I mentioned in my last post my frustrations with my new allergy-inflicted diet of nothingness. Although I have managed to lose those last 6 stubborn pounds of baby weight plus 7 more, the real challenge has been re-learning how to cook, and finding the time to do it in! But for those of you that know me know that I'm always up for a challenge and this one I've embraced wholeheartedly. Let's be honest, I love to eat, it is a physical, mental, social, and at times even spiritual experience that I'm not going to give up on just because everything that tastes good is off-limits! The holiday season is coming up and it is the food highlight of my year. I'm gonna be busy. Fortunately, God the Creator made us in his own image, so its time to kick those CREATIVE juices in high gear!!
My first step was to read labels. After reading labels I realized in frustration that almost nothing is safe. Even stuff that looks safe has hidden codes like: flavors, emulsifiers, and stabilizers, that automatically put me on the red alert. So I've gone back to the basics and had to break things down by ingredient. Fresh foods are my friends! Grilled chicken, rice, fresh veggies and olive oil were staples for a while. Homemade smoothies, hummus, and organic corn tortilla chips were my best friends. But the same fare day after day gets pretty old. And there's just one thing that was always missing...
Every culture has it. That one food staple that if you took away their entire nutritional pyramid would crumble. Their restaurants would close and ovens go cold. For the Irish its the potato. The Chinese have their rice. Mediterranean cuisine has the pita, and Mexico the tortilla. And we are no different. You already know where I'm going.
Bread.
We find a way to insert our favorite carbohydrate in almost any meal, sometimes in multiple forms. It doesn't feel like a meal without it. I can eat a steak and plate full of vegetables, and still wander around the kitchen looking for something to cram in my mouth because no matter how full I get I just don't feel satisfied. So, on this gluten-free diet I've gone weeks without feeling satisfied. That is until I found this post for delicious gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free bread!
I was skeptical at first. What exactly is in this bread anyway? How can it possibly taste good? But the comments at the bottom of the post shouted their approval. So, it seemed worth a try.
First step, gathering my ingredients. That part was relatively easy. Even my local grocery store has a small specialty section that holds a host of gluten free flours. And the one thing I've found is that in replacing flours in any recipe, you can't just take out wheat and replace it with something else. There is a delicate combination of flours that must be attempted and it is quite a balance! I'm thankful for everyone that has done the legwork for me to find the right combos so that I don't have to do it. I'd have given up long before discovering sorghum flour, that's for sure!!
Shopping bag in hand, I approached my kitchen with trepidation. I had never tried to make homemade bread before. I have had a breadmaker since my wedding 5 years ago, a cherished gift that I have been too intimidated to use. The blog promised it was easy. The directions are for oven-baked bread, not breadmaker. So, conscious that I was entering into some sacred rite of passage, I followed the recipe doing my best and....Ta-da! Bread--actual delicious bread that was good enough to cry over. And I had done it all by myself! With that triumph, I felt empowered to get creative. And the confidence to go after my cravings, the beautiful food that I forced out of my mind for the next 8 months as I continue to nurse my everything-intolerant son.
The recipe that I came up with is inspired by Macaroni Grill's deliciously addicting bread. A couple years ago, when Joel and I were first married our close friend and neighbor worked at the Macaroni Grill. He would come home with fresh loaves of bread, their aroma seeping through their paper bags just begging to be doused in olive oil and eaten that night! It got to the point when, like pavlov's dog we would begin drooling right around closing time. Mmmm.
It's been several years since I've been to a Macaroni Grill, but I found myself craving those flavors again. So, I made myself some bread, and even my gluten-eating husband was in for a happy surprise! I only made one loaf and it did not last the day.
