Flour power!

Do you ever find yourself craving things you can’t have or are hard to come by?  Being gluten free I’ve learned to “get by” without the breads I so used to love with a cup of hot soup or topped on the perfect sandwich.  Instead I’ve turned my cravings towards veggies, fruits, beans and the like.  My sweet tooth still creeps up on me and that’s where my love for baking comes into play….brownies, cookies, scones, etc…are still very much a part of my gluten free lifestyle!  Slowly, but surely, I’m learning my way around gluten free baking and with a little work and determination I’m discovering what flours work well together to give you that “not so gluten free” taste.

When I’m in a pinch my go-to flours of choice are…

Pamela’s Baking Mix and

Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten free mix

Not all gluten free flours can be subbed cup for cup into your favorite “pre-gluten free” recipes…something I learned the hard way.  If it wasn’t the texture that was the problem, it was definitely the taste.  By creating gluten free “flour blends” (using a combination of flours together” gone are the days of crumbly breads that won’t stay together for a sandwich, cookies that are too hard to eat or brownies that you can’t even cut because they simply fall apart too quickly.

My go-to rice flour blends…

Light Rice Flour Blend:

Yields 9 cups of flour

3 cups brown rice flour

3 cups tapioca flour

3 cups cornstarch

3 tablespoons potato flour (NOT potato starch)

Regular Rice Flour Blend:

Yields 9 cups of flour

6 cups brown rice flour

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca flour

 

My new favorite blend (great for breads and muffins!)

Four Flour Bean Mix

Yields 9 cups of flour

2 cups Garbanzo/Fava Bean flour

1 cup sorghum flour

3 cups cornstarch

3 cups tapioca flour

I recently tried out the Four Flour Bean mix and the result was an insanely delicious batch of Cinnamon Bread!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

(inspired by Gluten Free Easily)

Yields 1 large loaf

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups Four Flour Bean Mix (*see above recipe)

1 1/2 tsp xanthum gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup organic brown sugar

2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

3 organic eggs

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Cinnamon Swirl “Filling”

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raw coconut crystals (or other granulated sweetener)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a loaf pan by lightly coating with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, xanthum gum, sea salt and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in coconut oil and slowly mix in the applesauce, vanilla and sugar.  Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each one.  Add in the almond milk and mix for about 2 minutes.

Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

For the “Cinnamon Swirl Filling”: mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

Pour a little of the batter into the prepared pan (just enough to cover the bottom).  Sprinkle the “cinnamon filling” over the batter (just enough to cover).  Repeat two more times with batter and “filling”, ending with the batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (make sure you have one that reaches all the way to the bottom of the pan!).

Enjoy warm or sliced and toasted the next day for a special breakfast!

This bread slices beautifully without crumbling or breaking apart!  It would probably make for a divine french toast breakfast!

Golden brown on top with a taste of cinnamon in every bite.  The hubs and princesses agreed that it was like having a cinnamon roll on Christmas morning…YUMMO!

My mission of successful bread making continues, so stay tuned…”Vegetable Bread” is on the horizon.  I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate veggies, so why not do it with something the family loves? 

Blessings,

J’lene