Just over two years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. At the beginning, I looked for nutritional answers as I didn’t want to be relying on medication just to be normal. Some people said that gluten free was the answer so I went gluten free. I ate gluten free pasta, gluten free bread, gluten free bagels. I didn’t like them. Luckily I prefer rice and rice noodles over gluten alternatives.

I also tried gluten free baking. I inherited a bunch of gluten free flours from my mum who tried gluten free baking but had lost interest. Then I also lost interest.

I count my blessings that going gluten free had no measurable benefit to my health. I’ve been off medication for 8 months and feeling great. Still, having a gluten free recipe up your sleeve can be handy. I’ve made these muffins with berries and bananas before and my friend announced that gluten free or not, they were the best muffins he ever tasted. That’s quite a proclamation.

Feijoa season

Since it’s feijoa season, I’m making these with feijoa but feel free to substitute any juicy, in-season fruit.

If you’ve never had a feijoa before, you are missing out. These sweet and sometimes tangy, fragrant fruits have the intensity of a pineapple with the grainy texture of a pear. Their season is short and fierce here in Auckland and those with feijoa trees are forever trying to give them away by the bag. I think the most important thing is having squishy bits in baking to keep it all lovely and moist. These muffins are very moist.

I prefer to write recipes that say 1 banana or 2 apples but since feijoa don’t come in any uniform size, this recipe calls for 1 cup of chopped feijoa. So cut in your feijoa in half and scoop out the flesh, chop and scoop into measuring cup until you reach 1 cup’s worth.

I never got very good height in my gluten free baking but if that doesn’t bother you, keep reading.

Gluten free feijoa muffins

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 free range eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 1 cup chopped feijoa
• 1 1/2 cup gluten free flour*
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until lightened and smooth. Mix in the sour cream.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl.
4. Stir in a third of the flour and a third of the feijoa into the main bowl and mix well. Repeat until all the flour and feijoa is blended.
5. Spoon the batter into an oiled muffin tin, 2 heaped tablespoons was about right for my tin, bake at 160°C for 30 minutes.

Gluten free flour mix:

• 6 cups rice flour
• 2 cups potato flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 3 tablespoons xanthan gum

 

 

 

 

---

This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage bloggers to try new food related things.

This month’s host is Joana from My Gut Feeling and the theme this month is ALLERGY FRIENDLY RECIPES.

If you have a blog and you are eating or cooking something new this month, click below to join. More information here.