coeliacs having to deal with the repercussions of people adopting a fad gluten free diet. It’s a problem here as well, because careless chefs who don’t understand how serious a condition it is often haphazardly cross contaminate food, and as I’m sure you’re all too familiar with, any trace of gluten can wreak havoc on a coeliac. I get frustrated with people becoming vegan because they think it’s trendy too. Especially when I see them eating things like gummy lollies that have gelatin in them. But, as you pointed out, it makes vegan-friendly products much more readily available. I remember when I first became vegan (when I was 12) my mum had to buy Bonsoy (I’ve never seen it in Europe, it’s a Japanese soy milk that is the ONLY soy milk in my opinion) by the box from a health food store. Now you can get it everywhere, and pretty much every cafe uses it. Nevertheless, “specialty” foods such as gluten free and vegan are still, by and large, a rip off.


                              • Tuppence
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                                  Vanessa, do you use xanthan gum in bread-type dough to replace the gluten? Whenever I make gluten free bread (my dad isn’t coeliac but he does have a gluten sensitivity and I do a lot of baking for him) I make up my own blend of flours and add the gum to it. I think cakes are a lot easier because they aren’t as reliant on gluten.


                                • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                    I use a fair amount of Fiberhusk in nearly all the stuff I bake, it’s a brand name for psyllium fibres. They form a sort of gel when dissolved in a liquid, which makes the dough a lot less crumbly and less dry. Xanthan gum and guar gum are also popular, but a small percentage of people on a coeliac forum reported that it gave them stomach troubles. Gums can be hard to digest for people with really sensitive bowels because of their molecular structure: they’re large molecules which aren’t always properly broken down in the beginning of the digestive system. This gives problems “down the line” because it can be used by gut flora bacteria who’ll convert it into gas. It’s the same with beans: if beans give you a heap of trouble, gums probably will too.

                                    The FODMAP diet is based on this as well, it is meant for people who continue to have unexplained bowel issues. It consists of foods which are easily digestible, and when the symptoms are gone the person can slowly introduce certain foods one by one to see which ones are the culprit.


                                  • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                      Posted By Hazey Jane on 5/08/2017 7:20 PM

                                      I had vlaai when I was in Germany. I went to school in Darmstadt for 6 months and I tried it on a trip to Bremen. A tutorial would be splendid! There is actually a giant Dutch supermarket near my dad’s house.

                                      I’m so sorry you have to deal with all that food-related unpleasantness, it can’t be fun to have to scrutinise every single thing before eating it. I know what you mean about coeliacs having to deal with the repercussions of people adopting a fad gluten free diet. It’s a problem here as well, because careless chefs who don’t understand how serious a condition it is often haphazardly cross contaminate food, and as I’m sure you’re all too familiar with, anyt trace of gluten can wreak havoc on a coeliac. I get frustrated with people becoming vegan because they think it’s trendy too. Especially when I see them eating things like gummy lollies that have gelatin in them. But, as you pointed out, it makes vegan-friendly products much more readily available. I remember when I first became vegan (when I was 12) my mum had to buy Bonsoy (I’ve never seen it in Europe, it’s a Japanese soy milk that is the ONLY soy milk in my opinion) by the box from a health food store. Now you can get it everywhere, and pretty much every cafe uses it. Nevertheless, “specialty” foods such as gluten free and vegan are still, by and large, a rip off.

                                      I’d love to do a tutorial My birthday is June 13th, and if I’m feeling a bit better I’ll definitely start baking again. I’ve got some neat tricks to make really thin sheets of GF dough, for pizza bottoms and vlaai-type pastries. If anyone’s ever tried using a rolling pin on GF dough, they’ll know what I’m talking about

                                      Thanks, but it’s quite alright now The first couple of months were puzzling, but it was a huge relief to know where my symptoms came from. It’s such a relief to know for a fact that it isn’t all in your head. I adapted quickly, and nowadays it’s something that doesn’t bother me on a daily basis. I know which foods I can eat, which are tasty and where to get them.
                                      And it’s always a true treat if you find something new which you had been missing for years. One of our most famous cookies is a large butterdough cookie filled with almond paste (gevulde koek = filled cookie). I missed them so much, and while some GF manufacturers made an attempt they were all totally horrible. But two months ago our biggest supermarket chain Albert Heijn introduced their own product line, including gevulde koeken. I was trying not to get my hopes up too much, to not be disappointed again…and it turned out they’re amazing! Not ashamed to say that there are now 7 gevulde koeken in my snack drawer, because they were on sale this week

