Gluten Free Bread: Sourdough Herb Bread

Ingredients:  Dry

2 1/4 cups Gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 cup teff flour
1 cup buttermilk or 4Tbs buttermilk powder plus 1 cup water
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 tsp yeast
3/4 tsp dough enhancer (0ptional)

Ingredients:  Wet

2 large eggs

1 cup sourdough starter

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Mix all wet ingredients well.  Mix all dry ingredients well.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  Pour into greased 9″X5″ loaf pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until it sounds hollow. When you take the bread out of the oven you can sprinkle shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese on the top (optional.)

Take the bread out of the pan and place on wire rack to cool.  Slice and freeze if you want to use as sandwich bread.

I serve this with anything that garlic bread would go with.  Sometimes we use it as dipping bread for olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  This makes awesome grilled cheese/tomato sandwiches.  I also like to toast it and serve with fried egg and grated Parmesan cheese.

Bread Dipping Oil Recipe

Ingredients

•olive oil (enough to cover plate)

•Parmesan cheese (little, or a lot, whatever you like… the good stuff is the best, but needs to be grated into the oil)

•cracked pepper (not to much, maybe 1/5 of Parmesan cheese)

•balsamic vinegar (this is the “secret” ingredient… but don’t use too

much just about 5-7 drops is enough)

Directions
1.Combine in shallow bowl or plate.
2.Enjoy! Trust me the vinegar gives it a kick and it is great!

Option:  I have made rolls out of the dough instead of bread.  They don’t rise too much bigger than what they start out so keep that under consideration when making them.  These are great gluten free bread rolls to serve with soup, chili or with dinner.

Even you friends and family who are not gluten free will love these.

Gluten Free Bread: Coffee Ring

When I was going to school we brought our lunch most days and it was considered a treat to eat at the school cafeteria.  My best friend Jodie would bring her lunch and often we would trade out lunch items with each other.

Her mom, Bunny used to make this coffee ring quite regularly and I just loved it.  Anyway, many years later she gave me the recipe.  I have of course altered it to use gluten free flour.

The recipe originally called for the cake to be layered into a bundt pan: mixture;batter;mixture;batter.  My experience has been that the mixture layer on the bottom of the pan tends to stick and you lose most of it when you take it out of the pan.  Consequently, I have started putting in the batter and then all of the mixture in the center; and then the remaining batter.  You can make your own choice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla or vanilla powder

1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

2 cups All purpose Cookie Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk or 4Tbs Buttermilk powder plus 1 cup water

Mixture:

2/3 cup raisins or dried craisins (soak them for 10 mins.)

2/3 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

Pour half of the batter into a greased bundt pan then sprinkle and slightly press mixture into the batter.  Pour on the remaining batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Any cake pan will do, but I like the bundt or tube pan.  Serve alone or with half and half.

Option: Topping

scroll down to the bottom of the Banana Bread recipe.  Put on top of coffee ring  immediately after taking out of oven.  Delicious!!

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Gluten free bread: Coffee Ring

Gluten Free Bread/Gluten Free Bread Alternative Flours

This is a list that I had copied to my computer. I did not keep the accompanying info because this was the info I was after. When I was trying to make substitutions I never knew what to substitute and therefore had a lot of flops. When I read this info I copied it (because I was unable to keep it straight in my head), I added pictures so I would know what to look for when shopping. Now,  I share it with you,  with a full disclosure that I did not write any part of this and I would like to credit the person who wrote it if you know who they are.

Potato Starch / Flour  

click on photo to learn more:

This is a gluten free thickening agent that is perfect for cream-based soups and sauces and in combination with other flours in gluten free bread all purpose flour mixes. Mix a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but cut the amount in half when substituting for wheat flour. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Tapioca Starch / Flour  click on photo to learn more:

A light white, very smooth flour. It makes baked goods impart a nice chewy taste. Use it in recipes where a chewy texture would be desirable. It would work nicely in bread recipes such as white bread or French bread. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Soy Flour   click on photo to learn more:

This nutty tasting flour has a high protein and fat content. It is best when used in combination with other flours and for baking brownies, or any baked goods with nuts or fruit. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Cornstarch  click on photo to learn more:

This is a refined starch that comes from corn. It is mostly used as a clear thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Corn Flour 

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This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Cornmeal

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This is ground corn that comes from either yellow or white meal. This is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or simple white cakes. It can be purchased in a health food store.

