If you, a family member or a friend have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, it might seem like all your favourite treats are off-limits. But a new Irish recipe book is set to banish the myth that gluten-free baking is boring. In Delicious: Recipes From My Gluten-Free Bakery, Denise O’Callaghan shares over 100 tried-and-tested recipes, from crêpes to Christmas cake, with inspirational photographs and step-by-step instructions, so that you can still enjoy your favourite breads, biscuits, cakes, tarts and savoury snacks.

Delicious: Recipes From My Gluten-Free Bakery by Denise O’Callaghan is published by Mercier Press and retails at €24.99.

Recipe one

Pizza

We sell an enormous amount of our pizza bases directly from the bakery and they are great to have in the freezer for a quick supper solution. I know that working with yeast is time-consuming and tricky, but here is a good pizza recipe for those of you that want to give it a go. This recipe makes four/five 150g bases, or six/seven 100g bases.

For the base:

580g (1lb 5oz) of Denise’s delicious flour blend (see last recipe)

½ a teaspoon of salt

40g (1½oz) of margarine

15g (½oz) of xanthan gum

25g (1oz) of sugar

25g (1oz) of dried yeast

420-480ml (14–16floz) of warm water

1 tbsp of olive oil

For the pizza sauce:

2 x 400g (14oz) tins of tomatoes, drained

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of cider vinegar

1 tsp of mixed herbs

1 tsp of salt

¼ tsp of ground black pepper

Toppings:

Sliced pepperoni

Sliced mushroom

Grated mozzarella

1 Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the margarine. Add the gum and sugar. Separately, mix the yeast with 420ml (14 floz) of the warm water. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast and water mixture.

2 In an electric mixer, using a dough hook, beat until the dough forms a ball. If it is not forming a ball or is very dry or tough, gradually add the remaining warm water. You should end up with a soft, pliable dough that leaves the bowl clean. Turn onto a board floured with a little potato flour and knead the dough for around 10 minutes, until smooth.

3 Oil the inside of the bowl with the olive oil, return the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean towel or cling film. Place the bowl somewhere warm and allow the dough to prove until it has doubled in size. If your kitchen is warm this should only take about two hours. The warmer your room, the quicker the dough will prove.

4 Once proved, remove the dough from the bowl and divide into balls of 150g (5oz) for a 23cm/9in pizza, or 100g (4oz) for an 18cm/7in pizza. Knead lightly to make the underside of the pizza dough smooth. Then, with a rolling pin, roll the dough, turning it between each roll to prevent the pizza from sticking. Use plenty of potato flour on the board, pizza and rolling pin to prevent sticking.

5 Place on a floured baking tray and prick the pizza base all over with a fork. Preheat the oven to gas mark six (200°C, 400°F).

6 To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a blender and zap until smooth. Spread generously on the pizza base, keeping in a little from the edges.

7 Cover the pizza with sliced pepperoni, mushroom and grated cheese. Cook in the hot oven and lift the pizza out with a fish slice to check that it is fully cooked underneath.

Tip: Please make sure the pepperoni is gluten-free. Also, if using pre-grated cheese, check that it does not have wheat flour added.

Recipe two

Savoury loaf

This savoury loaf is a recipe from a lovely lady in Brittany. It is a wonderful accompaniment to a glass of chilled white wine with friends.

125g (5oz) Denise’s delicious flour blend (see last recipe)

1 tsp of gluten-free baking powder

1/2 tsp of guar gum

60ml (2floz) of vegetable oil

120ml (4floz) of milk

4 large eggs

125g (5oz) olives, chopped and stoned

225g (9oz) ham, chopped

125g (5oz) Gruyère cheese, grated

50g (2oz) of chopped walnuts

1 Preheat the oven to gas mark four (180°C, 350°F). Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with a baking liner or grease and cut baking parchment to fit.

2 Mix the flour, baking powder and gum until fully combined. Separately, mix the oil, milk and eggs. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the egg mixture and whisk well.

3 Next, add the olives, ham, cheese and walnuts, and stir into the mixture. If the mixture seems very stiff, add a little extra milk and beat in.

4 Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Test with a skewer and it should come out dry. When baked, gently turn out of the tin and cool on a wire rack. To serve, slice thinly and cut each slice in half. Serve accompanied by a crisp white wine.

Denise’s Delicious Flour Blend

This is a great all-round white flour. If you are avoiding corn, then use tapioca flour instead. There are lots of decent white gluten-free/wheat-free flours on the market, but all perform differently. I have blended this to suit my recipes here. Makes approximately 850g (2lb) of the flour blend.

250g (10oz) of rice flour

25g (1oz) of tapioca flour

275g (11oz)of potato flour

275g (11oz) of corn flour

13g (½oz) of teff flour

1 tsp of gluten-free baking powder

1 tsp of guar gum

1 Sieve all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. CL