                                      My friends are all very supportive, and set things aside for me at parties, they also buy me GF beer. Bas had some trouble adapting when we started dating, because he was outraged that so many things contain gluten. He can eat gluten if he wants, but he can’t kiss me within 4 hours because I’ll get a reaction. He still has his own place, so he eats his favourite gluten-containing snacks there because my home is strictly GF. We’ll have to see what we’ll do if we’re going to move in one day. Really funny: when we were just dating, we were going through the supermarket with him loudly swearing beside me: “Which idiot managed to put an aroma containing gluten in g******n chocolate?! ARGH!” We got some strange looks, but he’s mostly made peace with it now


                                    • vanessa
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                                        I absolutely do… Actually, When I go shopping I usually by up all the xanthum gum on the shelf! (I also use it to thicken my homemade shampoo). For cookies I use 1/4 tsp xanthum per cup flour, for muffins/quick breads I use 3/4 tsp xanthum per cup flour, for breads I use 1-1.5 tsp xanthum per cup flour. For pizza dough I use 2 tsp per cup flour. And when I make bread, I also add guar and agar agar. For a 3-cup loaf of bread, I use 2 tsp guar and 1.5 tsp agar agar. When I restock, make sure the xanthum/guar/agar are all gluten free…


                                      • vanessa
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                                          Anything with baking powder is easier. It’s the yeasty bakes that need the additives… that’s why bread gets so much more xanthum than the cookies.


                                        • Sr. Melangell
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                                            Ellie from the Netherlands, did you have to show those mouth watering pies? I’ve just bought my gluten free diet stuff and nothing as good as that, I’m have coeliac disease, I have a special recipe in my magic kitchen draw, I’ll get the recipe.
                                            Comes back to find Olly doing his ‘What you got me look’
                                            Right are you sitting comfortably and I will begin.

                                            This is a microwave cake.

                                            4 tbsp of Doves gluten free self raising flour

                                            4 tbsp of sugar

                                            2 tbsp of cocoa powder

                                            1 egg or egg replacement

                                            3 tbsp of milk

                                            3 tbsp of olive oil

                                            Mix it all together and put in the microwave for 5-7 minutes.

                                            I’ve been making this a while now, I’m still here so it must be alright.


                                          • Sr. Melangell
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                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                Ive neglected this thread! 

                                                Very interesting! 

                                                Hazey Jane, I’ll think I’ll pass then, on making chestnut flour.   I don’t really have access to right equipment either.  But I drive past a place that sells ready made flour so its definitely on my radar.

                                                I haven’t made raw desserts myself but my sister has. She did it for a small function once. Ive also seen some beautiful looking raw sweets at my work place. At least, I think most were raw. It from a place here called From the Wild. 

                                                Good to know we have Schar here. It’s also now on my radar.

                                                Have you ever used the FG Roberts flour range?  Ive read good things about the bread mix. Their plain and self-raising flours are one Ive seen more commonly in some supermarkets. 

                                                ETA: I feel like I should mention… I don’t have a problem eating gluten myself. So I don’t have a wide experience of trying GF alternative foods. There certainly is a good range available here.


                                              • vanessa
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                                                  I find that eating gluten and dairy fre (with the exception of yogurt an cheese), it’s a very healthy liestyle. No boxed or packaged junk. Gluten free and espeically in combination with dairy free – really forces a healthy diet. SInce in order to do gluten free – you have to pretty much eat fresh foods, and bake/cook yourself.


                                                • jerseygirl
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                                                    Yes. Whole foods.
                                                    Overly refined foods can be problematic.


                                                  • Tuppence
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                                                      JUST SAY NO TO PROCESSED FOOD! This is something I am very passionate about. Not just for health, but for the environment and sustainability. Granted, growing up on a Greek island where what we ate came from the backyard (including the animals, before I decided I would rather keep my friends alive than eat them) resulted in never feeling the impetus to eat anything out of a packet or produced by an evil multi-national (to this day I have only ever been inside McDonald’s twice, once when I was a little bit tipsy in London and needed to pee and the other time was about two weeks ago when a friend had a hankering for a post-pub cheeseburger without the patty at 2am.) I have never even tried Coca Cola! The smell of soft drink/soda alone is enough to make me barf; if someone opens a can near me, look out. But I digress. The overwhelming majority of what I eat is local and seasonal. Whilst I am not a fan of wheat because I find it akin to eating what I imagine glue would taste like, I am not strictly gluten free. You will have a very hard time prizing the 100% dark rye sourdough and homemade granola from my cold, dead hands.

