Crispy, Crusty GF Bread in a Dutch Oven – Adventures in Snow Day Baking

A snow day is the perfect time for something that takes a long time to cook. Unfortunately, I got a bit of a late start (shoveling had to be done, after all) so the process of both my slow-cooked corn beef

and for the bread described here were more rushed than I would have liked.

GF Bread — with an actual decent crust!

I got the idea for crusty GF bread from the King Arthur Flour blog.  The essential idea is that you cook bread in a preheated dutch oven.  This keeps in some steam and makes a nice crisp crust on the outside.  I used a standard  no-knead bread recipe and tried to make it GF as I went along, with fairly good results but not what I would describe as complete success.  I don’t usually make bread so not having used the recipe and knowing what it should be doing when it’s not GF made it more of an adventure.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 – 3 cups warm (not hot) water
• 4 1/2 cups GF “Featherlite” flour mix (this is a mix of lighter flours originally devised by Bette Hagman aka The Gluten Free Gourmet)
• 1 c. buckwheat
• 1 c. bean or standard GF baking mix
• 1 1/2 tbsps active-dry yeast (next time, I’m using 2 tbsps)
• 1 egg or egg white, beaten throughly, ideally to a froth or peaks
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• cornmeal and cooking spray for the pot

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  You want warm (not hot) water — think giving a baby a bath, not making tea.  Do not use cold as it has to activate the yeast.  
2. Stir everything together thoroughly to make a dough. It will be very sticky.  If you have  beater or bread hook you can use that for 30-60 seconds or just mix by hand.
3. Let the dough rise in a warm spot at room temperature for 2 – 2 1/2 hours. It should get quite big.   
4. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.  Apparently you can leave it at this stage for up to 7 days and it will get tangier, like a sourdough.   I barely had time for the two hours, but next time will leave it longer.
5. About 1 /2 to 2 hours before you want your bread, prepare a silicon mat, parchment (lightly greased) or floured cloth (cornmeal works well for this).  Plop the dough on it and round it into a ball (at least it’s supposed to be a ball, mine kept sinking flatter.)  You can sift a light coat of GF flour to help keep it moist.  Try to handle it as little as possible to avoid knocking out the air bubbles. 
   

   As you can see, the bread dough tried to escape the boundaries of its silicon baking mat. It steadfastly refused to create a nice ball.

6. Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise again. Keep in mind the temperature of your kitchen will make a difference in how quickly the dough rises. It could take up to 3 hours, but you’ll want a least 90 minutes total.
7. A half hour to 45 minutes before you want your bread, place a cast-iron dutch oven (including the lid) into to preheat at 450 F.
8. In 30 minutes, remove the now hot pot from the oven, and lightly coat it with non-stick spray and sprinkle in some cornmeal. (It might smoke a bit so not too much oil.
9. Turn the risen dough into the pot and shake gently to try to make it settle evenly. You can make a few slashes in the top.  Then place the lid on and slide it into the oven.
   

   Dough – pre baking in the super toasty dutch oven.

1. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, and then remove the lid and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes until the loaf browns up.
2. Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool as long as you can stand before slicing it to eat.  Let it cool completely on a rack before putting it in a bag or cover it, otherwise the steam will still be coming out and it will make your leftover bread lose its nice crispy crust.

The bread came out with a beautiful, crispy flaky crust, even if it was so flat it looked more like a ciabatta than a boule or loaf.  The texture was quite dense, and not as light as I wanted, but still very flavorful and not soggy. In the words of hubby, this is the first GF bread he has ever had with a crispy crust.

Lessons learned:

Crispy is good.  That part worked perfectly.  However, the bread needed to rise more, so alterations are in order.  It’s definitely worth trying again. My lessons learned are below.

Next time I will:

• Use newer and slightly more yeast than the non-GF recipe called for.  (My yeast hadn’t expired but it was only about a week from it.  If there hadn’t been a foot of snow in the driveway, I probably would have gotten some new.)
• Use only the egg white and see if that makes a difference.
• Use slightly less liquid — The dough was quite floppy and couldn’t support its own weight, which meant it was too wide and not tall enough.
• Possibly go with slightly less heavy flour — I’m kind of torn on this. Heavier GF flours (bean, buckwheat, etc. ) tend to have more flavor than lighter ones (starches, white rice).  After all you want bread worth eating when you get done. I might try adding a bit of cornmeal as well.
• Sift the flour beforehand and see if I can add more air before starting
• Let it rise for longer, both initially on the counter and especially in the fridge.
• See if I can find a slightly smaller dutch oven to force a taller loaf.
• Brush some rosemary oil and garlic over the top for added flavor.

