Sunday, November 1, 2009

Celiac Light Bread & Pumpkin Corn Muffins




It was a busy and productive few days last weekend. Austin just started going to school a few more hours a day and that meant he needed things to eat for lunch. So far, I have not really experimented with bread because I haven't heard to many great things about bread but lunch times mean sandwiches. I started searching and found several blogs and websites raving about Tom's Celiac Light Bread. It was even listed on one website in the top 5 best GF bread recipes. The recipe below is exactly as I found it on all websites. I tried it the regular way and the bread machine way and both came out great. Also, I received a recipe for pumpkin corn muffins from my Jules Gluten Free Newsletter. They turned out fantastic. In both recipes I did substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs in both recipes.

CELIAC LIGHT BREAD
by Tom Van DemanAugust 20, 2003
1 1/8 cup Chickpea flour, also called Garbanzo Bean flour (I grind my own)
1 cup cornstarch (I use Cream corn starch)
1 cup + 1 Tbs. tapioca flour3 1/2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. brown sugar(Make sure that there are no lumps)
1/4 tsp. creme of tartar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cup warm water (uncomfortable to touch but not boiling)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I use peanut oil or canola oil)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Bread Machine Method
WARNING: Adding more liquids or flours or reducing same could cause the bread to not cook thoroughly on the inside or to be too heavy. Also, I am at almost 6000 feet altitude in Denver area which might cause your bread to be slightly different than mine. First try it as is and then experiment if necessary.Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl except for the yeast. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly with wire whisk. Mix together the lightly beaten eggs, warm water, and oil in a separate bowl and thoroughly mix with wire whisk. Pour the liquid ingredients into your bread machine bowl (I use my Zoj). Immediately spoon in your dry mixed ingredients on top of the wet ingredients to make a mound in the center but covering all of the wet ingredients. With a spoon or spatula, make a small depression on top of your dry ingredients (must be dry for the yeast) and immediately spoon in your yeast. Place your bread machine pan in the machine correctly and turn the machine to regular wheat bread cycle and turn on machine. (This dough will need two kneadings in order to get its content to proper consistency.) Do not add any more liquids or flour. The dough will form a sticky ball. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of machine bowl to make sure all of the dry ingredients get into the dough ball. On the rise cycle, use your spatula that is wet to smooth the top of the loaf, if desired. Bake the bread using the medium crust setting. When finished, turn the loaf out onto your wire rack and allow bread to cool or you can slice it while hot (Do not squeeze the loaf too tightly while holding it to slice while hot.) Slice the bread thin with a serrated bread knife or electric knife and enjoy.

Oven MethodTurn your oven to 375 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl or your mixer bowl including the yeast. Mix thoroughly on medium or low setting. Mix together the lightly beaten eggs, warm water, and oil in a separate bowl and whip with wire whisk until all ingredients are mixed. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with your mixer on medium speed (Use paddle or dough hook). When sticky ball forms, scrape sides to get all of the flours and ingredients mixed together and continue to mix for about 1 minute more. Scrape into a 9 x 5-inch lightly greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap, set in non drafty warm place and let rise until at least double size (approximately 45 to 60 minutes). Remove plastic wrap and place pan in preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon. Turn the loaf out onto your wire rack and allow loaf to cool or you can slice it while hot (Do not squeeze the loaf too tightly while holding it to slice when hot.)

Pumpkin Corn Muffins



Ingredients:

1 egg (or egg substitute)
1 cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy vanilla soy, hemp, almond, coconut...)
1⁄2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2⁄3 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. gluten-free baking powder
3⁄4 cup cornmeal
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbs. flaxseed meal (optional)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F static or 325 F convection.

Mix the liquid ingredients and pumpkin until combined. Whisk in the dry ingredients until the lumps are removed. Expect the batter to be a bit thin, but not watery.

