The Great Bake-off

Ok, so my breadmaker finally arrived!! I became a bread-making fool. I felt very much like a chemist with flour...mix a little of this, a little of that. I got used to flour everywhere! I thought I was incredibly smart in buying the mini breadmaker, since it would just be Bethany eating the bread and it doesn't last more than a day or two. However, I soon discovered this required creative math since most recipes are for 2 large loaves. Ah well, all worth it to get your child to eat, right?

Unfortunately, we were met with failure after failure. I gave up after 6 loaves. Most of the time the baby would eat it, but one loaf even the dog didn't want.

One of the recipes my husband and I both loved - but alas Bethany did not. Well..she SAID she liked it but we could never get her to eat another bite. I think part of the problem was it had a lot of air pockets and a slightly sour after-taste, which I believe both happen from yeast. So I am going to mess around with the recipe a bit and lower the yeast and maybe add more baking powder. Anybody out there have any ideas?? The other bonus to this recipe was it was the easiest to make!

Also, my picky eater tried EVERY ONE of my breads! Who knew she had no qualms about trying something new so long as it resembled bread?

In any case, the recipe I loved was Mark Engelberg's Gluten-free, Soy-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-free Vegan bread. Another blogger wrote about it: http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228 - if you need to know my adjustments for the mini breadmaker, shoot me an email!

Here is the recipe:

Mark Engelberg’s Gluten-Free, Vegan Bread

Recipe for 2 loaves—it is okay to halve the recipe if you want to make just one

Note: If you are using a mixer that doesn’t have a great engine, you may want to mix it by hand at the end to ensure it’s all mixed. Since there’s no gluten to get tough from overmixing, you can mix until you’re confident.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch (or double the potato starch if you can’t eat corn)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil
3 1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

Mix with electric mixer–using paddle attachment, NOT regular beaters or bread hook–for two minutes. The bread dough will be more like cake batter than traditional bread dough.

Two options for the rising:

For the best rising: While mixing the bread, create a proofing box from your microwave. Microwave a small mug or ramekin with water until the water boils. Leave the water in the microwave. Pour the bread dough into two nonstick or well-greased pans. Tuck the loaves into the microwave with the water—the container of water should not be touching the pans. (I have to remove the turntable in my microwave to do this.) Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pans–generally 30-50 minutes.

Standard method: Pour into two nonstick or well-greased loaf pans, place on a warm surface (such as on top of the pre-heated oven), and cover with a towel. Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pan–generally 50-70 minutes. (Batter should take up about half the loaf pan before rising.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove loaf pans from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. (Insert a toothpick or knife into the center to see if it comes out clean or doughy, if you aren’t sure when you pull out the bread.)

As with most breads, it is easiest to slice if you allow it to fully cool. But who can wait that long? I usually let it cool for a little bit, and then remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a rack to cool more while I slice it up. The bread tastes delicious warm, dipped in olive oil and herbs or spread with honey and ghee. It also works well for sandwiches after it has cooled. If you won’t be eating it within 2 days, after it’s cooled, slice it, wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, and freeze it. Never refrigerate this or other bread—it will get dry and hard if you do. If you leave the bread on the counter (wrapped), it will be good for all purposes for a couple of days. After that, it will be best used for bread pudding, French toast, croutons, etc.

Enjoy!