Seriously Good Bread (For Real This Time!)

I very rarely get to go to the grocery store by myself, so when I do, I really take my time. I have to read every label, anyway, and I am pretty limited as to what I can and do buy, but I like to 'window shop.'

I confess, I like to look in other people's carts and see what they are buying. Not that I'm judging or anything, I'm just nosy. So if you ever run into me at the store, I will probably check out what's in your cart. Ground beef, chips, buns, Capri Suns and beer? You must be having a party. Cereal, pancake syrup, Bisquick and milk? I bet your husband's going out of town.

When I go to the store by myself, I turn into one of those people I can't stand when I go to the store with my children. You know them, they stop in the middle of the aisle and reach in the back for the freshest milk. They read the labels on things and then don't even buy them.

Part of this behavior for me is that I don't want to miss out on anything. What if there is a better/cheaper/easier product out there that could potentially change my life? Why should I be stagnant when change is so much more fun?

T gets exasperated with me because I go through phases when I am tired of cooking the same things every week. He has told me he would be happy eating the same five meals on rotation. Seriously? I can't live that way. Especially since I prepare the meals and eat at home 95% of the time, I would go nuts if I did that.

So I got burned out on my bread. It got to the point where I would bake it and then not want to eat it. I could make it from memory. I started doing minor experimentation, hoping it would resurrect my desire to eat it. But I don't know enough about the science aspect of gluten free baking, nor do I have the time to get into it right now. It didn't change much from the original, and I needed more. More wheat-ish-ness, less rice-ish-ness. More soft texture, less spongy or cake-y texture. More flavor, less flexibility.

I took the easy road and asked the Google. Search: Amazing Gluten Free Bread Recipe. And I got this:

http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2009/02/another-wonderful-gluten-free-sandwich-bread.html

Sadly, there are no instructions to make this in the bread machine, but that will come another day. It was Saturday, I had a slow cooker meal going and we had nowhere to be, so I made it the old fashioned way. With my KitchenAid mixer and a turn in the microwave to rise, just like Granny used to do!

I don't really remember what whole wheat bread tastes like, or what it feels like in your mouth, but this comes pretty close. Even T said, "That's pretty close." If you know him, the fact that he said anything besides a grunt and a "tastes good" is like a five-star review.

Pretty Darn Amazing Multi-Grain GF Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 tsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup teff flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup dry nonfat milk powder
2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Combine warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top, let sit for a couple minutes and then stir. Let sit about 5 more minutes. This allows the yeast to proof & shortens rising time. Spray 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine dry ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using a heavy-duty mixer with paddle attachment, combine remaining ingredients until well blended. Add water/yeast mixture & combine.
4. With mixer on lowest speed, slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer on medium speed, beat for 4 minutes. Dough should be stretchy and pretty stiff. If the paddle leaves tracks that stand up, it's ready. If the tracks collapse, you probably need to add a little bit more rice flour. I added about 3 more tablespoons and beat for another 30 seconds.
5. Spoon into prepared bread pan. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 30-40 minutes, or until dough has risen to the top of the pan. I like to put a coffee mug of water into the microwave and warm it up for about a minute or until it starts to steam. Leave the cup in there and place your pan inside to rise where it is nice and humid and warm.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of single loaf, it should be around 200 degrees.
7. Remove from oven, then remove loaf from pan, let rest on its side to prevent it from sinking.
8. Let cool before slicing. Wrap in plastic wrap (I like press and seal.)

*The original recipe used an 8x4 pan, but the loaf was plenty large enough for the 9x5.
*She used 1/2 cup of flax, but one of her reviewers suggested using 1/4 flax meal and 1/4 teff flour instead, which I did because I've been looking for a bread recipe to incorporate some teff.
*I also added the gelatin, you can leave it out if you don't have it or if you are not a fan.