Blueberry Almond Muffins

http://gfmum.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/almond-blueberry-muffins/

Best GF Brownies

http://gfmum.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/best-gf-brownies/

Roasted Broccoli

http://gfmum.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/roasted-broccoli/

Mini Carrot Spice Muffins

http://gfmum.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/mini-carrot-spice-muffins-coconut-flour/

I've Moved

I have moved my blog to gfmum.wordpress.com I will keep what I have already done here but new posts and recipes will be at the other site. I was really not liking blogger but I love wordpress. I have transferred all my posts and recipes to the new site. Please join me there.

Thanks!
Kim

Almond Coconut Cookies

I have been trying to decrease my intake of sugar and simple carbs. I usually don't really have a sweet tooth but because I am trying not to eat sugar I am therefore craving it. So this morning I wanted to make a cookie that would satisfy my craving for something sweet but would still be lower in carbs and even offer some nutrition. These cookies are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy and corn free and very low in sugar. They are sweetened with a bit of honey. What they are not is taste free. They are surprisingly good. Additionally they are high in fiber and are incredibly satisfying. And Yes! the kids and husband actually like them. Store them in the fridge and feel free to use these as a healthy snack in between meals. I have also used grape seed oil for the first time. Grape seed oil is a bit pricey so I had resisted buying it. Then I read a bit about it.

Grape seed oil is an excellent source of the antioxidant Vitamin E, as well as a beneficial monounsaturated fats, including oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid that researchers from the University of California, Irvine found can suppress food cravings in between meals. During digestion, oleic acid is converted into oleoylethanolamide (OEA), a hunger fighting hormone that stimulates cells which tell your brain that you're full. Further, adding grape seed oil to high glycemic foods, like refined breads, white rice and potatoes, can slow the rise in blood sugar levels. Fast rising blood sugar triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to store fat. A caveat: The nasty chemical hexane is often used to extract the oil from the grape seeds so look for organic or expeller pressed varieties. (Excerpt from Living Without Magazine Feb March 2010 issue)

So, I think I will be using much more of this very mild and neutral tasting oil in the future. Impressive isn't it?!

Almond Coconut Cookies

2 cups raw almonds

1 cup fine shredded unsweetened dried coconut

1/8 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup grape seed oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

4 oz 60% -72% chocolate. (I used Ghirardelli)

In a food processor add almonds and process until you have as fine a meal as your machine will make. Add remaining ingredients and process for another minute or two. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take teaspoons full and roll into balls and press down into discs about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until they are just starting to brown. While cookies are baking, slowly melt melt chocolate in a small nonstick pot. When cookies are done let them cool for a bit then drizzle chocolate over top. Store in the fridge.

Kim's Whole Grain GF, DF Bread ~ Simplified Version

I have been making my whole grain gluten and dairy free bread for a couple of years now. Last June I finally posted my recipe with detailed instructions. That recipe is far and away my most visited post. That makes me happy! The hardest part of being gluten free is trying to stomach gluten free rice based "bread". I still make this once or twice a week. But as time has gone by I have started making some changes. The recipe is still basically the same but I have started making it a bit simpler with fewer ingredients. The result is the same. I still end up with the best tasting bread I have ever had. I just made some this morning and for lunch had a slice of it, still warm, dipped in olive oil with minced fresh rosemary, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Bliss! Anyway, here is what I am doing now.

Kim's GF DF Whole Grain Bread ~ Simplified Version

1 1/3 cup water warmed to just beyond body temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
3 lightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup teff flour - ivory or dark (May also use brown rice flour)
1 cup sorghum flour (May also use 1 cup of millet, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth)
1 cup potato starch
1 slightly heaping T xanthan gum
2 1/4 tsp - 1 T dry active yeast (Start with smallest amount and if you didn't get the rise you wanted try more next time)
1 T sesame seeds
1 T flax seeds

The directions are the same as in my original recipe. I don't always take the time to sift but you get a better blended loaf if you do. I also add a few more flax seeds and sesame seeds to the top of the batter after I pull the paddle out of the bread maker just to make it prettier. (I am also told that this can be done with egg replacer if you are allergic to eggs.) Try this. Eat and be happy!

Lentil and Cauliflower Salad

I just whipped this up for lunch. Had my camera been working I still wouldn't have been able to pry it away from my girls to take a picture. Sorry. This was fast and easy to make and very satisfying. I was stunned when both of my girls devoured it. Yes, even the three year old who hates all vegetables.

