Roll-Out Buckwheat Biscuits

These biscuits are WONDERFUL!

1 cup     buckwheat flour
1/4 cup  rice flour
3/4 cup  potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp     guar or xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp  baking poweder
1/8 tsp   baking soda
1 tsp      salt
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1/2 cup  margarine or lard, cold
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2 Tbsp    coconut milk (undiluted)
1             egg
2 Tbsp    honey
1 tsp       apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup   cold water (depending on your air humidity level, you may need to add a little more)


Procedure: (Preheat oven to 425)
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cut fat into Tbsp size pieces and add to dry ingredients.
3. Cut into flour with pastry blender until the fat is the size of large peas.
4. Combine the coconut milk, egg, honey, vinegar and water together. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients to dry all at once and mix until just combined. (see note)
6. Transfer dough onto a board that has been sprinkled with tapioca starch.
7. Knead a few times to form dough into a lump.
8. Roll out to 3/4" to 1" thick. Cut with a starch sprinkled cutter.
9. Place on cookie sheet.
13. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the top and cooked through.

Notes:
Gluten free flours absorb liquids slower than gluten flours. I often let my dough sit for 5 minutes to absorb liquids before I add any flour or starch to a wet-looking dough. If this biscuit dough is still too wet to roll out after a few minutes, I add 1/4 cup potato starch and lightly mix in (you don't want to over mix).

I bake on the top rack of the oven as these biscuits burn easily on the bottom. They are delicious with stew for a hot meal or with a salad for a cool meal. My favorite is a biscuit with honey for breakfast.

These biscuits freeze well and are still moist when defrosted.

"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!

Egg Free Adjustment

The past couple of weeks has been a time of adjustment in my kitchen: an adjustment to egg-free. For that change to happen, I needed a provoking insentive - afterall, I always felt sorry for folks that had to go egg free. We can't have gluten, milk, nuts or soy....but AT LEAST we could eat eggs.
Not any more.
The insentive for this change was provded by my husband being sick. Steven and Graeme had stopped eating eggs on their own over a year ago. It seemed they were mildly intollerent to them in large doses. Steven continued to have stomach problems and it took us a long time to connect it with eggs in baking. But now that he has tried eating egg-free, his stomach is feeling MUCH BETTER. I am on a campagn to change over my gluten-dairy-soy-nut-free recipes to also be egg-free. :) God must give grace, becuase what I dreaded isn't so bad! (So far!)
One of my first experiences was with cookies. I had several types turn out VERY WELL. In fact: beter then normal.
My next experience was with bread. That also turned out GREAT! I am shocked, amazed and thankful! I will be posting my new recipes over the next day or two. I hope they turn out as well for you as they have for me.
Jenny