Biscuits and other quickbreads are useful for a variety of allergies, since most are egg-free and many are soy-free. In fact, with the exception of dairy and wheat, traditional biscuits are free from most common allergens. Making a wheat-free biscuit is fairly straightforward: The technique remains the same, and most of the ingredients are the same save for a wheat-free flour mix and some xanthan gum to hold the dough together.
Prep Time: 0:10
Cook Time: 0:10
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 c white rice flour (7 oz.)
- 1/2 c potato starch, cornstarch, or tapioca starch (2 oz.)
- 1/4 c brown rice flour or amaranth flour (1 oz.)
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 4 Tbsp. butter or shortening (or a combination), cut into pea-sized pieces
- 1 c buttermilk
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Sift together rice flour, potato starch, brown rice or amaranth flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. (You can also do this in a large mixing bowl with a whisk or in a food processor.)
- With your hands or a spoon, cut in butter or shortening until the flour mixture resembles bread crumbs and all fat is incorporated into the mix.
- Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Mix the liquid into the flour mix (with your hands or a spoon) until the batter just comes together, then pour batter onto a sheet of parchment paper. The dough should be very loose -- thicker than pancake batter, but much wetter than cookie dough. Add a little more flour if dough is too loose or a little more buttermilk if dough is too dry.
- Using your hands, pat the mixture into a flat mound, roughly one inch thick. Cut biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Biscuits should touch shoulder-to-shoulder on the sheet for best rising -- I usually do mine in rows of three biscuits.
- Bake for 10 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 12 to 14 2-inch biscuits.