1/2 cup brown lentils
1 cup raw cauliflower chopped into tiny florets
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 large clove garlic
small pinch of cumin
few drops of agave or honey (maybe 1/4 tsp)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil add salt and then add lentils. Cook until they are tender but not mushy. While those are cooking prepare the cauliflower and put into medium sized salad bowl. For the dressing: Using a blender or small food processor add garlic, vinegar salt and pepper, blend until smooth. Add cumin and olive oil. Blend until you have a creamy emulsion. Taste for salt and pepper and add a tiny bit of honey or agave. This is just to cut the tang of the vinegar, not to make it sweet. I like to use rice vinegar for salad dressings since it is a bit milder than white vinegar. When lentils are done to your liking drain and give a quick rinse. Add lentils to cauliflower and toss with desired amount of dressing. Serve immediately. I make this salad fairly often. I use this same dressing and lentils and sub veggies. I love this with finely sliced green cabbage or lots of fresh coarsely chopped parsley, celery or broccoli.

Perfect GF Shortbread Cookies

Christmas may begin. For me it doesn't feel like Christmas until I have had my mom's famous shortbread cookies. My mom made these every year when I was a kid. They were always every ones favorite. I used her recipe but subbed the all purpose wheat flour for my gf all purpose flour. They turned out EXACTLY as I remember them and my mom agreed. They are light, fluffy, fragile, buttery, melt in your mouth perfection. They are the way shortbread cookies should be. Once, I tried a commercial shortbread. That is not shortbread. This is shortbread.

Fabulously Perfect Real GF Shortbread Cookies

3 cups Kim's all purpose flour mix

1 cup of icing/confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 lb butter softened to room temperature ***This must be real butter, not margarine or shortening***

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and dry ingredients. This takes a while. Add vanilla. Beat until fluffy. You may drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet ( I always use parchment paper to make my life easier) but these are best if you use a cookie press. In the pictures below I used a piping bag as my cookie press just died. Then decorate the cookies with maraschino cherry bits, chocolate chips or sprinkles. They are meant to be small and delicate. Bake for 15 minutes. Do not brown. This will make 7-8 dozen small cookies.

Kim's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour mix

We have been gf for 3 years next month. In that time only once have I purchased an all purpose flour. I tried Bob's Red Mill and I greatly disliked it. It had bean flour in it and I just don't like the flavor of bean flour. Everyone and their dog sells their own special blend of "All Purpose Gluten Free Flour." It costs a small fortune. I found that when I was browsing the internet for recipes and someone listed an all purpose flour mix, I would just click on by because I will not buy that stuff because of the ridiculous price. Then a couple of weeks ago I decided to create my own. No, I have no plans on trying to sell it. Most of them are roughly the same anyway. But I have to say, I was really, really pleased with the way it worked. I have used it as a 1:1 substitution for wheat flour in some of my favorite Christmas treats (recipe to follow) and it turned out EXACTLY like as if I had used wheat flour. That said, I have yet to try this in anything fried and I have not tried it in bread but it did work great in everything I have tried it for. So here is what I did for a very, very small fraction of the cost of buying a prepackaged "All Purpose Mix."

Kim's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

I used the inexpensive flours I get from the Asian market. They are very fine and powdery. I just mix it all up in a Ziploc and store it in there. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.

Teff Polenta with Grilled Veggies

A while back we discovered teff. Not familiar with teff? You're not alone. When doing a spell check the word isn't even in the spell check dictionary. Here is some info on teff. We read about it's nutritional benefits and we were sold. Without discussing it with me, Ron ordered 25 pounds of the ivory teff flour and 25 pounds of teff seed. He has such faith in me that I would be able to figure out what the heck to do with it all. I just finished my 25 pounds of flour last week. It lasted about 7 or 8 months. I use it in place of brown rice flour in many cases and it is the base of my bread recipe. The seed, well that is another story. We use it in our 9 grain cereal and I have used it to make cornless cornbread (which was awesome and I will post soon) but beyond that I am not sure what to do with it. For lunch today I was craving something light and yet hearty. I was determined to use some of that teff seed. I whipped up something that reminded me of corn polenta but only much, much better. Have you ever had one of those meals that just makes you feel happy? One that makes you feel satisfied, not guilty, not craving, not bloated and just plain...well... happy? Well that is how this dish made me feel. I was able to get Sage (5) to try it and she liked it and came back for more. I couldn't get Rori (3) or Justus (18 months) to even try it. Oh well at least one of them tried and liked it. I loved it. I served it with grilled veggies. I sliced the veggies and grilled them outside, dry, with nothing on them. Once they were done to my liking I drizzled olive oil and a bit of kosher salt on them. They too were fantastic!

