Trini Gluten Free Vegan Aloo Pie

These are called "Aloo Pies". If you are familiar with East Indian food, you would know that aloo is potato. So these are pieces of fried dough shaped as a hand pie and stuffed with a spicy seasoned potato filling. They are often served with a chutney.

Aloo pies are part of our street food scene. Street vendors serve aloo pies with an assortment of condiments. Tamarind or mango chutney is not uncommon. You can even get a "curried" channa (chick pea) filling as an add on. Of course pepper sauce is never missing, that's a Trini food culture must have!

You can use the recipe below to make fried (which is the custom) or baked pies.

I love it and I think you will too ❤

Trini gluten free vegan aloo pies (fried)

Gluten Free Vegan Aloo Pies

Trini Gluten Free Vegan Aloo Pie Recipe

Ingredients

(makes 6 - 8 pies)

Potato (Aloo) Filling

2 medium sized potatoes (peeled, boiled and mashed)

1 large pimiento diced

½ medium sized onion diced

4-5 cloves of garlic diced

½ tsp whole geera (cumin)

salt and pepper to taste

1– 2 tbsp of oil for sauteing

(Hand) Pie Dough

¾ cup brown rice flour

½ cup oat flour

¼ cup tapioca starch

½ tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp yeast

1/3 tsp salt

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp oil

½ - ¾ cup water

brown rice flour for shaping the dough

extra oil for shaping the dough and for deep frying

Directions

Filling

In a small skillet or pan heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the whole geera (cumin) and simmer for a few minutes, the geera does not have to burn. Next add the diced seasoning, stir to mix with the geera. Cover the skillet and saute on a low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and thoroughly mix the seasoning with the mashed potatoes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

(Hand) Pie Dough

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the oil and 1/2 cup of water. Knead to form a firm but slightly sticky dough, add more water a little at a time if needed. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes or longer.

Prepare a floured surface to work on. Do not use a starch for this for e.g. potato or cornstarch, use a gluten free flour like brown rice.

Divide the dough into 6 or 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough in the palm of your hands until smooth. You can moisten your hands with oil but not with water. Expect the dough to be soft, somewhat sticky but holding together, firmer than the dough for gluten free bread. Set aside the rounds of dough until all have been made.

If you are going to bake the aloo pies, pre-heat your oven to 350 F. To deep fry add enough oil to a pot so that the aloo pie will be completely submerged. Make sure the oil is hot before frying.

Starting from the first one, place one ball of dough on your floured surface. Using your fingers, pat the dough to form a circle about 4” in diameter. Flip the dough at least once to ensure it is not sticking to the work surface area. Flour the surface again if necessary. Use oiled hands, not water as this will weaken the dough.

Place about a tablespoon of the potato filling closer to one edge of the flattened circle. The dough will be folded in half so leave a little space at the rim. Do not place the filling in the center of the circle, this will make it difficult to fold the dough in half. Using a paint brush or another method, not your hands or fingers, lightly brush some water along the rim of the circle. Very gently and preferably in one motion fold the dough over the filling and unto the opposite rim, you can use a dough scraper once you are careful not to tear the dough. With oiled fingers press the edges of the dough together to seal. You can also dust your hands with flour, but avoid wetting your hands or fingers with water, the dough is easily torn. Place the shaped pie on a parchment lined tray until all have been made. Throughout the shaping process ensure that your work surface is dusted properly, this will make handling of the dough a lot easier. Flip the dough before filling, dust the surface again if necessary so that the dough will remain intact when shaped.

To bake

With a very light touch brush the top of each aloo pie with oil. Place in the oven and after 12 minutes flip the aloo pie. Brush the flipped side with oil and return to the oven. Bake for another 5 – 8 minutes or until the pies have browned a bit. You may need to turn the oven to 450 F just before removing from the oven to brown the aloo pies a bit more. When it's done baking, the crust will be set and will sound hollow if tapped. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.