Pour the batter into an oiled 8 x 8 baking pan or into oiled or lined muffin pans. Bake for 30 minutes for the cornbread, 20 minutes for regular corn muffins, or 12-15 minutes for mini-muffins. Insert a cake tester into the center of the bread to test for doneness; they should be lightly browned around the edges and firm to the touch in the centers.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Halloween

oops! I didn't realize it has been 2 months since I posted something! Time really does fly when you are busy. We have moved into our brand new house in another city so it's been a bit hectic around here trying to adjust and unpack.

However, I wanted to share this link of candy free of the top 8 allergens with Halloween approaching. I received it in my gluten free newsletter this morning. I scanned over the list and it seems accurate from other things I have read in the past but of course please read labels!

http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/10/06/gluten-free-allergen-free-halloween-candy-quick-list-2009/

Monday, August 10, 2009

GFCF & Egg Free Banana Bread



A few months ago, I tried a gfcf banana bread that a friend had made from a box mix. It was one of the best gfcf baked goods that I had tried but Austin couldn't have it because of the eggs so I decided that I should give a homemade version a try. I found several recipes all very similar that called for eggs. I decided to substitute with Ener-G Egg Replacer. I'm not sure what happened but the bread came out hard and very awful tasting.

Not one to give up so easily plus I still had more ripe bananas to use, I searched for eggless banana bread recipes. I found several on generic recipe sites and decided to convert to GFCF. Also, the hubby stepped up to plate and baked this batch because he is much better with baking. The result this time was awesome. The bread is really soft and moist. This is the second best GFCF baked goodie that I have tried (coming in second to the wonderful chocolate cupcakes from Pamela's).

3/4 c. All Purpose GF Flour (used Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 c. Rice Flour
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum (check to see if your GF flour blend already has this in it)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Sugar
2 Large Ripe Bananas
1/2 c. Applesauce
4 tbsp. Melted Ghee (Purity Farms)
1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas well. Stir in the ghee, vanilla extract and applesauce into the bananas. Add the banana mixture into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix gently by hand, just enough to form a thick, clumpy batter. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the bread is a deep golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Monday, July 27, 2009

GFCF "Trail Mix"

I was scouring the internet for snack ideas and came across several who make a "trail mix" for their kids. This is a fantastic idea and adds some variety for us because our snacks usually consist of chips, rice cakes, pretzels or fruit. I made a large tupperware container full of my trail mix and can now store it in the pantry for another great snack.

To make your own trail mix, combine your favorite GFCF cereal(s) with any or all of the following based on what your child likes and can have on the diet:

raisins and/or craisins
nuts
marshmallows
chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
dried fruit
granola (Enjoy Life)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Computer Time

Austin doesn't get to play on the computer any time he wants. My husband and I often tell him we are "working on something" when we are online and he wants on. This morning, I let him play while I got ready to take him to therapy. I came out of the bathroom and walked up the computer and was about to sit down when he said, "Austin is working on something."

Friday, July 17, 2009

Dorothy

We got a betta fish yesterday as a present for Austin. He really loves fish and we thought a betta would be simple enough to care for. We brought it in and got everything set up and then brought him over. What name did he choose? Dorothy - like Elmo's goldfish. It was cute!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

We are eating Mac n Cheez



I found some products by Namaste at a local health food store here. Their products work great for us because they are free of wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein or nuts. After I checked their website and emailed their customer service to make sure the pasta's butter flavors were casein free, I picked up their "Say Cheez" which is a GFCF cheese pasta to try out with Austin. It was a huge hit with him. He thinks he is having macaroni and cheese. It's been so long since he's had the real thing, I'm sure he does not remember the exact taste.

My verdict: It's good for what it is. The cheese flavor isn't the greatest but it's not bad and the pasta is actually pretty good. He can't have soy for now so I'm surprised we've found any "cheesy" products. It also helps to add things. The first time I made it, I added ham. Today, I added ground beef. Broccoli florets might be good as well as chicken.