Teff Polenta

1-2 T olive oil

3-4 cloves of minced garlic

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup teff seed

3 T minced fresh basil

1 1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Warm olive oil in medium skillet. Add minced garlic. Cook on medium heat for a minute. Add tomatoes, teff seed, basil, water, salt and pepper. Stir and cook covered for about 15 minutes on medium low. Remove lid, turn off heat and stir. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and as it does it will thicken more. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

Kale Chips

I'll admit it, I don't like kale. Kale is that stuff that sometimes comes on your plate as a garnish that you quickly remove. Kale is that stuff that you see in salad bars that the salad is sitting on. It is a green, leafy veggie that is a bit tough and I think it is a bit bitter. So when I kept seeing other people blogging about kale chips I quickly clicked on by. But I kept seeing it and everyone raves about it. So, trying to be open minded I decided to give it a whirl. I made Kale "Chips". I am not going to bother to post a picture because to be honest, they are not very pretty and this has been blogged about so much by so many others, what is the point, right? I am adding it here so that I don't forget about it. Do you ever do that? Just completely forget about something that you love??? Anyway, stunningly, these are amazing. Seriously, they are fantastic. The first time I made them my mom and I ate an entire bunch to ourselves. I should point out here that she had the same kale aversion that I had. Then I served them as an appetizer to about 15 people. I made 3 bunches (or are they heads?) and it was all eaten. Now for the most unbelievable thing... all 3 of my very picky kids and my husband all like them (although my husband won't admit that he likes them, he did eat a lot of the plate)!! That is what I should have done: taken a picture of my kids devouring them. Now here is the best part; it's nutritional benefits. This is now a regular in our house. Making it is so easy that it isn't really even a "recipe" but here is what I did.



Kale Chips



1 bunch of kale (washed and dried)

olive oil

kosher salt



Preheat oven to 350. Tear kale up in bite sized pieces. Toss the tough, woody stem. Lay the pieces out on a cookie sheet and do not let them overlap. Lightly sprinkle with olive oil. It would be good to have a sprayer for this but I don't so I just drizzled it. Then, very lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until they are crispy. (If they are not crispy and are still a bit pliable, they will be tough~ and then you just have kale) Serve immediately as a substitute for potato chips or the like.

Flax Bread

Here is one to put in the regular rotation. Super high in fiber and omega 3 and 6. It is grain free, sugar free, dairy free and obviously gluten free. I made this last week. I can take no credit for it but I wanted to post it with the changes that I made so that I could repeat it - often! This one comes from Elana's Pantry. Here is the original recipe. Here is what I did.



Flax Bread



1 cups flax meal

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 t salt

1 T agave nectar

3 small eggs, whisked

1/4 cup water

⅓ cup olive oil



Preheat oven to 350. Spray a glass pie plate. Pour in batter and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and cut into wedges. Great as a side for dinner.



This was awesome with butter and would probably have been great with some jam. I had to restrain myself from eating the whole pan. (with that much fiber, that would not have been pretty.)

GF, Grain Free, Doughnut - Muffins

I am on several Celiac message boards where people exchange all sorts of information about CD. A subject that has come up several times is fiber. Apparently a common complaint among people with CD is that they just can't seem to get enough fiber in their diet. I can't say that I understand that. I think others must eat a lot of processed prepackaged premade food. Of course the complaint that always accompanies the fiber complaint is that GF foods cost more. I don't get that either. Ron and I were talking the other day and we were trying to figure out if there are any items that cost us more now that we eat GF. We could only come up with one thing that costs more. Pasta. We like one particular brand - Tinkinyada and it is the most expensive (but it is worth it). Other than that we couldn't come up with a single thing that costs us more. We kill these two "birds" with one stone by buying almost no processed foods. We buy a bunch of different flours/whole grains (and then grind into flour) and we buy them in bulk. Yes they are more expensive than wheat but because I make all our bread, muffins, pizza crusts, cookies, cakes etc etc that more than evens out. And thanks to CD we now eat so much better than we ever did before. We routinely eat grains that I had previously had never heard of but are real powerhouses of nutrition. Along with better nutrition comes more fiber. Lack of fiber is NEVER an issue in my house. In this past week I made two different baked items that were grain free, gluten free and sugar free and oh ya super high in fiber. Yesterday I made these "Doughnut - Muffins." They were so good. We ate 12 in less than a day. Even 2 of the 3 kids liked them. Here is the original recipe. I didn't make many changes but I will post what I did change.