To fry

Drop the aloo pie into the hot oil, either 1 or 2 at a time. The aloo pie will begin to brown and swell. Once it starts to swell you can flip to the other side. They are done when they are evenly colored and the aloo pie floats on the surface of the oil, usually in about 2 – 4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain (briefly) on a paper towel. Do not let the aloo pie sit on the oily paper towel, drain and place on a wire rack to cool. You may have to let the oil reheat to optimum temperature after the 2nd or 3rd batch of frying.

To serve

The aloo pie is best enjoyed warm. You can always place the finished pie in the oven on a keep warm setting until ready to eat, assuming that will happen within 1 or 2 hours. Aloo pie is delicious served with a chutney.

The “I Can Make Gluten Free Vegan Bagels”, Bagel

The recipe looks daunting until you've tried it. It gets easier with practice.

Sourdough Gluten Free Vegan Bagels

I am using a sourdough pre-ferment to improve the flavor of the bagels. The sourdough is contributing ¼ cup each of water and flour plus wild yeast. You can adjust the recipe, replacing the sourdough pre-ferment with those amounts and increasing the yeast to 2 teaspoons. When the dough is made, you can then place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 48 hours to slow rise. When you are ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator, allow it to come to room temperature and continue with the recipe. Of course you can skip all of this, add the ¼ cup each water and flour, 2 teaspoons of yeast and then just make the bagels.

Sourdough Pre-ferment

2 tbs mother starter (100% hydration)*

¼ cup brown rice flour (or oat flour)

¼ cup water

Combine all of the ingredients to form a thick but pour-able mix. You can add a very small amount of water if the mixture is too thick. Allow the pre-ferment to mature on your kitchen counter for a few hours or overnight . Cover the mix with something breathable like paper hand towels. I leave my jar uncovered for at least an hour, longer if I can. I have found this is the best way to introduce the wild yeast to the mixture.

Your preferment is ready when there are clear signs of activity. There should be air pockets throughout and the dough should have doubled in volume. When ready, follow the remaining steps below. If you have enough sourdough or mother starter, you can measure out the ½ cup required in the recipe using this as your pre-ferment. In that case you can jump ahead in the recipe and make the bagels.

My sourdough starter or mother was made with brown rice flour and water. The culture is active, ready to use when I need it.

*100% hydration means, using the same amount of water and flour to feed your sourdough. Some gluten free flour blends need a little more water than flour. I still treat this as 100% hydration

Bagels

Dry Ingredients

1 cup oat flour

½ cup almond flour (not almond meal)

¼ cup potato starch (not potato flour)

¼ cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp instant yeast

½ tbsp baking powder

½ tbsp sugar

1/3 tsp salt

Tapioca starch for shaping the bagels

Wet Ingredients

½ cup Pre-ferment**

½ cup water (more by tablespoon if needed)

¼ cup aquafaba slurry (see here)***

¼ cup oil more oil for shaping the dough

**If there is a little more than ½ cup pre-ferment go ahead and add it. Continue with the recipe but start with 1/3 cup water adding more if necessary

*** You can sub non diary milk for the aquafaba slurry, the result will differ a bit

Water Bath

1 ½ quarts of water

1 tsp molasses

½ tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp aquafaba (or aquafaba slurry)***

****The aquafaba is optional. I believe that using it in the water bath as added protein, helps with the browning of the bagel. It's a working theory, these bagels browned much better than those in my previous attempts. However, I adjusted a few variables this time around so I will be testing this further. Updates will be posted.

Directions

Combine all of the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl, mix well.

Add the wet ingredients. Mix on a low speed to combine. Increase the speed and mix until the dough is “smooth”, holding together and slightly sticky. This will be a soft dough but not “wet” and shaggy as is the norm for gluten free bread dough. Let the dough rest for about 10 mins. At the end of the rest check the dough to make sure that it is properly hydrated, add very little water at a time if needed.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside

Create a floured surface with the tapioca starch to shape the bagels. A silpat mat works great here. Pinch off pieces of the dough, enough to fit in the palm of your hand. This recipe makes about 6 bagels, you can use this as a guide to average the size of the dough pieces.

In a circular motion, roll the dough with the palm of your hands on the floured surface. Working with oiled hands helps. Try to get the dough as smooth as possible without adding too much tapioca starch.