                                                      With regards to gluten free flour, I’ve not used FG Roberts. Is it any good? The absolute best I have ever used is Outback Harvest (which is Australian). An honourable mention goes to Bob’s Red Mill (which is American.)


                                                    • jerseygirl
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                                                        Looked up Outback Harvest. Ive not heard of teff flour or the grain before. It sounds like is a bit of a super star.

                                                        I made black bean brownies yesterday, trialing 2 different recipes. They taste pretty good. I’d made small chocolate cakes before, using beans (cannellini or kidney) but had forgotten about them.


                                                      • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                          Teff, buckwheat, quinoa and sorghum are the superstars of the gluten-free diet indeed. They’re pseudo-grains which don’t contain gluten (if not contaminated while being harvested or milled). Oats are a special category as well: they’re usually contaminated on the field because they’re grown in rotation with wheat (so there’s always the chance that there’s wheat growing in between). Nowadays some specialised companies are growing oats on separate fields, harvest with separate harvesters etc, so gluten-free oats are finally available.


                                                        • foreverfluffle
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                                                            This thread is really good! Last month I was tested for celiac disease, but it came back negative. I get stomach cramps and pain and I’m sure either wheat or gluten is the culprit, so I’m avoiding it, and am definitely feeling much better without it! 

                                                            When I was a kid I was found to be allergic to wheat, and so my lunch box was filled with a disgusting and moist grey-coloured bread, that was wheat, soy and nut free (allergic to soy and nuts also). My parents just didn’t really know what to give me. I did not enjoy food back then! After a while of being wheat free I got tested again and the allergy to it was apparently gone. 

                                                            Buckwheat is good soaked overnight and then cooked like porridge in the morning.  


                                                          • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                              Did you only get a blood test or did​ they do a biopsy? With adults the blood​ test isn’t always conclusive. If you have these clear symptoms, but negative blood results, please ask to be tested further.

                                                              Remind your doctor that the biopsy is the only definitive test for coeliac disease. But they can only perform that test while you’re still eating gluten, else you may get a false negative. It’s extremely important to know if it’s really CD or something else, because CD isn’t just a simple food allergy: it’s a body-wide autoimmune disease. People with CD will therefore be seen by a specialist yearly, to check for hidden damage and other auto-immune diseases. You see, CD tends to bring friends. Not the kind of friends you’ll want to miss accidentally though: associated illnesses are: thyroid issues, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatic illnesses and infertility.

                                                              My CD was ignored/missed for years (also negative blood test)​, and when I finally got tested it turned out that I had borderline osteoporosis at age 26. Shortly after I developed a rheumatic illness. I tell this to everyone who has doubts about being tested: if it is CD, you really want to know. So I advice you: if you haven’t had a biopsy yet, try to soldier through and eat gluten every day until you’ve had the biopsy. I know that it’s a really uncomfortable test, but if you ask your doctor on forehand, there’s the option of getting a mild sedation. I asked for that too when I met the specialist because I knew I’d panic, and it was given without any trouble. I fell asleep and felt nothing of the whole exam.

                                                              Here’s what the UK coeliac society says:
                                                              https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/getting-diagnosed/blood-tests/


                                                            • vanessa
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                                                                I dont think i could stomach the biopsy.., i just avoid gluten like a plague.


                                                              • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                                  Really, the biopsy isn’t scary when you get the sedative: you’ll sleep right through it. It’s no shame to admit to your doctor that you’re afraid of it, and he/she will likely help you. They’ll prefer a sleeping patient over a panicked patient.
                                                                  The main reason for getting properly tested is all the underlying damage that your body could have. That’s why I warn people: it’s not a simple food problem but a full-blown auto-immune disease, and just avoiding gluten isn’t enough. These check-ups are vital if you have CD, because of the higher chance to develop related illnesses.


                                                                • Reesebun
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                                                                    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/flourless-chocolate-cake-14478
                                                                    This flourless chocolate cake is awesome with coconut-lime sorbet! It helps to lighten up the fudgieness.


