Gluten free bread: it's a sensitve topic

You may know that the issue of "bread" is an emotional one for those of us who cannot consume gluten. Gluten is the stuff that gives bread that lovely crusty-yet-elastic texture you love. Gluten free bead is at best muffin-like, and at worst sandy. I'm getting misty thinking about it now.

Grocery stores offer better and better GF bread that toasts up almost as well as traditional bread (in my opinion, Udi's makes it the best, in my hometown of Denver Colorado!). But, the stuff can be expensive. Even mixes are $4-$5 each, which is more than a baked loaf! My inner frugal girl decided to conquer the bread...

Here I've reviewed and adapted the Gluten Free Goddess' Delicious Gluten-Free Bread Recipe. I've made two loaves so far, and while they weren't quite as springy and airy as Udi's, they were still pretty darned good. I'd give it a B+. I revised the recipe a bit to include some cheaper ingredients. And, it can be made vegan.

Behold! This came out of my kitchen! This is the first loaf. I got it even better the second time 'round. (P.S. thanks to my darling friends who sent me this "Betty Rocker" tea towel!)

This was somewhat labor intensive, but extremely satisfying. Now that I know the process, I might pick up a few more loaf pans and make several at once to freeze! I need to do a cost analysis to see if this one is cheaper to make than the $4-$5 loafs cost us at the store.


Here is my adaptation of the Gluten Free Goddess' Delicious Gluten-Free Bread Recipe.
Her version includes a bread machine option, which is nice if you have that appliance. The following is sans machine. Please note, my Colorado pals, this recipe is optimized for lower elevations, but I've made a few high elevation notes.

In a small bowl, combine:

• 1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
  1 1/4 cup warm water at 110 to 115 degrees F. (I did 1 c cold tap water and 1/4 c boiled)
• 1 tsp honey or agave nectar

Allow this mixture to get "poofy", around 3 or 4 minutes. If it doesn't get poofy you have inactive yeast! Stop here and get some fresh yeast to start over.


In a separate, large bowl, whisk together these dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour blend (often found at Costco) (or 1 cup sorghum flour and 1/2 cup millet flour)
• 1 cup potato starch (not potato flour!) or corn starch (which is cheaper)
• 2 teaspoons xantham gum
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

Pour the yeast mixture into your dry mixture and mix by hand. Then stir in:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 more tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar 
• 1/2 teaspoon mild rice vineger or white wine cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 4 tablespoons warm water till frothy, OR 2 Tbs flax meal soaked in 4 Tbs warm water for 5 minutes OR one real egg with two egg whites. I did flax meal. *Note: High elevations try reducing the amount of egg/egg replacer by half.*

Beat until a smooth batter forms. I use the word batter because gluten-free bread dough is more like thick muffin batter than wheat based bread dough -- it is not as thin as cake batter, though. I found that whipping it really made a difference to the airiness the second time I made the recipe.

Scrape the dough into a ceramic or glass loaf pan (or use a 7 to 8-inch round cake pan for rustic ciabatta style bread) and smooth the top evenly, using wet fingers. Top with sesame seeds (optional).

Place the pan in a warmed oven or draft free spot with a cloth draped on it. I set mine on top of a  recently used toaster oven. Allow the dough to rise until it domes nicely -- from 45 to 50 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

When the oven comes to temperature bake the risen bread until it sounds hollow when thumped -- about 45 minutes to 55 minutes, and even up to 65 minutes if you're at higher altitude. Lower style round pan loaves will bake quicker -- at 30 to 40 minutes, usually.

Cool on a wire rack. Wait about 10 minutes or more until you can comfortably handle the loaf. Run a spatula along the side walls before turning over. 


After it's cool, keep the loaf wrapped in two plastic vegetable bags in the fridge. It will last up to 4 days (if you don't gobble it up!)


Has anyone else mastered the home made gluten free bread dilemma? Let me know!


Kiss Kiss! Tsyom Tsyom!

Does the world need another cooking blog?

The world might not need another cooking blog, but I've decided not to worry about that. There are just too many yummy creations making their way to our table that I feel I must share. Plus, feeling like a journalist in my own home is a fun role playing exercise.

While traveling in Ukraine in September of this year, "vkusniya" was one of the first new Russian words I learned: tasty. I said this quite often throughout our month long stay. With each tasty dish presented at the table, I re-learned my love of cooking and eating with new approaches to a gluten-free, mostly vegan diet based on fairly simple, non-spiced techniques. I learned to appreciate the perfection of a nice brothy soup, not just for dinner, but for breakfast too!

Let's dig in!

So, to start off 2011, here's a nice cold salad I learned to make in Ukraine, and I just made a big bowl of it.

Vinegret Salad

I dislike chopping anything into small, uniform pieces, but for this dish, I somehow find a new reserve of patience. This is a very flexible recipe, but pickles are essential. Have about twice the amount of beets as everything else.

• 5 medium beets, tops cut off and washed (but not peeled!) 
• Bake in a covered dish for around 2 hours at 350 degrees. (Check online guides for temperature and time if you have small or extra large beets)
• In a medium saucepan, boil 3 carrots and 2 peeled potatoes until tender, about 20 mins, drain
• Let all vegetables cool in fridge a few hours or overnight
• Peel all veggies by scraping off skin with a paring knife (this is surprisingly easy to do!)

• Dice vegetables into 1/2" cubes, starting with the beets and carrots. Toss these in some olive oil before adding the rest (below) to try to contain the beet's pigments
• Add the rest of the ingredients, but do not stir until the end:
• All the diced potatoes
• Diced dill pickles (4 or 5 of the 3 inch kind, or 2 of the large kind)
• 1 small can of drained peas (optional)
• 1/4 white onion, diced very small (optional. This will be very fragrant!)
• A little more olive oil and a pinch of salt.
• Toss gently and serve. Refrigerate the rest
• Optional: sprinkle with chopped walnuts before serving.

Nasdirova!