Search Results for: baking powder

April 19, 2017

How to Make Baking Powder :: Paleo

When our family originally changed our diet, we had to begin scrutinizing labels: after all, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners can hide under any number of names. When we went grain-free, I had to learn how to make baking powder, since store-bought baking powder contains corn starch.

While some of us can tolerate small amounts of sneaky ingredients like corn starch, I discovered that my son was highly sensitive to corn.

Not only could he not eat things like corn chips or tortillas (even organic ones) without major behavioral implications (you can read about those behaviors here), but I realized he couldn’t even have small amounts of corn-derived food additives like maltodextrin or dextrose. Eating even the smallest amounts of those foods caused him to become angry, aggressive, and unreasonable.

Thankfully, we’ve done a lot of healing through the GAPS diet, key supplements, and lots of prayer and spiritual healing. My son can now tolerate some corn ingredients. But learning how to make baking powder has opened up lots of new recipes for us without having to worry about harmful ingredients.

Why you need to learn how to make baking powder

It turns out all the best recipes call for baking powder. Ok, maybe not ALL of them, but when we’re talking about making classic pancakes and waffles, you need baking powder.

Baking soda vs baking powder

Most of my recipes that use a leavening agent call for baking soda. It’s just the most paleo-friendly, readily available rising agent. But to get the best results, baking soda needs to be combined with something acidic.

Think of the reaction between baking soda and vinegar from your third grade volcano science experiment. That’s exactly what needs to happen to baking soda in a recipe to get a nice rise.

While the simplicity of a single mineral ingredient is desirable, baking powder contains an acidic ingredient to help activate the rising power of baking soda to achieve nice, fluffy results, which is why it’s so great in pancake and waffle recipes.

A lot of paleo recipes call for apple cider vinegar as the acidic ingredient to help get a rise out of baking soda, but you can make your own baking powder using baking soda in order to get the classic, expected results in many recipes.

So how do you make baking powder out of baking soda?

By combining it with just a couple key ingredients.

You need an acidic ingredient + a stabilizer that will prevent the baking soda and acid from reacting sooner than desired. In most store-bought baking powder, this benign stabilizing ingredient is corn starch.

To make a grain-free, paleo-friendly baking powder, we turn to arrowroot powder. Also a starch, but without the problematic, allergenic corn ingredients. See the simple recipe below!

Print Recipe

Grain-Free Baking Powder

Prep Time1

Total Time1

Servings: tbsp

Author: Jaclyn

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a jar with an airtight lid, fasten lid tightly, and shake to mix. Keep airtight between uses to avoid activating the ingredients with moisture. (It's best to make smaller batches for this reason.)

May 9, 2017

Paleo Pancake Recipe {Best Ever!}

I recently shared our family’s favorite waffle recipe (see awful paleo waffles here), so it’s only fitting that I give you our favorite paleo pancake recipe too!

We’re coming to the end of our spring birthday season (my youngest turns three next week! *sniffle*), a period of six weeks where three out of our four boys have a birthday every three weeks on the dot. Right now little man has only requested one thing for his birthday: a purple cake. Though we’ll be traveling this week, I’ll have access to a kitchen, so I’m dreaming of using purple sweet potatoes in a cake.

Which makes me think of unicorns and the controversy over the new unicorn drink from Starbucks. Which makes me chuckle. Then I start dreaming of all the gorgeous colors found in real food like beets and what I can do with them.

If I pull off the purple cake of my little guy’s dreams, I’ll be sure to share. And if I throw in the towel and hit up a gluten-free bakery, I’ll be sure to tell you about that too. Because I’m human. (Update: I made the purple sweet potato cake! It was pretty sweet-potato-y, but my little guy was happy!)

But, whether I make or buy the cake, these pancakes will be on the breakfast table for his big day. This paleo pancake recipe was created for my last guy’s birthday almost three weeks ago and got rave reviews from all my little men. They are the absolute closest to conventional pancakes that I’ve ever made.

Why this paleo pancake recipe is boss

I’ve made every type of paleo pancake recipe imaginable: coconut flour was the first, then I moved on to almond flour, and have since made pancakes from bananas, nut butter, and even butternut squash.

Some of them tasted really strong and just didn’t taste like the pancakes we all loved and missed. Others didn’t have great texture. Still others contained inflammatory ingredients that we didn’t tolerate well.

I love that cassava flour tastes and feels more like all purpose flour than any other flour I’ve tried to date, which means these pancakes taste more like conventional pancakes than any others I’ve made. These are officially our favorite paleo pancakes and I’m willing to bet your family will love them too!