                                                                  • foreverfluffle
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                                                                        Thank you Ellie, I will start eating more wheat and gluten and ask for further testing. I never knew that avoiding gluten isn’t enough when your symptoms are not diagnosed. And what cruel friends CD brings . Helpful link too. 


                                                                    • vanessa
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                                                                        Well – you only want to eat the gluten in conjunction with doctors orders prior to a test. It damages the microvilli of the intestine in a cd person.


                                                                      • vanessa
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                                                                          Last might my bf wanted a burger for dinner so we went to our lival diner. I dont even remember when last i ate a burger… must have been 10 or 11. I brought a gluten free bun with and asked for a burger with my bun. It was deliscious!


                                                                        • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                                            Posted By vanessa on 5/14/2017 8:39 AM

                                                                            Well – you only want to eat the gluten in conjunction with doctors orders prior to a test. It damages the microvilli of the intestine in a cd person.

                                                                            That’s true indeed, and that’s why I advised her to stay on gluten until the final tests are done. When a person with CD eats gluten, an auto-immune reaction happens in the small intestine: the microvilli become inflamed and will damage or disappear all together. Without these microvilli the absorption capacity of the intestine is damaged as well. This can lead to severe malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. Eating gluten-free will allow the microvilli to grow back, and doing so before the biopsy will likely affect test results. It’s recommended that you start eating gluten again at least 6 weeks before the test, but it’s best if you don’t go gluten-free at all before the biopsy.

                                                                            This is where doctors are misinformed and often go wrong, I’ve experienced it myself and saw it many times in coeliac discussion groups. Some doctors may tell you: if you suspect gluten are the cause, why don’t you try going gluten-free for a while and see where that takes you? *facepalm* Well, that takes you to false negatives, a missed diagnosis and a life of insecurity: do I really have CD or not? It almost went wrong with my diagnosis: my doctor gave me the permission to see a gastro-enterologist, but also told me to try GF out in the meantime. The G-E was “not amused” when we had the appointment several weeks later and told me to do a gluten provocation test of at least 6 weeks. I was in the middle of my bachelor research internship, and decided that I wanted to postpone testing for 4 months because I wanted to finish my research properly. That was a mistake, because after going GF for 4 months the symptoms of eating gluten again were a lot worse… My advice to everyone currently in the process of diagnosis: keep eating gluten until you’ve had all tests, make it short, test ASAP and take no breaks. It may require you to soldier on for several weeks, but at least it’ll give you clarity within a short time.

                                                                            That clarity is something you’ll long for. It’s no picnic to be on a strict GF diet for the rest of your entire life, without being able to “cheat” once in a while. You’ll really want to be sure you have CD, because if you don’t have that diagnosis you’ll be in doubt often. It helps to have that reassurance: yes, this is absolutely neccessary for my health and I must keep this up to prevent gluten from doing severe damage to my body. So that biopsy isn’t only vital for your physical health but also for your mental health.

                                                                            So here’s what to expect during the biopsy. You can take the biopsy under a mild sedative so you’ll be out for the exam, ask the G-E when you see eachother for the first time. During the biopsy tiny samples of the tissue in the intestines are taken via a small tube through your mouth (which isn’t painful, but is uncomfortable). These samples are put under the microscope to assess the damage. The damage is often too small to see with the naked eye, so don’t expect the doctor to have a diagnosis immediately after the exam. Sometimes they can give you other clues though, because some things are more visible. Things like stomach ulcers, stomach inflammation or other irritated tissue are easier to see. My doctor saw that the valve between my stomach and my esophagus didn’t close properly, this was the cause of my acid refluxes.

                                                                            Some 2-4 weeks after the biopsy you can expect the test results. These are graded on the Marsh scale from 0 (no abnormalities) to 4 (microvilli completely gone). Some doctors may only diagnose CD from Marsh 3, but most doctors will say: it’s obvious that gluten is causing damage, so they’ll diagnose CD from Marsh 1. An ex-colleague of mine did have all the coeliac symptoms, but tests showed only Marsh 1. His doctor said: it isn’t full-blown CD yet, so you can continue to eat gluten. When things progress to stage 3 we can always diagnose you again. I always thought that was very harsh because he continued to live with the symptoms. He thought the convenience of not having to be on the diet outweighed the symptoms. It helps to ask for the Marsh gradation after the test, so you can decide for yourself.


