Something Savory: Focaccia Bread

July 31, 2013

     My sister loves herb-y, onion-y, garlic-y bread and as a byproduct I too have gained an appreciation for savory breads. It is from her that I learned about focaccia bread.  Focaccia bread is like a mini, portable pizza for bread lovers. It's a great lunch idea: it's filling, variable, and fanciful. You can eat it hot, cold, or rewarmed. You can shape it to be any size, and create just about any flavor. So, now that I've attempted to convince you of its virtues, here is the recipe:

     This recipe comes from a marvelous gluten-free cookbook: Life Tastes Good Again. My additions are in bold otherwise, the credit belongs to them! :) This is originally a bread stick recipe, and it's a standard at our house.

      3 c French Bread mix*
      1/3 c dry milk powder
      1 tbl dry yeast
      1 1/4 tsp salt
      4 egg whites
      3 tbl oil (I used sunflower oil from Trader Joes)
      1 tsp vinegar (I usually use apple cider vinegar)
      1 1/2 c warm water.

Toppings:
      tomato sauce (I actually used a tomato powder, but the sauce works too.)
      sharp cheese such as goat cheese, Asiago, or sharp cheddar.
      garlic salt
      pizza seasoning
      Italian seasoning
      oregano
      sun-dried tomatoes
      whatever else strikes your fancy!
   
All of this is to taste. It depends on how savory you like your savory. I mixed the tomato powder in with the other spices.

Mix dry and wets separately. If you don't like a heavy arm workout, you should mix the wets with a stand mixer or beaters. ;) Slowly add the dry to the wet. Their recipe says to beat for 3 1/2 minutes. I'm too impatient for that, but it's probably a good idea.

This dough is beyond sticky, so there seems to be only one good way to handle it: "Spoon dough into a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag then cut the corner off to a 1/4 inch diameter opening."  Then squish the dough

into the shape of choice onto a greased cookie sheet. I wanted circles, so I squeezed a center dot and spiraled out from there. Once they've been shaped (if you need to do some fine tuning with your shapes, get your fingertips wet, and the dough will respond more kindly) brush them with melted butter. (NOT margarine.) If you're using tomato sauce, a very thin layer of butter will do. Next, distribute the spices as evenly as possible, add the sun-dried tomatoes (or whatever else) and cover with cheese. I don't take the time to let the dough rise, partially because focaccia bread is a flat bread, and because the dough does some rising in the oven. Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

* Here is their fabulous French Bread mix:
    3 1/2 c white rice flour
    2 1/2 c tapioca flour
    2 tbl xanthan gum
    2 (7 grams) packets of unflavored gelatin
    We don't usually add this but...2 tbl egg replacer
    1/4 c sugar

The Classic: Chocolate Cake

July 17, 2013

I love this recipe. It's moist, beautiful, and not too sweet. It works well as a sheet cake, in a cake pan, as cupcakes, or in a dutch oven over the coals.

Chocolate Cake

1/2 c melted butter
10 tbl cocoa powder
2-4 tbl pero (optional)
1 3/4 c sugar (if you like it sweeter, add another 1/4 c)
4 eggs (make sure the butter has cooled slightly before adding the eggs)
1 c half and half or cream
1 tbl vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 c hot water (this comes last)

combine the butter, cocoa powder, and sugar, mix well, then add the rest of the wet ingredients (except hot water). Combine dry together and add to wet. Then add hot water and mix well. Pour into greased pan (or dutch oven) and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Dutch oven will probably be less time, depending on the heat of the coals.

Flour:

1 c potato starch
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/2 c almond flour
2 tbl brown rice flour
1/4 c oat flour
1 tsp xanthan gum

**NOTE: Altitude affects gluten-free baking more than regular baking. Please see the attached link for help in making adjustments.

This is quite a wet batter. I always get worried when I make it, thinking that it will be too runny, but it's suppose to be runny. Especially when you add the hot water, it looks like the batter is ruined, but just keep mixing and it should look about this consistency. If it looks much runnier than this, though, just add a little more potato starch. 

A Sweet Beginning: Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 13, 2013

Gluten-free food is an art.

 Rest assured, I'm not at all biased.

 In all seriousness, when it comes to gluten-free baking, it's not about the exact measurements, but rather it's the proportions that matter. There is a hierarchy in each dish that has kept me entertained for the last few years. Here is what I have learned so far:

Gluten-Free Baking Tips:
*At higher altitudes, gluten-free foods usually require more flour than called for by the recipe.
*Gluten-free recipes often do better with an extra egg.
*Baking time usually ends up being a little longer than with gluten recipes.
*When in doubt, grease the pan.


Some Flour Tendencies (in my experience):
*Oat works well for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, and sweet breads.
*Rice works well for cookies, pancakes, breads (sweet and not).  **
*Brown Rice works well for cakes and crusts. **
*Potato Starch works well for cakes, crusts, cookies, cupcakes, breads (sweet and not), and Tempura.
*Almond flour works well for crusts, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, and Tempura.
*Corn Flour works well for pancakes.
*Sorghum flour works well for cakes and cookies.
*Tapioca starch works well for cakes, crusts, and cookies.
*Coconut flour works well for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and sweet breads.
*I have yet to really experiment with bean flours.*
**Must be ground very finely.

 Oat flour, potato starch, and almond flour are my three favorite baseline flours.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookie recipe has been a standard in our house from the very beginning. I have found that it is a fantastic baseline recipe for a variety of types of cookies, as well as a crust for certain kinds of puddings and cheesecakes. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can put just about any combination of flours in the batter and they will still turn out well.

1 Cup unsalted butter (room temperature butter makes the whole process easier)
2 Cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbl vanilla

1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp baking powder

4+ Cups flour ***


1 Cup nuts (optional)
1/2 Cup toasted coconut flakes (optional)
chocolate chips (to taste ;) )


Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine flours and add salt, baking soda, and baking powder to flour mixture and mix well. Mix wet and dry together until well thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut flakes (the latter two are optional). Drop tablespoon sized balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. (If you take the time to roll them into balls, they will turn out more beautifully)
Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Makes about 24.

***Just to give a taste of the myriad combinations possible, I have included two different flour combinations below.


Flours #1:
2 2/3 Cups gluten-free oat flour
2/3 Cup potato flour
1/4 Cup almond flour
1/4 Cup tapioca starch
1/8 Cup coconut flour (this flour soaks up twice its amount in liquid, so it equals a 1/4 cup)
1 Tsp xanthan gum

Flours #2:
2+ Cups potato starch
1 Cup almond flour
2/3 Cup tapioca startch
1/3 Cup coconut flour
2 Tbl brown rice flour
1 Tsp xanthan gum

At my house, we love the darker, slightly chewier texture of the oat mix. Option #2 is lighter in flavor and fluffier in texture. Here is what they look like in dough form. Notice the difference in color and look.

With oat flour base.

                                                                With potato starch base.

         Both mixes will create beautiful cookies. It's really just what you want to make.

With oat flour base.

                                                              With potato starch base.