Friday, October 22, 2010

Testing Out Nameste Baking Mix

I was sucked in by a pretty package.  Should have known better but that and the lower price had me buying a baking mix from Nameste Foods.  Juliana TOLD me to get a different brand and since she never mentioned this one in particular, good or bad, I bought this one.  Isn't the package nice?  Sure looks all wholesome and stuff.  The marketing department did a really good job.  Kudos to them for most likely having a focus group to pick the packaging.  It worked on me. To be fair, Nameste specializes in allergy free baking so the recipe I used for the biscuits below was designed for that reason.




The first thing I made with this product was the biscuits using the recipe on the bag.  I was skeptical since the recipe didn't seem like it was going to work very well.  I was right.  The hockey pucks biscuits came out dry and didn't rise at all.  They ended up looking like the raw dough, only more brown, after they were finished.  My hubby still ate his, God love him, so it shows that he either loves me very much or will eat anything!  His comment when eating the biscuit was, "this has the texture of a mud pie.  Or maybe an English muffin at the beach on a windy day."  He's trying to be supportive while still wanting his gluten products. Here's the result of the biscuits.

We've lived in the South for MANY years and both of my kids were born there.  Biscuits are a way of life so I have spent YEARS perfecting my recipe.  Now I have those little hockey pucks to look forward to?  UGH!

Today my daughter and I decided to attempt to make some scones using this baking mix but a different recipe.  The recipe ingredients made all the difference!  The scones came out very well but this mix is WAY too salty for me!  Of course I rarely use salt so it may be just me, but my guinea pigs family members also felt they were salty. I will attempt this recipe with a new baking mix or using a mix of my own making.  The actual recipe is from The Art of Gluten Free Baking - Cream Scones.  I made a few changes by using the baking mix instead of making the baking mix in the recipe and I used buttermilk since I had some I wanted to get rid of.  All in all the recipe turned out great except for the SALT!  Here are the scones cooling off.



I will make these again with a different mix or make my own mix next time.  I would like them more sweet as well, but I am the ultimate sugar ho!

I will use this mix to make some savory pie crusts for a quiche and also to make pizza crust. The salt won't be as much of a problem for me then.

8 comments:

  1. I suspect you could add some sugar - maybe even sprinkle the top with sugar - and get your fix. But honestly - I suspect I'm more of a sugar ho than you. However, I'm trying to dial back, lose some weight, and drop the cholesterol. Sigh. (And at Halloween, too!)

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  2. And then Thanksgiving, then Christmas.... Ack!

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  3. I gave up trying to lose weight a long time ago. I used to be a lot thinner, but it took a lot of will power and energy for all the exercising. I really should start again. Sigh! :(

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  4. Other Linda - I am doing a very, very gradual approach now, but some modifications in my diet, and regular exercise. I joined Curves, and go 3-4 times a week, plus wear a pedometer and try to get 10,000 steps a day. (I don't always make it, but I'm more forgiving of myself on the days I go to Curves.) As a friend said, if she went all out on the dieting and deprived herself of things she likes, she would feel deprived and then binge - and then be back where she started. This balanced approach, where I accept the fact that I WILL have a little sweet every so often, seems to be working so far. We'll see how it goes.

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  5. Linda, good luck! I exercised a lot and had muscles all over until I hurt my back a couple years ago. Then it was my shoulder/neck. NOW I think I'm doing OK. :)

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  6. why don't you just eat sugar from the bag?

    ;)

    They DO look like hockey pucks. If I ever decided to go GF, bread wouldn't be much of a problem for me to give up, it's just not my favorite.

    But baked goods?
    Oh.
    My.
    God.

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  7. I am learning how to make the baked goods that taste better than hockey pucks, thank goodness!

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  8. I have actually never tried Namaste brand. GF is so tricky, you have to find the right brand for each food. Glad you were able to use it for scones though! Maybe the Bisquick could be good for biscuts? I may have to investigate this weekend... -J

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