Millet Chia Bread & Variations

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and you know what that means don’t you?  It’s Ratio Rally time again!!

This month’s Ratio Rally host is Karen of Cooking Gluten Free.

If you jump over there you can check out all the other bread offerings for this month’s rally.  I will also have all the links at the bottom of this post.

When I started eating gluten-free, I first bought most of my gluten-free baked goods at the store.  One taste of one particular gluten-free bread and I decided I would rather NOT eat bread than that… stuff.  Ugh.

Muffins and brownies were successful pretty much right off the bat.  I didn’t buy many of the gluten-free mixes as they are far too expensive!

Then I discovered Rudi’s bread at Costco.  Yes, my Costco carried it as a test… but it didn’t last.  Not enough folks buying it to warrant Costco freezer space.  Sigh.

After some months something changed.  I don’t know if Rudi’s changed their formula or if it was a change to my taste buds but all the Rudi’s breads now had an off fish-y taste.  ARHG!

I dabbled a bit with making homemade bread, but was meeting with limited success.

In comes Udi’s bread.  So far they taste fine, but… it is the ingredients I object to.  The corn is not listed as non-GMO, they use organic canola oil but it is not good for you,  there is corn syrup in the mold inhibitor, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Then there is the $5 price tag for a miniscule loaf of bread.  The loaf isn’t even a whole pound in weight!

They did have an interesting ‘new’ bread though.  Millet Chia Bread, and it boasts a much nicer nutrient profile than the very starchy ‘white’ breads.

Still can’t get past the non-GMO corn thing though.

So I decided that a Millet Chia Bread would be an excellent thing to recreate for the Ratio Rally!  I have had a hankering for some bread with texture, tooth, fiber even.

My first loaf I used too much flax-seed meal.  I guess I really shouldn’t have made a Flax Chia Bread.  Ick.  Bread texture was fantastic though not “toothy”, the taste (other than too much flax-seed which I am not fond of) was really good.  It had a beautiful rise & “real bread” holes too!  This bread was moist and stayed that way for at least a week left out on the counter.

Yes, you did read that correctly… left out on the counter!

This bread also toasted very nicely too!!

Yes that is a real pat of butter melting on that slice of toasted gluten/dairy free bread.  Due to some healing (which will be another post) I am having much less “digestive problems” when I eat dairy!  I promise I will get to that post soon.  Subscribe to my feed so you won’t miss it.

My next loaf I tried using a bit less of the guar gum and… WOW!  Great taste, great rise, better nutrient profile, great toast-ability, easy!

Then there is the Pumpernickel variety that just came out of the oven.  I have had a request from the Patriarch for some Pumpernickel bread.  Since today is our 25th Wedding Anniversary I thought this would be an excellent bread for today’s Ratio Rally.

Sourdough and Pumpernickel breads are really the only ones I still miss.  This rally didn’t offer enough the time to play with a sourdough like I want to try, but I think I have hit on Pumpernickel almost-heaven!  Not with the “tooth” I would like but the taste is terrific!  Even the non-gluten free Patriarch said the taste was great.

My ratio?  Um…

Ruhlman’s bread ratio is 5 parts flour 3 parts water plus yeast and salt.  I think my ratio is close to that with the addition of eggs.

Millet Chia Bread

recipes developed by Aunt Mae of Honey From Flinty Rocks, all rights reserved

makes one  1 – 1/2 pound loaf

Weigh out in the bowl of a stand mixer:

1 ounce quinoa flakes

1 ounce Montina supplement (purchase & nutritional info at end of post)

½ ounce inulin (I buy mine at Walgreens)

1 ounce milled chia seeds (I bought mine from Azure Standard)

1 ounce whole millet

4 ½ ounces brown rice flour

3 ounces sweet rice flour

½ – 1 tsp guar gum

In heat safe measuring cup, weigh out:

4 ounce filtered water, heat to 100 degrees.

Add:

1 TBSP evaporated cane juice

1 TBSP yeast.

Mix well and allow to proof until foamy. About 5 – 10 minutes.

While that is proofing, mix liquids together:

5 ounces filtered water or milk

2 – 3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use more oil if not using milk)

2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

2 – 4 TBSP honey

2 large eggs

Pour the liquids and the proofed yeast mix into the mixing bowl.

Mix completely on low.  Beat on high for 3 minutes.

Clean off beaters and remove.

Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let sit for 45 minutes.

Reinstall beaters and beat on high for 3 minutes.

