Caraway Olive Bread (Gluten Free)

I made this loaf of bread somewhat spontaneously this week, and YUM! It's cracker-like because it is quite seedy (it's almost entirely seeds with just half a cup of nuts and some oats), but is chewy like bread. When I make it next I want to try grinding up the flax seeds because I don't like how flax gets stuck in my teeth, but even with that I would make this again. I ate this as is with some butter, and with an egg this morning. I actually ate 4 pieces of just barely warm bread because it was so good. The caraway and olives! I haven't had such tasty, savory bread in a really long time. It got me thinking that it is time for me to make pate or braunshweiger - they would be delicious on this. 

This recipe is from Sarah Britton’s My New Roots, which I stumbled across on a wellness website while searching for a new homeopath. The recipe is odd in that you do not use a bowl - everything is mixed in the loaf pan. Also, you need to let it sit out for many hours before baking so that the liquid absorbs. It's a strange texture, again a bit like seed based crackers - less like batter and more like, well, wet seeds/grains. But it works! 

Ingredients

• 1 c sunflower seeds
• ½ c flax seeds
• ½ c hazelnuts or almonds
• 1½ c glute free rolled oats
• 2 t Chia seeds
• 4 T psyllium seed husks (3 if using powder)
• 1 t fine sea salt
• 1 T caraway seed
• 1 T pure maple syrup
• 3 T coconut oil or ghee melted½
• ½ c kalamata olives pitted and chopped

Instructions

1. In a flexible silicone loaf pan or parchment lined loaf pan, combine sunflower and flax seeds, nuts, oats, chia seeds psyllium husks, sea salt, and caraway seeds, stirring well. 
   

2. Whisk the maple syrup, oil and 1 1/2 cups water together in a measuring cup.  Add this mixture plus the chopped olives to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is completely soaked and the dough becomes very thick ( if the dough is too thick to stir, add 1 or 2 tsp of water until it is manageable).  Smooth out the top with the back of the spoon.  Let sit out on the counter covered for at least 3 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F

4. Bake the loaf on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes (it may take longer till the top is bit dry.  Check it periodically).  Remove the bread from the loaf pan, turn it upside down directly onto the oven rack and bake for another 40 min to an hour.  The bread is done when it sounds hollow when it is tapped.  Let the bread cool completely before slicing; to slice it easily, use a very sharp, smooth knife instead of a serrated bread knife.

5. Store the bread in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  (It also freezes well so slice before freezing for quick and easy toast.)

Cranberry Orange Olive Oil Bread (GF)

I have some more days off now, and it was with great anticipation and joy for some unscheduled time that I made this bread, to have with my morning coffee and ponder the new year ahead. It felt like a lovely treat this morning after shoveling, that I ate while gazing out at the snowy world. I am calling it bread, though the original recipe from Mark's Daily Apple calls it cake. It definitely seems more (sweet) bread-like to me. And is SO GOOD, perhaps one of the best almond flour recipes I've had. It is moist and has a really nice crumb. I want to add more cranberries next time, because the tart bites are really lovely. It isn't overly sweet, and the coconut butter drizzle on top is genius. I feel really happy to have this waiting for me these coming mornings as we approach the new year! Yay!

• 2 cups almond flour
• ½ cup coconut sugar, Swerve or granular monk fruit sweetener
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. orange juice
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• Zest from ½ orange
• ½ cup fresh cranberries (or more!)
  
• Drizzle (optional): melted coconut butter + coconut milk to thin

1. 
   Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, flaxseed, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the olive oil, coconut milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Combine the ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Add in the orange juice, orange zest and cranberries.
   
2. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean or the internal temperature on a food thermometer reads about 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the bread to cool.
3. If you are making a glaze, combine coconut butter with a small amount of coconut milk or milk of choice until it reaches your desired thickness. You can also add a squeeze of orange juice. Drizzle the glaze on top before slicing and serving. 

My notes to self for next time I make this: walnuts might be a nice addition along with increased cranberries. Also, because I lately love cointreau, the coconut manna thinned with cointreau might be the perfect touch. 😁

Gluten Free Teff Sourdough

Once in awhile I buy the Thuro teff sourdough loaf from the co-op for toast and fancy breakfast eating. It's dark and tastes grainy from the teff, and doesn't have weird stuff in it. It is not cheap ($10 I think?) but it is tasty. I recently got a bit nostalgic about baking bread, and also got curious about making my own sourdough after looking at Thuro's ingredient list. Internet research revealed that teff is one of the easiest flours to ferment, so I had a go at it the past few weeks.