                                                                          • Muchelle
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                                                                              So… I was cooking vegan for my bf and unadvertly made a gluten free dessert! So… here’s the recipe if anyone wants.

                                                                              Vegan Coconut & Chocolate ‘cheesecake’ dessert

                                                                              Doses for 6-8 people (32cmØ pan with removable side-ring-thing. To make the dessert thicker, use a 24cm&Oslash

                                                                              1) base:
                                                                              – cookies (usually I use digestive or gran colussi, but they have milk/eggs so this time I bought some GF ones)
                                                                              – soy butter 250gr

                                                                              Crush the cookies, add the melted butter and press on the bottom of the pan as per usual cheesecake preparation. Let cool in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes before proceeding to the cream making;

                                                                              2) cream:
                                                                              – 400ml pure coconut milk (not that stuff mixed in with soy milk!!!)
                                                                              – 200ml water
                                                                              – 60gr corn flour
                                                                              – 50gr brown sugar (or 100gr white sugar)

                                                                              In a pot on low fire mix water & sugar. When the sugar dissolved add in the corn flour, mix until dissolved (will get a paste-like substance). Switch to low-middle fire and dunk in the coconut milk, stir continously until it becomes a cream with yogurt-like consistence (about 10 mins). Once ready quickly pour over the cookie base. Cover with plastic wrap, making the wrap adhere to the cream or it will make condensation water and ruin it. Once it’s cooled, store in fridge for at least 30 mins before proceeding;

                                                                              3) glaze (optional):
                                                                              – 150gr dark chocolate (75% cocoa or more)
                                                                              – 1 spoon of brown sugar
                                                                              – 74ml water

                                                                              Break up the chocolate in small pieces, double-boil it until melted (basically: chocolate in a bowl, bowl into a pot of boiling water). Remove from the stove, add in water and sugar, mix until you get a cream. Pour over the cheesecake and adjust until you have a smooth finish. Add new plastic wrap just like before, let it cool down and then keep in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

                                                                              As you can see mine wasn’t perfect, I got some air bubbles… but bf ate that much, so I guess he liked it!


                                                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                                                Looks nommy Muchelle! Good to hear the BF liked it. I would have trouble stopping eating it.

                                                                                Im surprised you can add sugar and water to the chocolate and it not go funny (seizing). I normally add a little oil to keep chocolate soft. Or if making ganache,cream and choc. I find I can add syrup to that after without trouble. Obviously thats not a vegan option though. 

                                                                                This is a vegan chocolate cake recipe Ive made before. It makes a dark, moist, yummy cake! It’s easy recipe too. 

                                                                                This is for 20cm tin but you can make cupcakes instead if you wish. They work great.

                                                                                Bakes in a 180C oven for 45 mins. Cupcakes would only take about 25-30 minute, depending on your oven.

                                                                                You’ll need:

                                                                                200g plain flour

                                                                                200g sugar ( I use caster sugar for baking if using white sugar)

                                                                                4 Tablespoons cocoa

                                                                                1 teaspoon bicarb soda (baking soda)

                                                                                1/2 (half!) teaspoon salt

                                                                                5 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)

                                                                                1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

                                                                                1 teaspoon white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar once and it was fine).

                                                                                250mls of water

                                                                                Sift your flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and bicarb soda together. Then just add all the liquid ingredients and mix until it’s a smooth batter.

                                                                                Pour into the tin or into cupcake cases. I grease the tin and also line it with baking paper. Makes taking the cake out easier. 

                                                                                Bake 45 minutes in 180C oven. Less for cupcakes!

                                                                                This is nice on it’s own, but you could top it with your favourite icing / frosting. I made some using a vegan margarine, icing sugar (powdered sugar) and cocoa. It would be equally nice with just a vanilla version of that.

                                                                                Recipe could be gluten free also, using alternative flours. I haven’t tried that.  I would probably add a little more oil to counter the dryness of GF flours.


                                                                              • jerseygirl
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                                                                                  Sorry I can’t translate it for you Muchelle! For those that work with imperial measures, 200g is 7oz and 250ml is 8 fluid oz. 

                                                                                  250mls here is 1 cup but I think a US cup is about 230ml here.


                                                                                • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                                                    Sounds great that recipe! In case of GF flour, I’d add half a tablespoon of fiberhusk (psyllium fibre) and a bit of extra water to the mix. Fiberhusk forms some sort of a gel in water, which makes the cake less likely to crumble.