Doughnut - Muffins

1 cup flax meal
1 cup almond meal (I processed 1 cup raw almonds in my coffee grinder)
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
4 packets Truvia (stevia)
2 T agave nectar
2 T honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
.
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin.
Mix dry ingredients well (exclude those used for topping). Add beaten eggs, melted butter, water, and sweeteners to the dry mixture. Mix well. Divide batter into 12 muffins. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Then (for the kids of course) melt butter in a small bowl. Dip a muffin top into the butter then dip it into the cinnamon sugar bowl. Tastes just like a cinnamon sugar cake doughnut.

Low Carb Chocolate Cupcakes

I was craving something sweet again today. Like I said before I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I figure I am only craving this because I am trying not to eat sugar. I went to one of my favorite food bloggers; Elana's Pantry. Sure enough she has a recipe for chocolate cupcakes using coconut flour and agave nectar. Perfect! Here is what I did as I made a few changes based on what I had in the house. I used some Truvia in place of some agave to help lower the carb count. These were AWESOME. I know what I will be having for birthday parties now!!!! Please check out the original recipe and Elana's site. She has some wonderful recipes that are lower carb, dairy and gluten free and organic. As always I do this blog to keep track of what I do in the kitchen so I can repeat recipes we like. I am not trying to take credit for someone else's recipes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 packets Truvia

Not so eloquently I dumped it all in a bowl and whisked until smooth. I lined and filled 6 muffin tins. Baked at 375 for 13 minutes. They look identical to any other wheat filled chocolate cupcake and tasted just as good. Elana has a recipe for a vegan chocolate frosting. I used that idea but used butter, agave and cocoa powder. It was better than frosting with icing sugar. I didn't measure anything precisely but I guesstimate that I used 5 TBSP softened butter, 1 T cocoa powder and 2 T agave nectar and whipped it all together. I put it in the freezer for a few minutes to help it harden a bit before frosting the cupcakes. Seriously, these are fantastic!

Blueberry Muffins (Coconut Flour)

Like I said, I am loving coconut flour. Here is another winner. Grain free, gluten, dairy and sugar free. Probably relatively low carb although I haven't calculated it out. I have already made these 3 times in the last week. They go fast. Again, they get the kid stamp of approval.

Blueberry Muffins

3 eggs, room temperature

2 T coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup agave nectar (honey would work fine)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, defrost them and dry them in paper towels)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin with paper or oil. Whisk together eggs, oil, and agave. Add salt, vanilla, nutmeg, coconut flour and baking powder. Whisk until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries. Try not to mix too much or your batter will be blue. Spoon into 6 muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes.

Italian Sausage and Garden Veggies

This is what I made tonight. We loved it enough to have 2 bowls and then be uncomfortably full. I hate it when I do that. The dishes were not even done and I had to sit to write the recipe down so that I could do it again. My garden is doing pretty well and I had lots of herbs and veggies that I needed to use up. Then I added the olives because Ron thinks everything is better with olives. Anyway, it was really good.

Italian Sausage and Garden Veggies

6 Italian sausages cut into pieces

1-2 T olive oil

1 large onion coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

10-12 small chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 carrot sliced

