More and More Gluten Free Bread

Somewhere along the line, people started thinking I liked cookbooks. They thought I liked them so much that I would want to own them. Lots of them. Hence, I now have a cookbook "collection" through no power, nor desire, of my own.

We even built special shelves in the island to house "the collection". Shelves are full. Don't buy me any more cookbooks.

When all this started, I didn't even like to cook. Now I'm beginning to think it was a clever plot hatched by E to help me on my way to finding a fun way to spend time. That's really what cooking is for me. Fun. And this blog is all about doing things I love, and having fun!

I've really enjoyed experimenting with gluten free bread, as I've mentioned before.  I've even mentioned my favorite recipe from this cookbook, a recipe that produces the best gluten free bread I've ever had. On a side note, this book also has like 100s of amazing seriously fail-proof recipes for soups and salads.  It is the one cookbook I've been given that I would actually go out and purchase without blinking an eye. It is that awesome. I've never gone wrong with ANY recipe in the book, which, obviously has led me to try out a lot of them.  But you have to love soup and salad....


So back to the bread recipe... Of course I had to mess around with the already-perfect recipe on page 333, but I think it's worth it. I like a little more brownish flour in my bread, and I love me some seeds! My latest incarnation to arise from the oven is approximately thus:

1 5/8 cups rice flour (Who the hell uses eighths for baking?? I do! Too much buckwheat is a baaaad thing, and I wanted the overall flour proportions to stay true...)
1/4 cup sorghum flour (I bought this for pizza crust, which turned out horribly. May as well see how it does in bread! verdict=it does good)
1/8 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 Tbsp Xanthum Gum
1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup millet seeds
1/4 ground sunflower seeds

I proof my yeast with the honey and all the water in the bowl of my stand mixer - about 10 minutes. Then I add all the dry ingredients on top of the yeast, and then the wet. I mix for a minute on low to blend, then add all the seeds and set the mixer to high for about 3-4 minutes, or until the 'batter' starts looking fluffy. It's not really a dough, but more like a really thick batter.  I butter a loaf pan, spread the batter into the pan with a wet spatula, cover and let it rise for 1.5 hours somewhere really warm. Then bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Y ya esta.

So this is my own adaptation of an already-awesome recipe, and I take no responsibility for how this one turns out, but I'll bet it's good!

February Recap

Miles Planned/Ran: Didn't really have a plan. 28 Ran. Woah - that's low.

Rest Days Planned/Taken: I run when I feel like it = lots of rest days. I ran 7 days and rested 22.
Highest Mileage Week: ummm. 10. ummmm.
Long Runs Planned/Ran: does 6 miles count as a long run? how about running two days in a row?
Current Book: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Just finished his What the Dog Saw. Pretty good book with lots of great topics.
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I've had a few beers this month. Also realizing that my diet includes plenty of fat. Perhaps too much?
Current Obsessions: www.windtraveler.net. Dream on.
Current Drink: Oh how I love coffee. And a few beers from time to time. And I'm reinstating my afternoon water with chia seeds and lime.
Current Song: My pandora lands on my Shins stations these days. Loving it.
Current Wish-List: Pretty much the same as last month.
Current Need: A way to make money from home.
Current Triumph: Grossing just under (so far) $3000 for our first 3 weeks of business.
Current Bane of my Existence: Odd jobs and chores around the property that never get done.
Current Goal: Train effectively for The Ave 1/2 Marathon.
Current Blessings: A nice, motivating run with the Fog Dodgers. New trails to be explored!
Current Excitement: Nike Free 2.0s are actually arriving, this time in a decent shade of blue instead of hurt-your-eyes-neon orange. Phew.

Trust me - they are way worse in person