Gluten Free Multigrain Bread (Also Dairy-Free w/Egg-Free Option)

I have a lot of trouble finding gluten-free breads that are vegan (I'm also allergic to dairy and eggs) and which taste good and offer some nutritional value. For example, Mariposa Bakery and Schar offer breads that fit the GF/vegan bill, and taste good, but are mostly refined flours. Okay for an occasional treat (for an even more decadent treat, try Mariposa's Penguinos cupcakes) but not what I want to eat more frequently.

So I developed the following recipe; this bread freezes well and toasts up nicely. Once it's a few days old, it doesn't travel well though so make those sandwiches-to-go on the first day!

Multigrain Bread

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, with Egg-free Option)

Moist and flavorful, like the honey wheat bread you remember, this take on Bette Hagman's New Formula Yeast bread makes excellent baguettes.  You'll get the best crust by using a perforated French bread pan, but it also makes a great sandwich bread in 7 ½ x 3 ¾ x 2 ¼  loaf pans.  Since the egg-free version doesn't rise quite as high, a good trick for sandwich bread is to slice the loaf horizontally into thirds or fourths, and then cut crosswise to the desired width.

Makes 2 loaves

Proof:

1 2/3 cup warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast granules (double if using an egg substitute)

1 teaspoon sugar

Dry ingredients:

2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

3/4 cup sorghum flour

7 tablespoons almond meal

2 ½ teaspoons Xanthan gum

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Ener-G Foods  Egg Replacer

1/4 cup amaranth or teff grains, or mixture of the two

Optional: add up to 2 teaspoons inulin powder for added fiber

Wet ingredients:

1 egg + 2 egg whites or 6 tablespoons applesauce (see note on doubling yeast above if using applesauce or other egg substitute)

3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine or olive oil

1 ½  tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon  molasses

2 tablespoons honey

1. In a glass measuring cup, add yeast to the warm water along with the 1 teaspoon sugar.  Let stand until yeast forms a foam on the surface.  Meanwhile, spray your French bread pan with non-stick cooking spray if necessary, or grease and flour your loaf pans.

2. Blend all dry ingredients in a medium bowl or 4-cup measure and set aside.

3.  Mix wet ingredients in bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer (use the flat beater), just until blended.  Pour in yeast mixture.

4.  On low, add flour mixture a little at a time (a pouring shield is helpful) until all has been incorporated.  Consistency should be like cake batter.  Switch mixer to high for 3 ½ minutes.

5.  Spoon batter into prepared pans and even out with a rubber spatula.  Be sure to leave room in French bread pans for the dough to expand.  Let rise about 45 minutes.

7.  Preheat oven 375°.  Bake 35 minutes for French bread pans, and about 40 minutes for loaf pans.  Bread should give a slightly hollow sound when tapped.

Note: Leftover bread makes wonderful French toast, and fantastic stuffing or dressing when dried into cubes.

Note: I have also shared more of my GF recipes here on this blog

Oatmeal-to-Go Cookies

No-Fuss Chocolate Cake

Gluten-Free Drop Scones

Oatmeal-to-Go Cookies (Gluten & Dairy Free; Egg-free Option)

It's time for another recipe from my special diets file!

Oatmeal-to-Go Cookies
(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, with Egg-free Option)

Inspired by a recipe for Cardamom Oatmeal Cookies in the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, these cookies make a healthy grab-and-go snack or breakfast. They freeze well and thaw in about fifteen minutes, so keep them on hand for mornings when you're running late, or to take along on hikes.


Makes 3 dozen cookies


1 egg or 1/3 packet unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/3 cup boiling water
3/4 cups applesauce (unsweetened)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped trail mix (or make your own custom blend of dried fruit
and nuts or seeds)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

1. In a large bowl, beat egg or (warm) gelatin mixture until frothy. Add applesauce, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar, mixing well. Add the trail mix, stirring to moisten and distribute it evenly.

2. In a separate bowl, blend the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flour mixture to the applesauce mixture, blending well. Stir in rolled oats.

3. On a nonstick cookie sheet, drop generous tablespoonfuls of cookie dough, spacing about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned and spring back at a touch. Cool on sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.


Note: For a less-sweet cookie, substitute 1/3 cup unfiltered apple cider plus 1 tablespoon molasses for the brown sugar. You may need to add a little more apple cider until the mixture has the correct moisture, depending on the gluten free flour you used.

Other special diet recipes on my blog:
No-Fuss Chocolate Cake (Gluten free, dairy free, egg free)
Gluten-Free Drop Scones (with a dairy free option)

No-Fuss Chocolate Cake: Gluten-free, Dairy Free, Egg Free

And it's also a No-Fail cake--never had an issue with this one, and it's so moist and yummy that you won't hear any complaints from guests accustomed to gluten-y cakes. Enjoy!


