I love bread. I really, really love bread.
While I certainly admire people who can pass on the bread basket in favor of a slimmer waistline, that just isn’t me. I’d sooner pass on dessert than skip the bread.
Since going gluten free, I must admit that my bread cravings have been fairly extreme. I’ve spent more money than I care to admit on sub-par bread at $7 a loaf.
It’s not that I’m lazy. It’s just that if I am going to take the time to bake, I really want it to work. Who else has a string of gluten free baking fails under their belt?
One book that has helped me tremendously is Gluten-Free Makeovers
For those of you who are vegan, you should know that it’s not a vegan book, but many of the recipes have adaptations. I’ve also had a lot of success adapting even those that don’t. The flour tortillas are without a doubt the best I’ve tried. And these bread sticks, which I’ve adapted to use quinoa flour, are pretty darn good.
No, they aren’t the Olive Garden but they are a heck of a lot healthier and wonderful dipped in a side of marinara or oil and vinegar. As a girl who is all about the dipping, I gotta love recipes that fill this need.
Though I haven’t tried it, I’m quite sure that this recipe would work just fine with all purpose flour if you aren’t gluten free and don’t want to stock up your kitchen with 101 new flours. (And really, who can blame you?) Just use 2 cups of all purpose flour and 1/2 cup toasted quinoa flour.
Never toasted quinoa flour? It’s really simple but completely optional. I do it because I love the nutty and less earthy taste that it brings out. All you need to do is line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the flour out to about 1/4 inch deep. (I do a box at a time.) Bake on 220 degrees for 90 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Recipe adapted from Gluten-Free Makeovers
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups bread flour mix (see below)
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (Or Ener-G Egg Replacer)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
- 2 tablespoons organic canola oil
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or liquid sweetener of choic
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons almond milk, or milk of choice
- Toppings: sesame seeds, coarse salt, poppy seeds, dehydrated garlic
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment (You may also use a hand mixer with beaters) and combine flour blend, chickpea flour, yeast, xnthan gum, sugar, and baking powder or Egg replacer and salt.
- In a separate bowl combine water, canola oil, agave nectar and vinegar. Add to the try ingredients and beat on low until combined and then increase to medium and beat for 3 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Shape the dough into 8- to 10- inch sticks and place on baking sheet, about an inch apart. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
- Brush the sticks with milk and sprinkle with toppings. (We liked them best with salt + one additional topping.)
- Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and store in a plastic bag. Eat within 2 days or freeze.
Notes
Calories 77, Fat 1.2g, Carbohydrates 14.4g, Protein 1.7g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 33mg, Fiber .7g, Sugars 1.9g
All Purpose Gluten Free Bread Flour Mix:
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup quinoa flour (toasted is best - 220 degrees, 90 minutes)
3/4 cup tapioca starch
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
This recipe is featured in Gluten Free Fridays , Wellness Weekends, Healthy Vegan Fridays, This Weeks Cravings
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