White Rice Flour

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This is excellent basic flour for gluten free baking. It is milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor, it is perfect for baking, as it doesn’t impart any flavors. It works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, but also in Asian markets. At the Asian markets it is sold in different textures. The one that works the best is called fine textured white rice flour.

Brown Rice Flour

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This flour comes from unpolished brown rice. It has more food value because it contains bran. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Quinoa Flour 

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Quinoa is pronounced “Keen Wa” and it’s actually a South American word. This grain is a real gem in the gluten free diet because it’s protein rich. It can be purchased in a health food store.

T’eff Flour  click on photo to learn more:

Teff is a very versatile grain. None of the nutrients are lost when it is ground into flour.  Teff flour can be used as a substitute for part of the flour in baked goods, or the grains added uncooked or substituted for part of the seeds, nuts, or other small grains. Due to it’s small size, only 1/2 Cup of Teff is needed to replace 1 cup of sesame seeds. It is a good thickener for soups, stews, gravies, and puddings and can also be used in stir-fry dishes, and casseroles.

Coconut Flour 

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A delicious alternative to wheat and other grain flours. It is very high in fiber, low in digestible carbohydrates, and a good source of protein. It gives baked goods a rich, springy texture but needs a lot more liquid than other flours. Replace up to 20 percent of the all-purpose flour called for in a recipe with coconut flour, adding an equivalent amount of additional liquid to the recipe. You will not need as much sugar when using this flour as the coconut has a natural sweetness.

Sorghum Flour  click on photo to learn more:

sorghum is an annual grass originating in Africa and a popular cereal crop worldwide. It has a higher protein content than corn and about equal to wheat. It is neutral in flavor, which allows it to absorb other flavors well.

Almond Meal /Flour click on photo to learn more:

Made by grinding blanched almonds (skins removed) into a fine powder. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour. You can find extra fine Italian almond flour, which has more flavor but can be very pricey. Baking with almond flour requires using more eggs to provide more structure. Use it in cakes, cookies, and other sweet baked goods. You can make it yourself by grinding blanched almonds in a high-speed blender.

Substituting Gluten

Wheat flour contains gluten, which keeps cookies, cakes and pies from getting crumbly and falling apart. It is what makes baked goods have a good texture because it traps pockets of air. This creates a lovely airy quality that most baked goods possess when baked with traditional wheat flour. In order to help retain this structure when using non-wheat flours, gluten substitutes must be added to a gluten-free flour mixture. For each cup of gluten-free flour mix, add at least 1 teaspoon of gluten substitute. Here are three very good substitutes for gluten.

• Xanthan Gum click on photo to learn more:
  

  This comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas campestris. It is formulated in a laboratory setting. This works well as a gluten substitution in yeast breads along with other baked goods. You can purchase it in health food stores.

• Guar Gum click on photo to learn more: This is a powder that comes from the seed of the plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is an excellent gluten substitute and it is available in health food stores.

• Pre-gel Starch/Xanthan Gum
  

  This is an acceptable gluten substitute. It helps keep baked goods from being too crumbly. This too can be purchased at most health food stores.

Substitution is the solution

If you are ready to try some recipes, start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of wheat flour like brownies or pancakes. These turn out lovely and the difference in taste is minimal. Here are two gluten-free flour mixtures that are suitable for substituting wheat flour cup for cup.

1. Gluten-Free Flour Mixture I

   1/4 cup soy flour
   1/4 cup tapioca flour
   1/2 cup brown rice flour

1. Gluten-Free Flour Mixture II

   6 cups white rice flour
   2 cups potato starch
   1 cup tapioca flour

The above mixtures can be doubled or tripled. Another option is to purchase a gluten-free flour mixture at a health food store to avoid the guesswork involved in substitutions. This flour mixture can usually substitute wheat flour cup for cup, but read the package directions to be sure. Keep these flour mixtures stored in containers at room temperature and keep them on hand to simplify your baking routine.