Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free
Karen Morgan
Reviewed by Kate Thornberry, Fri., Feb. 11, 2011
Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free
by Karen Morgan Chronicle Books, 224 pp., $24.95
It can break a gluten-intolerant person's heart to give up baked goods. Cake, cookies, brownies, pie, biscuits, breads – the list is depressingly long. But do you really have to give them up? Manufacturers have stepped up to bridge that gap in recent years, introducing some gluten-free bakery items, and the problem of baking gluten-free has been taken up by pastry chefs, bloggers, and frustrated home cooks. As a result, gluten-free options have become better and better. This book represents the pinnacle of gluten-free home baking thus far; the confections and treats these recipes make are virtually indistinguishable from their glutenous counterparts.
Austinite Karen Morgan, a lifelong baking enthusiast, was among the heartbroken when she was diagnosed with celiac disease. Being a baking snob, however, she refused to accept sorry substitutes, and she made it her mission to find a way to make fabulous gluten-free versions of every baked item in her repertoire. Her single-minded focus paid off: Before long her creations were being sought, not just here, but by national celebrities including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Ben Harper, and Jennifer Esposito. This led to a book deal, the fruit of which is this cookbook. It's a gorgeous book, clear and effectively laid out, with lots of inspiring (and mouthwatering) photographs. Morgan's unique flour combinations, simplified techniques, and cutting-edge ideas represent a genuine revolution in gluten-free baking.
