Sandwich Rounds – The Verdict Is In

This morning I quickly took care of a few things here in the office (still looks like a mess) because it is a cool morning I am being drawn into the kitchen.  As promised, I tried the sandwich rounds from Comfy Belly.  I made a half recipe to test them out and because if I am the only one eating them, I don’t need that many at a time.

The recipe calls for

2 1/2 Cups blanched almond flour (I used 1 1/4 Cups)

1 tsp. baking soda (1/2 tsp.)

1 Cup yogurt (or coconut milk, or other milk) (I used coconut milk but I bet yogurt would be great – I just didn’t have any)

1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted (or ghee, coconut oil, or palm shortening) (I used butter this go round but may try with coconut oil next time)

3 large eggs (1 1/2 – or as close as I could get to that)

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (I used 1 tbs. honey but think I might try coconut syrup next time for a little less sweet taste)

1 tablespoon of toppings such as poppy seeds, sesame seeds – optional (I used a sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds)

Bake for 15 minutes (I baked mine for about 17 minutes for a little more golden color)

Now my verdict – They were extremely easy to make.  The rounds are light and fluffy and would work great for sandwiches or as a bun for a burger.  For me they were a little sweet so as I suggested I might substitute coconut syrup or use a little less honey.  I am even toying with the idea of adding some chia seeds or flax seeds to the batter.  I am going to make a sandwich using these rounds at lunch time.  Here are mine, what do you think?

Okay – back in the kitchen.  I need to make some scones and then I am going to try sunflower butter cookies if I have enough sunflower butter or another recipe I have.  I want to serve foods at my book launch party that reflect how I have had to eat and bake since becoming ill.  Cookies and bar cookies are the easiest and can serve many without slaving in the kitchen too long and require only a simple napkin.

 

Yeast Free Bread Recipe Diary

Sat, Aug 4, 2012

Today I made the yeast free bread for the first time in a very long time.  For the flour I chose Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (garbanzo bean, potato starch, tapioca starch, white sorghum, fava bean).

I substituted Agave for the Sugar or Honey.  I used milk and oil in place of rice milk and melted  butter.  Because I wanted this to be used for breakfast I mixed 2 tsps. of cinnamon/sugar (more cinnamon than sugar) in with the flour.  The results are:  The bread tasted ok but still a little overpowering taste of garbanzo bean and the cinnamon flavor didn’t come through.  I sliced it and toasted it with butter and it was good.  I sliced it and tried French toast.  It took two tries.  The first time my slice was a little too thick.  I think the bread soaked up some of the egg mixture but probably could have used a little more milk in the mixture to help with absorption of a thicker bread.  NOTE:  If using the same exact ingredients I think I would put half the batter in the pan, add some cinnamon sugar (maybe 2 tbs.), add the rest of the batter and swirl with a knife.  I might like to try it using Bette Hagman’s Gluten free flour mixture which can be made by mixing 3 cup rice flour, 1 cup potato starch (not flour) and 1/2 cup tapioca starch.

Wheat Allergy/Gluten Intolerance

I realize that many individuals with food allergies have a definite wheat allergy.  For me the wheat allergy diagnosis back in 2000 along with being told to avoid barley and oats because of allergies and the possibility of molds, I found it very difficult to bake or buy breads and crackers.  To work around these limitations, I found myself baking gluten-free.  And I could not use corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, cornmeal or flour) because of a severe allergy on my test as well.

My first trip to a Health Food store out-of-town netted me with a gluten-free cookbook by Bette Hagman, rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch (the three flours used to make her gluten-free flour mix) along with a few other ingredients for my first attempt.  In the beginning I was making gluten-free crackers, English muffins and  hamburger buns.  It was challenging but I was doing it.  Drat!  Then I realized that I wasn’t supposed to be using yeast!  That eliminated all three of these new-found recipes.

This realization drastically curtailed my bread and cracker baking.  I tried purchasing yeast free rice breads but they tasted like cardboard.  I read through yeast free cookbooks.  I wish I could tell you how many or which ones I read other than “Feast Without Yeast” (still available on Amazon) but that is the only one I can remember and I gave away everything I had when I moved into this house.  I do have a recipe that I used which was saved in my computer.  I don’t know where it came from but I did make substitutions.  This is more of a quick bread,  and for me, this bread was best when sliced and toasted.   Guar gum or Xanthum gum work as a binder.  Gelatin or Agar Agar (a form of sea weed used sometimes as a thickener in puddings) helps with moisture and bread texture.

YEAST FREE BREAD

2 cups of flour (1 cup brown rice, 2/3 cup potato flour, 1/2 cup tapioca flour)*

2 tsp. Guar Gum (Xanthum gum can be used if you don’t have a corn allergy)

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Gelatin or Agar Agar

1 tsp. Salt

3 tbs.sugar or honey (probably could use agave)

2 eggs or egg substitute

1 cup milk or rice milk (all though I am sure you might be able to use soy or almond milk)

1/2 cup melted butter or oil

Mix dry ingredients and liquid separately.  Combine and pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 – 45 minutes.

*I do know that I tried different gluten-free flours including Garbanzo Bean  in  my original baking.  Optional/I have made this for my daughter adding cinnamon/sugar mixture and raisins.

On July 25th I posted an E-Z tortilla recipe and promised to try it again.  I apologize for not having tried it yet. I have been battling a sinus infection and haven’t had the desire to do much experimentation in the kitchen.   I am going to give it a try this weekend and let you know how easy it was for me to make.  I  may have some non-wheat flours in the cupboard that I can try it with.  I also plan to make this yeast-free bread again to use as breakfast toast  and I have been wondering how it would work in French Toast.

I would appreciate hearing of any successes you may have had with cooking/baking gluten-free.  If you have any cookbooks to recommend, please do so.