Free-from Week Recipes

Free-from Week recipes don’t have to mean you have to give up those classic bakes you already know and love. From naturally egg-free Shortbread and Flapjack to naturally gluten-free Pavlova and familiar favourites that can be adapted with a few simple swaps, these 10 tried-and-tested recipes all have options for gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan baking.

Which Free-From Week Recipe Should I Make?

Best for beginners: Flapjack
Classic Scottish bake: Scottish Shortbread
Something with a bit of history: Honey Slice
Something fruity: Banana Loaf
Something more impressive: Pavlova

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Bakes for Bake Off Free-From Week

If Free-From Week on The Great British Bake Off – or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known in the US – has you thinking a little differently about your baking, you’re in the right place. This week is all about gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan baking, showing that leaving an ingredient out doesn’t have to mean missing out on a good bake.

And free-from baking doesn’t always need to involve starting again with a completely different recipe. Some traditional bakes are naturally free from certain ingredients, while others can be adapted surprisingly easily with the right flour, dairy-free alternative or egg substitute.

From Scottish Shortbread and Scones to Banana Loaf, Apple Pie and Pavlova, I’ve picked 10 familiar Baking with Granny recipes that are naturally free-from in some way, or have straightforward adaptations for gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan baking.

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Free-From & Vegan Baking on Baking with Granny

You’ll find a Free-from & Vegan section on my recipes, with guidance on making them gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free or vegan where possible.

Sometimes that’s as simple as swapping butter for a dairy-free block margarine, using gluten-free flour or choosing oats labelled gluten-free. Other recipes are already naturally free from certain ingredients and don’t need adapting at all.

But not every ingredient can simply be swapped without changing how a bake works. Where I don’t think a straightforward substitution will give you the best result, I’d rather point you towards a recipe developed specifically for that dietary requirement than tell you to swap an ingredient and hope for the best.

And, as always, please remember free-from suggestions are just that – suggestions. If you’re baking for someone with an allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease, always check the labels and allergen information for every individual ingredient you use.

10 Bakes to Make Free-from

4.8 from 5 votes

Honey Slice

Free-from options: Easy to adapt for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan baking; naturally egg-free.

This one has a bit of free-from history in our family. Granny used to make Honey Slice for local cafés around 20 years ago, where part of its appeal was how easily it could be adapted for gluten-free and dairy-free customers – at a time when free-from baking wasn't nearly as commonplace as it is today.

Made with oats, cornflakes, coconut and honey, it's a simple old-fashioned tray bake with plenty of texture. Use suitable gluten-free oats and cornflakes for a gluten-free version, dairy-free block margarine in place of butter, and golden syrup instead of honey if you'd like to make it vegan.

Honey Slice Recipe

Extreme close-up of a honey slice with a bite taken out, highlighting the soft, chewy oat and coconut texture.

5 from 57 votes

Scottish Shortbread

Free-from options: Naturally egg-free, with straightforward gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan adaptations.

A proper Scottish classic made from just a handful of ingredients, which also makes Shortbread surprisingly easy to adapt. My Mum's recipe has the traditional buttery, crumbly texture, with a little cornflour for an especially delicate bite.

Gluten-free plain flour can be used in place of the wheat flour, while dairy-free block margarine takes care of both the dairy-free and vegan versions. No egg substitute is needed because traditional Shortbread doesn't contain eggs in the first place.

Scottish Shortbread Recipe

Stack of round Scottish Shortbread biscuits with more biscuits cooling on a wire rack behind.

4.9 from 111 votes

Flapjack

Free-from options: Naturally egg-free, with easy gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan swaps.

Probably one of the easiest recipes in this roundup to make free-from. These soft and chewy Flapjacks are made with oats, golden syrup, sugar and butter or margarine, with no eggs needed at all.

Choose oats labelled gluten-free if required, and use a dairy-free block margarine in place of butter for an easy dairy-free and vegan version.

Flapjack Recipe

Stack of golden-brown flapjack squares beside a tin of Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

5 from 10 votes

Plain Scones

Free-from options: Naturally egg-free dough, with gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan adaptations.

