New Mum’s Food Adventures

Xanthum gum is essential to making gluten free pastry. Especially puff pastry. Last night we made mini sausage rolls. Some unfolded but I didn’t do enough layers this time and it wasn’t cold enough so it felt like pie crust. But it wasn’t unpleasant. It was quite nice. I tried a different butter again and the flavour was perfect this time.

A few nights ago now I made beef mince pie but I didn’t crimp the lid and it shrunk off the edges but it was a good pie regardless. The top lumps are the scrap pastry cut offs.

Next to try out is a good veggie pie and croissants. I’m waiting on my delivery for Well & Good brand gluten free plain flour for that. I need to make sure I absolutely do NOT forget to add xanthum gum or it will be wasted effort. So far the Woolworths branded gluten free plain flour works best.

My measurements has been 200-250 grams butter to 250 grams flour and 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum mixed thoroughly in dry flour before adding butter and iced water. The iced water I don’t measure. I go by feeling. Because of the starch and season you either need more water or less. I pour around 150 mil with an ice cube and salt added the the ice water. Sometimes I need more water sometimes less so I pour it in small increments and stir. Just a splash at a time. Then I let the pastry rest in the fridge after it’s mixed and combined to let the xanthum gum absorb the liquid. Sometimes I need a bit more liquid. This gets me a whole family sized pie or enough pastry to do a whole sausage mince roll.

I also made a blue berry pie. Underneath is the left over pastry covered in cheese and some seasonings. The family members who are celiacs have been enjoying the pies and pastries. I’m trying my best for them as my baby is also celiac and I want to be able to give him a range of foods that don’t leave him feeling too left out but still give him a lot of variety. He loved the cheese puffs best. They tasted very pizza like.

I will update more as I go. Will even write about what went wrong and why it went wrong.