[mark12_30]

Modifications to Lostgaeriel's Journey Cake:

WHEAT-FREE, DAIRY-FREE LEMBAS (no kidding)

This past baking session (on Monday) was about varying the Journey Cake recipe. I like what came of it. I've tried to get the consistency as much like a Biscotti as I could, which is how I imagine Lembas to be (at least, if not right out of the oven, then by four weeks into the journey...) This is how I read Tolkien's text: "munching then as best they could with their parched mouths", etc. Normally, I toast things anyway; I'm a "crunchy" type.

Thihnking about Biscottis, I tried twice-baking the Lembas, and it might work if I had more drying racks, but I still ended up toasting the twice-baked wafers this morning as they had moistened back up in the tin.


Here's a brief summary of what I do. For wheat flour, normal white baking flour, I substitute (measure for measure) a gluten-free blend (equal parts cornstarch, tapioca flour, and bean flour, plus 1/4 tsp xanthan gum per cup.) For milk I substitute vanilla soymilk, measure for measure. And to hide the bean flour taste, I add a tsp molasses (or honey, or maple...)

So first, I take the Journey Cake recipe-- 2 cups corn meal, 1 cup "flour", 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup oil (okay, I use BUTTER...), 2 cups "milk", 1 tsp Molasses.

It mixes into a pancake- like batter. I pour it into well-buttered skillets and pans at about pancake thickness and put them into a hot oven (it wsays 385 but I don't trust that. Use Cookie temperature.) When I test for doneness, I think, "Cookie"; the edges should brown and pull slightly away from the pan, and it's vaguely cookie consistency. I remove from pans, cool on racks (need more racks) and cut into squares or wedges. Sometimes i re-bake if they are too moist; I want crunchy-colden, like a sugar-cookie or biscotti.

I wanted to try some other grains besides the corn meal. I have white rice flour and brown rice flour that I need to use up, so I decided to try those.

So, second batch: substituted white rice flour for corn meal, and white sugar for brown sugar, and honey for molasses. Wow. Heavy and very sweet and white. Reminded me of Beorn's honey cakes. Very moist when golden; hard and crunchy when toasted.

Third batch: substituted brown rice flour for corn meal, used brown sugar, and maple syrup for molasses. Came out lighter than the second batch, similar in texture to the corn meal variety.

Fourth batch: substituted white rice flour for corn meal, and white sugar for brown sugar, but added 2 tsp maple. Also heavy and very sweet and white, moist when golden, hard and crunchy when toasted.

There you have it so far. Toasted, I think they would all keep and travel rather well, and be a very chompy-crunchy texture. I intend to test this theory on my next business trip! I can never get wheat-free bread on travel, so this is for me a perfect solution to an annoying problem.