A classic batch of Plain Scones is a great example of how a few simple swaps can open up a familiar bake to more people. The dough itself doesn't need eggs, and I've successfully made these using a number of non-dairy alternatives.

Gluten-free self-raising flour can be used in place of regular flour, while dairy-free block margarine, milk and yoghurt alternatives can be used for a dairy-free or vegan batch.

Plain Scones Recipe

5 from 30 votes

Banana Loaf

Free-from options: Straightforward gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan adaptations.

One of those easy everyday cakes that's particularly handy when you've got a couple of overripe bananas needing used up. Granny's Banana Loaf is soft, moist and made with simple ingredients, so it's also fairly straightforward to adapt.

Use gluten-free self-raising flour for a gluten-free loaf, dairy-free margarine in place of butter, and applesauce can replace the single egg when making it vegan.

Banana Loaf Recipe

A stack of five thick slices of banana loaf bread rests on a wooden cutting board, hinting at the perfect recipe. The background features a crisp white brick wall, adding charm to this cosy kitchen scene.

4.7 from 9 votes

Perkins

Free-from options: Naturally egg-free, with easy gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan adaptations.

A proper old-fashioned Scottish biscuit that doesn't get nearly enough attention! Perkins are crisp oat biscuits flavoured with ginger and traditionally topped with an almond.

They're naturally egg-free, while gluten-free flour and oats labelled gluten-free can be used when required. A dairy-free block margarine also makes them dairy-free and vegan, and the almond topping can simply be left off if needed.

Perkins Biscuits Recipe

4.9 from 28 votes

Empire Biscuits

Free-from options: Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan adaptations are all possible.

One of my favourite Scottish bakery classics, with two buttery biscuits sandwiched with jam, topped with icing and finished with a glacé cherry or Jelly Tot.

Gluten-free plain flour can be used for the biscuits, while dairy-free block margarine takes care of the butter. The egg can also be omitted and replaced with a little water, meaning you can combine those changes for vegan Empire Biscuits too.

Empire Biscuits Recipe

Empire Biscuits iced cookies, filled with jam and with scalloped edges topped with different coloured jelly tots, are arranged on a marble surface and cooling rack. Additional sweets are scattered around the biscuits.

4.8 from 5 votes

Apple Pie

Free-from options: Gluten-free pastry options, plus tried-and-tested dairy-free, egg-free and vegan adaptations.

A classic Apple Pie might not immediately spring to mind as a free-from bake, but there are several ways to adapt it. The apple filling itself is naturally vegan, so most of the changes happen in the pastry.

For gluten-free baking, I recommend using a gluten-free shortcrust pastry or a pastry recipe developed specifically to be gluten-free. For a vegan version, dairy-free block margarine can replace the butter, and the egg can be omitted – an egg-free pastry adaptation I use myself.

Apple Pie Recipe

Slice of apple pie on a white plate beside fresh apples and the whole pie.

5 from 1 vote

Pavlova

Free-from options: Naturally gluten-free, with dairy-free, egg-free and vegan alternatives.

Pavlova is a great reminder that some impressive desserts are already naturally free from certain ingredients. The classic meringue base is naturally gluten-free, with no flour involved at all.

A dairy-free whipping cream can replace the usual cream, while aquafaba – the liquid from a tin of chickpeas – can be whipped in place of egg whites if you'd like to make an egg-free or vegan Pavlova.

Pavlova Recipe

Pavlova topped with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

5 from 1 vote

Rocky Road

Free-from options: Easy to customise for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan diets.

Rocky Road is less about changing how a recipe works and more about choosing versions of the ingredients that suit your needs. Chocolate, biscuits and marshmallows are mixed together into an easy no-bake treat, so there's plenty of room to customise it.

Use gluten-free biscuits where needed, alongside dairy-free chocolate and block margarine for a dairy-free version. Vegan marshmallows and suitable dairy-free chocolate can be used to make the whole thing vegan too.

Rocky Road Recipe

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Beth Reid

Amy Beth Reid is an award-winning food blogger, mother, wife and cookbook author. Inspired by her childhood in the kitchen with her Mum – a professional baker and her children’s Granny – Amy now shares her tried-and-tested traditional home baking recipes with bakers of all abilities around the world. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two sons and her small pack of Siberian huskies.

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