Pour & scrape batter into a greased 4 ½ x 8 ½ glass bread pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cover with tea towel, set in draft free place and let rise for 30 minutes.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Cover with foil to prevent over-browning and bake for an additional 35 – 45 minutes.  It should be firm to the touch when pressed… you’ll “see” what I mean when you take it out of the oven and it… ‘isn’t firm’.

Insert a thermometer into the bread, it should read 200 degrees.

Let cool in pan for 15 minutes.

Remove from pan and allow to cool on cooling racks completely before slicing.

Store in a plastic bag on the counter. Will last at least a week.  On.  The.  Counter!

Pumpernickel Bread Variation

makes one  2 pound loaf

In the flour mix add:

2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa

zest of one large navel organic orange (1 TBSP?)

2 tsp caraway seed

1 tsp minced dried onion

½ tsp dill weed

In the liquid mixture, replace the honey with molasses.

When you grease your bread pan, “flour” the pan with organic corn meal and sprinkle the top of the batter with corn meal before baking.

What is “Montina” Pure Baking Supplement you ask??  It is a baking supplement that adds fiber and protein.  In a “serving size” (3.5 ounces.2/3 cup) contain 24g insoluble fiber and 17g protein with NO fishy taste!  In a search to help Montana farmers and find an alternative to wheat and barley they rediscovered the Native American Indian ricegrass plant.  I’m loving this stuff!  I did not use a whole serving size in one loaf of bread, so my bread’s fiber & protein profile will not be as high, but will be higher than a standard rice flour bread.  Inulin is a fiber supplement.

In the course of learning to bake good gluten & dairy free bread I have learned a few things.

1) Gluten free bread will never be “big”.  The size bread pan I have stated above is just about the largest one you can use with success.  You can go longer, but not wider.

2) When a recipe is developed and the bread is baked using a specific pan, you will NOT get the same results if you use a pan made of different construction or size.  If you have steel, ceramic, cast iron or aluminum pans you will have to experiment with baking times.  But that still does not guarantee the same results…

3) Beating on high seems to ‘change’ the batter.  It becomes ribbon-y or rope-y, for lack of a better descriptive.  I tried to capture “it” in photos.  It seems to me that it develops “cohesion” of some kind.  Like gluten would develop if we were using gluten.

4) There really isn’t an “all purpose” gluten free bread.  If you want a sandwich bread, that will be quite different from a toast-able bread.  Gluten free sandwich bread, when toasted, is… well… quite  d-r-y [cough].  Toast-able bread doesn’t make good sandwiches as it is moist-ish.  So… these recipes are for toast-able bread!  😉

Blessings, ~Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R)

Other gluten & dairy free posts that may be of interest to you:

Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfast Mix

Lemon Lavender Muffins

Almond Fig Scones

Classic “Cream” Scones – gluten & dairy free

Williamsburg Orange Cake

Rice Flour Muffins

Rice Flour Muffin Variations

The Bread Ratio Rally Links:

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette  Seedy Sandwich Bread
Angela | Angela’s Kitchen  Our Family’s Basic Gluten Free Dairy Free Bread
~Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R) | Honey From Flinty Rocks  Millet Chia Bread
Brooke | B & the boy!  Buckwheat-Oat Bread

Caleigh | Gluten Freek Quinoa Naan
Charissa | Zest Bakery  Cherry Pecan Pot Bread, Gluten Free 
Claire | This Gluten-Free Life  German Vollkornbrot (Seeded Bread)
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure English Sandwich Bread (gluten-free & egg-free)  
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine  Gluten Free Boule
Jonathan | The Canary Files Gluten-Free, Vegan Mediterranean Soda Bread
Karen | Cooking Gluten Free!  Gluten Free Sandwich Bread/Gluten Free Naan
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan  Vegan Gluten-Free Bread
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie  Ciabatta (gluten-free, egg-free/vegan)
Monika | Chew on This!  amaranth skillet flatbreads, amaranth mini pita rounds
Morri | Meals with Morri No Knead Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Flatbread (yeast free/grain free)
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem  Gluten-Free Challah
Rachel / The Crispy Cook  Gluten Free Chickpea Sandwich Bread
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies  Gluten Free White Bread
Tara | A Baking Life  Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread & Boule

This post also linked here: The Better Mom, What Joy is Mine,  Raising Arrows, Finding Heaven, Homestead Revival, Far Above Rubies, Time Warp Wife, Growing Home, A Pause on the Path, Thankful Homemaker, Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, We are THAT Family, Deep Roots at Home, A Mother’s Heritage, Women Living Well, Intentional Me, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, At the Picket Fence, Best Post of the Week, Serenity Now, Comfy in the Kitchen, Finding Beauty,

