Simple Gluten-Free Baking and Giveaway with Simple Mills

I am a simple cook. If a recipe has too many ingredients and too many steps, I run away as fast as I can. I am only up for a complicated cooking challenge about once or twice a year. When it comes to baking, forget it. I'm even more intimidated by baking websites that weigh flour, ask me to sift, and ask me to use contraptions I could never fit in my New York City apartment. So when a gluten-free mix that is easy to bake comes across my radar, I am thrilled.

Enter Simple Mills.

This baking mix is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, paleo-friendly, non-GMO, and has a low-glycemic index. Made from a very simple list of ingredients, with almond flour as it's base, the Simple Mills baking mixes are quite easy to use but their flavors are far from simple. Their mixes include banana muffin, chocolate muffin, pumpkin muffin, chocolate chip cookies, and focaccia and sandwich bread mix.

Simple Mills kindly sent me a sample of the banana muffin mix which I made yesterday morning. Ok, now here is where my type of baking comes into play. One mix, one egg, 2/3 cup of water, and one tablespoon of oil. THAT IS IT! So easy to make that even this fearful baker could bake these little muffins.

Baking made Simple (Mills)! 

I opted to make the mini muffins because when it comes to delicious baked goods I have very little willpower to stop eating. I figured the mini muffins would help me with better portion control. Since these were smaller than normal muffins, I only baked these around 12 minutes. I may or may not have eaten three minis immediately. The rest made it to the rack to cool.

The lovely little muffins

I highly recommend this baking mix. It is easy to make, delicious, and totally gluten-free and made in a gluten-free facility. I will definitely use these gluten-free mixes again!

Don't delay, buy today! 

You can look for Simple Mills mixes in stores or buy your own Simple Mills mixes on Amazon using the links below. Enter code GFREEFUN when placing your Amazon order to get 10% off now through December 18.

• Simple Mills Almond Flour Muffin Mixes 9.4 oz Variety Pack (Pack of 3) 
• Simple Mills Almond Flour Focaccia and Sandwich Bread Mix, 9.4 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)
• Simple Mills Banana Almond Flour Muffin Mix, 9.4 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3) 
• Simple Mills Pumpkin Almond Flour Muffin Mix, 9.4 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)
• Simple Mills Chocolate Almond Flour Muffin Mix, 9.4 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)
• Simple Mills Almond Flour Cookie Mix, 7.4 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)

You can also enter to win!

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Note: Simple Mills sent me a complimentary sample package of their mix. Views expressed in this post are my own. 

King Arthur Flour Launches Premium Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

I got an exciting press release about some new gluten-free baking mixes that are now available from King Arthur Flour. The baking mixes are so new, their website isn't even updated yet. I was a bit concerned about how the gluten-free flours were produced in a gluten environment, but I received a very prompt response from the company. I look forward to checking out the new gluten-free mixes from King Arthur Flour soon!

"Rather than blending and packaging the gluten-free mixes/flour here in Vermont, where we blend and package the rest of our mixes, we actually partner with a completely gluten- and allergen-free facility in the Midwest to ensure absolutely no possibility of cross-contamination with gluten. As noted in the release, the facility we work with is certified by the GFCO, so all products are tested to be less than 10 parts per million gluten (the FDA standard is less than 20 ppm) – and the mixes we’ve blended/packaged and tested have had no gluten. So we’re confident there’s very little chance of contamination!"


King Arthur Flour Launches Premium Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

America’s oldest flour company launches wheat-free mixes, ingredients and recipes

February 22, 2010 – Norwich, Vt. – King Arthur Flour has added a new category to its line of premium baking mixes and ingredients: gluten-free. Though the new products may seem a radical change for a company founded more than 200 years ago on wheat, they carry on the tradition of delicious, high-quality baking products on which King Arthur Flour has built its reputation.

“We wanted to create gluten-free mixes that would not only meet the same high standards we apply to all of our products in terms of flavor and texture, but also reflect the highest standards of gluten- and allergen-free certification,” says King Arthur Flour Marketing Director Tom Payne. “We’ve brought to bear our more than two centuries of experience in baking and recipe development, toiling in our test kitchen for over two years to combine the best gluten-free ingredients in novel ways that result in gluten-free baking mixes of superior quality, consistency and taste.”

King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free baking mixes are the only major brand to be third-party certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, with standards twice as stringent as those set by the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, they are produced in a dedicated allergen-free facility, guaranteed to be free of the top eight most common food allergens. They are also certified Kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Says Payne, “We’re sure customers will agree these are the very best gluten-free mixes on the market today.”

