Professional Pastry Chef developed recipes and resources aimed at helping you understand the fundamentals and science behind gluten-free baking.
My goal for Kira in the Kitchen is to give you the knowledge and confidence to turn out the most delicious gluten-free pastries and desserts at home, while also having fun in the kitchen.
I believe anyone can bake. I also believe anyone can bake gluten-free!
Not to quote Pixar’s Ratatouille, but here at Kira in the Kitchen we believe that anyone CAN bake! If you attended culinary school or worked in the trenches at a restaurant or bakery, you would learn that the secret to turning out professional, high-quality desserts is actually quite boring and not very sexy. It comes down to following a well thought out, highly developed recipe, and before the whisk hits the bowl, understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind the basic baking principals. For example, when making meringue; the ‘why’ would be that you require room temperature eggs (because the proteins are relaxed and can expand at a much higher rate) to achieve a lovely stiff meringue. The ‘how’ is done by whipping the egg whites in a very clean, grease-free bowl. (Oil, grease or even egg yolk will prevent the egg whites from whipping to stiff peaks).
The same baking principles ring true for gluten-free baking. Often, the gluten-free recipes found online and in many best-selling cookbooks seem to ignore these universal baking principals while also neglecting to account for the missing gluten. Resulting in cookies that could be used as door stops or cakes that are somehow dense and dry at the same time.
I hope that Kira in the Kitchen will be your trusted, go-to resource for gluten-free baking tips, tricks and recipes. I want you to be confident in knowing that all the recipes found here are 100% gluten-free and developed using professional pastry chef techniques.
WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS! COMING SOON…
THE GLUTEN-FREE PASTRY SCHOOL
As Kira in the Kitchen grows and continues to add free recipes to the blog, I will be building an extensive self-lead resource called The Gluten-Free Pastry School: 101. This resource will be available to everyone and will include the knowledge, tools and recipes needed to help you on your gluten-free baking journey. The Gluten-Free Pastry School will include a baking terminology digital download, high-level overview of pastry principals and theory, and base recipes that will allow you to practice your baking skills and pave the way for you to get create and make your own gluten-free recipes.
While The Gluten-Free Pastry School:101 is being developed, you can get started by downloading the Baking Terminology sheet below and check out our recent article with Food Bloggers of Canada “Beginners Guide to Gluten-Free Baking”.
Hi, I’m Kira!
I’m a professionally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, food photographer, content creator and food blogger behind Kira in the Kitchen. I also happen to be gluten-free due to a wheat allergy. Over the years I’ve graduated from culinary school, worked in restaurants, patisseries, spent time as a chocolatier, pasta maker (pastaia), and least notably I was once a chef hand-double for the lead actor in a Hallmark film.
My origin story is a little different compared to most Pastry Chefs. In my mid-twenties I suddenly developed some concerning health issues which lead to me being diagnosed with a wheat allergy.
Having a food allergy or needing to cut out certain foods can be difficult and socially isolating. Over the last 10+ years I have been working hard and educating myself so I could not only bring my love of baking back into my life, but also so that I could share my gluten-free recipes with anyone else who needs a little extra support and sweetness in their gluten-free lives.
If you have any gluten-free baking questions for me or just want to connect, reach out through Instagram @kiramcmullan!