I've been so busy with life that I have not posted anything here in a while. Actually I have not really tried anything new with gluten free stuff.
I have been making bread that is quite good though! I received three cookbooks for Christmas by Bette Hagman, the gluten free gourmet. Her four flour blend bread is VERY good! You need to read the FAQ's in the beginning of the book to get some really necessary tips and hints.
My first attempt made a wonderful loaf of bread with a great flavor and texture. Sad thing is, it turned out looking like a squished hat! The whole loaf collapsed in on itself! The second time I made it the same thing happened. Dammit!
The recipe calls for using a mixer, making the dough the consistency of cake batter and then covering the loaf with foil after ten minutes of cooking time. OK, so this is what I did. I stopped using the mixer and mixed vigorously by hand. The cake batter consistency seemed a little odd since most times my cake batter is really, really thin. I made my bread "dough" more like waffle batter. Lastly, I cooked the bread for about 20 minutes with NO foil, then put the foil on for the rest of the cooking. This seems to work well for me here in my climate. Unfortunately you really have to play around with the recipe a little to get it to work out.
I now have a small-ish loaf of bread that actually holds up! It tastes like bread and the consistency is mostly like normal bread as well. Yes, there is a bit of a springy egg consistency, but it does not detract from the bread. I can slice thinly and make a sandwich! It stayed fresh in a ziplock on my kitchen counter for a few days. When it did get dry, I made French toast out of it!
The recipe can be found in Bette Hangman's The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread.
Showing posts with label bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bread. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Bread and NOT Soggy
I keep forgetting that MY bread resides in the freezer and if I want some I need to do a little planning. Tonight was burger night and at the last minute I realized that the really yummy Publix bakery burger buns were NOT ok for me so I had to quickly toast my gluten free bread or eat it frozen. Almost forgot the prophylactic paper towel under the finished and hot toast! Jeez, almost had mush for a bun! You see, condensation is the squishy kiss of death to GF breads.
Once the toast was finished I put the mayo on it since by now, I knew this puppy was gonna be dry. Dry as an August day in Las Vegas, dry. You see, I like my burgers medium well so there is no pink. This CAN make it dry although my hubby is the best burger griller there is! So combine a well-done burger with a DRY, DRY piece of toast and, well, not enough mayo in the world, really.
OK It was NOT that bad, but next time I MUST remember to defrost the damned bread first!
Speaking of bread, my goal this week is to make a good loaf of gluten free bread. Bread baking is a specialty of mine, or it used to be, so I have armed myself with rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum. I may actually have missed a flour in there. I figure that it's "Good bread or bust!"
Obviously I will post about the breads and results both good and possibly bad!
Once the toast was finished I put the mayo on it since by now, I knew this puppy was gonna be dry. Dry as an August day in Las Vegas, dry. You see, I like my burgers medium well so there is no pink. This CAN make it dry although my hubby is the best burger griller there is! So combine a well-done burger with a DRY, DRY piece of toast and, well, not enough mayo in the world, really.
OK It was NOT that bad, but next time I MUST remember to defrost the damned bread first!
Speaking of bread, my goal this week is to make a good loaf of gluten free bread. Bread baking is a specialty of mine, or it used to be, so I have armed myself with rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum. I may actually have missed a flour in there. I figure that it's "Good bread or bust!"
Obviously I will post about the breads and results both good and possibly bad!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Cake Revisited, Gladys and Quiche
We had chocolate cake leftovers for dessert tonight since the guinea pigs family testers didn't eat the whole thing last night. I found that the cake did have the signature sandiness that gluten free baked goods seem to have. The cake was cooled off completely last night but for some reason it didn't seem as sandy as it did today. Weird. It is still a really good cake and I will make it again.
After reading a bunch of stuff about cooking gluten free I decided to buy sorghum flour since it most closely resembles wheat flour in baking. My plan is to put together a good bread recipe with little to no rice flour. We shall see. Bread is one of my specialties and baked goods made with yeast as well. I even had a wonderful sourdough starter named Gladys that made the best breads and rolls. Sadly she got a bit over-yeasty. In other words she got moldy. Gotta love Florida.
Gladys made this loaf and rolls. Awesome!
Now, I have to learn how to bake bread all over again using different flours with different qualities for baking. UGH.
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For dinner tonight I decided on quiche and looked up making pie crusts GF. Hmm, I got really lazy. On Gluten Free Cooking School the author made quiche using very thin slices of potato to line the pie plate as the crust. The potato "crust" is baked in the oven for about 15 minutes and then you take it out and add the quiche ingredients. Bake this for about 40 to 45 minutes. It worked very well! I followed the directions for the potato crust then used my own quiche filling. It turned out great! Thank you Mary Frances from Gluten Free Cooking School!
After reading a bunch of stuff about cooking gluten free I decided to buy sorghum flour since it most closely resembles wheat flour in baking. My plan is to put together a good bread recipe with little to no rice flour. We shall see. Bread is one of my specialties and baked goods made with yeast as well. I even had a wonderful sourdough starter named Gladys that made the best breads and rolls. Sadly she got a bit over-yeasty. In other words she got moldy. Gotta love Florida.
Now, I have to learn how to bake bread all over again using different flours with different qualities for baking. UGH.
