The Perfect Gluten-Free Crumb Cake

I’m picky when it comes to gluten-free cookbooks, and judge them on a stringent three-point system: Do the recipes come with beautiful, deeply appealing photos? Are the recipes intelligent and innovative enough to avoid the “duh” trap? (I don’t need another cookbook toting raspberry sorbet or salmon with rice as—surprise!—gluten-free.) And finally, is it full of recipes that I can’t wait to cook and eat?

Gluten-Free Baking (Weldon-Owen, December 2014), a collaboration between Williams-Sonoma and former Bon Appétit food editor Kristine Kidd, fills every requirement. Focusing on the somewhat finicky precision of GF baked goods without trying to be an exhaustive source on the topic, this book is a well-curated and sophisticated selection of classic favorites, like Apple Crumble Pie and Seeded Irish Soda Bread, alongside less traditional recipes like Buckwheat-Rosemary Scones and New England-style Indian Pudding. I haven’t baked my way through all of its cakes, cookies, pies, or sweet and savory breads yet, but it’s worked its way into the list of dependable, go-to books that I reach for when I need a sensational dessert or a crusty loaf of bread.

Flipping through my copy for the first time, I kept coming back to the recipe for Cinnamon Crumb Cake. I'm a sucker for anything with a layer of buttery, soft crumble thanks to fond memories of Sunday mornings spent with my grandparents and Entenmann's crumb cake. Sorghum flour and almond meal give this cake a soft, fine texture, while tangy yogurt balances its subtle sweetness. A dense crust of brown sugar-and-walnut crumble tops off the moist, cinnamon-and-vanilla-scented base, making for a substantial, satisfying breakfast or snack. I'm partial to a thick slab with my late-morning coffee and crossword on the weekends. Most food has its origin in plants. Some food is obtained directly from plants; but even animals that are used as food sources are raised by feeding them food derived from plants. Cereal grain is a staple food that provides more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop. Maize, wheat, and rice – in all of their varieties – account for 87% of all grain production worldwide. Most of the grain that is produced worldwide is fed to livestock. Some foods not from animal or plant sources include various edible fungi, especially mushrooms. Fungi and ambient bacteria are used in the preparation of fermented and pickled foods like leavened bread, alcoholic drinks, cheese, pickles, kombucha, and yogurt. Another example is blue-green algae such as Spirulina. Inorganic substances such as salt, baking soda and cream of tartar are used to preserve or chemically alter an ingredient.Many plants and plant parts are eaten as food and around 2,000 plant species which are cultivated for food. Many of these plant species have several distinct cultivars. Seeds of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans, because they contain the nutrients necessary for the plant's initial growth, including many healthful fats, such as Omega fats. In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds include cereals (maize, wheat, rice, et cetera), legumes (beans, peas, lentils, et cetera), and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils - sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed (including canola oil), sesame, et cetera. Seeds are typically high in unsaturated fats and, in moderation, are considered a health food, although not all seeds are edible. Large seeds, such as those from a lemon, pose a choking hazard, while seeds from cherries and apples contain cyanide which could be poisonous only if consumed in large volumes. Fruits are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants and animals have coevolved such that the fruits of the former are an attractive food source to the latter, because animals that eat the fruits may excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most cultures. Some botanical fruits, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, and eggplants, are eaten as vegetables. (For more information, see list of fruits.) Vegetables are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include root vegetables (potatoes and carrots), bulbs (onion family), leaf vegetables (spinach and lettuce), stem vegetables (bamboo shoots and asparagus), and inflorescence vegetables (globe artichokes and broccoli and other vegetables such as cabbage or cauliflower).Most food has always been obtained through agriculture. With increasing concern over both the methods and products of modern industrial agriculture, there has been a growing trend toward sustainable agricultural practices. This approach, partly fueled by consumer demand, encourages biodiversity, local self-reliance and organic farming methods. Major influences on food production include international organizations (e.g. the World Trade Organization and Common Agricultural Policy), national government policy (or law), and war. In popular culture, the mass production of food, specifically meats such as chicken and beef, has come under fire from various documentaries, most recently Food, Inc, documenting the mass slaughter and poor treatment of animals, often for easier revenues from large corporations. Along with a current trend towards environmentalism, people in Western culture have had an increasing trend towards the use of herbal supplements, foods for a specific group of person (such as dieters, women, or athletes), functional foods (fortified foods, such as omega-3 eggs), and a more ethnically diverse diet. Several organisations have begun calling for a new kind of agriculture in which agroecosystems provide food but also support vital ecosystem services so that soil fertility and biodiversity are maintained rather than compromised. According to the International Water Management Institute and UNEP, well-managed agroecosystems not only provide food, fiber and animal products, they also provide services such as flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, erosion control and habitats for plants, birds fish and other animals.

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