Served with bake potato, corned beef and carrots. Not exactly health food, but very tasty and filling on a cold day

 

 

Gluten-Free Breaded Pork Chops

This is a very yummy recipe that I served with au gratin potatoes.

I know I know, processed food is bad.  But frankly, I adore Shake & Bake (both the taste and its ease).  And I love pork chops. However, as of yet, General Mills is not making a GF Shake & Bake, and I miss it. I find this be a pretty close substitute, using gluten-free flour and bread crumbs.

Pork Coating Mix

• 2 tbsps yellow cornmeal
• 2 tbsps GF Flour (a mediumly heavy mix, probably a brown rice and bean – I used Fava bean flour)
• 2 tbsps GF Breadcrumbs, Italian style if possible. I use Aleias.
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning (or sage)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl or, ideally, shake around in a plastic bag big enough to hold a pork chop.

You will also need 2 large pork chops and 1/4 cup milk

Cooking Directions

Rinse the pork chops in water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Then dip them in milk. You want all the sides to be coated. Don’t let them drip off too much – you want them to be wet. Drop them in the bag with the coating mixture and shake.  (You can just roll them around on a plate with the coating mixture, but shaking’s way easier and less messy).

Place on a shallow baking or roasting pan, and cook in a 425 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear and the center is opaque (165 degrees F (75C)). I find pork chops to be a little tricky – they seem to go from not cooked to overdone in about 1 minute and a half, so keep an eye on them and use a meat thermometer.

I served with au gratin potatoes, applesauce and carrots.

White Wine & Sherry Pasta Sauce

I often make a quick pasta sauce by throwing together shallots, garlic, a few spices and some white wine. I use fresh herbs when I can, but often use dried as well.  It usually cooks for only as long as it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. Other ingredients go in as I have time, inclination or can find in the fridge.  This typically includes things such as sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and chopped spinach. (I’m a stealth vegetable eater.  I don’t like many vegetables so I try to sneak them into sauces and such to up my intake.)  This version include fresh herbs from the garden, mushrooms and tomatoes, as well as the addition of sherry.  I sometimes add diced chicken and sub chicken stock for the white wine. This makes enough for one or two.

Ingredients

• 1/2-1 shallot or (or 2 tsps dried)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 3-5 sun-dried tomatoes
• 3-4 small button or baby bella mushrooms
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Herbs (I used fresh oregano, basil and rosemary, about 1 tablespoon each of chopped oregano and basil and a spring of rosemary).  If you are using dried, frankly I usually eyeball it.  4-5 good shakes of Italian herbs, plus an extra shake or two of basil, oregano and rosemary).
• 2-3 tbsps butter
• 1-2 tbsps Parmesan cheese (to mix in; you’ll want extra to top the sauce when it’s done).
• 1/2-1 c  pasta per serving (Hubby eats gluten-free – his favorite is Tinkyada – the shells are pictured above. I go with regular since it’s so much cheaper than GF pasta and we eat a lot of pasta).

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to directions.

While the pasta is cooking (start when you put the water on), peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Saute them in olive oil on low heat.  Dice and add the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms).  If you are using dried herbs, add them now. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallot is translucent, and the mushrooms have browned.

Adding butter to the reduced sauce

Add the wine and sherry and simmer to reduce and burn off the alcohol.

If you are adding spinach or fresh herbs, add them once the sauce is reduced a bit. (Otherwise they lose a lot of their color). It will generally cook down to the right level in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta. If you get distracted and it gets a bit dry, just add some more wine or sherry.

Just before serving, add 2-3 pats of butter and stir to melt in. This thickens the sauce (without gluten!).  Once the butter is melted, add the Parmesan cheese and do the same thing. You can add a bit more butter if it seems too thin.

Serve over pasta, with additional Parmesan as a garnish.

Enjoy!  (The joy of using the sherry is that it gives the sauce a deeper flavor and you can go with either red or white wine depending on your mood.)

What will you try adding?

Canyon Bakehouse Hamburger Buns Review

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Hamburger Buns are a new product at one of my local grocery stores (Stop&Shop/Giant).  You can also buy them direct from Canyon.  Hubby is a big fan of the taste and texture of these over a bunch of other buns we have tried. They are light-brown, unsurprising given that Brown Rice Flour is the top ingredient (also features Tapioca, Sorghum, Millet and Potato), have a texture close to that of wheat bread, and more taste than a lot of gluten-free products.