_________________________________
For dinner tonight I decided on quiche and looked up making pie crusts GF. Hmm, I got really lazy. On Gluten Free Cooking School the author made quiche using very thin slices of potato to line the pie plate as the crust. The potato "crust" is baked in the oven for about 15 minutes and then you take it out and add the quiche ingredients. Bake this for about 40 to 45 minutes. It worked very well! I followed the directions for the potato crust then used my own quiche filling. It turned out great! Thank you Mary Frances from Gluten Free Cooking School!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Feeling Sorry for Myself, Quinoa, Bread
Once the initial euphoria wore off after realizing what has been making me sick for SO many years I started to think about what I can't have. I spent a full day feeling sorry for myself about all the great New York style pizza I won't be able to have anymore, the really good bread, the baked goods and, well, you name it, and I was feeling sorry for myself about it. Every so often I still feel that way. In a couple of weeks I'll be going to my friend's daughter's baby shower, yes, we have pregnant daughters at the same time, and it is being held at an Italian restaurant. Uh oh. Since it is a chain I was able to look up the location and then look up their special events menus. OK Lunch menu. ALL pasta. I can be pretty sure that it's not gluten free. So, at this baby shower I will be able to eat the salad. That's it. Of course, no cake either. If you've read my other blog, Portia's Life, you'll know that I am a total sugar ho! So, yes, I am feeling sorry for myself!
Although, I met a sweet cashier at Publix, I'd say maybe twenty years old, who told me she has Celiac and that her parents have known since she was really little, maybe one year old. Wow! She has always eaten this way, how she must be just used to it! Then I thought about all the years I've eaten the really great food, New York pizza comes to mind. For 51 years I have been able to eat this stuff. Sure it's made me sick, but who knew? This sweet girl has NEVER had this food and probably never will. I feel lucky.
The first thought I had when deciding to eat gluten free was, "What about bread?" Since I was just getting over being really sick my hubby went to the store for me and got some rice bread by Food for Life in the freezer section. These are the same people who make Ezekiel bread. OK it officially SUCKED! HOLY crap do NOT toast it and then leave on the plate for even a minute! The condensation will make the bread soggy. Gross! The taste is actually pretty boring, too. I think my plan for the rest of the package is to toast it up and make bread crumbs. Just can't let it get moist.
Juliana from Surviving Boys has been a wonderful help to me since she has to eat gluten free as well. She's given me a lot of great product endorsements and some products to stay away from. It was too late for me with the Food for Life rice bread, though!
Juliana told me about the tapioca bread found on the shelves at Whole Foods so I've been eating that for now. Not bad, really. It has a very yeasty taste and is otherwise fairly bland but not in a bad way. A good first choice for a gluten free diet. There are other breads that have had good reviews so I will try those once the tapioca bread is gone. Most times I just don't eat bread now.
A trip to Whole Foods showed me many breakfast cereals and other gluten free products so I don't feel totally deprived. Rice is turning into my new best friend and I've never been a big rice eater. I am learning to like it. Quinoa is also a great grain with a lot of uses. For breakfast I take already cooked quinoa, add milk, cinnamon and sweetener and cook as I would oatmeal. Good stuff. I will also take cooked quinoa, cold, add cut up apple, shredded carrot, raisins and pecans. Splash a sweet oil and vinegar dressing on it and it's really good! Next time I may add some cut up cooked chicken breast. Here's a place with quinoa instructions:
How to Cook Qunioa
We pretty much just keep it, cooked, in the fridge to use either for breakfast or in the quinoa salad.
Although, I met a sweet cashier at Publix, I'd say maybe twenty years old, who told me she has Celiac and that her parents have known since she was really little, maybe one year old. Wow! She has always eaten this way, how she must be just used to it! Then I thought about all the years I've eaten the really great food, New York pizza comes to mind. For 51 years I have been able to eat this stuff. Sure it's made me sick, but who knew? This sweet girl has NEVER had this food and probably never will. I feel lucky.
The first thought I had when deciding to eat gluten free was, "What about bread?" Since I was just getting over being really sick my hubby went to the store for me and got some rice bread by Food for Life in the freezer section. These are the same people who make Ezekiel bread. OK it officially SUCKED! HOLY crap do NOT toast it and then leave on the plate for even a minute! The condensation will make the bread soggy. Gross! The taste is actually pretty boring, too. I think my plan for the rest of the package is to toast it up and make bread crumbs. Just can't let it get moist.
Juliana from Surviving Boys has been a wonderful help to me since she has to eat gluten free as well. She's given me a lot of great product endorsements and some products to stay away from. It was too late for me with the Food for Life rice bread, though!
Juliana told me about the tapioca bread found on the shelves at Whole Foods so I've been eating that for now. Not bad, really. It has a very yeasty taste and is otherwise fairly bland but not in a bad way. A good first choice for a gluten free diet. There are other breads that have had good reviews so I will try those once the tapioca bread is gone. Most times I just don't eat bread now.
A trip to Whole Foods showed me many breakfast cereals and other gluten free products so I don't feel totally deprived. Rice is turning into my new best friend and I've never been a big rice eater. I am learning to like it. Quinoa is also a great grain with a lot of uses. For breakfast I take already cooked quinoa, add milk, cinnamon and sweetener and cook as I would oatmeal. Good stuff. I will also take cooked quinoa, cold, add cut up apple, shredded carrot, raisins and pecans. Splash a sweet oil and vinegar dressing on it and it's really good! Next time I may add some cut up cooked chicken breast. Here's a place with quinoa instructions:
How to Cook Qunioa
We pretty much just keep it, cooked, in the fridge to use either for breakfast or in the quinoa salad.
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