                                                                                  • Muchelle
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                                                                                      OMG jerseygirl I needed a chocolate cake recipe for bf’s bday this weekend! Telepathy!!! I’ll convert the measurements <3 Thank you!!!


                                                                                    • vanessa
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                                                                                        A US cup is 240ml = 8 fluid ounces.


                                                                                      • jerseygirl
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                                                                                          Ah! Thanks for that. I’ll try remember. lol. I usually end up googling these things when baking, to make sure.


                                                                                        • Muchelle
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                                                                                            So I made the chocolate cake, with some adjustments Either I got lucky or I hit the perfect mix cause it came out perfect!

                                                                                            Here’s my take for a 20cmØ cake tin:

                                                                                            – 300gr flour of choice
                                                                                            – 100gr brown sugar
                                                                                            – 15gr baking powder
                                                                                            – 100ml sunflower seeds oil
                                                                                            – 4 spoons of bitter cocoa powder
                                                                                            – 100gr of 75%+ dark chocolate (melted)
                                                                                            – pinch of salt
                                                                                            – 1 or 2 glasses of soy milk 

                                                                                            Usual stuff, mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients saving soy milk for last. Slowly add the milk while mixing with a spatula until the mixture is still thick but workable (took me 1 glass and a half). Grease the tin, cook at 180°C for 35 mins (bit longer if ventilated oven).
                                                                                            Once done, remove from the tin and let it cool down inside a clean cotton cloth to avoid hardening, serve with whipped cream, ice cream or jam (or all of the three combined lol).


                                                                                          • jerseygirl
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                                                                                              Haha! A few adjustments? I think you created your own recipe, Muchelle! Glad to read it turned out well for you. Hope the bf approved!


                                                                                            • Muchelle
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                                                                                                Bf approved and suggested to make it a sacher torte next time! Idk about the typical sacher torte glaze (I can’t do that properly even with omnivore ingredients lol) but I sure can slap a ton of apricot jam in there

                                                                                                Yeah it’s different… I like to play in the kitchen XD luckily I had the correct hunches and made something good ahahah


                                                                                              • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                  Goodness, do you at least get until his next birthday to produce this sacher torte?

                                                                                                  I think some dark vegan chocolate, a bit of oil and then a ready made syrup added to it would work.

                                                                                                  When I make choc ganache, I add a vanilla syrup meant for icecream and milkshakes and it always blends well. The ganache is choc and cream though so maybe that is why.


                                                                                                • Muchelle
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                                                                                                    Vegan food options in Italy are quite limited as yet (compared to other countries) so I don’t think I can easily find a good pre-made syrup without lactose or animal derivates… I guess I’ll have to go the hard route and use bf again as guinea pig (and his brothers, since they always end up nipping on my desserts once they make it to their place. luckily so far no one died lol )


                                                                                                  • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                                                                      LONG LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICS AHEAD, not sorry

                                                                                                      As promised I’d make a tutorial for GF vlaai baking. My father is coming over tonight to celebrate Bas and my belated birthdays, so it’s time for a traditional Limburgian treat.
                                                                                                      The big secret of vlaai is that it’s all about contrast: the thin layer of soft dough with a hint of salt and the naturally sweet fruit filling, covered by crunchy sugar granules and topped with creamy sweet whipped cream.

                                                                                                      The vlaai is not overly sweet and there isn’t a lot of dough, this is to let the fruit be the star of the show. It’s vital to choose only the ripest fruit, so the flavour and aroma really pops! Traditional fillings are apricots, cherries and plums, but there is a whole world of vlaaien out there. This recipe is for the basic fruit vlaai. About the vlaai dough: it’s not as much cake though as bread dough. It’s only lightly sweetened and should have a noticeable flavour of salt to contrast with the fruit filling. The vlaai bottom is really thin, not more than 2-3 mm after baking. Not a lot of dough makes it great for GF baking, as most GF dough tastes like cardboard

                                                                                                      It is a recipe for the experienced baker who loves a challenge, the recipe is a bit too fiddly for a sunday afternoon bake with the kiddies. It’ll take 2-3 hours to make plus 15 minutes of time to make the coarse sugar granules.