You can place the pieces of dough on the parchment lined tray now or after shaping. Leave at least an inch between the shaped bagels. Flatten the dough to about 2 ¾ - 3 inches in diameter. The finished bagel will be about 3 ½ inches. Flatten, but shape it so that the top is slightly domed. I lightly spritzed the top of the bagel with water and used the back of a spoon to create the shape. This step (creating a domed shape), is not necessary at all. Since the bagel has a very short proofing time, training the bagel to rise in a dome shaped is only about the aesthetics.

Create a hole in the center of the bagel with your finger. In a circular motion widen to about ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. Set the tray of bagels aside for about 10 minutes in a warm area of your kitchen to proof, the bagels will rise a bit more in the oven. The 10 minutes can include the time it takes to setup the water bath. I do not cover the bagels. The spritzing I used to shape the bagels keeps it moist and I can simply spritz again if I have to.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees (F)

Prepare the water bath, you want enough depth in your pot to fully immerse the bagels. Dissolve the molasses and sugar in the water. Add the aqafuaba and bring the mixture to a boil on medium to high heat. The bagels should have visibly “puffed up” a bit by now. If not wait a few more minutes, but do not leave the bagel to double in size or anything close to that. You are looking for somewhere in the vicinity of a 15% - 20% increase in size. You should be able to flip the bagel into the palm of your hand without it falling apart. If it breaks or falls apart simply reshape it.

Starting with the first bagel that you shaped and working with only 1 bagel at a time, place the bagel in the boiling water bath. Cook on each side for 10 seconds. Using a round skimmer slotted spoon, take the bagels out of the water and return it to the parchment lined tray, flat side down.

With a light hand, brush to cover, the top of the bagel with oil. Sprinkle your desired topping on top. Continue boiling and dressing your bagels, working from the first to the last bagel you shaped.

When finished, place the tray in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees (F). Bake for another 10 – 12 minutes. The bagel will sound hollow when tapped if they are fully baked.

Transfer the finished bagels to a wire rack and cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. You can also leave the tray of bagels in the oven or a warming drawer on the keep warm setting.

That is perfect if you are going to have the bagels about an hour or so later.

Wrapped tightly and frozen is the best way to store the bagels.

Gluten Free Vegan Sourdough Bread (with steps to use the Tangzhong method)

This is not a complete explanation or even a strict method following baker's percentages and the like for baking sourdough bread. This recipe will get you started, de mystifying the overall process so that in time you will feel comfortable working with a more detailed and precise methodology

I tested a few methods to make this sourdough loaf. The 2 that worked best follows. One option includes the scalded flour method (tangzhong or yukone) and the other does not. The scalded flour option was the winner but only by a small margin. The major difference is that the dough made with scalded flour was lovely to work with, it felt pillow-y and more elastic. I braided and shaped the dough so that advantage mattered to me. If you just want a good loaf of sourdough bread, you can opt for either. Read more about the Tangzhong method here

There were several other factors that are worth mentioning:

1. You need a high protein flour blend. If you are using a pre-mixed blend, choose a bread flour mix instead of a 1 to 1 mix. If you want to try making your own blend, use a light flour (e.g. brown rice), a high protein flour (e.g. oats, buckwheat, teff), and starches (for me that would be tapioca and potato starch, not potato flour). Make your blend using this formula as a guide, you can always adjust to your liking (this note was amended on 01/11/23 to reflect my current research, I highly suggest that you check this Post 1 and this Post 2 for more info on making your own bread flour blend):

• 50% high protein flour

• 30% "light" flour

• 20% starches

2. Baking the bread in a dutch oven or your solution for a dutch oven, for half of the baking time results in a “crunchy” crust

3. When the bread is done baking, turn off the oven, open the door and let the bread hang out in the oven until the oven is completely cool. This improves the texture, the bread will be a lot less “gummy”. The bread in any state is good for toasting.

4. My starter is always at 100% hydration. Which means, I use the same amount of water and flour to feed it. Some gluten free flour blends need a little more water than flour. I still treat this as 100% hydration

Most Sourdough loaves are proofed in a Banneton Basket and then subsequently baked in a Dutch Oven or a Cloche Bread Baker. This recipe works with a regular loaf tin (preferably one with tall sides like this) and a bowl for proofing. Less water is required if you're using a banneton and dutch oven system, you should be able to knead and shape the dough.

