GF Honey Almond Sourdough Bread

This recipe originally comes from "The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread" by Bette Hagman.  I have, however, made some changes to it.  It's a good reference point, to begin exploring the world of sourdough.  And from this you can adapt other recipes as you desire.

HONEY ALMOND SOURDOUGH BREAD

Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups 4 Flour Bean Mix**
1 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon egg replacer
3 Tablespoons almond meal
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Wet Ingredients:
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 Cup sourdough starter
3 Tablespoons oil (I use sunflower oil)
3 Tablespoons honey
1 Cup warm water (more or less)

*preheat oven to 375 F, oil bread pan
*combine dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer
*in another bowl combine egg, vinegar, sourdough starter, oil, & honey
*warm water to 110 F
*to the bowl of the mixer add egg mixture & mix in
*add water, a little at a time, until dough has proper consistency (just a tad thicker than cake batter)
*mix all in & scrape down bowl
*mix on high speed 4 minutes
*scrape into bread pan, smoothing out the top
*cover lightly & let rise (30-60 minutes or so--just up to the top of the pan)
*bake 10 minutes
*remove from oven & cover with aluminum foil & bake another 40-50 minutes



**4 BEAN FLOUR MIX
2/3 part garbanzo & fava bean flour (2 cups)
1/3 part sorghum flour (1 cup)
1 part cornstarch (3 cups)
1 part tapioca starch (3 cups)

Sourdough Starter

I've been baking for a really long time--close to 30 years I guess, since I started as a teen.  When I used to bake with gluten I always had a dream of learning how to do sourdough breads, etc.  I never actually got around to it.  But now, as a gluten free baker, I am delving into the world of sourdough.   I am very excited about this.  The older your starter is the more flavor your bread will have.  I did already make a loaf of sourdough bread & it didn't have a lot of sourdough flavor, but I will keep my starter going & aging. 

Having a starter in the house feels a little like having a pet (we already have a dog & a bunch of fish!!).  It's a living thing, you have to care for it & feed it.  You 'should' keep it at room temperature as much as you can.  But if you aren't using it or are going on vacation you can refrigerate or even freeze it.  And you should feed it each time you use it or at least once a week to keep it alive & thriving.

I found this sourdough starter recipe in "The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread" by Bette Hagman. 

So your first step is to get the starter started.....

SOURDOUGH STARTER

2 1/4 teaspoons (or 1 packet) dry yeast granules
1 Cup lukewarm potato water (left-over water after boiling potatoes)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 Cups white rice flour

*in a 1 quart glass container (never metal or plastic--I use a mason jar) dissolve the yeast in the water
*add the sugar & rice flour & mix in
*cover & let sit at room temperature until fermented (1-3 days), stirring every few hours at first
*it will bubble up & ferment & then die down with a skim of liquid on top
*be sure to stir well before using--the consistency should be like pancake batter
*replenish by feeding with 1/2 Cup lukewarm water & 3/4 Cup white rice flour each time you bake or once a week if you haven't baked in that time
*if your container becomes too full, discard all but about 3/4 Cup of the starter & add the 1/2 Cup lukewarm water & 3/4 Cup white rice flour to what is left.

Gluten Free Gravy

I have always bought the organic turkey gravy at the health food store.  I cannot recall the brand at the moment, but it's organic & gluten free.  But I've never been thrilled with it I must say.  It's not as thick & creamy as I would like & it has an after taste that I don't like much.  So I decided to experiment & learn how to make my own.  And I must say I was beyond thrilled with the results.

I forgot to take a pic BEFORE we devoured it!!  Here's what little was left!

 

GLUTEN FREE GRAVY

 

1/4 Cup butter (or if you want dairy free you could try a butter alternative)

1/4 Cup sweet rice flour

1-2 Cups chicken stock (or juices from a roasted chicken or turkey if you have it)

salt & pepper & desired seasonings to taste

 

*melt the butter

*slowly whisk in the flour, a little at a time

*once all the flour has been added, let it cook 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly--the color should change during this time, but be careful to not let it scorch

*remove from heat for a couple of minutes

*put it back on low-medium heat & slowly, in very small amounts, drizzle in the chicken stock

*whisk vigorously & constantly until all the liquid has been absorbed (this may take up to 10 minutes--be patient, adding liquid until you've reached the desired consistency/thickness

*season with salt, pepper, & any other seasonings you desire

*remove from heat & serve immediately

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins

 

The texture of these is a little spongy to me.  I will probably revamp the recipe at some point, & edit this post here when I do so, to improve the texture.  But they do satisfy a chocolate craving just fine despite the texture. 

 

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins

 

1/2 Cup butter (or butter alternative if you want dairy free)

1 Cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)

4 eggs

2/3 Cup cocoa powder

1/2 Cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)

1/2 Cup tapioca starch

1/3 Cup white rice flour

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum

1/2 Cup oil (I use sunflower oil)

2/3 Cup milk (I use almond milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 Cup chocolate chips (I used semisweet)

 

*preheat oven to 350 & line or grease muffin tins

*cream butter until fluffy

*add sugar & beat until creamy

*add eggs, one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next

*combine dry ingredients in separate bowl & add 1/3 of this to the butter mixture

*add oil & blend in

*add 1/2 of the dry ingredients & blend in

*add 1/2 of the milk & blend in

*add the rest of the flour & blend in

*add the rest of the milk & blend in

*add the vanilla & blend in

*gently fold in the chocolate chips

*fill the muffin tins with batter & bake 15-20 minutes

 

GF (DF) 'cheese' crackers

These are super yummy!  Let me start by saying I've never made any type of cracker before.  I've always been told that making crackers is easy, but I've always hesitated, unsure of how to do it.  I adapted this recipe from one that was designed to use actual dairy cheese.  Since my son & hubby cannot tolerate dairy I thought his would be a great treat for them & I was correct.  I am not dairy free myself, but I eat very little dairy.  So these are great for me also.  They taste just like cheezits!

GF DF 'Cheese' Crackers

2 Tablespoons butter or butter-alternative
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
2 Cups shredded cheese alternative (I used Daiya cheddar style shreds)
3/4 Cup white rice flour
1/4 Cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1 teaspoon xantham gum (or guar gum or ground pysillium seed husk or other gluten alternative)

*preheat oven to 400 F
*in bowl of stand mixer beat butter-alternative until creamy
*add egg, salt, pepper, & beat until well blended
*beat in the cheese, in 4 batches
*beat in the flour, starch, & xantham gum until well blended
*remove from blender & add very small amounts of water until it will form into a ball & hold together
*divide the dough in half
*place one half onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper & cover with parchment paper & roll out dough as thin & even as possible--then remove top sheet of parchment paper
*cut into desired sized squares (I used a pizza cutter to do this)
*sprinkle with sea salt if desired
*bake 15-30 minutes, until crisp & deep golden, keep a close eye on them, don't let them burn (if the dough is not rolled out evenly the thinner portions of dough will burn before the thicker portions are crisp)
*repeat with the other half of the dough