To recap, if you’re not familiar with cassava flour, I love using it because:

it more closely mimics all-purpose flour than anything else I’ve tried
it is free from inflammatory proteins
it is a good source of resistant starch, which feeds the good bacteria in your gut
it’s totally grain- and gluten-free
it contains minerals like calcium, manganese, and iron
it’s a good source of fiber
it’s a good source of carbohydrates

Now, cassava is not a good choice if you’re on the GAPS diet or other low-carb or keto diet. It’s not low carb, and it is starchy. However, it’s a much better choice than wheat or even gluten-free flours.

Get my favorite cassava flour here, then grab our family’s favorite paleo pancakes recipe below.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Paleo Cassava Flour Pancakes

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Servings: pancakes

Author: Jaclyn

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk or milk of choice; buttermilk is also yummy!
3/4 cup cassava flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
3 eggs beaten
2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp maple or coconut sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice omit if using buttermilk.
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash salt
fat for greasing skillet

Instructions

Preheat a stainless steel skillet on medium-low heat. Grease with butter or fat of choice.
Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, avocado oil, and lemon juice, then add to the flour mixture. Stir until combined.
Pour or spread about 1/4 cup batter onto pre-heated skillet, spacing pancakes at least a couple inches apart. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until air bubbles appear on the top, then gently flip to cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.
If pancakes cook too quickly on the outside, but are undercooked on the inside, turn the heat down.
Serve with butter and maple syrup for a classic pancake experience.

April 2, 2017

Paleo Waffles with Cassava Flour

Awful waffles are my boys’ favorite breakfast (that or pancakes), because you get to smother them in liquid sweetener and it’s ok. We call them “awful waffles” because when my five year old was first talking, he called waffles “awfuls” and it was the cutest! But these paleo waffles are anything but awful.

Making really good waffles from cassava flour has been a goal of mine since I got that first bag of Otto’s. Waffles were the first thing I tried making and I excitedly whipped up a recipe, astounded at how perfect the consistency of the batter was.

I cooked ’em up and expectantly took a bite… and was disappointed when the center was a gooey, squishy mess.

That’s because there’s a bit of a learning curve when cooking with cassava flour. While it is most similar to all-purpose flour out of all of the alternative flours I’ve tried, in my experience, it generally doesn’t sub perfectly in every recipe.

With a little tweaking and creativity, however, I’ve found that I can nail perfect baked-good texture with cassava flour, and these paleo waffles are proof!

Real food in real life

I told you a little last week about how I’ve really had to re-commit myself to the grain-free, paleo-style that our family does best on. With the stress of our move dragging out, I was buying a lot of gluten-free bread and other convenience foods at the store.

And that was totally ok and may be ok in seasons, but it’s felt good getting busy in the kitchen and sticking with a plan.

Meal planning is my jam.

Like, I can hardly function without it. If I don’t at least jot down a general list of what I’m going to make for each meal of the week, I basically run around like a chicken with my head chopped off, feeding my kids whatever I can quickly grab without thinking too much about it.

Again, I think there’s grace for stressful seasons when some lesser-quality food choices can’t be avoided, BUT, I think in most cases, they CAN be avoided with a little planning.

More than anything, I love having my meal plans done for me, especially since so many great meal-planning services have come out that allow for special diet needs.

But did you know there’s a meal planning site that even offers GAPS and strict paleo meal plans? You can even easily alter the menu to exclude ingredients your family is allergic to. I’ve been blown away by Real Plans!

Meal planning for lazy moms

Or just really busy. Or stressed.

Whatever your excuse, Real Plans is meal planning done for you, according your family’s unique dietary needs!

Whether you eat gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, paleo, GAPS, or just real food, Real Plans is totally customizable, and you can even add in your favorite recipes from around the web (hint hint- add this paleo waffle recipe to your breakfast routine with ease!).

They even offer Whole30 meals plans!

Real Plans even has an app, so you can look up your grocery list right from your phone, as well as pull up recipes at the touch of a button. My favorite part is that I can pull up the next day’s meal plan and see if there’s any meat I need to thaw or anything else I should do to be prepared.

Y’all know I don’t tell you about something unless I love it. And because I LOVE my readers, I want to share things that I think will be valueable to you. The first time I tried Real Plans, I called my mom, my sister, my paleo bestie, and my real food bestie and told them all to try it stat.

That’s how much of a difference Real Plans has made in my life!

If you want to give Real Plans a try, you can get the meal planning for as little as $6/mo (if you sign up annually), up to $14/mo (if you choose to pay monthly). They also have a 30 day money back guarantee, and you can cancel at any time. Give it a try here.