Cinnamon Rolls – GF DF

My oh my, but is has been awhile since I have been able to post to this blog.  Not that I haven’t written many posts in my head, including taking all those photos in my mind as well!  LOL  A few actual photos were taken for future posts.  😉  But I just didn’t find the time to get all I needed to get done AND post here and do the post(s) justice… so I waited…  and waited…  Writing these posts takes time as well.  Fixing (hopefully) all my misspellings,  finding appropriate photos for the subject at hand, reading and re-reading and re-reading again to attempt to stay on subject, …  oh, but I digress…

This is to be my very first, of which I hope will be MANY, gluten free review posts!  My goal?  To give you my honest opinion of any things gluten free and dairy free.  And not only my opinion of these “items” but that of the Patriarch and Arrow as well.  They are my most discerning food critics and none too shy about pointing out the shortcomings of a particular food item.  My reviews could be on a store bought item, a cookbook, a recipe post on another blog or just the blog, a restaurant, everything gluten-free  is up for grabs in this section!

So, what is to be my very first gluten free review??  Well it is also going to be a dairy-free review as well!!  Oh, I can see you sitting on the edge of your seat in front of the computer in eager anticipation.  What am I reviewing…

A cookbook… and of all things it is….

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, MD & Zoe Francois.

Well the title alone should make you wonder… it says NOTHING about being gluten free or dairy free!  Isn’t THAT very thing “usually” upfront and obvious?  This is not a cookbook specifically for gluten free folks.  It is a cookbook for wheat bread that also has a chapter on gluten free bread.

In my pre-gluten free days, when I was one of the testers for Peter Reinhart’s newest cookbook, Artisan Breads Every Day (of which I have an autographed copy AND am mentioned by name in the acknowledgments… oh heady day!!), I was intrigued by the methods of biga, poolish, and cold overnight fermentation dough.  That was added to my already obsessive compulsion with sourdoughs.  I had even purchased dry sourdough starters from the sourdough master, Ed Wood and purchased his book, Classic Sourdough.  Oooo, I think I’m about to start drooling….  I love used to love sourdough bread.  Must get the right mindset going here…  [note to self:] If I can’t have it don’t drool over it!  There, I feel so much better now.

So, once I had to eliminate all gluten from my food choices there goes my bread!  ACK!  And how do I locate a gluten free bread recipe that even my husband would enjoy eating??  So far he has either hated or just disliked (AND could tell it was gluten free) all of the gluten free bread I have bought or made (ok, so there is one exception so far, but that will be a different post!).  And I am right there with him on the all the store bought ‘breads’.  If they taste like sawdust, have an unpleasant aftertaste or an ‘odd, rather unpleasant flavor’ then why eat it?  I, the affirmed bread lover, would rather do without [gasp!] than eat some of this nasty stuff.  So I am still searching in stores and trying new recipes…

In my quest for ‘THE’ gluten free bread recipe, I recently started checking out all the gluten free cookbooks from my library to see what gems they might hold for me to explore.  And somewhere either online or in another cookbook this cookbook was mentioned.

First, as a gluten free cookbook this would rank pretty low.  Granted, this is not a cookbook for the gluten free but for those who have friends and loved ones who are gluten free.  Not the lowest ranking, as the recipe I have tried (so far) is pretty good.  There is mention of gluten free flours on two pages of the 20 pages in the “Ingredients” chapter.  Then in the remainder of the book there is not a single mention of gluten free anywhere until the sole chapter on the gluten free breads.  In “Tips & Techniques” there is nothing about the differences between the wheat and the gluten free – which are considerably different.  If you are going to have a chapter on gluten free bread, then at least have a shorter version of “Tips & Techniques” in that chapter!  None of the “Tips & Techniques” chapter pertain to the gluten free bread in the least.  So for those reasons I give this low marks.

Secondly, I did not see a single mention of the absolute necessity for making sure there is NO cross contamination when making something gluten free.  Since this is primarily a cookbook for the wheat imbibing crowd, this should have been an absolute MUST!  They even consulted with Danny & Shauna Ahern (The Gluten Free Girl & The Chef) for one recipe and they are even consulting at restaurants to help instruct & ensure no cross contamination on the restaurant cooking line for gluten free restaurants!!  Not everyone who must go sans gluten will get violently ill from eating a small amount of gluten.  But even a small amount of ingested gluten for ALL celiacs will cause damage to the intestines, whether they exhibit symptoms from that ingested bit or not.  The wheat imbibing crowd should be made aware of the cross contamination issue.  I am a real stickler about this one as I must maintain a kitchen for both the gluten free (me) and the wheat eating (the Patriarch & Arrow).  You can find more information about Celic disease here.   This also warrants giving this book a very low mark.