They are certified GF. They are also dairy, nut and soy free as well, if those are issues for you (but do contain eggs).

The only downside seems to be that they can get a bit squished in the freezing process (or more likely transfer), so it was hard to cut one or two of them and use them for an actual hamburger because the bottom was mangled up.  But a definite thumbs up. They are now a repeat buy.

Gluten Free Heaven – Against the Grain Factory Store

Against the Grain Factory Store

It has been over 90 degrees here the last few days, which makes me a little reluctant to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. (Like most New England homes, especially ones that are 125 years old, ours does not have built-in AC. Even with window units, it’s still pretty toasty.)

Instead I’m posting about a fun GF-related outing we just had. Hubby and I just spent a lovely weekend in Vermont. We were planning on doing some hiking and kayaking, but ended up having a lot more sedate trip because I fell and broke a rib last weekend. (Ouch!) So definitely NO kayaking, and sadly for Hubby, not even much fun driving the little back roads as we might as otherwise had since my bruised ribs and the car seat were not getting along very well.

Our first stop in Vermont was the Against the Grain factory store, which is located in their production facility in Brattleboro, Vermont.  If you are not familiar with Against the Grain products, they are really good, especially the GF French baguettes.  We’ve met the owner briefly a couple of times now at another Vermont event, the Strolling of the Heifers. Unfortunately, they don’t have a factory tour, (hint, hint) but they do have free and discounted ATG items, and given the price of gluten-free foods, it was well worth it.  They also have samples, cookbooks and some GF merchandise (including their tongue-in-cheek “#gfyourself” t-shirts.)  The GF, Vegan cookies were excellent. (I’m a big dairy fan, and usually not so into the vegan, so if I say something vegan is good, it’s pretty good).

We could only buy what we could eat in the next few days, since we didn’t have access to a freezer.  But we did get some super yummy rolls and baguettes. No, the texture and taste of an Against the Grain baguette is not quite the same as a “real” wheat baguette, but believe me, if you haven’t had one, they are worth getting.  It is both by light years the closest we have found, but also stands on its own.  It doesn’t need to compete to be “real.”  This is one of the products that passes the test of – I eat because I want to, since I don’t have to eat GF. They just had the plain baguettes as seconds, which is yummy, although the rosemary version is even better, I think.

Nancy Cain, the founder, doesn’t like using gums as binders and so for this bread basically uses cheese as the binder. Generally ATG products use lighter flours (tapioca, etc.) The result is a loaf that is light (yes, a gluten-free product that is light without being tasteless!) and airy, has a good chew factor (not as crunchy as with wheat), and is very tasty.  It’s sort of like a cross between standard French bread and a cream puff shell. Along with tasting good, the company tries to do good with its business practices, using as much green energy as possible and paying a starting wage of $15 a hour for all workers. She has a new cookbook out, which I bought and will be trying recipes from so you will hear a lot more about that.

Is this a gorgeous picnic spot or what?

We had brought ham, cheese, tomatoes, berries and drinks with us.  Now with the bread, we had all the elements for a spectacular picnic.  We ate along the West River in Dummerston, just under one of Vermont’s many covered bridges. I gingerly descended the steps to the river and we were definitely rewarded for the effort because it was a gorgeous spot and we had a wonderful picnic, watching the rapids and little kids (and some grownups) jump around in the water.

PS. If you do go to Against the Grain, the store is quite hard to find, so don’t give up.  You turn in from Rt. 5 just before the Agway.  There’s a set of industrial buildings just to the back of it, and you need to go in there and follow around the edge of the building all the way to the other side.  (There is a very, very tiny sign). Alternatively, you can go around the front of the Agway and back around on that side.

Fresh from the garden

Straight from the garden.

I planted strawberries in the garden this year.  They are the “everlasting” type and they are still popping out berries, even though it’s mid July.

Yum!

What’s in your garden?

Gluten-Free Cornbread

For this cornbread I use a mixture of flours.  For gluten-free baking, it can be difficult to get the right flour mixture.  I do recommend Bob’s Redmill flours. I used Bob’s 1 to 1 mix, plus a little fava bean and some buckwheat (which despite its name contains no wheat and no gluten).

When choosing flours, you can either choose a flour and add xantham or guar gum, which add the stretchy bit that is usually contributed by gluten, or choose a baking mix, which generally includes gum already.  You can skip the xantham gum, which is kind of bitter and smelly, but just be aware that whatever you’re making will be a little more crumbly.  You can address some of this with a bit more liquid or fat, and can more easily get away without it in heavier foods (think pound cake) than lighter ones (think biscuit).