It turned out delicious! As good as Thuro's, even better because I get to eat it fresh. Yum. It's nice and chewy - definitely not light and airy - more of a dense, rye seeming bread. I really like it.

I followed these instructions for making my starter, and found the photos helpful to reassure me that I was on the right track. All you do is put teff and water in a clean mason jar and set it in a warm location. Then you "feed" it more teff and water each day, or every other day. My bread recipe called for 4 cups of starter, so I just added about 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 c water every day or two until I got to the right amount. It had a nice fermenty smell, and often the liquid layer that separated from the rest was a dark brown.

My bread recipe was from an internet search, with ingredients that most resemble the Thuro loaf. The link is useful for first time making of this bread to see photos of consistency and to get a feel for the right texture (to know when to add more flour or water). This is because starter is really inconsistent, so you are going more for a texture than exact amounts of flour.

The recipe includes psyllium husks (to bind the flours), which you can buy in bulk at the co-op, and ground chia seeds (also a binding agent). I had not previously ground chia seeds - they get fluffy! I did it in a coffee grinder, which worked great. This also makes a bigger loaf that you can buy, and it really is quite gleeful to make myself. I can't wait to make more, and maybe I'll try a little buckwheat flour in the bread with the teff.

Starter:
50 grams teff flour
100 grams water
*I have a scale so weighed these out; it is about 1/2 cup of each.

1) Mix the two ingredients together in a grease free bowl.
2) Transfer the mixture into a grease free glass jar and then cover with a lid. The lid doesn’t have to be airtight.
3) Let the jar sit in a room with temperature between 63-77℉ or 17-25℃ for 18-24 hours.

Teff sourdough loaf: makes 1 9x5 standard loaf
4 cups gluten-free sourdough starter, active and bubbly (mine was only subtly bubbly)
1/2 cup warm water, + more as needed to achieve desired consistency
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
4 Tbsp ground chia seeds
4 Tbsp whole psyllium husks
1 to 1-3/4 cups teff flour (or any combination of whole grain gluten-free flours)
1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot powder

Prep:
1) Place starter in large mixing bowl. Whisk in the liquids and salt (warm water, salt, olive oil, maple syrup).
2) Next, whisk in the ground chia and psyllium husks.
3) Add the flours (Avoid letting the mixture sit more than a minute or two, as the chia and psyllium start bulking the dough up quickly!)
4) Mix them all together with a strong large spoon until dough is thick and still drips off the spoon. This is where you need to get the right texture and it is worth checking the photo in the link.
5) Oil a 9×5 bread pan and pour your dough into it. Level the bread out. Cover with parchment paper or a cookie sheet.
6) Place in a warm place so that it can rise for 3-6 hours. For me, this is near the stove. If the environment is warm, it should rise in about 3 hours. If it’s pretty cool, it could take up to 8 hours to rise. My dough only rises a little bit, which is what the recipe author experiences too. (And must be common, because even the Thuro loafs are squat.)

Baking:
7) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bread until it reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees. *This is important, and is worth having a thermometer for. Apparently baking bread is quite variable, but internal temp is the way to go for consistent done-ness. It took about 2 hours for my loaf to get to 205, and the edges pulled away from the sides and got more dark.
8) Let it cool on your counter for 10-20 minutes. Then remove it from the pan by running a large spatula around the perimeter of the pan to loosen it. Slide the spatula under the bottom of the bread to gently loosen it from the pan. Mine came out easily when I tipped it. Allow it to continue cooling on a clean cutting board or a wire rack.
*The recipe author suggests slicing it when fresh for better storage, which is what I did. I froze most of the loaf/slices, but left out a few pieces to eat fresh/store in the fridge.

With soft boiled eggs

With nutritional yeast and butter! (PB&J behind)

Samosa filling (Keema) and Tikel Gomen

This is the 2nd time I've made Nom Nom Paleo's beef samosa filling, Indian Spiced Keema, along with Ethiopian cabbage and carrots, or Tikel Gomen. They are delicious together.

If you want to get especially fancy, you could also make Besan Chilla, a north Indian flatbread made out of chickpea flour, that when eaten with the Keema is very samosa like. I did not make them this time around, but the combo of the three was a total trifecta. Yum.

Follow everything with a cup of turmeric-ginger tea with coconut milk, and really, it's a pretty perfect meal. (A meal in which I apparently care much more about eating than photographing. These photos are pretty atrocious!)

