Awesome Homemade Gluten Free Bread

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I make my own Gluten Free bread and I love the rewarding experience it has become.

For years I ate and accepted sub-par store bought bread. You know what I'm talking about- the frozen, tasteless brick that is dense and could break a window when thawed. I had heard the horror stories about baking Gluten Free bread at home. For a long time I had not dared to attempt it myself.

Why did I finally decide to make my own bread at home? The rising cost of food in general, not just the GF food cost increase.This gave me the boost I needed to try baking my own bread. A little bit of inspiration can go a long way.Good bye $7.99 a loaf  of bread.

On to the bread making. Being new to it I decided to try mixes instead of making the bread from scratch. The first bread mix I purchased was an epic failure and danced right into the garbage can. Disappointed I was, but not enough to give up. Round two with a new mix was slightly better but not the quality I was looking for. Instead of throwing my creation into the garbage I decided to find another purpose for it. Stuffing it became! Easily made and easily frozen for future use. This made me realize there are a few ways to re-purpose bread that does not turn out well. So if your bread ever fails, try making not only stuffing but croutons or bread crumbs.

By chance, I  stumbled upon Duinkerken White Sandwich Bread Mix.Hoping luck would be on my side this time, I purchased a box. It turned out to be a beautiful beginning.  This mix makes light and airy sandwich bread! Not only is it delicious, the texture is just like "normal" bread! Finally a bread that I don't have to "toast" to eat!


Its so easy to make! I blend this mix in my BeauMark Mixer with the dough blade. Add yeast to the mixture and give it a good blend. Then add 2 eggs (room temp), oil and water. That easy! Pour the mixture which should be fairly wet looking, into bread pan that has been greased /sprayed with cooking spray. I dip my spatula in water a few times while smoothing the top of the loaf. I then make a crease in the middle of it. After this I put the loaf in a dark place to rest for about 45 minutes. Then into the oven it goes.

***After a few tries with this bread, I decided to alter a few things. I added 2 tablespoons of honey and

1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar to the mixture. I find it adds the right amount of sweetness.

 ***I bake the bread for 1 hour instead of 45 minutes. In my oven it needs the full hour. Taking it right out of a hot oven and cooling in on the counter is a bit of a shock to the loaf. This small trick prevents the bread from sinking: when baking time is up, I turn off the oven and leave the door closed until the temperature inside cools down to  room temperature. This helps prevent the loaf from sinking.

Queijo - An unexpected Delight

Chewy,delicious,and mouth watering are just some of the ways I can describe Queijos  Also known as Brazilian Cheese buns, these treats are super tasty! Be creative and play around with the recipe. You will find that the Queijos (pronounced Kay-Joe) are yummy with an array of flavours. I love baking these! Like most things I bake the Queijos are indeed freezer friendly. They make a great side for hot meals especially if you like to have a "bun" of sorts to dip with. Personally, I love how convenient they are for an on the go snack. Pop one into the microwave and out you go with a delicious treat!

Recipe makes about 8 servings

Preheat Oven to 375

2 Cups Tapioca Flour

1/2 Cup Olive Oil or Butter

1/3 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Milk

1 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Minced Garlic

2/3 Cup Grated Marble Cheese

2 Beaten Eggs

Additional Options include : Sun dried tomato and basil, Jalapeno and cheese, Cheese alone. You could even    turn the Queijos into a pizza pocket of sorts by filling it with your favourite pizza toppings.

Pour olive oil, milk and salt into saucepan. Place on high heat.When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the Tapioca flour and Garlic until smooth. Set aside and let rest for 15 minutes.

Stir in egg and cheese until well combined. The mixture will look chunky like cottage cheese. Scoop out mixture and place on baking pan. I use my hand but you can use anything from an ice cream scoop to a ladle to get the proportion you like.

Bake 15-20 minute on un greased baking pan until slightly brown.

Note: The resting period is necessary to prevent the cheese from becoming a greasy mess in the oven. Trust me, it happens.

Make Ahead Mini Meatpies

For me, comfort food is such a joy. There's nothing like a hot meal when the weather is miserable outside. My favourite thing about this recipe is how simple it is! You can tackle the entire recipe all at once or you can do it in stages. I like to make this recipe in large batches and freeze for future meals. The small size of the "mini meat pies" really is great as they are quite filling.



Feel free to alter filling ingredients to your own personal liking.

Preheat  your oven to 350 (varies depending on oven)


Filling
2 Cups diced cooked chicken
2 1/2 Cups chicken stock
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1/2 Cup Diced Celery
1/2 Cup Chopped onion
1/4 cup Cornstarch or all purpose GF flour
3 Tablespoons Water
1/4 Cup Milk

Season to taste

Pastry
I used 1 box of Gluten-Free-Pantry Perfect-Pie-Crust . You can purchase this online or at the Real Canadian Superstore. If your local store does not carry this item, I would suggest asking them to.  

Bring Chicken Stock to boil in large saucepan (or pot)
Add the Carrots, Celery, and Onions. Cook for 15-20 minutes
Stir in Chicken and frozen peas. Cook for 5 more minutes
Add a few tablespoons of water to flour to make paste . Place in saucepan to thicken stock.  Cook on low for 3-5 minutes. Add Milk and season to taste. 
Pour the mixture into mini pie tins that are lined with pie crust.
Top off the meat pie with a layer of pie crust. 


Bake for about 25- 30 minutes