Thirdly, there are remarkably few photos for a cookbook and not a single one for the gluten free section!!  Nope, nary a one.  I would have found it very helpful to know if the dough consistency was right or close by looking at a photo of their dough.  And for the non gluten-free cook who is making something for a loved one… well then I would have considered this ESSENTIAL!  The dough for the gluten free breads are so much thinner and non-bread-dough-like as to make an inexperienced gluten free cook have a momentary panic attack wondering if they have done something wrong!  The consistency of the dough isn’t even mentioned in the gluten free chapter!!  I was very surprised & disappointed to say the least.

On a positive note, the gluten free recipes are clearly written with step by step directions (despite the omissions mentioned above).  Though one specific step could have used photos AND more explanation (see my notes below).  The gluten free brioche dough can also be used as a substitution in a limited number of the ‘regular wheat dough’ pastry recipes.

Also, since you can mix up a batch of dough and then just bake a loaf of bread when you need it, you will always have fresh gluten-free bread when you need it with a minimum of fuss.  The wet fermentation process (bigas, poolish, etc) enhances the flavor of the finished product.  And (if this is the case with these breads… we ate it all up so I can’t comment on this aspect) if these breads dry out after a day or so and are inedible, it would be super easy to bake in the portions you need for the number of gluten free folks in your family.

After reading the gluten free section and the forward & ‘Tips & Techniques’ a number of times I choose the recipe I wanted to try first….

Cinnamon Rolls!  Ooo, it is winter you know.  And how lovely would a nice warm cinnamon roll and a cup of tea (coffee, or hot chocolate are also options here for some) be on a frosty morning??  Quite lovely I say.  Not only am I gluten free, but dairy free as well, so the recipe I used I also had to adapt in that regard.  My plan was to bake these and take them to my church pot luck the next day.   Since I was taking them to church I also made the full recipe and baked the whole thing.

I started the dough in the afternoon and was baking the cinnamon rolls that evening.  The house was smelling wonderfully cinnamon-y and comforting.  Arrow was already in bed for the night once I took the two large pans of hot cinnamon rolls out of the oven.  The Patriarch asked if he would be allowed to have one.  Oh!  Well, I hadn’t said anything about baking anything gluten free… so I thought why not!  Good test right out of the oven.  The smell must have awakened Arrow as he showed up and I asked if he would also like to try one.  His eyes lit up and he said “YES!”.  So I fixed one for each of us.  The guys asked for seconds.  Who am I to refuse?!?  And not a single word about wrong consistency, off taste or anything negative.  Double Bonus!!  I also reheated some for our breakfast the next morning.  They were better fresh from the oven, but still good and not one negative comment on the reheated rolls either!  Wow I’m on a… roll.  LOL  One pan g-o-n-e, lickety split.  They were equally a hit at church with the gluten free crowd with many requests for my recipe!  And I didn’t get a single photo of these wonderful rolls either, sorry.  We just ate them up and nearly licked the pan!!  When I make them again (ok, twist my arm, please!) I will endeavor to take a photo or two to add to this post.  I may also try my hand at photos of the process…

So without further ado here is my adapted recipe (and notes) which is based on the ones from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day:

Brioche – GF DF

Makes enough for three 1 & 1/2 pound loaves.  Recipe is easily doubled or halved.

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch

3 & 3/4 cups potato starch (original used corn starch, but be sure it is NON GMO!)

2 tablespoons granulated yeast

1 tablespoon sea salt (I used Himalayan Pink, its what I have)

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon guar gum

2 & 1/2 cups So Delicious coconut milk beverage, original unsweetened

1 cup honey

4 large eggs

1 cup grape-seed oil (or neutral flavored oil)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash (1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP water) for brushing on the loaf

Raw sugar for sprinkling on top crust

1.  Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, yeast, salt, xanathan and guar gums in a large 5-quart mixing bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry ingredients until there is no sign of dry flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest for approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise or refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.

5. On baking day, grease a brioche pan or an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan.  Use wet hands to break off a 1 & 1/2 pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of the refrigerated dough.  Quickly shape it into a ball.  You might need to wet your hands a little more to prevent the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface, but not so much water as to make the dough soggy.