Now on to paleo waffles

Now that I’ve waved a magic wand to make your real food dreams come true, on to my next magic trick: delectable cassava flour paleo waffles.

I’ve made these several times now, and our family just adores them. I’ve found a great combo to get a not-too-gooey, perfectly palatable waffle recipe. Gone are my first days of cassava flour failures.

If you want to give these waffles a try, grab your cassava flour here, then follow the recipe below!

By the way, I get asked often about non-stick cooking surfaces and good alternatives. Our family switched to a ceramic waffle maker last year, which is naturally nonstick without the harsh, harmful chemicals of teflon and other typical nonstick surfaces. You can find the one we have here.

Print Recipe

Paleo Waffles with Cassava Flour

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Servings: waffles

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup milk of choice
1 1/4 cup cassava flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup avocado oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp grain-free or homemade baking powder
1/2 tbsp vanilla
dash salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine flours, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir well.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs for a moment before adding milk, oil and vanilla and mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined, just until lumps are gone.
Pour about 3/4 cup at a time on waffle maker and cook 3-4 minutes on medium.
Use a fork to remove waffles as they're done, and repeat steps with remaining batter.
Serve with butter or ghee and maple syrup.
Serves 4-6.

Be sure to share this paleo waffle recipe or pin the image below!

January 1, 2017

Cassava Flour Buttermilk Biscuits

Whether you live in the south like me or you just miss this classic breakfast staple, these cassava flour buttermilk biscuits are sure to hit the spot. Find the grain-free recipe below, complete with a dairy-free, paleo option!

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make you the happiest… snuggling up with my boys and burying my face in their hair and they smell like sunshine and outside and grass. Mr. Incredible coming home from a long day of work and grinning wide before wrapping his arms around me so I can welcome him home. Enjoying foods you thought you’d never get to enjoy again… yeah, those are the cloth happy is cut from.

Biscuits are just one of those things that you never really get over losing… I can eat meat and veggies and the occasional honey-sweetened treat and be pretty satisfied. I don’t even really miss conventional breakfast foods like cereal or poptarts (gross). But biscuits. Buttermilk biscuits. I just miss them sometimes. It used to be a regular thing, Mr. Incredible making old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits on the weekends, but we hadn’t had his buttermilk biscuits in a long time… until this past weekend when I said “hey you should try making your buttermilk biscuit recipe with cassava flour. It should sub equally for all purpose flour.” He delighted me by agreeing to give it a try!

It worked like a dream and we ate real buttermilk biscuits. Cassava flour buttermilk biscuits. Gosh, I love that man and his biscuits. I’m going to have to see what else I can put him to work remaking with cassava flour because he used to bake all the time before I banished gluten from our kitchen. Try out his recipe for grain-free cassava flour buttermilk biscuits below!

We even shared with family members who usually eat gluten- and they enjoyed them too! Total win.

Buy Otto’s cassava flour here.

Print Recipe

Cassava Flour Buttermilk Biscuits

Prep Time10

Cook Time22

Total Time32

Servings: large biscuits

Author: Jaclyn Harwell

Ingredients

2 cups - Otto's cassava flour
1 cup - buttermilk*
1/2 cup - butter - softened at room temperature**
1/2 cup - half and half - we mix half raw milk with half raw cream*
2 egg whites
1 tbsp - honey
2 1/2 tsp - baking powder - homemade or grain-free
1/2 tsp - cream of tarter
1/2 tsp - salt
*For dairy-free option replace buttermilk and half and half with 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, combined with 1 tbsp lemon juice.**Replace butter with ghee, palm shortening, or lard for a dairy-free option.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450*.
Combine dry ingredients: cassava flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until a crumbly dough has formed and there are no chunks of butter left.
Add the honey, cream, and buttermilk and mix until combined.
Whip the egg whites with a stand mixer or high-powered hand blender until they are thick and fluffy.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the whites into the dough until just a streak remains. Don't overmix biscuits or they'll become tough.
Using two spoons, scoop large spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing two inches apart.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove when the tops have begun to brown.

December 17, 2019

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe (Paleo & Gluten Free)

A little comfort food goes a long way, particularly on a cold winter’s night. Pot pie is just such a food and this turkey pot pie recipe just so happens to be paleo & gluten-free (not that anyone would know it!). Find the recipe below.

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe- the Thanksgiving gift that keeps giving

If you plan ahead and go through the trouble to order and pick out the perfect organic, pastured turkey for Thanksgiving, let’s just say, you want to get every mile you can out of that bad boy!