1 green pepper coarsely chopped

1 zucchini sliced and halved

1 yellow squash sliced and halved

1 cup coarsely chopped green olives with pimentos

1 large sprig fresh rosemary finely chopped

6-7 sprigs fresh thyme stems removed

3 TBSP fresh oregano

1 cup fresh chopped basil

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

In a large pot heat olive oil. Add sausages and brown the outside. Add onions and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add next 5 veggies. Cook until veggies are nearly soft. Then add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 or 30 minutes and serve with pasta. Or for a low carb meal sub roasted spaghetti squash for the pasta.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Since going GF I have become accustomed to reading the label for everything we buy. If you don't have any diet restrictions you maybe haven't done this. It's an eye opener. There are some things that have so much stuff in them that don't seem to resemble food. I try to eat with the thought in mind: "if it's not food then don't eat it." Over time I have noticed that my tastes have changed. One item that always has lots and lots of stuff in it is bottled salad dressing. I can not stand the taste of it now. The vast majority of them have soybean oil in them as a base. I really dislike anything with soy. I think it tastes funky. So I always make my own salad dressings. The variety and possibilities are endless. It is a fraction of the cost of buying it. You can make small amounts so you don't have to worry about it expiring. Then there is the whole thing with buying more things that will eventually cause more trash. Best of all, homemade salad dressings taste way way way better than bought!!! And it only takes a minute to make them. Here is one of my favorites.

Balsamic Salad Dressing


1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt
pinch of celery seed
2 tsp agave nectar
fresh ground pepper

These are approximate measurements. I never measure when making salad dressings. Just wing it and adjust to your tastes. Mix everything in a mason jar and your good to go!

Low Carb Banana Nut Muffins

My new favorite thing is coconut flour. Do you know about this? I had seen a few recipes with it and I had seen it at the store but I had disregarded it because it was a bit pricey and I already have approximately 3 dozen different flours. How many flours must one have, right? Well, this one is a must. I started reading about it's benefits. When I got to the part that said it was seriously low, low carb and was considered a nut flour, I was sold. I ordered some right that minute. I got mine here. It arrived quickly and I have been baking nearly everyday for the last week. When I was pregnant with my first and third babies, oddly not the second, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. This was really unfair. I have absolutely no family predisposition, I am white, and my BMI is on the low side of normal. My only risk factor was being old, 32 at the time. The first time I had it I even had to take insulin shots. That really sucked. I was told at that time that since I was insulin dependant that there was a 50/50 chance that I would become a type II diabetic within 5 years. Well, lately I have noticed that I just can't tolerate high carb meals. I feel that familiar lethargy and thirst. Combine that with that video I posted a week or so back about how sugar effects the brain.... Anyway, I have to change the way I eat. Even more so than I already have. So, I made these this morning. They are gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. With my calculations I think these muffins are about 9 carbs a piece. If someone comes up with a different number please let me know. Additionally, they got the kid stamp of approval.

Banana Nut Muffins


3 mashed over ripe bananas
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

6 eggs
4 T coconut oil melted
3 packets Truvia
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup cashews chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin liners with paper or oil pan. Mix first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Then mix next 8 ingredients in large bowl. Then whisk in coconut flour. Whisk until smooth. Fold in bananas and cashews. Fill 12 muffin tins nearly to the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Kim's Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Whole Grain Bread

I think the most common complaint about being on a GF diet is the loss of wheat bread. If you have ever bought a loaf of gf bread you know what I am talking about. It is hideous. It has a funky texture, you can not eat it if it isn't toasted, it falls apart, it has to be kept in the freezer and for all that you pay a fortune. On top of all that, it is nutritionally void. it is usually made of white rice flour and tapioca flour. Metabolically speaking, those are nothing but sugar. And fiber...ugh, none. Wouldn't it be nice to have yummy bread again? Well, here it is. I have been asked several times to post this recipe. It has taken this long because I was going to save it and then figure out a way to market it and then make my millions. ;) Yes, it's that good, in our opinion. But since I will probably never get to that here it is. The directions look like this is really involved. It isn't. I have just added all the little options and possibilities.

I have posted a revised simplified version of this same recipe. There are fewer ingredients and the result is the same. If you want to combine several flours for a varied nutritional profile then use this recipe. If you want speed use the simplified one.

Kim's GF, DF Whole Grain Bread

3 large eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup oil of choice (canola, olive, corn, coconut, grapeseed etc)

1 1/3 cup milk of choice - unsweetened (rice, hemp, almond, cows) warmed to about body temperature

1T +1 t honey

3 T brown sugar

1/2 cup millet,sorghum, quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat (choose one)

1/2 cup second choice of flour - millet, sorghum, quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat (choose one)

1 cup multi grain rice flour, brown rice flour or my favorite teff flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup corn starch (potato starch works too)