No-Fuss Chocolate Cake—No Mixing Bowl, Either!
(Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg-free, Contains Nuts)

The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home features a recipe for "Six-Minute Chocolate Cake" that I've adapted to be gluten-free and without refined sugars. Don't bother to dirty a mixing bowl, this cake can be mixed right in your cake pan. (Unless you need to turn the cake out on a plate, like for a layer cake. In that case, mix in a bowl as usual and pour into a greased and floured pan) Great edible science project for kids, too, as you talk about how the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise.

Makes one 8-9" cake

Dry ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/2 cup almond meal
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
7/8 cup water or coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
-------------------------------------------
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375°.

1. In an ungreased cake pan (8" square or 9" round), mix all dry ingredients with a fork or small wisk.

2. Mix the wet ingredients in a 2-cup glass measure and then pour into the dry ingredients. Blend until smooth. Batter may appear a little too runny at first, but let it sit for a moment and it should thicken up. If not, add a couple of tablespoons of sorghum flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it has a cake batter consistency.

3. Add the vinegar and stir quickly. The vinegar and baking soda will react to create lighter swirls in the batter. Don't overmix, just incorporate the vinegar evenly into the batter.

4. Bake at 375° for about 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean.

We serve the cake unfrosted, but if you're feeling indulgent you can mix in chocolate chips and/or nuts to taste.

Other special diet recipes on my blog:
Oatmeal-to-Go Cookies (Gluten free, dairy free, egg free option)
Gluten-Free Drop Scones (Gluten free, with dairy free and egg free options)

Recipe for Gluten-Free Drop Scones

I've mentioned on occasion that I eat gluten-free and dairy-free (and also am allergic to chicken and their eggs, but can eat duck eggs) but I've never posted a recipe on here yet. When I tweeted a while ago that I'd made GF lemon blueberry scones (pictured below), I got a few requests for the recipe so I decided to share it. I am planning on posting other specialty recipes, but it will likely be on a sporadic basis (mainly because there are some recipes I have put quite a bit of research into and would like to find a home in print somewhere).

I always make sure to credit the inspiration for a recipe, even if I've departed drastically from the original, but in this case I no longer know where I saw the recipe I began with. It's in my handwritten recipe book, and I probably recorded it sometime in 1992. It is similar to other recipes that yield a more biscuit-like scone, much less sweet than traditional scones, and lends itself to variations. Without further ado, the recipe:



Gluten-free Drop Scones (with a dairy-free option)

1 cup yoghurt, sour milk, or buttermilk*
1 egg**
3 tablespoons mild honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend***
1 cup almond meal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon egg replacer (optional, but it helps with texture)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine (Earth Balance rocks!)
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)
1. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat together milk, egg (or its substitute), honey, and almond extract if using.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, egg replacer, and salt.

3. With mixer on low, add two cups of flour mixture a cup at a time, mixing well with each addition.

4. Turn mixer up to medium and gradually add melted butter, then raisins and orange zest.

5. Add the last of the flour mixer and mix until well blended. If mixture seems a little too dry, add a splash of milk of choice. It should be slightly stiffer than cookie dough.

6. Spray a cookie sheet or tray with non-stick oil, or use a non-stick cookie sheet. Drop batter by generous spoonfuls, spaced 2-3 inches apart.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden and firm to the touch. These freeze well, and are best reheated slightly before serving.

Variations:
Substitute chocolate chips or dried cranberries for the raisins
Add 1/4 cup toasted chopped nuts, such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts

For lemon blueberry scones: use lemon-flavored yoghurt, and substitute blueberries for the raisins and lemon zest for the orange zest. If you can't find a lemon-flavored DF yoghurt, use your milk of choice and add 1 tablespoon lemon extract.


*can use non-dairy yoghurt, or ND milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added
**or suitable replacer, though they will be slightly more crumbly if using an egg substitute
***I use a combination of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch

Other special diet recipes on my blog:
No-Fuss Chocolate Cake (Gluten free, dairy free, egg free)
Oatmeal-to-Go Cookies (Gluten free, dairy free, with egg free option)

Loving the Limbo

I'm in that comfy place of Limbo right now, between projects and waiting to hear back on submissions. Right now I have out:


A YA short story, Hornworms (Historical)

A picture book, Hatching (Poetry/Natural History)

But really, I don't stay adrift in Limbo for long. I have a meeting tomorrow with my YA critique group; I've been sharing my novel and we're almost all the way through it. In the meantime, I've done a bunch of revisions so I'll cycle through particular sections again.

Some recipes in development, also, and then I'm tackling another picture book. This one's about a dog.

What made me laugh today:
An ad for "figure-flattering caftans" When was the last time you saw a woman in a caftan or mumuu and said, "Those loose folds of cloth make the pounds disappear!"
See it here