And while our family eats a lot of turkey noodle soup after the big day has come and gone, turkey pot pie is another excellent way to make use of those leftovers.

I have tried my hand at a turkey pot pie recipe at least once per year since our family started eating a paleo-based diet, but never felt like I got it quite right. This year, I was more determined than ever to nail the perfect turkey pot pie recipe. I can finally say I am VERY happy with the results!

Turkey pot pie recipe deets

(By the way, if you have chicken on hand, that will work just fine. Really, I guess you could use any pre-cooked, shredded meat, though the sage in this recipe really lends itself to poultry.)

As I’ve mentioned before, I find that combining two or more more paleo-friendly flours gives the best results when baking, and the crust in this pot pie is no exception. By combining the heartiness of almond flour with the starchiness of arrowroot, we get a perfectly crispy crust.

BUT- shhhh… I have a secret that will make all your crust-making dreams come true from here until eternity. Ok, so it’s not really a secret so much as a lost art, which our grandmothers and great grandmothers and likely all the women before us knew.

Lard y’all.

In case your head has been in the sand, say it nice and slow with me: fat will not make you fat. Yes, lard is a fatty, fatty food. Yes, it contains immune-supporting vitamin D and brain-boosting saturated fat.

Lard might have been vilified with the explosion of factory-made fats in the 50s, but it is a time-honored, traditional fat with health benefits galore. And it makes killer pie crusts.

Feel free to also try butter or shortening, but you will not get quite the same results. Trust.

Look for sustainable, pastured lard products like this and this.

Turkey stock & pre-cooked turkey how-to

Again, feel free to use chicken. For this recipe, I used the leftover turkey and bones from our Thanksgiving turkey and made several big batches of meat stock.

I used this method to make my meat stock, only I used pre-cooked leftovers vs a raw chicken.

For one batch, I placed about half the leftovers in a really big stock pot (this is the one I have and it’s HUGE) and added a good amount of salt, then filled with water. I brought it to a boil, then turned the heat to low and let it simmer for 2-3 hours longer.

For the remaining leftovers, I used an 8qt Instant Pot and again, added salt and filled it with water. I used the Soup/Broth setting and cooked for about an hour and a half (give or take).

I was then able to filter out the stock and pull the meat off the bones to provide plenty of meat and stock to make this turkey pot pie recipe, plus many batches of soup in the weeks to come. Taking the time to utilize these leftovers is an easy, frugal, and crazy nourishing way to use them up.

On to the recipe!

Print Recipe

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Course: Dinner

Ingredients

Crust

1.5 cups blanched finely ground almond flour
1.5 cups arrowroot starch
2 eggs
1/4 cup lard or pork fat
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt

Filling

3 cups turkey stock, divided (may sub chicken stock)
2 cups shredded, pre cooked turkey (may sub chicken)
10 oz chopped vegetables (may buy frozen, pre-chopped vegetables. We like Cascadian Farm Organic Mirepoix: celery, carrot, and onion, but you may also use carrots, onions, and peas, or any combination of your choosing.)
3 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/2 tbsp dried sage
1 tsp real salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
additional salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375* and grease a 9" pie plate with additional lard or fat of choice.

Crust

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot starch, and salt. Add eggs and water and combine using a fork or pastry cutter. Mixture will be dry and crumbly.
Add water and continue mixing. Use your hands to finish combining, then set ball of dough aside.

Filling

Make a gravy: place two cups turkey stock in a medium saucepan and turn heat to medium.
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup cold turkey stock and arrowroot powder to make a slurry.
Once stove top turkey stock begins to get hot, add stock and arrowroot slurry and whisk. Turn heat to medium-high and continue whisking until thickened. Add seasonings and mix well.
Once gravy has thickened, add shredded turkey and vegetables and turn heat to low. Stir until vegetables have softened a bit and everything is mixed well, about five minutes, then remove from heat.

Assemble the pot pie

Separate your dough into two balls- 2/3 of the dough and 1/3 of the dough.
Use arrowroot to flour your surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the larger ball of dough into a circle about 12" in diameter, about 1/4" thick. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and place it in the prepared pie plate. If it tears, just press it back together.
Transfer the turkey filling into the prepared crust.
Roll out the remaining dough ball into a 9" circle, about 1/4" in thickness. Again, wrap it around the rolling pin and carefully roll it over the top of your pie. Press the edges onto the edges of the lower crust to seal the pie. Use a sharp knife to make a half dozen slits in the top of the crust.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until crust is lightly golden. Allow to cool before slicing and serving. Serves 6-8 people.