6. Elongate the ball into a narrow oval and put into the brioche or loaf pan.  Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you are using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  If you are not using a stone in the oven, a 5 minute preheat is adequate.

8. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to brush the loaf’s top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.

9. Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 40 – 45 minutes.  The loaf is done when caramel brown and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.

10. Remove the brioche from the pan and allow to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.

Cinnamon Buns – GF DF

Makes 12 buns using 1 & 1/2 pound of GF DF brioche dough.

The Filling

2/3 cup sucanat

1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2/3 cup chopped nuts (optional) – [I didn’t use these]

The Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons So Delicious coconut milk beverage, original unsweetened.  Add 1 tablespoon at a time.

1 tablespoon Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (use only organic for this!)

1. On baking day:  Grease an 8 inch cake pan.  Using wet hands take 1 & 1/2 pounds of dough from container.

2. Sprinkle sugar on a silicone mat or two pieces of plastic wrap with edges overlapping.  Cover dough with another piece of plastic wrap.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the plastic and the silicone mat (or plastic wrap) until you have a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.  Peel off the plastic wrap.

3. Make the filling: Combine the ingredients.  Sprinkle filling over the surface of the dough.  Roll the dough, starting at the long end, into a log, lifting the silicone mat (or plastic wrap) to help ease dough from its surface.

4.  Remove the dough from the mat or plastic and with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut the log into 12 equal pieces and arrange them in the pan with the swirled edge visible to you.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 1 hour.

5. 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the center of the oven.

6. Bake for 20 – 25  minutes, or until tops are lightly brown and the dough feels set when touched.

7. Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.

8. Make the glaze:  Mix together the glaze ingredients and spread the glaze over the tops of the warm buns.  These are best eaten while warm.

I am looking forward to trying these again and keeping the dough in the refrigerator to see how the dough consistency changes.  The ‘fresh’ dough is quite spongy, very soft and sticks to everything!  DO NOT skip the sugar on the silicon mat.  Don’t ask me how I know this.  😉  I don’t think I got my rectangle thin enough, as there was only one swirl in each roll.  A thinner rectangle would get me more swirls… YUM!

In step 4 for the cinnamon rolls, how does one remove a loose, sticky, fairly unstructured ‘dough log’ and to WHAT and then slice it???  I carefully cut my ‘log’ while still on the silicone mat.  BEWARE, if you choose to do this and cut your mat don’t blame me.  I also HAD TO USE a silicone scraper to ‘help’ the cut roll off the silicone mat and into the prepared pan.  I guess you could place the dough roll into the baking pan, cut and then upend the cut pieces.  But the dough sticks and how would you do this with the smaller pan?  Impossible!

One other thing I want to try is to get the cinnamon rolls all ready in the pan and place the pan in the refrigerator overnight.  Then in the morning allow them to rise and then bake.  I’ll edit this post with my trial results.

I also wondered about stirring the dough before removing a portion.  It says nothing about this and I wonder how that would affect the outcome…

The glaze was too runny with 2 tablespoons of liquid.  I would reduce this to 1 or 1 & 1/2. Or possibly reduce the vanilla.  Another great change would be to use orange juice instead of vanilla in the glaze.  That would make these JUST LIKE those orange rolls in the tube I used to love.

Let me know of your results if you try these!!

Blessings,

~Mrs. R

Hamburger Rolls

This is a recipe from my mother. I made these to take to a friend’s who had invited our family over for dinner. When we walked in the door she asked me if I had stopped at the store. I said no, why. She thought my rolls were a specialty bakery item!! A very nice compliment indeed.

Here is the recipe:

Hamburger Rolls

Heat 2 cups of milk & 4 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil.
Dissolve 1 yeast cake in 1/4 cup of warm water.

In a large bowl mix 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon salt.
When milk mixture is lukewarm pour over sugar & salt. Add yeast & water.
Add 1 egg and flour 1 cup at a time (4 – 5 cups of flour).
Mix in Kitchenaid mixer and knead at number 2 for 6 minutes. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours or more until doubled. Punch down & let rise a second time.
Punch down, shape into desired sized rolls and let rise a third time.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

My adjustments:
I used fresh ground hard white wheat flour.
After shaping the rolls I brushed them with a little milk (I have also used butter with good results) and sprinkled with poppy seeds and some with sesame seeds.

I have found that they need to be about 2 tablespoons in size to rise to a “normal” sized roll. Also, it helps to squash and spread out the shaped roll before the third rise so they are not so round!

Let me know how these turn out for you!
Blessings,
~Mrs. R