"FREEDOM" BREAD (Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

This egg free thing has thrown me for a loop. I have countless times picked up a recipe to bake and had to put it aside because I was not sure how to change it and didn't have time to experiment. This is REALLY limiting!
I have been slow to post recipes because I like to have them turn out nice for me at least twice at home before I put them up. My first try at bread was great. The next was a flop (think BRICKS). As I was going to sleep one night I had an idea of something to change - so the next day I tried again and the batch turned out quite good. The next two times yielded better and better results. So I am going to share the recipe. It is not corn-free (I apologise) but if you can not have corn, I am sure you could experiment with other starches.
I was not only happy with the soft inner texture, the crunchy crust, and the high rise - I was also very happy with the taste! It has a slightly nutty, sweet flavor which I especially like toasted. :)
This recipe yields 2 large loaves, but I think three small loaves would work too.

1 cup     tapioca starch
1 cup     potato starch
1.5 cups     corn starch
1 cup     buckwheat flour (could try sorghum flour - it is not easy to find where I live)
2 cups     rice flour
2 Tbsp     sugar
1/2 tsp     xanthan gum
2 Tbsp     psyllium husks or powder
1.5 tsp     salt

1.5 Tbsp     yeast
1 Tbsp       sugar
1 cup       hot water

3 cups      hot water
0.25 cups   oil or fat
1/4 cup     flax seeds

Directions:
-Mix the first set of ingredients (all dry) in a large mixing bowl.

-Combine the yeast, sugar and hot water and set aside to bubble.

-Put the flax seed and 3 cups of water in a blender. Blend on high until all the seeds are broken up and the mixture starts to thicken slightly (<1min.).

-Preheat oven to 430 degrees.

-Pour the flax mixture, oil and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer or by hand, beat the dough for until smooth. Continue to mix the dough on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes (my daughter Emily has found that this drastically improves the texture of the bread).

-Scrape into two greased, large sized loaf pans and set on top of stove to rise for about 10 - 15 min. or until the dough is just above loaf pan.

-Gently set the pans in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.

-Take out of loaf pans. Lay the loaves on their sides to cool on racks. Wait until mostly cool to slice. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Flax Seed Bread - Xanthan/Guar Gum Free

This is one of the results of my xanthan-free experiments. While the loaf did not rise large and fluffy, it was not heavy, and was moist and tasty. The flax seed forms a gum that replaces the need for any other binder.
I have been avoiding all yeast, sugar and simple carbs the past month in an effort to overcome a persistent UT infection - but I did have a couple of slices of this bread: toasted and spread with homemade sesame tahini. Wonderful!
So, health-wise, other than containing yeast, this bread is low in carbs (compared with other gluten-free breads that have a lot of starches added) and high in fiber. It does contain 3 eggs per loaf... so my egg-free friends aren't helped here. :(


1/2 cup warm milk or water
1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 Tbsp. honey

Stir the honey into the warm milk or water. Add yeast and set aside to start foaming.

3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flax seed, ground in blender
1/2 cup millet, ground in blender
1/4 cup buck wheat grouts, ground in blender

Beat eggs in a bowl until light colored. Add the flax and millet and mix well. Let sit a few minutes to absorb the moisture.
Stir the yeast mixture into the egg/grain mixture.

1 cup tapioca flour or starch
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt
1/4 -1/3 cup warm water

Sift these dry ingredients together. Beat into the egg/yeast mixture alternatively with the warm water. If the batter seems runny, add a little more rice flour. If it seems too stiff, add a little more warm water. It should be slightly thicker than muffin batter.
(Too runny of a batter will fall when baking and have a very course texture. Too thick of a batter will not rise and produce a "brick of bread" rather then a loaf).

Scrape batter into greased 9x3 bread pan.

Let rise in a warm place until the batter is level with the top of the pan (takes 25-40 minutes). When the loaf is almost done rising, preheat your over to 400F.

Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and lay loaf on it's side to cool on a wire rack. Slice when cool and enjoy.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

I mentioned in the last post how I had been working with breads this last week. I used the Potato Bread from the last post to make a Cinnamon Roll Loaf that has received rave reviews by the family. It turned out soft and moist on the inside with a crusty outer crust. We always have a special brunch on Christmas morning and this year, I plan on serving this bread. :) It is, like most gluten free baking, best eaten fresh. Once it is a day old, warm in microwave.

First of all, I made a single loaf of potato bread, following the directions in this post. If you make the whole recipe, you will have two loaves: you can half the recipe to make one loaf...or you can make the whole recipe and have one plain loaf and one cinnamon roll loaf.

Next, I mixed the filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup rice flour
Use a fork to mix well and cut in the margarine.

Grease a pan to bake the bread in. I used a small oval roaster as it had a nice shape. If you use a loaf pan, use a large one - not the regular size as it will be too small.

Then lay out a tea towel that has a smooth grain (not waffled) and dust it liberally with tapioca starch.

Scrape the bread dough into a pile in the center of the tea towel. This is a very soft dough and it would be impossible to work with any other way.

With a spatula, spread the dough into a rectangle shape - about as wide as the length of your pan. I spread it about 3/4" thick. It may make it easier to keep dipping your spatula in water as you spread the dough to keep it from sticking.

Spread the cinnamon-sugar-raisin mixture over the dough, leaving about 2" at the end uncovered so it will seal after rolling the dough.

