Sunday 21 December 2014

Good approximation of bread

Since I can't eat wheat, corn or soy, finding anything even vaguely able to be described as bread is a difficulty. Coconut and I also aren't on particularly good terms, digestively speaking, which makes a lot of paleo recipes unsuitable.

I got pretty close with a bread machine and a combination of white rice, brown rice, tapioca and chickpea flour, but it always requires xanthan gum, which really doesn't agree with me very well either: I can't really eat more than two thin slices of bread a day when it's made this way.

And then wandering around pinterest a few months ago I came across this recipe. It took me until now to actually have the time to make it and it's utterly fabulous. Even though the almond meal I can get isn't ground very finely, it still makes a really lovely loaf. It isn't even particularly fussy to make.

It's not terribly slimming due to the enormous quantity of almond flour but... it's so tasty...

Recipe replicated here just in case it ever disappears off the internet (but please don't take it away, it's too good).

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons luke-warm water
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 2.5 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1.5 cups tapioca flour
  • 0.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1 eggwhite

Method
  • Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Grease a baking tray with coconut oil (or use baking paper).
  • Combine water, honey and oil. Add yeast and let sit for a minute.
  • Whisk in the whole egg.
  • Stir in flours and salt (I sifted my flours and discarded any almond flour which refused to fit through the sieve)
  • Form into a baguette shape on baking tray. Brush with beaten egg white.
  • Make a few slashes in the tope with a bread knife.
  • Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until browned.
  • Let cool completely before slicing. (Ok, I completely failed to do this. I wanted to try it as soon as possible. Maybe next time...)
Go visit http://cookituppaleo.com/paleo-crusty-bread/ and look at the lovely pictures

Even though I find coconut difficult to digest, I bought Heather's book... on the grounds that the person who came up with this bread recipe deserves some encouragement!