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| We tried it warm dipped in olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Mmmm... |
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| A sandwich!! How long has it been?? Delicious barbecue chicken with grilled onions, homemade mayonnaise, cucumbers, and lettuce. Yum! |
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| like I said, did not last long... |
Here is my recipe, (which as I mentioned is adapted from Sally Parrot's blog):
Yields: 1 loaf of bread
Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup millet flour
* 1/4 cup teff flour
* 1/2 cup sorghum flour
* 1/2 cup cornstarch
* 1 cup potato starch
* 1/2 cup tapioca flour
* 2 tsp xantham gum
* 2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp fennel
* 1 Tbsp rosemary
* 1 Tbsp garlic powder
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 tsp yeast
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 1 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp warm (105-110 degree) water
Combine all flours, starches, xantham gum, salt, and spices. (I have a canister of already prepared flour. I took the amounts listed above and multiplied by the greatest common denominator to make a mix that I keep on hand (and have used for other recipes) which makes it even easier to make! All-in-all this bread takes me about 12 minutes to get together and the rest is up to my Breadman Ultimate.) If you don't have a breadmaker, from here on out follow the instructions listed in Sally's blog. If you are using a breadmaker, you are basically there. Pour water and olive oil in bottom of breadmaker. Add the sugar (this recipe is yeast-based so it needs sugar; I'm not sure how substitutes would work), followed by flour mixture. Make a small well at the top and add yeast, making sure it is not touching water. Close breadmaker, set on whole wheat, medium crust, rapid rise, wait 2 hours and voila! Be ready with butter or oil or whatever you want, and make sure you came with an appetite!!
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!!
**Edit: for a golden crispy crust, coat in butter or olive oil and toast for 10 minutes or until crispy**
5 comments:
Im wondering how do you have this much time to write all this and you dont have a min to...
I know you're on the super-restricted everything diet, but one super-fantastic blog is Gluten-Free Girl: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ Great writing, great recipes, all gluten-free, some vegan as well.
Another gluten-free blog is A Year of Slowcooking: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ All the recipes are for the crockpot, and her books are pretty good, too.
Lastly, I got the book Veganomicon for my little sister last year, and while it's not free of all allergens, there are some pretty darn good recipes in there (especially if you find out you CAN have soy at some point): http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X
My doc and I have talked about the fact that I may need to switch to a gluten-free diet, so please do share any more recipes you find and love. And definitely, definitely, definitely file this away for future use ;)
hey 2 things. So I have actually gotten into the whole bread scene as well. Unfortunately not into the whole non-everything scene, so hopefully these two techniques will/can still apply.
Have you heard of no-knead bread? Its great and surprisingly easy. It makes supper fluffy and especially flaky crispy crusts. You just mix all the ingredients together and then let it sit for about 12 hours in the fridge and voila! Best part you can let it sit for a good long time (or freeze it) just grab a chunk off and throw it in the oven, and save the rest. Not quite sure if it works for your bread but it is totally worth a try! trust me!
Also. Have you ever heard of cooking it in a dutch oven, in the oven? Its awesome. Get the dutch oven screaming hot then through your dough right in the middle. Close the lid and wow! Something about keeping the steam inside the lid makes it cook like the professional bakery steam ovens and the crust is phenomenal. You get that really crunchy, super flaky, golden brown crust!
Well not sure if this will work on your bread but its worth a shot, the bread is awesome!
Yes. The bread was AWESOME. you'd never know that it was made out of non-ingredients. In fact, this is probably the recipe that Macaroni Grill used for their bread. Well, ok, probably not...
...cuz this bread was better than theirs.
Thanks Hannah! I have gotten lots of inspiration from gluten free girl, and I have been loving my slow-cooker lately so I'm excited to check out a year of slowcooking. If you do have to go gf, be encouraged, there is a lot of good food you can still make! I've found once you learn basic techniques, adapting much-loved recipes becomes much easier if you are willing to be creative. Its the restaurants that I miss though! Although many places have gluten-free menus as well, which is pretty cool.
Ben: Have to say I am impressed yet not surprised! :o) Is this no-knead bread a special recipe, or does the technique apply for any traditional bread recipe? Bc it sounds like the technique for me! I haven't tried the dutch oven, but I am excited to see how it works!
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