Baiganee Casserole

In Trinidad and Tobago, Baiganee is made with slices of eggplant (baigan) dipped in a split pea batter and fried. It is served with a chutney and is often street food fare.

I am following the basic recipe but baking the Baiganee as a casserole. If you wish to fry the eggplant (baigan) add 2 tsps of baking powder to the batter. Follow the recipe but dip the slices in the batter and deep fry until browned on each side.

Baiganee Casserole

Sweating the eggplant (baigan)

Layering the eggplant and split pea mix

Baiganee Casserole

Ingredients

2 small to medium eggplants (baigan)

salt to “sweat” the eggplant

1 cup gluten free flour

1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if in your mix)

1 cup split pea powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp amchar masala

pinch of cayenne pepper

4-5 cloves of garlic minced

2 leaves of shadow beni minced (culantro)

¾ cup water

vegetable oil

Directions

Wash and dry the whole eggplant, trim off the ends

Slice the eggplant into diagonal pieces about 1/4” thick

Line a tray or other work surface with paper towels

Rub each piece of eggplant on both sides with salt and place on the tray

Leave the eggplant for 30 minutes or so, it will “sweat”, losing most of it's water and any bitter taste

Preheat your oven to 350F

Grease a casserole baking dish, I used a 12” x 8” x 1½” dish

Combine all of the dry ingredients, the garlic and the shadow beni (culantro)

Add the water and mix well to form a pourable paste, use more water if necessary (like a tomato or white sauce used to make lasagna)

Wipe dry each piece of eggplant, dusting off as much salt as possible

Spread some of the split pea mix on the bottom of the baking dish. Add a single layer of eggplant slices, top with some of the split pea mix. Continue layering the split pea mix and the eggplant, ending with the split pea mix

Lightly spread some oil over the last layer of the split pea mix. This will help it to bake without becoming too dry

Bake for 35 – 40 mins. You can check after 30 mins, add a little more oil if the crust is too dry. The eggplant is cooked when it becomes somewhat translucent

Remove from the oven, cool and serve with your favorite chutney on the side

"Trini" Hops Bread, the gluten free and vegan way

(makes about 8 buns)

After a few trials I realized that I could not duplicate every aspect of traditional hops (popular in Trinidad and Tobago) without specialty ingredients or a more complicated technique. You cannot shape the buns by hand as there is no gluten structure to create and maintain the domed top. The traditional Hops bread recipe is quite simple. Flour, water, yeast, very little sugar, salt and either margarine or shortening. This recipe mimics that simplicity in terms of flavor. These hops are soft and have a good crumb structure. You could rest the dough either overnight or for a few hours before placing in the baking molds. That will help the development of a more yeasty bread flavor and soften the starches in the dough.

As with all my recipes, I will continue to explore ways to make it better. I'll post updates if and when there are improvements. For now, hope you find that this recipe satisfies your craving for a gf/vegan version of Trini hops bread!

For a little history on this iconic bread check here

If you are having problems with this recipe or any other bread recipe check out my "Troubleshooting Guide For Baking Gluten Free Bread"

Hops Bread (gluten free and vegan)

Gluten Free and Vegan Trini Hops Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2¼ cups gluten free flour (a 1 to 1 blend)*

¼ cup almond flour

1 tbsp psyllium husk powder

OR

1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if in your flour blend)

2½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp brown sugar

2½ tsp instant yeast

¼ cup aquafaba** (or coconut milk)

½ cup warm water (add more by tablespoon)

¼ cup vegetable oil (I use coconut)

1½ tbsp vinegar

*I made a blend with 1½ cups rice flour, ½ cup potato starch and ¼ cup tapioca starch. If you use a bread flour blend you could omit the almond flour and use 2½ cups of flour instead.

**Aquafaba is the brine from boiling chickpeas (channa) or the liquid in a can of chickpeas. More info here

Directions

You will need a bread bun or cake mold like this one or 4” – 5” aluminum foil tart pans like these

Grease or line the baking molds. If you are using the single tart pans, have a tray ready to place the pans on

Mix all of the dry ingredients together

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the aquafaba (or coconut milk), water, oil and vinegar

Knead or mix until thoroughly combined. The dough should be like a thick pancake batter, not runny or pourable but definitely wet to the touch. Add more water if necessary to achieve that consistency.

