Gluten Free II

January 26, 2010
My second day of baking gluten free bread. Hmm... Three different versions. #1 -- Good, but did it taste a little yeasty/winy? I think it over-proofed (raised). #2 -- The honey I added was a bit strong. I'd like to taste a less sweet and more salty bread. #3 -- The addition of flax meal adds a delicious flavor.

January 27, 2010
Second day taste test results. #1 -- A little bland. It is staying nice and moist! #2 -- Wonderful texture! Moist, non-crumbly, and not so dense. #3 -- Good, but I think I would quickly tire of the rich flax flavor. Maybe using less flax would make both a delicious and nutritious bread.

A few days later--
The loaves are still moist and holding together!

February 3, 2010
Three more gluten free experiments. #1 -- Less sugar, more salt. Yes, flavor is much more like normal bread. #2 -- Now that I have egg replacer, I may as well add that as the original recipe says. Does it make a difference? Not that I can tell. #3 -- Left out the egg. Hmm... I love the flavor - the most "wheaty" gluten free bread I've made. Texture is compromised, though - dense and tough.

February 4, 2010
Yesterday's loaves are holding up well.

February 8, 2010
Can I get an eggless bread with better texture? Not with today's two experiments.

February 11, 2010
Once again I dug out the army of gluten free ingredients. More experimenting with eggless and egg-yolkless bread. Also tried one with no milk powder.

The loaves are okay but not up to my specs yet. The combination of good flavor, texture, and nutrition is eluding me.

February 15, 2010

A drive to Fargo to pick up gluten free ingredients. A short visit with the store manager was helpful.

February 18, 2010

Gluten free garlic toast - yum! A great way to use up some of the multiplying loaves of not-quite-right bread.

Feeding the Family

In my house a loaf of bread lasts only a day or two. When it comes time to bake bread for the family, I like to load the freezer!

Don't throw the left-overs!

Some people turn up their nose, but I have to say I love left-overs! A satisfying meal for the whole family in a matter of minutes. No getting tired of one flavor here! Who can count the containers?

Pasta Day II

Don't ask me what to call these noodles, but they make mighty delicious stroganoff!

Note the two different colors - one batch with egg, the other without.

Pasta Day

What do you do when you have a cousin home from overseas for a couple months? Get together to visit over ravioli making. While learning about life in another culture, why not learn a new kitchen skill? The byproduct -- broadened minds, happy faces, and full tummies.

Kneading the pasta dough. It doesn't feel anything like my soft bread dough.

Wait 30 minutes to let the gluten relax, and you have a nice and pliable dough for rolling.

Pillows of meat. An egg yolk mixture is brushed on to hold it all together.

Sealed up and cut apart, this ravioli is ready to go into the boiling pot. Spinach and cheese fills these.

We did it... and now we can eat!

Do you see what I see?

I don't see a bleak and cold world. Nor do I see a magic winter-wonderland. My eyes look up at yet another gift from my loving Father.

Rewinding -- Gluten Free I

January 4-6, 2010
Intense days of research. Hopefully I now know enough about gluten-free baking to begin tinkering around the kitchen with brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, etc.

January 7, 2010
A full day in the kitchen. Baked a small bread order, three trial granola bar recipes, and two batches of gluten-free (GF) bread. Learned much; much more to learn.

Also refreshed "barm," my sourdough starter, by adding flour and water. This is a twice a week duty in the winter which increases to three times a week in the summer. Summer is when barm is used and depleted regularly for farmers' market sales.


















Multigrain Gluten-Free Bread -- I can't say the flavor and texture were anything to brag about. Dry and crumbly with an unusual "bite" in the flavor. A caved-in top crust indicates too much liquid.

Brown Rice & Sorghum Bread -- A tired loaf. This is what happens when I stick a thermometer probe into an under-baked GF loaf.

Another Brown Rice & Sorghum loaf. Its sag isn't nearly as pronounced as the other loaf. I was very pleased with the texture of this bread - elastic (not crumbly) and moist. Flavor was quite pleasing, too. I definitely have found a good base recipe here!