                                                                                                      Traditional Limburgian vlaai (serves 8-10 people):

                                                                                                      Tools: cling film, baking brush, wooden spoon to stir, pan with a thick bottom, fine sieve, rolling pin, large round flat baking tin Ø 28 cm, optional: fine lattice mould for pies

                                                                                                      Special ingredients: 250 g of plain white sugar and 25 g of water for the coarse sugar granules (3 mm), prepare at least several hours before you make the vlaai so they can dry properly (recipe below).

                                                                                                      Ingredients for dough, all at room temperature:

                                                                                                      • 300 g GF flour, not the self-raising kind. I used Schär Kuchen und Kekse which is a special mix for cookies and cakes
                                                                                                      • 150 – 200 mL milk, depends on your flour
                                                                                                      • 2 + 1 egg yolks
                                                                                                      • 25 g butter, in cubes
                                                                                                      • 25 g light brown sugar
                                                                                                      • 20 g sunflower seed oil
                                                                                                      • 4 g dried yeast
                                                                                                      • optional: 4 g of fiberhusk (AKA psyllium fibre), to improve texture of the dough
                                                                                                      • firm pinch of salt

                                                                                                      Ingredients for filling:

                                                                                                      • 1 kg very ripe apricots (cherries or plums can also be used, these are the 3 traditional fillings)
                                                                                                      • lemon juice
                                                                                                      • 50 – 100 g plain white sugar
                                                                                                      • GF breadcrumbs
                                                                                                      • potato starch for thickening (when baking for a coeliac, look for the GF logo!)

                                                                                                      Other ingredients:

                                                                                                      • A bit of butter and flour to coat the baking tin
                                                                                                      • 4 tablespoons of apricot jam, passed trough a sieve so it doesn’t have chunks
                                                                                                      • Sweetened whipped cream (let the guests choose their own amount of cream at the table, the recommended amount is: “without any shame, preferably so you can’t see the vlaai anymore”.)

                                                                                                      Step 1: Making the coarse sugar granules

                                                                                                      The coarse sugar granules add a crunchy contrast to the soft dough and filling. They have to be 3-5 mm in size, so their texture is noticeable but not so large that it’ll cost you a filling when you bite down on one. They should remain as white as possible, so keep a very close watch during the process, you don’t want to make caramel.

                                                                                                      Take a pan with a thick bottom and a wooden spoon. Weigh off 250 g of white sugar and 25 g of water. Put on a low heat and keep stirring until granules form and stick together. This may take several minutes of low heat and continuous stirring. Here on this website (in Dutch) there’s a visual guide to it: http://ferrywijsman.blogspot.nl/2014/11/fryske-sukerbole.html

                                                                                                      The explanation for the sugar starts halfway on the webpage. Here he’s making a traditional Frisian sugarloaf, which also uses these sugar granules (greinsuiker in Dutch).

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                      Step 2: Preparing the dough

                                                                                                      Add all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix: GF flour, light brown sugar, (optional fiberhusk), dried yeast and a firm pinch of salt. Make a dimple in the middle and add 2 egg yolks, the oil and the butter cubes. Knead the dough and keep adding milk in small amounts. The amount of milk depends on your flour, so let the texture of the dough guide you. You should get a ball of dough which is firm but still slightly moist and sticky. Gluten-free dough dries out awfully, so it’s best if your basic dough is a bit wetter than gluten-containing bread dough would be. Cover the bowl with cling film and let rise for approx. 1 hour.


                                                                                                      Step 3: preparing the filling

                                                                                                      Wash the fruit and remove any leaves or stems. Boil the fruit with a large squeeze of lemon juice, until it starts to get soft and the skins start loosening. When this happens, drain the fruit in a sieve and rinse with cold water until it has cooled down. Remove skins and stones and tear the fruit into chunks. Try to collect as much juice as you can during this process. Put the fruit chunks and the juice in a pan with a thick bottom, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Add sugar to cover up any sour tastes of the mixture, but don’t overdo it. You should be able to taste the natural sweetness of the fruit. Remember to use a new spoon for every time you taste, because the starch will lose its thickening properties if any traces of saliva are present. This means that you can throw away the batch you just cooked

                                                                                                      To thicken: put 2 tablespoons of potato starch into a bowl and add little dashes of cold water until it forms a thick liquid. Stir to break down any lumps. Bring the fruit mixture to a very gentle boil, and add the potato starch bit by bit while stirring. It takes a while for the thickening to start, because potato starch only starts to work at high temperatures. To test if it’s thick enough, drag your spoon through the middle of the pan. Does it leave an open path which doesn’t fill up until you’ve reached the other side? Done! Fill the sink with cold water and put the pan into it. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature.