Ingredients

• 1 cup GF baking mix or flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten until fluffy (you can also use 2 egg whites)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (205 C)

Grease and flour a 8×8 or 9×9 inch glass pan.  If you like you can add a piece of waxed paper, which makes removal a lot easier.

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in the milk, eggs, oil and butter, until just moistened.  Pour into pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on top, it springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken on a bed of Rice and Sausage with Gluten-Free Cornbread

Gluten-Free Roasted Chicken on its bed of rice and sausage dressing.

Our town has recently opened a Farmer’s Market, which we were both delighted about and anxious to support.

On its inaugural day, I got off the bus in the town center, anxious to see the goods, and got a little giddy over the fresh hand-picked strawberries and other veggies.

(Side note: if you have not had fresh local strawberries rather than those overgrown, rather hard imitators that bounced across the country from California, you don’t know what a strawberry is supposed to taste like. These were as they should be, smallish, deep crimson red, tender without being soft, and very juicy.  A friend of ours that lives about three blocks from the town common where the market is bought a quart. Her three boys had eaten the entire quart before they reached the house. They taste gold-plated and unfortunately have a price to match, but it was worth it anyway.)

The second week of the Farmer’s Market bought even more bounty from a new booth where you can get pork and chicken products.  I succumbed to both a free-range whole chicken and some homemade hot sausage (still uncased).

I rarely buy whole chickens, so wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do with the lot, but came up with this as a  solution.

The chicken I simply roasted, and essentially made a stuffing/dressing to put the chicken on out of veggies, sausage and rice.  We served it with some buttered carrots (also from the farmer’s market), and fresh cornbread. Directions and recipes follow.

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Roasted Free-Range Rosemary Chicken

Before placing it in the oven, rinse the chicken in water and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Rub with olive oil (lighter and less prone to burn than butter) and spices.  We do have Rosemary fresh in our garden this time of year, and I used some fresh for the dressing, but for the roasted chicken simply sprinkled on dry. Just shake until it looks right. I just used Rosemary to keep the flavor simple. Another nice addition might be to rub the chicken skin with garlic before putting on the olive oil.

Place in a dutch oven or shallow roasting pan, and pin or tie the wings to the body.  Roast uncovered at 375 (or 400 if the bird is under 2 1/2 pounds (190 or 205 degrees C).  A small bird (2.5 pounds) will take about 1 – 1 1/4 hours unstuffed. A 3-4 pound bird can take 2 hours. Stuffed birds will take 15-30 minutes longer.

Once the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature (175 degrees F, 80 C), let it set 15-20 minutes before carving.  Since mine was free-range, the usual ability to tell whether a bird is done by wiggling its leg doesn’t work here.  Make sure you use a meat thermometer.

I had another problem with the leg as you can see from the photo. When I got the bird at the Farmer’s Market,  I popped it in my bag quickly, and didn’t notice until I took it out to cook it that it was missing a leg!

I’ve got my bandages to keep me warm.

Apparently it came off in processing, but when I saw it I couldn’t get rid of a vision of a poor chicken hobbling around the barnyard with a crutch under one wing. Shades of Foghorn Leghorn.

Serve on a bed of dressing.

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Sausage and Rice Dressing

For the dressing, I just made it up as I went along but the ingredients were roughly as follows.

• 1 pound sausage (hot or sweet, depending on your preference)
• 1 1/2 cups rice (dry)
• 1 small onion
• 1 celery stick
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• Fresh Rosemary to taste, removed from the stem
• Fresh Parsley to taste, chopped or snipped

Combine the rice, the chicken broth and water in a saucepan and cook until done.

While that is simmering, cook the sausage in a heavy fry pan until no longer pink.

Wash and chop the vegetables in the meantime.  I cut the onions and celery very small, and sliced and chopped the mushrooms fine as well. Once the sausage is done, remove the sausage to a bowl, temporarily, and remove some of the fat, and cook the vegetables in the remaining fat until the onion is tender and translucent and the celery softens. Once the veggies, rice and sausage are all cooked, mix them together and snip fresh rosemary and parsley over the top to taste and mix in.  I used 2-3 springs of rosemary and  what would be equal to 2-3 tablespoons of parsley.  You can add a bit of salt, if desired.

Spread on a platter and place the chicken on top.  It should look and taste delicious.  We served it with hot buttered carrots and cornbread.