Gluten-Free Guyanese Bakes

Gluten Free bakes have all the flavor and texture of traditional fried bakes or floats without the tummy ache from the gluten. If you've been following me for a while, you know that I have a non celiac gluten sensitivity. This means that although I am not allergic to gluten, I don't feel great when I have too much of it. Since being diagnosed with this sensitivity in 2015 I've experimented with many combinations of flour trying to recreate my beloved Caribbean foods with a viable gluten free alternative. I recently shared my gluten free, grain free roti recipe after years of perfecting it! Click here to take a look, in case you missed it! Now I am sharing my gluten free bake recipe and if you can't have gluten (like me) I hope you give it a try.

Using the right gluten free flour

I've tried many combinations of gluten free flour, even grain free and the best flour for this recipe is the All Purpose Gluten Free Flour by Gluten Free Jules. This flour is available for purchase online through amazon (click here to shop) and also directly from the Gluten Free Jules website, which ships to the US and Canada (click here to shop). I don't care if you don't get it through my amazon link, you just need to get this flour. It will change your gluten free baking life! It comes in different sizes. Now I know it is a bit pricey but it is so worth it. I save it for special things like bake!

Using Cup for Cup gluten free flour

Cup for cup or measure for measure gluten free flour that you can find on most supermarket shelves will give you a decent gluten free bake. It is quite delicious when it is fresh, but after a day or two it becomes grainy. If you are familiar with gluten free rice based flours, you know that that grainy texture can be quite off putting.

Using this exact recipe, you can use cup for cup gluten free flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour. Both of these brands work well with this recipe. Keep in mind the texture will not be completely the same as regular white flour bakes but it's a decent gluten free bake. Bakes made with these types of gluten free flour have a nice crunch and texture but it are not very soft and sometimes they don't puff up as nicely as real deal bakes.

Making bakes with measure for measure Gluten free flour

When using measure for measure flour the dough can be a bit hard to work with, as it tends to fall apart easily. For best results roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. This prevents the dough from sticking to your work surface and rolling pin. You can fry your bakes with rough/rustic edges or use a hand pie cutter or knife to make the ends perfect. I only use a cutter when I am making gluten free bakes for guests. Otherwise, I don't mind the rustic look.

Making bakes with Gluten Free Jules All Purpose Flour

Making the dough is very easy. I used my rubber spatula method. Have you seen it? It was featured in my easy roti video tutorial and has been a hit ever since. Check it out here! This gluten free all purpose flour has a rich color and the dough is very pliable. It feels really soft and smooth and not grainy like the other measure for measure gluten free flours.

After mixing the dough, I always let it rest. This step is very important, do not skip it. It gives the baking powder time to work and will be the difference between bakes that puff up and bakes that are flat.

Shaping the bakes

To shape the bakes simply pinch off a palm sized piece of dough and roll into between floured palms into a somewhat smooth ball. Then press on a floured surface to flatten. Then using a rolling pin dusted with gluten free flour roll the dough ball out into a flat disk about ⅛th of an inch thick. You may also roll this dough out between two sheets of parchment paper if you prefer.

Rough edges versus smooth edges

You can choose to leave the edges as is for a more homey, rustic looking bake. This does not compromise whether the bake will puff up during cooking. However, if you are more of a perfectionist (like me, most of the time) and want your bake to have smooth edges you can use a knife to neaten the edges or use a hand pie cutter or round plastic container lid to cut your bakes into perfect circles

I used a hand pie cutter and made mini bakes, that my little people quite enjoy. This is also a great way to get your children involved. My children love helping with making the dough. I supervise the measuring and pouring and they take turns using a rubber spatula to mix the dough together. Then I roll the dough out and they take turns cutting it into different shapes. I place cut out bakes on a sheet pan and then fry all of them without the help of the children. I always remind them that this step (cooking the bake) is a grown-up job! My children absolutely love helping in the kitchen!

Every time I've made this recipe all my bakes puffed up on their own. However, if you are making it and for some reason it doesn't puff up on its own you can use a pot spoon to ladle hot oil over the bake and give it a little boost for puffing up. I demonstrate this in my original bake tutorial which you can find here.

Texture and Taste of the Gluten Free Bakes

These gluten free bakes taste exactly like regular bakes. In a blind taste test (I fed it to my family without telling them it was gluten free) my family could not tell that it was gluten free. They ate these bakes up with such haste that I almost didn't get any. Almost! As you can see from the picture below the bake has a nice pocket for stuffing with salt fish. It has a thin, slightly crunchy upper layer and a thicker, soft lower layer. This is exactly how I like my bakes.

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The Printable Recipe:

Printable Recipe Card

Gluten Free Bakes

Althea Brown

Gluten Free Bakes allows you to enjoy all of the flavor and texture of bakes without any of the gluten

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Gluten free

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings 8 bakes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups of Gluten Free Joules All Purpose Flour plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ½ cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil can sub for melted butter
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• 3-4 cups of oil suitable for frying

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
• Then combine the warm water and brown sugar and mix until sugar is completely dissolved
• Next whisk the egg, apple cider vinegar and melted coconut oil into the sugar-water solution
• Then add the sugar-water, egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together to form a soft dough. A rubber spatula is great for mixing the dough together as it can be a bit sticky
• Cover the dough with a damp paper towel and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes
• Then pinch off a palm sized piece of dough and with floured hands roll it into a ball between your palms
• Next, place the dough ball on a floured surface and using a rolling pin dusted with flour roll the dough into a flat disk that is ⅛ inch thick
• You may choose to use a knife, hand pie cutter or the lid of a round container, to cut the bakes into neat round bakes or you can leave the edges as is for a more rustic look
• Repeat steps 6 to 8 until all of the dough has been rolled out into flat disks

Cooking the bakes

• Add oil to a saucepan on medium heat and bring up to temperature
• When the oil is hot but not smoking hot, add the rolled out bakes one at a time and cook for 40 second to a minute on each side or until each side is golden brown
• Then flip over and cook for another 30 seconds on the other side
• Bakes should be golden brown before removing from the heat
• Place cooked bakes on a plate lined with paper towels to allow some of the excess oil to drain
• Serve bakes hot and fresh

Notes

Do not skip the apple cider vinegar in this recipe. It helps to take away the overly eggy taste that comes from the addition of the egg to this recipe. In versions of this recipe I made without using apple cider vinegar you can immediately taste and smell the egg when eating the gluten free bakes

Store any leftover bakes in the refrigerator and reheat for 30 second increments in the microwave.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Try these other gluten free favorites:

Gluten Free Roti

Gluten Free Cornbread

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