Thank you to EAT Magazine for leading me to http://kitchenscraps.ca/
Spent time laughing and enjoying this delightful site.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Monday, 2 November 2009
More Gluten-free Bread
You'd think the motivation alone would be enough, but success has not yet been achieved...
With both Lila and Louise avoiding gluten, I have powerful motivation to modify my basic recipes for homemade bread. I've had considerable success with cake and cookies that they can eat, but so far, bread eludes me.
The latest effort to make a recipe suitable for the Lazy Celiac cookbook that Lila and I are assembling has produced something... food-like. Edible but not in that "yum!" category that bread really ought to be. I buzzed a cup of rolled oats in a blender till they were nearly flour (and expanded to 1 1/3 cup in volume), and added a cup of ground almonds and a cup of unbleached white rice flour. The dough kneaded pretty well even if it wasn't as elastic as wheat flour dough. It didn't double in volume while rising, but it did increase a satisfactory amount. It did bake through in a reasonable amount of time.
Ultimately, the loaf was edible even though it was a first effort at gluten-free bread. But it was a rather gritty loaf; a fine, mealy grit that crumbled very easily whether the loaf was fresh and hot, or cool, or two days old and getting a bit stale. I think this mix of "flour" would have been okay for a cake or muffins, but not for a yeasty loaf. An egg could really have bound the loaf together. The next batch I try will include egg. It's hard enough to skip the wheat flour -- I'm not going for vegan as well!
No worries, though. I've liked pita bread, naan and tortillas for years. I should try a flatbread instead and see what results can be cooked up.
With both Lila and Louise avoiding gluten, I have powerful motivation to modify my basic recipes for homemade bread. I've had considerable success with cake and cookies that they can eat, but so far, bread eludes me.
The latest effort to make a recipe suitable for the Lazy Celiac cookbook that Lila and I are assembling has produced something... food-like. Edible but not in that "yum!" category that bread really ought to be. I buzzed a cup of rolled oats in a blender till they were nearly flour (and expanded to 1 1/3 cup in volume), and added a cup of ground almonds and a cup of unbleached white rice flour. The dough kneaded pretty well even if it wasn't as elastic as wheat flour dough. It didn't double in volume while rising, but it did increase a satisfactory amount. It did bake through in a reasonable amount of time.
Ultimately, the loaf was edible even though it was a first effort at gluten-free bread. But it was a rather gritty loaf; a fine, mealy grit that crumbled very easily whether the loaf was fresh and hot, or cool, or two days old and getting a bit stale. I think this mix of "flour" would have been okay for a cake or muffins, but not for a yeasty loaf. An egg could really have bound the loaf together. The next batch I try will include egg. It's hard enough to skip the wheat flour -- I'm not going for vegan as well!
No worries, though. I've liked pita bread, naan and tortillas for years. I should try a flatbread instead and see what results can be cooked up.
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