3 t xanthan gum

1 1/2 t salt

2 1/4 t dry active yeast

optional add ins:

flax seeds

sesame seeds

sunflower seeds

add in a total of about a 1/4 cup

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in bread maker pan. Sift next 7 ingredients and then add it on top of liquid ingredients. Toss in your add ins. Make a little well in the dry ingredients and add the yeast in to the hole. Start the bread maker. I do not have a bread maker that has a setting for gluten free bread. So during the initial mixing part I help it out a little. I use a soft spatula and scrape down the sides and help everything get all mixed in. GF bread needs less time as there is no need for additional punch downs like with wheat bread. My machine allows me to program in personal recipes so I use the following settings:

No preheat

Knead 1 = 5 minutes

Knead 2 = 15 minutes

Rise = 60 minutes

Bake 50 minutes

Temp 340 degrees

This makes about a 1.5 lb loaf and I always used to make this bread on the regular bread setting and it turned out fine. I now use my own program just so that I can speed up the process. It takes about 1 hour less my way. One other thing I do is remove the paddle after the mixing is done. I just don't like having the hole left in the middle from it. I just wet my hand, reach in and grab it, then smooth the top down, filling in the hole. Just make sure you grab it before any rising has started.

This recipe is really forgiving. I routinely mix and match the flours. I usually make this without any rice flour as I am not convinced that rice is terribly healthy. Besides, if you use much rice flour then you get the typical texture of gf rice bread which I don't like. Depending on which flours I use it will alter the look and texture as well as taste. We like them all. Often the bread rises really well but by the time it is finished baking and cooling it will fall a bit in the middle which will create an uneven top. We couldn't care less how it looks because it tastes GREAT. My mom eats gluten and she loves this bread. So much so that the last time she came to visit I baked her a loaf to take home. I have been making this for nearly 2 years and although it looks pretty involved it goes pretty quickly. Recently I bought a loaf of gf bread because I wanted to make turkey stuffing and that was just more convenient. It was approximately $6 per loaf! And it tasted like styrofoam to me. I could not eat it. Not even toasted. And this was the only bread that I used to be able to choke down, best of the best so to speak. My bread can actually be eaten as bread instead of toast. (I could never eat the store bought stuff unless it was toasted.) As with all gf baking, it is best on the first day but it is still good after several days. You could slice and freeze to use as needed but we usually eat it all in 2-3 days.

*xanthan gum: if this is your first time baking gluten free bread, you might not be familiar with this ingredient. This is needed for most gf baking. It is what replaces the gluten in wheat bread. It's what holds everything together. When you buy this be warned it is kind of pricey but it is essential and it will last a long long time.

**gf flours are expensive. We have found a way around this to some extent. We will buy 25 pound bags of several whole grains and then grind our own flour. We decided to go this route since CD is a lifelong diet change, the grinder etc will pay for itself over the years. We either get the grains directly from the mills online or we get it from our usual health food store. Given a little notice the local store can order it for us and then we get a discounted price from them. It is also safer to do it this way as there is no possibility of cross contamination from those bins and scoops. We use this online company. On their site they also have some great information on nutritional values of the grains they sell. We also bought our grain mill here. They have several different ones available. Another option for buying gf grains is to go to an asian supermarket. The one we have here is incredible. They have every possible flour. They are also much much cheaper than getting those 1 1/4 lb bags of flour from your grocery store. The only problem is that they are not labelled gf. So if that is important to you then you could try online retailers as well as a health food store or grocery store but you will pay a little (or a lot) more for that certification.

Edited July 20/09: I have had several people contact me asking how to make this bread without a bread maker. Honestly I hadn't tried, until today. I was really winging it with the mixing times, rise times, baking temp and baking time but it turned out perfectly. Like picture perfect. So here is what I did today.

I put the first 6 ingredients in the bowl of my kitchen aid. I mixed on low speed for a few seconds just until it was all mixed. Then I added everything else with the exception of the flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and yeast. I mixed that for 2 minutes on medium speed. I added the remaining ingredients and mixed for another 2 minutes while occasionally scraped down the sides. I sprayed a glass bread pan and let it rise in my oven with the oven off but the oven light on. (Although here in Arizona simply leaving it on the counter is sufficient.)I let it rise for 40 minutes. I took it out of the oven and preheated the oven while it continued to rise.

I baked it for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Here is what it looked like. I wish you could taste this!!!
So, yes it can be done and yes it turns out perfectly. A couple other things I did with this loaf (yes, I am forever playing with this recipe) I omitted the apple cider vinegar, I used whole goats milk, subbed potato starch for the corn starch and used just teff and sorghum flours as the base.