November 6, 2018

What’s in my Pantry – Baking Essentials

I always thought I ate healthy. But after some pesky health issues just wouldn’t go away I embarked on a journey that led me to my current nutrition plan. I looks somewhat like Paleo or Keto or Whole 30 but it is truly designed just for me. What it never includes is Gluten and most of the time Dairy. Five years ago when I removed these things from my diet I was stumped. I always considered myself an excellent baker but suddenly I didn’t know where to even start.

Now it is the number one thing I am asked about by my friends that are embarking on their own journey. I imagine if you are just starting, you may also feel a little overwhelmed. This is not an all-inclusive list, but it is somewhere to start. I am always finding new items in the stores these days as more and more companies get on board with providing real food options.

Keep in mind there are differences between food sensitives, intolerances and true allergies. Always check an ingredient’s label before using any particular ingredient to make sure it works with your nutrition plan. The list below is what works for me but some items may not work for you.

I will be posting more in this series going forward, so stay tuned. If you have questions about specific ingredients, send me a message! I am happy to answer any questions I can.

Where do I shop

This I get asked A-LOT. Amber, where do you find ___ ? Honestly I hate grocery shopping. I probably do 85% of my weekly shopping at our local Kroger. I can find most of even my “special” items there. It does vary location to location though and the one closest to me probably has the worst selection. Almost everything else I can find at Whole Foods. However, the closest one is about an hour away so those trips are planned. Anything that just comes up I end up buying on Amazon which delivers next day or in 2 days for most items.

Flours

This is the trickiest group. Most recipes I make I use either the Cup 4 Cup, Almond or Coconut Flour. So if you are just starting out, I would start there and add others as you find recipes that call for them.

Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free Flour. I like this one from Thomas Keller. It works well in most traditional flour recipes.
Coconut Flour
Almond Flour
Rice Flour
Tapicoa Flour
Chia Seeds
Flaxseed Meal
Arrowroot Starch
Xanthum Gum

Sweeteners

I honestly started with just the Organic versions of traditional processed white, brown and powdered sugar. I love using Local Honey (I buy at the local butcher) and Maple Syrup. Most of the sugar replacements I think have a weird chemical taste. I just recently started using Swerve and I don’t find it has the strange after taste.

Palm Sugar (use in place of Brown Sugar)
Swerve Sweetener (use in place of sugar)
Swerve Powdered Sugar (use in place of powdered sugar)
Honey
Pure Maple Sugar

Oils

Most of these oils I have been using since before I changed my nutrition plan drastically 5 years ago. I mostly use Coconut Oil, Walnut Oil (great on salads) and Avocado oil (when I don’t want the Coconut taste). I do still use Grass Fed Butter in some instances because it just has a special flavor and consistency. I also still keep some organic canola oil for frying on rare occasions because it has the most neutral flavor.

Coconut Oil
Coconut Butter
Walnut Oil
Avocado Oil
Cacao Butter
Grass Fed Butter
Ghee

Mixes

When I first made the switch to Gluten Free I used mixes for Breads and other baked goods. Some I like are below.

Glutino Sandwich Bread
Glutino Pie Dough
Thomas Keller’s Cup4Cup Pie Crust
Glutino Pizza Dough
Bob’s Red Mill Cake Mix
Pamela’s Gluten Free Corn Bread Mix

Other Baking Ingredient

Dairy and Gluten are sneaky and show up in places you won’t expect so make sure if you have issues with either of these you look closely at labels.

Enjoy Life Dairy Free Chocolate Chips
Lily’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
Organic Shredded Coconut
Cacao Powder (in place of cocoa powder)
Organic Canned Pumpkin
Pure Organic Vanilla Extract (you seriously don’t want to know what the imitation version is made out of!)
Gluten Free Baking Soda

Dairy Free Milk

Actual milk and yogurt bother me differently than cheese so cow’s milk, ice cream and yogurt are completely out for me. I deal with slight inflammation and bloating from real cheese on occasion, because milk-alternative -cheeses just aren’t the same.