# Gluten free baking cookbook recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435 "2012-11-29T02:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/1 "2012-11-29T02:59:01Z")
Does anyone have any suggestions for a good cookbook for gluten free baking? My mom would like one for Christmas. Cookbooks can be such a crapshoot, so I’m hoping one of our GF dopers can help me out. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/2 "2012-11-29T13:54:54Z")
I’ve had good luck with Elana Amsterdam’s stuff. You can check out some of her recipes at [elanaspantry.com](http://elanaspantry.com). I don’t own her cookbooks, but her website recipes have been good. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/3 "2012-11-29T15:01:37Z")
My experience with gluten free cookbooks in general is that they want you to custom mix a variety of flour or flour replacement products. I don’t want to keep potato starch, tapioca, white and brown rice flour, etc. around. What I’ve found that works is “The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free”. The starting point of these recipes is a gluten free cake mix and you “doctor” it up. If you aren’t opposed to the various mixtures, the Celiac website give good reviews to the cookbooks by Bette Hagman. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/4 "2012-11-29T17:11:10Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > What I’ve found that works is “The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free”. The starting point of these recipes is a gluten free cake mix and you “doctor” it up. Might be fun to make a little GF baking gift basket for her, with a sampling of flours and stuff to bake with! ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/5 "2012-11-29T18:17:06Z")
My wife highly recommends Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/6 "2012-11-29T19:13:08Z")
I have a hold at our local library for, [The Joy of Gluten Free, Sugar-Free Baking](http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Gluten-Free-Sugar-Free-Baking-Solutions/dp/1607741164), by Peter Reinhart and Denene Wallace. Obviously I haven’t read it yet, but I am a big fan of his other bread baking books. 36 reviewers at Amazon have given it an average rating of 4.4/5 stars, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/7 "2012-11-29T21:04:45Z")
My mum has a cookbook by [Gluten Free Girl](http://glutenfreegirl.com/) that she really likes - notice on her site that she has a Thanksgiving baking book out now too. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/8 "2012-11-29T23:26:35Z")
Thanks for all the feedback! I ordered _Gluten Free Baking Classics_ from our bookstore today, and I will do some research on the others. I also ordered some GF flour mixes for her to try, **ZipperJJ**! (And an almond flour for me to test, too.) She has been enjoying baking again lately, but my sister-in-law is gluten free and Mom wants to be able to share. I like the idea of the no-sugar for them, so I’ll check out **Gray Ghost** ’s suggestion, too. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/9 "2012-11-29T23:35:27Z")
I baked GF pumpkin cupcakes (with a maple cream cheese frosting) for Thanksgiving this year, as someone with celiac disease was attending, and they were a big hit with everyone. I used Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free version of their Vanilla Cake Mix as the base. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/10 "2012-11-30T00:03:56Z")
Sounds like you have a great gift basket in the making! I’d suggest a nice gluten free vanilla extract\* as an addition. Nothing more annoying than having all the right “flours” and gums for gluten free baking and finding yourself with contamino-vanilla. \*Which, in the US, simply means making sure it’s PURE vanilla extract. McCormick et al, are fine, if a little boring. Vanilla flavored extract may have caramel or malt color, which can have gluten. But pure vanilla extract cannot. [Is pure vanilla extract gluten free? | Free Range Cookies](http://freerangecookies.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/is-pure-vanilla-extract-gluten-free/) ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gluten-free-baking-cookbook-recommendations/642435/11 "2012-11-30T01:59:23Z")
Good point, **WhyNot**! I’ll pick up some vanilla, too, and see what else I can think of.