                                                                                                      Step 4: preparing the sauna and making the bottom of the vlaai

                                                                                                      After so much hard work, a sauna is in order. For the vlaai, that is…it’ll keep the crust moist in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C and put a large ceramic bowl of water on the bottom of the oven. It’ll stay there for the entire baking process.

                                                                                                      Split the dough in half, and coat the baking tin with butter and flour. Now comes a special trick to get an ultra-thin GF crust. You can forget about using a rolling pin, because it’ll never work on GF dough that has to be this thin.

                                                                                                      Roll the dough into a ball, put it in the middle of the baking tin. Cover it with a piece of cling film and start to press it outward to all sides from the middle. It’ll need to be so thin that it’s nearly translucent, only 1-2 mm thick. Cover the bottom of the tin with a thin layer of GF breadcrumbs to soak up any juices from the filling.

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                      Step 5: adding the filling and topping it off with the lattice

                                                                                                      Add the filling to the baking tin, and spread it out evenly. Leave open a little space on the edges, about half a cm. Roll the other ball of dough flat between two sheets of cling film, to a thickness of 3-4 mm, and make a lattice out of it. (If you have a lattice mould, use it now.) Cover the vlaai with the lattice and use the excess dough to make an edge. Brush lightly with egg yolk to get a lovely shine, but don’t use so much that it drips off the lattice onto the filling. Sprinkle generously with the coarse sugar granules, go wild

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                      Step 6: baking and finishing

                                                                                                      Bake the vlaai for 20-25 minutes at 170 °C, and check halfway if it’s browning evenly. Turn the tin around if necessary. The vlaai should get a light brown colour. Don’t worry about undercooking it, it’s easier to overcook it because the dough is so thin.

                                                                                                      After baking and while still hot, brush lightly with the sieved apricot jelly for an even better shine. Final result:

                                                                                                      Let the vlaai cool down completely before serving and take it out of the tin carefully. Cut the vlaai into preferably 8 pieces by cutting from edge to edge. Don’t start cutting in the middle, because the knife will tear away the lattice. Top it off with generous amounts of sweetened whipped cream directly before eating it. And if you want to be true to tradition: make the slices big and take a second slice not to offend the host! In Limburg multiple vlaaien are served on special occasions, and because there are so many varieties it’s customary to try at least 2. Nobody will look at you the wrong way for indulging and going wild with the cream, it’s part of the Burgundy lifestyle of great food in large portions Eat up and enjoy!

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                       


                                                                                                    • Bam
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                                                                                                        Ellie, I’m so impressed! What a beautiful cake!
                                                                                                        I could never make anything even remotely like that. I could manage the sugar crystals though, because they can be bought ready-made here (pearl sugar) ?


                                                                                                      • Muchelle
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                                                                                                          Ellie I gotta study that recipe and try it °ç° *drool


                                                                                                        • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                            Seriously impressed also, Ellie! You must be the most patient baker. Spreading out the GF pastry would have done me in. Your Dad and Bas were very spoilt!
                                                                                                            That lattice mould is cool! I didn’t know there was such a thing. Does the dough come out of the mould easily? I take it you place it right over the vlaai to “de-mould” (de-vest) ?


                                                                                                          • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                                                                                                              Thank you all ^_^

                                                                                                              Actually the spreading of the pastry is a really quick process, it takes me less than 5 minutes to do it. I use it for thin crispy pizza bottoms as well, and it works great! The lattice mould was a great birthday gift I got 2 years ago. They sell them in stores for hobby bakers, you have a good chance to find them online. There’s a bit of a trick to it, but once you got it down it works perfectly. The most important thing about it is gentle handling so the dough doesn’t tear. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a huge timesaver.

                                                                                                              Mine works like this: it has a thick part and a small screen which fits into the mould. You put a sheet of dough onto the mould and press so the mould punches out the diamond shapes. Then you flip the mould onto the baking tin, and lift the thick part of the mould off so you only have the small screen with the dough laying on your vlaai. Then you gently separate the dough from the screen by lifting it up a few cm and (starting from one edge) gently separate the dough from the screen. As soon as one part of the dough lets go, the whole sheet will slowly peel off. It’s important to be gentle here, so the dough doesn’t tear or deform here.

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