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20 min. Yeast-Free, Gluten-Free Italian Bread & Easy Mezzetta Olive Tapenade

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My favorite holiday memories are of having lots of family and friends over for big meals. I love doing the cooking, preparing holiday recipes, the noise and laughter in the house, and of course, eating the food. I've happily adapted most of my old recipes to gluten-free but I had one more challenge. I was missing crusty chewy   Italian bread that I could make into Crostini! I've always loved warm toasted chewy bites of Italian bread at holiday parties. Topped with Tapenade or made into Bruschetta, they are my favorite appetizers, but I hadn't quite found the right gluten-free flour blend to achieve that wonderful chewiness, until now! I'm so excited to share my NEW 20-minute Gluten-free, Yeast-free, Egg-Free, and Xanthan Gum-Free Italian Bread Rolls with you and did I say, they only take 20 minutes? No yeast, no rising and so easy to make. This amazing dough is also perfect patted out thin for flatbread or pizza crust. Scroll down to see my new Pizza crust u
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Almond Masa Pineapple Upside Down Cake, gluten free

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Today I made a new gluten free version of our favorite Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Masa Harina flour and almond meal.  The cake turned out light and moist and tasted just like a yellow cake mix but it's gluten free!
My family adores the pineapple mixed with coconut sugar, butter and cinnamon for the topping! Another variation we enjoy is peaches and using almond extract instead of vanilla.  Yum..
I have to tell you about Masa Harina flour. I've used Masa flour for homemade tortillas and in many of my baked goods with great results! Always check your brand to be sure that it's gluten free and preferably non-GMO. 
My family loves this gluten free Pineapple Up Side down cake! I hope yours does too!
Almond Masa Pineapple Upside Down Cake, gluten free

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

Cake:
  • 1 1/4 cups (gluten-free and non GMO) masa flour
  • 1 cup almond meal, finely ground (I use almond meal, not flour)
  • 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
  • 1 cup organic coconut palm sugar (or/sugar free alternative of your choice)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup organic plain yogurt  (or dairy free yogurt)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure gluten free vanilla extract
Topping:
  • 1 small ripe organic pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced or 1 (20 ounce) can unsweetened organic pineapple rings, drained   (I've also made this with 3 large ripe organic peaches, peeled and sliced thick)
  • 1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance
  • 1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar (or/sugar free alternative of your choice)
  • 1 teaspoon gluten free cinnamon
Instructions for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   A large 12" cast iron skillet works best or grease a 10" springform cake pan.

Grind apx 3/4 cup of raw almonds in a coffee mill or food processor.  Measure again after grinding and sifting to make 1 cup.  Don't over grind or you will make almond butter! (read here on how I soak my almonds to make them easier to digest)
  1. Sift cornmeal, ground almonds, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.  Save any bits of nuts that are too large to pass through the sifter and toss them into the bottom of the pan with the topping. 
  2. In the large bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until smooth for a minute. 
  3. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl. 
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
  5. Stir in yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla. 
  6. Fold in the dry ingredients slowly until just incorporated. The dough should be a thick cake batter consistency.  
  7. Now do the topping before you pour the batter into the pan.
Instructions for the topping:
  1. Melt butter for topping in a large cast iron skillet on low. Remove from heat.  Or if using a cake pan, melt butter in a small sauce pan and pour into your cake pan. 
  2. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and reserved almond bits.  Sprinkle evenly over the butter in the cast iron pan or cake pan.
  3. Lay the pineapple rings on the butter and sugar.  Filling the entire pan bottom with rings or pieces.  
  4. Pour the cake batter into the pan and smooth over the pineapple, gently moving the batter out to touch the pan sides and seal the edges.
  5. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. 
  6. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen. Lay a large plate over the pan and turn cake out onto plate.  If you hit it with the palm of your hand a few times it will pop out. 
And you might also like my Zucchini Muffins made with Masa too!