If you are having problems with this recipe or any other bread recipe check out my "Troubleshooting Guide For Baking Gluten Free Bread"

Gluten Free Vegan Sourdough Bread

Gluten Free Vegan Sourdough Bread Recipe

Ingredients

Sourdough Pre-ferment

½ cup mother starter (100% hydration)*

¼ cup bread flour

¼ cup water

Mix and allow to mature for a few hours or overnight. Then follow the remaining steps below

*My sourdough starter or mother starter was made with brown rice and water. The mixture was fed over a few days until there was a strong culture of wild yeast

See below for the tangzhong method or continue with the steps below.

The Bread

Dry Ingredients

2 cups bread flour

1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum** (omit if this is in your flour blend)

1tsp salt (omit if this is in your flour blend)

1 tsp sugar

1/8 cup flaxmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

**instead of the xanthan gum, you can use 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder (preferred)

Wet Ingredients

1 cup Sourdough Pre-ferment

¼ cup oil

½ cup aquafaba slurry***

3/4 cup water (more by tbsp if needed)

1 tbsp vinegar

***Aquafaba is the liquid recovered from boiling chickpeas (channa) or the brine drained from a can of chickpeas. This is used to add extra protein which helps to maintain structure. You can swap with a non diary milk, the result may not be the same. For more information on how I make my aquafaba slurry see here: https://www.moysglutenfreekitchen.com/post/improve-your-baking-with-aquafaba-slurry Directions

Grease or line a medium sized baking tin. A baking tin with tall (deep) side walls works best

Place the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add all of the wet ingredients except the vinegar. Beat on a low speed to combine, the dough will be somewhat shaggy at this stage. Raise the speed of the mixture and mix until the dough is sticky but smooth. Let the dough rest a few minutes (5-10). If you are using psyllium husk powder let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes. After the brief rest, check the dough.

Add the vinegar and if the dough feels somewhat dry add a tablespoon of water at a time until it becomes sticky to the touch. Gluten free bread needs more hydration than regular loaves, in time you will figure out how much is best.

Spoon dough into the prepared baking tin, smooth top and cover bread with lightly greased cling wrap. Allow the bread to rise 4-6 hours or overnight. You can also let it rise until it is almost to the rim of the baking tin and then place it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. It will continue to rise, very very slowly, but the slow rise technique creates a more flavorful loaf.

When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator, allow it to come to room temperature and continue with the steps below.

The dough is ready to bake when it has risen just above the rim of the tin. Do not be tempted to let the dough rise much further, it can collapse in the oven.

Toward the end of the rise preheat oven to 350°F. When the dough is ready place the tin in the oven and bake for 50 minutes After 50 minutes, lower the heat to 275°F and bake for another 15 mins. After the 15 mins, turn your oven off and leave the bread there for another 20 mins, you can take the loaf out of the pan for this (if the bread feels really firm on all sides, especially at the bottom of the loaf you can skip this step)

Place the loaf on it's side onto a cooling rack. Cut only when completely cooled, up to 5 or 6 hours later.

Wrap the rest of the loaf tightly to maintain freshness for as long as possible, keep refrigerated. Bread is best sliced, wrapped and stored in the freezer if it will not be used within three days.

If using the tangzhong method below, adjust the bread flour to 1 3/4 cups and the water to 1/3 cup. Add the cooled tangzhong slurry to the wet ingredients

Tangzhong Method

¼ cup bread flour

1 ¼ cup water

Combine the flour and water, mixing until there are no lumps. I use my immersion blender to do this. In a skillet cook the mix over medium heat until it thickens. Whisk often, the mix will soon form a gelatinous slurry. As you stir the mix you will notice that it is somewhat sticky and pulls away as one mass from the skillet. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Note: If you are kneading by hand make sure the ingredients are well mixed and evenly distributed

Making Gluten Free Vegan Sourdough Bread

A finished Gluten Free Vegan Sourdough Loaf