Adventures in Baking: Gluten-free edition

When it comes down to brass tacks, I really enjoy working in the kitchen.  Cooking is a chore, it is true, but it gives me an opportunity to be creative.  Sometimes (o.k., a lot) my family isn't all that thrilled with what I come up with.  I have varied tastes, but truth be told Mr. Redneck is just that--a redneck who likes his meat 'n potatoes.  So, when I come out with what I think is a lovely recipe, featuring veggies such as Kale, escarole, or really anything green, I'm met with resistance to outright revolt--and that's just Mr. Redneck!  About the only time my family doesn't cry foul is when I bake from scratch.  Is there anything as lovely as walking in the front door to the olfactory delight of fresh baking bread?

I have traditionally made lovely, carb-y delicacies that go from simple oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, Viennese pound cake, to a recent holiday favorite of Crème brûlée french toast.  Did I mention once in a blue moon the posse cheers when I decorate cakes with artery-clogging French butter-creme icing?  I digress.


All that to say, I'm embarking on a new culinary journey of baking my own from scratch gluten free bread.  When Mr. Redneck and I went to the specialty market today and perused the isles for g.f. foods, including bread, we nearly swallowed our respective cud.  G.F. products are expensive enough to earn the label of 'exorbitant' and the bread is the biggest budget buster of all.  Do you realize the average loaf of g.f. bread is costing somewhere in the range of $6.40 per 18oz. loaf?  Cha-ching!  That being said, my frugal little self decided to give g.f. baking a whirl.

Here's the recipe I decided to try out:

Brown & White Bread


                                            Wet Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 tsp. cider vinegar
3 tbs. canola oil
1 1/2 c. plus 2 tbs. water




                           Dry Ingredients:
2  1/4 c. white rice flour
1 c. brown rice flour
1  1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
3 tbs. sugar (I used raw, unwashed)
1  1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. egg replacer, optional (I omitted this)
1/2 c. dry milk
2  1/4 tsp. (one pkg) Red Star Active Dry Yeast

• Combine wet ingredients, place into baking pan.

• Combine dry ingredients, place into baking pan.

• Set bread machine to white/light bread cycle, then start.

• As bread machine begins to mix, help mix any unmixed ingredients with a small rubber spatula, taking care not to interfere with the paddle at the bottom of the machine. (you will definitely have to 'help' the machine mix it--as once my mixing cycle ended, the top third of the dough was still dry powder.  After a little bit of folding/mixing, it resembled sticky cake batter.)

• Once bake cycle is finished, remove loaf from pan, and allow to completely cool before slicing.
• Directions are my paraphrase: see the original recipe for detailed instructions per the author.

Recipe taken from: 
Sanderson, Sheri L. (2002).  Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House


The loaf is in the bread machine as I type.  Tune in next time to find out whether or not my first foray into fresh baked g.f. bread is a hit or a brick.