Monday, April 26, 2010

First Loaf of Homemade Bread!

Yesterday I made my first loaf of gluten free bread in my life. Was it a success? I think so. Let me put it this way, when I put that bread in my mouth, my smile split my face in half and my taste buds were singing the Hallelujah chorus at one hundred decibels while doing the limbo. I was so surprised by the moist goodness and delicious taste that I questioned if my ingredients were in fact gluten free. I recruited the bread lady, my mother-in-law, to help me because my helpless self hardly ever cooks, let alone bakes with yeast. The last time I tried to make something with yeast it failed miserably. The rolls were so terrible that I felt bad even feeding them to the trash. Anyway, that was not the case with this delicious bread, I fed it to all. Thanks for the help Mrs. Kay! So after lots of ingredients, anxiety, and three hundred sesame seeds flying all over my kitchen, I produced my first "whole-grain" gluten free bread.
My review: Absolutely spectacular and moist. If you shoved all of my Christmas' into bread, this is what it would taste like.
The Husband's review: It tastes like it has paint in it.
My In-Laws review: It tastes like Mom's 12 grain bread, it's good, and I wasn't expecting it to taste like that. (In a good way.)
My brother, sister and gma's review: **They all had multiple slices and asked me to make them a loaf. Let that speak for itself.
Sorry Husband, looks like your opinion has been over-ridden. Hopefully I can find a bread he approves of, I am on the prowl. Thanks to the Baking Beauties for this delicious recipe!

Gluten Free Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

I used two 8" x 4" loaf pans. It gives you a smaller loaf, but the texture is better than if you used a larger pan.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3 heaping Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup dry milk powder
3 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp. unflavoured gelatin
1 Tbsp pectin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

Leavening/Proofing Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp white sugar
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
2 egg whites, whisked
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Topping
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds

Directions:

1. Proofing the yeast: Mix together yeast, sugar & warm water. Set this mixture aside to proof. It will begin to smell like yeast & get foamy, as long as your yeast is still active.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together all dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. Add proofed yeast to this mixture.
4. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer on slow speed, gently pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix dough on medium speed for 5-8 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to occasionally scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. While your dough is mixing, you can prepare your loaf pans.
5. Heat oven to 200 degrees and CUT OFF immediately (this creates a warm place for your bread to rise). Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray or oil, or line with parchment paper.
6. Pour dough into loaf pans (divided evenly).
7. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and gently cover the loaf pans, with the sprayed side facing the dough.
8. Place covered pans in the warmed oven and let rise for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen to the top of the pans. Gently remove plastic wrap.
9. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
10. Place risen loaves of dough into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes. The crust should be a nice light brown, and a thermometer placed in the middle of the loaf should read about 190 for a finished loaf.
11. Let loaves cool before cutting.

This bread can be left on the counter for a few days, but it is best to store it in the fridge or freezer. It can be "made like fresh" again by microwaving for 10-20 seconds on medium powder.

**On a side note, I used Saf Instant yeast and it turned out beautifully. No proofing necessary! This is great for people like me. You just put the yeast and sugar in the dry ingredients and the liquid in with the wet. Works like a charm!

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