Available March 1 at kingarthurflour.com and soon at food retailers nationwide, King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free line includes GlutenFree Multi-Purpose Flour for scratch baking, along with seven convenience mixes: GlutenFree Bread, Pizza Crust, Cookie, Brownie, Chocolate Cake, Muffin, and Pancake mixes. Suggested retail prices range from $4.99 to $6.99. The new line is supported with recipes for gluten-free baking available at kingarthurflour.com, as well as several additional gluten-free ingredients.

King Arthur Flour is one of America’s best-selling flours, known by avid bakers for its consistent baking performance and lack of chemical additives. A variety of King Arthur’s unbleached flours and baking mixes is sold in supermarkets nationwide, with a complete selection of high-quality baking ingredients, mixes and tools available through King Arthur Flour – the Baker’s Catalogue and at kingarthurflour.com. America’s oldest flour company, King Arthur Flour’s fundamental mission is to be the highest-quality product, education and information resource for, and inspiration to, bakers worldwide. More information and a roundup of King Arthur Flour’s baking resources are available at kingarthurflour.com/flours. King Arthur Flour is a 100% employee-owned business.

Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Dessert Mixes

As you may have read in the gluten-free news and blog world, Betty Crocker is coming out with gluten-free dessert mixes in June. Oh wait, it's June now!!! Although I haven't seen the mixes yet, you can look online to see if the gluten-free mixes are at a store near you. Unfortunately, they are not availability within a 50 mile radius of my apartment or my sister's house in CT. I guess I will have to wait a little bit longer.

I contacted Betty Crocker to see when the mixes might be available and here was their response:

Dear Miss Smith:

Thank you for contacting General Mills regarding the availability of Betty Crocker gluten free mixes. These mixes were released to the market at the beginning of June so it may take a couple weeks for them to appear in grocery stores and on the product locator. However, you could ask a manager at your store if they have ordered or plan on ordering these products.

We would like to see all our products on shelves in every store. However, as the number of items on the market increases, grocers face the dilemma of finding sufficient shelf space to display products. Retailers stock the products and brand choices they feel best meet the majority of their customers′ needs.

We do offer an online product locator, which you may find helpful in finding this product in your area. Please visit our corporate web site at www.generalmills.com and select “Brands”, then “Product Locator” on the left side of the screen to utilize this feature. Or if you prefer, you can call us at 1-800-249-0562, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Central Standard Time. One of our Consumer Services Representatives will be happy to initiate the product search for you.

We also offer a ′Hard to Find Products′ web site, http://generalmills.elsstore.com/ which may contain the item(s) you are looking for. Additionally, while we don′t have any involvement with the fulfillment of groceries through Amazon.com, they do have some of our products available for direct purchase and shipment (including APO′s).

We appreciate your loyalty to our products. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.


Betty Crocker, owned by General Mills maker of the gluten-free Chex line of cereal, is a proud supporter of the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) and Celiac Sprue Association (CSA).

Celiac Disease Foundation
Betty Crocker® is a proud sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation, a national organization dedicated to promoting awareness and building a supportive community for celiac disease patients, families and health care professionals. CDF is actively involved in advocating for patient concerns and networking with other national and international organizations. For more information, check out celiac.org or call (818) 990-2354.

Celiac Sprue Association
General Mills is a proud CSA Benefactor Member of the Celiac Sprue Association. Celiac Sprue Association with members and chapters nation-wide assist those with celiac disease. Celiac Sprue Association provides lifestyle information to all people on a gluten-free diet. For more information, check out csaceliacs.org or call 1-877-CSA-4-CSA.

Ode to Bette Hagman: Gluten-Free Blog Baking Event

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a gluten-free cookbook pioneer named Bette Hagman has just passed away. In honor of Bette's positive attitude towards gluten-free cooking and her active participation in the Gluten Inolerance Group for over 25 years, Sea at Book of Yum has proposed a gluten-free blog event. Here are a summary of the details:

• From 8/20-9/2, bake something from one of Bette Hagman's cookbooks.
  


• Take a photo of the baked goods and include a flower or bouquet in the picture, honoring Bette Hagman (Click here for an example)
  


• Post your photo on your blog along with a short note on the impact Bette Hagman had on your life. Post your link at Book of Yum or email Sea at seamaiden399 @ gmail.com.
  


• I also encourage all of you to join the flick group Gluten-Free Goodness and post your pictures there.
  


• Visit Book of Yum for more information.
  

Please feel free to use this image on your blog or in your flickr post: