Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

If you've seen my other posts, you may have noticed that I tend toward lighter, white-flour recipes. When it comes to gluten free baking, substantial, brown things are often a dime a dozen. But I do like to venture into healthy cooking sometimes; I know many people prefer whole grain, and this serves as a gum-free sandwich bread that's not lacking in structure and volume. It's perfect for piled-up sandwiches and toast with peanut butter.

**I highly recommend measuring ingredients with a baking scale. This recipe is really tough to get right measuring by volume. It's also very high fiber. If your normal diet isn't mostly whole grains, I'd recommend starting with half a slice, or making white bread instead.**

Ingredients

• 240 g (1 Cup) Boiling Water
• 60 g (3 Tbsp) Honey, or 60 g (1/4 cup) Sugar
• 360 g (1 1/2 Cups) Tap Water
• 85 g (1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp) Oil
• 8 g (2 1/4 Tsp) Dry Active Yeast
• 160 g (1 1/3 Cups) Ground Oats or Oat Flour
• 40 g (1/3 Cup) Flax Meal
• 25 g (2 Tbsp + 2 Tsp) Ground Psyllium
• 500 g (3 Cups) Brown Rice Flour
• 20 g (1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Salt
• Small Handful of Whole Oats and/or Sunflower Seeds (optional)

Special Equipment
  9x4x4 Pullman Pan
  Another loaf pan big enough to act as a domed lid (you can use the normal lid, it just won't rise as high)

Time
  About 75 minutes + cooling time

Yield
  1 9-inch loaf

Instructions

Start your kettle. While it's heating, measure the 60 g honey into a bowl. Pour 240 g boiling water on top of the honey, and stir to dissolve. Add the 360 g tap water and the 85 g oil, and stir again. Sprinkle the yeast on top, stir the mixture, set a timer for 15 minutes, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 160 g oat flour, 40 g flax meal, 25 g ground psyllium, 500 g brown rice flour, and 20 g salt, and toss with your hands to mix. If you're using whole oats, whole psyllium husk, or whole flax seeds, these should be ground in a coffee grinder before being added. Get out a whisk and flexible spatula (or whatever you're going to mix the dough with). Grease your loaf pan and have it nearby.

When the timer goes off, stir the dry ingredients into the wet, and quickly pat into the loaf pan. Sit it in a warm place, and cover with the other pan, turned upside down. Set a timer for 30 minutes.

When 30 minutes have elapsed, check to see how much the dough has risen. When it's risen just past the top of the pan, preheat the oven to 450 (preheating will take about 15-20 min, allowing the dough to rise just a bit more, which will make sure the final product, after a little bit of shrinking during/after baking, is the right height). Bake covered (leave the inverted loaf pan on top) for 30 minutes, and uncovered for another 30, or until browned.

Amazon Links for Ingredients:
Dry Active Yeast
Brown Rice Flour
Oat Flour  

Flax Meal  

Ground Psyllium

Pullman Pan  

Baking Scale

Crunchy Chicken Breast

 

I didn't have fried chicken for almost a year after going gluten free. In fact, it took me months and months to venture into anything resembling a wheat substitute. I'm grateful for that- it kept my standards intact while I read and learned- but, often, I find that a technique is so intuitive, versatile, and delicious that I wonder why it took me so long. This fried chicken breast has been showing up on my plate over and over, and I think it's high time I share it with you.

Ingredients:

• Salt
• A small handful of Seasoned Panko, Rice Chex or similar, or Crackers per person
• Chicken, about half a pound per person
• Lard or other animal fat, high-smokepoint oil, or ghee 

Special Equipment 

Hammer (optional)

Time

No more than 30 minutes

Instructions

If you haven't bought thin-cut chicken breasts, run your knife through your chicken, longways, to reduce the thickness by half. Put the pieces in a plastic bag, squeeze out the air, seal it, and bang out the chicken to about 1/4" thick, using a heavy hammer or a can. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with salt (remember that it's very thin, so use a lighter touch than usual). If you're using cereal or crackers, grind them up in a food processor or smash them with your hammer, and add spices if desired. Spread the panko, cereal, or crackers over the chicken, and press in with your fingers. 

In a pot or pan just big enough for the chicken, heat a handful of lard over medium-high heat until the oil feels warm when you hold your hand a couple inches above it. If you aren't sure, drop a couple panko crumbs into the oil, or cut off a small piece of chicken and test it out. Fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side. Serve immediately, or place into an oven that's been preheated to the lowest setting. 

(If you're curious, the chicken pictured is drizzled with cream that's been simmered with sauteed spring onions and mushrooms, and served over steamed basmati rice)

Mac and Cheese

 

I have strong feelings about macaroni and cheese. So strong, in fact, that if you think it's okay to bake it in the oven at 350 for an hour, I might mutter a few choice words under my breath. That s&*t is not mac and cheese; it's dry, disappointing, slightly-cheese-flavored casserole. 'Round here, the stovetop roux-based stuff is boss. If you like a topping, get the broiler good and hot while you make the sauce, and broil only long enough to crunch up the top. This recipe is particularly lovely made with sharp cheddar and half and half. I don't suggest anything less than 2% milk no matter which cheese(s) you use, but suit yourself. You should be able to find white rice pasta at large Asian groceries, and corn pasta at Trader Joe's or Walmart.

 

 

Ingredients

• 25 g (1 Tbsp + 2 Tsp) Butter. I use unsalted, but it doesn't matter.
• 10 g (1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Glutinous Rice Flour or 10 g (1 Tbsp) Sweet Rice Flour
• 350 g (1 1/2 Cups) Cream, Milk, or combination
• 115 g (4 Oz/Half a Block/1 Cup Grated) Cheese 
• 1/2 Tsp Salt for cheese sauce, plus more for pasta water
• 170 g (6 ounces, about 1/3 box) Dry Pasta (I prefer white rice pasta, or corn pasta)
• Parmigiano for the top (optional) 

Time
About 30 minutes

Serves
Two average eaters as an entree, or three to four as a side

Instructions

Set some salted water (1360 g or 6 cups of water and 10 g or 2 tsp of salt, if you're feeling precise) over a burner turned to the highest setting. While the water heats, measure out the 20 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) butter, 10 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) glutinous rice flour, and 350 g (1 1/2 cups) milk or cream. Cut up the butter (into eight pieces, if you're still feeling precise) and grate the 115 g (half package) cheese. When the water is boiling, stir the pot to dissolve the salt, and cook the 170 g pasta according to package directions. (If you don't have a scale, just look at the weight listed on the box, and use the fraction of the box that gives you 6 oz. It doesn't have to be exact.) Taste a noodle before draining if you're not familiar with the brand- sometimes packages are wrong, and you want the pasta to be completely soft. Drain the pasta and set aside. Don't worry about it clumping- the cheese sauce will fix that. 

Put the empty pot back on high heat, just until any water in the bottom has evaporated. Add the butter to the pot. When the butter is melted, turn the heat down to medium, make sure your milk or cream is within reach, and stir in the flour using a completely dry whisk or fork. Continue cooking the flour until you can just barely tell that it's changed color- you'll see small spots of light brown around the edges. Whisking furiously, pour in the milk and/or cream (careful, it may spatter). Continue to stir lazily until bubbles appear, then stir enthusiastically, targeting any lumps. 

When the milk mixture (Sauce Béchamel, if you like) is hot and smooth, stir in the salt first, then the cheese, and finally the pasta. Serve immediately, grating parmigiano on top if desired. If making ahead, stir the pasta as it cools, or rinse it slightly, store the sauce and pasta separately, heat the sauce on the stovetop, and then stir in the pasta.

You should buy a baking scale.

Amazon Links for Ingredients: 
Glutinous Rice Flour
Sweet Rice Flour (Certified GF)

Better White Sandwich Bread

I don't know about you, but my tastebuds didn't fall off when I stopped eating gluten. Most of the bread recipes I find just make me sad. You know what I mean- mix xanthan with the following nine flours and some eggs- make sure the mung bean powder is organic, get your magnifying glass ready when it comes to the rising step. . . and you're left with a sad, squat little brown loaf that tastes like bread, if you close your eyes, hold your nose, and shoot half a bottle of whiskey before you try to eat it.

What these recipes do wrong is put the onus on the flour mixtures. In fact, flour mixtures matter much less than you'd think, and many specialty flours do nothing but drain your wallet and add strange aftertastes. The magic of gluten free baking happens in the binding agents! And xanthan, though it's really good at sticking things together, isn't the best choice when rise is paramount. Though I couldn't find much precedence for using alternatives, I kept trying because a little voice in my head was very insistent: There must be a better way. This can't possibly be as good as it gets.

Happily, that turned out to be true. The result of my months of experimentation is a loaf that uses a combination of three binders. The first is cooked rice flour- you may have heard this called a water roux or tangzhong. The second is golden flax, which is wildly underappreciated, in my opinion. And finally, a small amount of guar. The combination produces a white sandwich loaf that is so clearly real bread that you may find yourself doubting that there's no wheat flour in it even after making it yourself. If you're nervous about making your own bread, check out the YouTube video at the end of the post that shows all the steps. Enjoy :-)

**I highly recommend measuring ingredients with a baking scale. This recipe is really tough to get right measuring by volume.**

Ingredients

• 65 g (1/3 Cup) Sugar
• 165 g (2/3 Cup) Boiling Water
• 25 g White Rice Flour (1/4 Cup White Rice Flour or 3 Tbsp Superfine)
• 370 g (1 1/2 Cups) Tap Water
• 80 g (1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp) Canola or other Oil, plus extra for greasing pan and painting loaf
• 10 g (1 Tbsp + 2 Tsp) Golden Flax Meal
• 1 Tsp Guar
• 9 g (2 1/4 Tsp) Dry Active Yeast
• 430 g White Rice Flour (4 2/3 Cups White Rice Flour or 3 1/4 Cups Superfine)
• 180 g (1 2/3 Cups) Tapioca Starch/Flour
• 20 g (1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Salt

Special Equipment
  12-Cup Food Processor
  9 x 4 x 4 Pullman Pan
  Spray Bottle
  Pastry Brush

Time
 About 2 hours + cooling time

Yield
1 9-inch loaf

Instructions 

Set some water to boil, and add the 65 g (1/3 cup) sugar into the food processor. When the water is boiling, add 165 g (2/3 cup) to the processor and mix until no grains of sugar are visible. Add the 25 g (1/4 Cup) white rice flour and blend again. (This must be done in the processor- the flour will clump otherwise). Pour the water, sugar, and rice flour mixture into a small pan, and cook, stirring, over medium heat, until large bubbles appear in the middle and the mixture has thickened. This should take just a couple of minutes on a gas stove, maybe a little longer on electric. Return the cooked mixture to the food processor. Add 370 g (1 1/2 cups) tap water and 80 g (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp) oil and blend briefly to equalize temperature. Add 10 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) of ground-up golden flax seeds, 1 tsp guar, and 9 g (2 1/4 tsp) yeast, and blend thoroughly. Take the lid off the food processor, and allow the contents to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will allow the guar to gel, as well as giving the yeast time to eat the sugar and multiply.

When 15 minutes have passed, Add the 430 g (4 2/3 cups) white rice flour, 180 g (1 2/3 cup) tapioca starch and 20 g (1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) salt to the food processor and blend again. Oil your loaf pan well, and scrape the dough into the pan, flattening it out as well as you can. Holding the spray bottle about 12 inches from the pan, mist the top of the dough lightly with water. Dry off the lip of the pan, and cover tightly with plastic wrap, adding a rubber band to hold it on if needed. Sit the loaf somewhere gently warm; on top of your fridge or near the pilot light on your stove should work well. Let it rise for about 40 minutes, or until the dough is almost touching the plastic wrap.

Set an oven rack on the second-to-lowest position and preheat the oven to 350. When the oven is preheated, remove the plastic, mist again, and cover the pan with its lid. Bake 10 minutes, remove lid, paint the top of the loaf with oil, and return to the oven for about 45 more minutes. Rotate partway through baking if it seems to be browning unevenly.

The bread can be removed from the loaf pan after 10 minutes to help it cool faster, but should not be cut for at least an hour, unless you'll eat it all right away. When the bread has cooled completely, put it in an airtight container or bag and store at room temperature. Once it's too stale to eat without toasting, slice the rest, and put the slices in the fridge or freezer.

Amazon Links for Ingredients:
White Rice Flour
Golden Flax
Guar 
Yeast
Tapioca Starch

Food Processor
Loaf Pan
Spray Bottle