Spoon dough into the prepared baking molds, smooth the top and cover the baking tray with lightly greased cling wrap. Allow to rise 30 - 45 mins or more until the dough is at the rim of the baking mold. The dough will take the shape and height of the container it is in. So if you want a higher dome you may need to use a mold that is around 4” in diameter and more importantly taller sides like 1½” in height. You can always make smaller buns if you have a mold that is less that 4” in diameter but that has tall walls (by tall walls I do not mean a muffin or cupcake tin, unless you are okay with your hops looking like a muffin. See the link under the heading “Directions” for a link to bread bun baking molds)

Toward the end of the rise preheat oven to 350°F. Before placing in the oven, spoon some coconut oil over each bun and gently spread across the surface of the bread with the back of a spoon

When the oven is ready, bake the bread for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, brush a bit more coconut oil on the top of each bun and raise the temperature to 425°F. Bake for another 5 minutes until golden in colour. You can take the buns out of the mold for this step to encourage the underside to develop a bit more colour and a slight crust

When the bread is done, place the buns on a wire rack to cool. You can serve the hops warm.

Wrap the rest of the buns tightly to maintain freshness for as long as possible, keep refrigerated. Bread is best wrapped and stored in the freezer if it will not be used within three days. he end of the rise preheat oven to 350°F.

Yummy Caramelized Onion Focaccia (Gluten Free & Vegan)

As far as seasoned bread goes Focaccia is my favourite. It’s so versatile, you can use any combination of herbs to dress it. Drizzle with lots of olive oil and it's undeniably delicious!

Plus if you're struggling to make gluten free bread, this is an easier fix.

In other parts of the world this Italian flatbread is sometimes made in the style of a pizza called pizza bianca.

Focaccia can be be round, rectangular, or square shape, served as a side or used to make a sandwich.

This recipe has caramelized onions and crushed garlic. While it bakes it has the most delicious "can't wait to get you out of the oven" smell.

The recipe for this gluten free focaccia does not disappoint, give it a try!

Caramelized Onion Focaccia

Dimpling the dough

Square shaped focaccia

Circular shaped focaccia

Ingredients

¾ cup brown or white rice flour*

¼ cup potato starch

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 tbsp cornmeal (I used white)

¼ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ tbsp brown sugar

1¼ tsp instant yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plain yogurt (optional)**

¾ cup water (more by tbsp if needed)

1 small onion sliced

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp of dried basil (use fresh if you have it)

Pepper flakes (optional)

Olive oil

Coconut or other vegetable oil

*Since this is a flatbread you can try a 1 to 1 flour blend if you like to replace the rice flour, starches and xanthan gum. The result will be different but I suspect still pretty decent if not better

**I like the slightly sour taste of the yogurt in this recipe. Dairy Free yogurt is available

Directions

Mix all of the dry ingredients together

To the dry ingredients add the olive oil, yogurt if using and the water. Mix well to form a somewhat smooth but wet to the touch dough

At this point you can place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator to rest overnight. For some, this improves the flavour of the Focaccia. Otherwise skip this step and continue with the recipe

Line a tray with parchment paper and spread olive oil across the surface of the paper. Spoon the dough into the tray. The dough should be sticky to the touch and spreadable like a thick brownie batter. I would now spritz the dough with water and using the back of a wet spoon smooth the dough to the size and thickness I want (around 9” in diameter or less). The thinner you spread the dough the “crunchier” the finished Focaccia. Once the dough is my desired size and shape, I lightly pour olive oil (just a little like a tsp) over it spreading the oil evenly with the spoon. Cover the tray with oiled plastic wrap and set aside for the dough to rise. In the meantime prepare the toppings and preheat the oven to 350°F

Heat the coconut oil (about 1 tbsp) in a skillet on low to medium. Add the sliced onions and cook on low heat until they have softened and are golden to dark brown in colour. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking or burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once the dough has almost doubled in size it is ready for the toppings. Spoon and gently spread some olive oil over the surface of the dough. Pressing down on the dough will flatten it so use a light touch. Use enough olive oil to visibly coat the surface but not drown it. To create the dimpled surface that is common to Focaccia, you can use your fingers or the back of a measuring spoon which is what I do. Sprinkle as evenly as possible the oregano, basil and pepper flakes all over the surface of the Focaccia. Layer on the caramelized onions. Some of the olive oil should have pooled in the dimples you created, you can always add a little bit more if needed (the olive oil and the herbs is what creates the distinctive taste of the Focaccia).

Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until browned. If you wish to get more colour, after 18 minutes raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Remove the Focaccia from the tray but leave it on the parchment paper, drizzle on just a little more olive oil and place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes

Serve warm and enjoy! You can use any topping or herbs that you wish to personalize your Focaccia. I love the addition of fresh crushed garlic with the caramelized onions.

As with all gluten free baked goods it is best stored in the freezer, wrapped tightly, until ready for use.