Now gently pick up the end of the towel opposite the end that you left the 2" plain. As you lift the towel, the dough will start rolling.

Keep lifting and rolling the dough until it is almost at the end. Then with one hand, pick up the bottom end of the towel, hold it over your greased pan and let the dough roll into the pan.

It should look something like this. I have made this bread three times and it rolled different every time - once tearing the dough a little... but in the end, it turned out fine and looked nice.

Let rise and bake according to the potato bread recipe instructions and ENJOY! The bread below was delicious, but the swirl was a little lopsided... my subsequent efforts turned out more even. ;) The last time I baked this, I iced the loaf which was nice.

Be sure to shake the tea towel outside to remove most of the starch before laundering. :)

Potato Bread

I did some experimenting over the past couple weeks with my basic bread recipe and this is what I came up with...

The step I added to the recipe was I first peeled, cubed &boiled a med-small potato in about 2 cups of water. When it was very tender, I dumped the potato and water into my blender and pured until smooth. I then added enough extra liquid to have the amount needed in the recipe, adjusting the temperature to have it right for the yeast.
I then mixed the bread according to the recipe, adding my potato water as the liquid. The result was light buns and lovely bread. It rose so high, had a fine texture, and a pleasant potato bread taste.

I found that I had to add a little more liquid with this method than I normally do. You will have to adjust the liquids in this recipe according to your altitude and air humidity (I live in a dry climate, at about 3,000 ft above sea level).

Artisan Herb Bread

I baked this today because I had an craving for BREAD!

We had it for supper along with baked salmon (done on the BBQ because it was so hot out), fresh sliced tomatoes and stir fried vegetables.

When fresh, this bread is so soft and tasty that you could serve it "gluten people" without apology. :)

Remember with yeast bread recipes: This bread turns out beautifully for me, but I live at a high altitude and in a dry climate. You may have to adjust the amount of liquids used to suit where you live.

ARTISAN HERB BREAD

1 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup potato starch

1 1/2 cup rice flour

1 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp psylliam husks

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3 Tbsp fresh chives, diced (or 3 tsp dried)

1 egg

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

olive oil

sesame seeds or poppy seeds

METHOD:

-Sift all dry ingredients together (including yeast and seasoning) in a mixing bowl. Add egg, oil and warm water all together and mix on medium for 3 min.

-Cover bowl and let rise for 10 min.

-Turn oven on to 425 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan.

-Stir batter down and scrape into greased round pan. Smooth the top and drizzle with olive oil. Spread oil around with your fingers, smoothing the top as you do so. Sprinkle with your choice of topping: sesame or poppy seeds.

-Let rise another 10 min or until slightly above the level of the cake pan.

-Bake for 30 min or until golden brown on top and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

-Let cool before slicing.

Our Favorite Rice Bread Recipe

After becoming dissatisfied with the bread recipe that we were using, my daughter, Millie, and I started experimenting with a new recipe. Millie really does most of the baking around here and her bread is consistently delicious. She has perfected recognizing the right consistency (neither too stiff or too runny). You will develop a knack for it as well. If the batter is too thick, the bread will not rise well and will be very heavy when baked (brick-like :). If the batter is too runny, it will overflow and fall in the oven and the bread will be very course and crumbly. Be patient with the bread and yourself! Once you get onto things, you will be taking delicious smelling, looking and tasting loaves from your oven... and you will hardly believe that piece of fresh bread is gluten free!

One of the keys to good texture is the psyllium husks. They are available at most health food stores. If you mix them with water, they make kind of a slimy liquid that you can drink to get great fiber that is very gentle on your bowel.

To mix this batter, I use my large Kitchen Aid mixer with the cookie paddle. Probably a hand mixer could do it, but any upright mixer would be best. Of course, you could use a wooden spoon, and I have done it like this... it is great exercise!

I find that this bread keeps good for about 3 days. It can be toasted, or warmed in the microwave after the first day to freshen it. I have adjusted the recipe to make 2 loaves. Here at home, with 9 people eating gluten free, we make a four loaf batch every other day.

RICE BREAD

2 cups tapioca starch

1 1/2 cups potato starch

3 cups brown rice flour

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast (instant or not)

1/4 cup sugar or honey

2 Tbsp psyllium husks

4 eggs

3 cups hot water

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:

-Combine the starches and flour, yeast, sugar and psyllium husks in the bowl of your mixer and mix until well blended.

-Add the eggs and hot water and blend. Beat on medium speed for about 5 min.

-Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 10 min.

-Beat down and add the oil and salt. Beat on medium for about another 2-3 min. The dough should be a bit thicker than muffin batter.

-Grease 2 loaf pans and divide the dough between them. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with a little warm water and smooth the dough with a spatula.

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set the loaves on top of the stove to rise - about another 10 min. The dough should be just above the tops of the pans. If you let is rise too much, it will run over the edge of the pans in the oven and make a BIG, smokey mess! To avoid this, place the pans on a cookie sheet to bake.

-Put the loaves in the oven and bake for 30 min. Remove from pans and place loaves on their sides on cooling racks. Do not try to slice until the loaves are cool to the touch. This fresh bread is a favorite for our lunches! Enjoy!

VARIATIONS: Substitute 1 cups of rice flour for 1 cup of sorghum flour, or buckwheat, or teff, or millet... maybe a combo of some of these. The sorghum flour is a bit expensive, but it really gives a nice texture.