Basic Bread, Rosemary Bread, and Bread Rolls: Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut free

When someone tells you that you or someone you love can no longer have bread, the first thing most people tend to do is freak out! Then they search for a replacement to fill that huge, annoying void. They try pre-made bread made solely of rice flour that's bland and pasty.

The big surprise is that bread actually doesn't have to be made with just wheat or with just rice flour! There are SO many other flours out there. I found that part of the secret and the trick, is to come up with flour combinations that you like. Many companies make gluten free all purpose flour mixtures. I've found it easier and more affordable to make my own. I'll post more specifically on flour combinations soon.

After trying many recipes and Frankensteining them into a new one, this is the "food issue free" recipe that I came up with for basic bread and rolls. I designed this recipe to be used with a standard bread pan or a muffin tin for the rolls. I have a version to be use the a Pullman Loaf pan for sandwich bread sized bread. That will be in a post to come.

Basic Bread without gluten, dairy, eggs, soy
by: Kendra (Mrs. Substitution)

(Revised 3/1 to add more detail.)


Ingredients:

• 1 cup Gluten Free Oat flour
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon or packet instant dry rapid yeast (Red Star Quick Rising)
• 1 and ¼ - 1 and 1/3 cup warm water (at 110 degrees for disolving the yeast into.
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons rice milk or water. (Instead of egg replacer, you can use 1 tablespoon flax meal to 4 tablespoons rice milk or water or 2 chicken or duck eggs.)

milk.Directions: 

1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients, including the yeast and sift. If you are feeling too lazy to sift, you can mix the ingredients using a wisk.

2. In the Kitchenaid mixer (using paddle attachment) combined the

flax meal and warm water for 3 minutes or until it thickens.

3. In the mixer, add the honey, lemon juice (or vinegar), olive oil and mixed until well combined.

4. In a Pyrex measuring cup, heat water to 110 - 111 degrees. Once you've confirmed the temp with a thromometer, add the yeast in the cup, stir and allowed to sit for 5 minutes.
Caution: If your water is too hot, you will kill the yeast. This can happen very easily and your bread will flop.

5. Back to the Kitchenaid mixer, add a bit of the dry ingredients and a bit of the water and yeast combination, from the Pyrex cup, to the wet ingredients in the mixer, using the paddle attachment, a bit at a time until all ingredients were combined, for approximately 5 - 7 minutes or more in the mixer. I've actually mixed for 8-10 minutes before and it turned out great.

6. I then put the bread into a standard bread pan, sprayed with olive oil non-stick spray and let it rise for 30 - 45 minutes in the microwave or other warm place. Reminder: don't turn the microwave on. ;-)

7. Cut a few diagnal slits on top of the bread. Sprinkle a few sea salt flakes on top. 

8. Bake it in the oven on 350 degrees for 1 hour.

9. The bread is done when you can tap on the top and it "feels" done. I'm having trouble explaining that one but you'll know what I mean. If you stick a toothpick in part of it, it should come out clean. Remove the bread immediately from the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes.

You can make this into Rosemary bread by adding 1 1/2 -2 cups fresh rosemary leaves when mixing your dough.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins and Pumpkin Bread: Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, citrus and nut free.

Our kids have always loved baking Pumpkin Bread with us, even before we knew about Little D's food sensitivities. I'm happy we didn't have to give that up! Fruit purees, like pumpkin, make baking for people with food sensitive and food allergies much easier.
To make a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free version, I started with a recipe from myrecipes.com for Pecan Topped Pumpkin Bread and made many, many alterations and embellishments from there.
You can also substitue the pumpkin for any pureed fruit or vegetable to make Banana Bread, Zucchini Bread or even Sweet Potato Bread with this recipe.
Most, if not all the ingredients that I used were organic. The flours and flax meal were by Bob's Redmill. These muffins make for a quick and delicious breakfast paired with fruit or a hearty snack.

Pumpkin Muffins or Bread
by Kendra (Mrs. Substitution)


Tools:

• Kitchen aid Mixer (or mix by hand in a bowl)
• Mixing bowl for dry ingredients.
• Sifter, I like to use my stainless steal mesh strainer to sift my dry ingredients.
• scraper
• measuring cups and spoons

Dry ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Sorghum Flour
• 1 1/2 Brown Rice Flour
• 1/2 c Garbanzo Bean Flour
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum 
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• dark chocolate chips, dairy, soy and nut free (optional) "Enjoy Life" is brand to try.

Wet Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. Flax Meal mixed with 1/2 c warm water or 4 tbsp. Energ Egg Replacer mixed with 1/2 c warm water.
• 2 cup organic granulated sugar (you can also use honey or stevia)
• 3/4 c oil ( I used Canola. You could also use 1/2 c applesauce or Earth Balance.)
• 2/3 c apple juice or water
• 1 15 oz can of Pumpkin (or other fruit or vegetable puree such as banana, sweet potato, zucchini or squash.
• Cooking Spray (check ingredients list.)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl. Sift dry ingredients into another bowl.
3. Start out the wet ingredients by mixing the flax meal with 1/2c warm water or Energ Egg Replacer mixed with 1/2 c warm water, in the mixer for one minute. This allows it time to thicken.
4. Add sugar, and oil or applesauce and mix.
5. Add apple juice or water and the pumpkin (or other fruit or vegetable puree) and mix until well combined.
6. Mix in dry ingredients with the wet and mix for 3 minutes.
7. Hand stir in chocolate chips if desired.
8. Scoop batter into muffin tins or a bread pan that you've sprayed with the cooking spray.
9. You can sprinkle sugar on top for added pizazz.
10. Bake on 350 for 10 - 15 minutes for muffins, (20 - 30  minutes for bread) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.
12. Store in a reusable container on the counter or in the fridge. These will also freeze well.

Enjoy!