*My dinner companion was not eating dairy, so I used coconut oil in the keema. It was still good, just a bit less depth (in my opinion). I also didn't have cilantro. The cilantro kicks things up a notch, but perhaps like me, your cilantro is buried under some snow in the front garden!

Keema
2 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
2 pounds ground beef (or lamb/goat/combo)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 ½ teaspoons salt
½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon garam masala
Juice from half a lemon
¼ cup minced cilantro

1) Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for about 10 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown.
2) Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and saute until softened. Then add ground beef. Cook until cooked through, breaking up meat with your spoon.
3) Add turmeric, salt, and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, and cover the pan and reduce to medium low heat. Simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4) After 20 minutes, remove lid and check that the liquid is gone. If not, continue cooking uncovered another few minutes until it evaporates. Add garam masala, lemon juice, and cilantro. Serve!

Tikel Goman

1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil)
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 head cabbage, sliced

3 red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (opt)

1) Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat.
2) Toss in the carrots and onion and saute them in the oil for about 5 minutes.
3) Stir in the seasonings (salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger) and toast for a minute.
4) Add in the cabbage and potatoes. Stir to combine. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
*Mine got a little dry in cooking, so I added in a splash of coconut milk. 

Grain Free Fruit & Nut Bread

I was in the mood for some fall baking, and this is what happened: A lovely loaf of fruit/nut bread that is just slightly sweet from bananas and the dried fruit. It has a great texture and is delicious toasted with butter. Yum. Recipe from The View From Great Island Blog.You can use any combo of dried fruit/nuts and you get this nice fruitcake looking loaf!

Fruit and Nut Bread

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted unrefined coconut oil
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds (whole)
• 2 cups rough chopped nuts (I used almonds, pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts)
• 2 cups rough chopped dried fruits (I used apricots, cranberries, and prunes)

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Oil a standard loaf pan (or line it with a sheet of parchment to lift the bread out for slicing).
3. Mash the two bananas really well. Put them into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs and coconut oil really well.
4. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt and blend well.
5. Fold in the fruits, nuts, and seeds and blend until everything is well distributed.
6. Turn into the loaf pan and spread out the dough evenly, and into the corners.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until starting to turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. This bread does not rise, so it will still be flat. The exact cooking time will depend somewhat on the exact dimensions of your loaf pan, as even 'standard' ones can vary.
8. Let the bread cool completely before slicing. 

Almond Bread x 2 (GF)

I've become a big fan of almond flour lately - it has really good flavor, lots of protein and good fat, and low sugar/carbs for anyone watching their glycemic index. Also I actually like it better than any of the GF flours out there (of which there are a TON, and you need to mix a bunch of them to get a good texture that binds, meaning you have to have anywhere from 3-8 flours around. sheesh).

Almond flour can be pricey, but the Wedge just started carrying it in bulk for a better deal. Be aware that almond flour is pretty filling - this bread is more dense than other loaf bread counterparts.

There are two recipes below: one with dry curd cottage cheese (which is so good, it is pro-biotic, tastes like yogurt, and is the texture of ricotta - see photo of empty container), which makes my fave version of this bread; and another that is totally dairy free. Both are great toasted, with soup, for French Toast, and apparently for grilled cheese sandwiches (though I have not tried that yet).

Loaf 1 (which is available at this link):
2-1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter (or ghee or coconut oil)
1 cup dry curd cottage cheese
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Place eggs, melted butter, cottage cheese, baking soda, and salt in food processor using metal blade. Process until the mixture is thick and resembles butter in texture. Add almond flour and process until mixed thoroughly.

Grease a loaf pan and spread mixture in pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Loaf 2:
4 eggs
1 T cider vinegar
1/2 c. lightly melted butter or coconut oil
2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. flax seed meal (replace flax with almond flour if preferred, but then use a little extra almond flour)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, vinegar, butter/oil together.
Mix dry stuff together.
Combine.
Put in greased loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes (when a toothpick comes out clean and all that jazz). Done!!

Store bread wrapped in a dish towel or cloth, and then in a plastic baggie if there is any left after a few days.

Kolaches

Kolaches were a staple at my grandma's holiday table when I was a kid. Though she made them at one time, I mostly remember her buying them from the Czech bakery, thus I never witnessed the actual dough rising and forming of the kolache. I've tried a few recipes over time, and have settled on the one from the Schumacher cookbook. I have been working on perfecting this recipe for several holidays now: the right thickness to roll out the dough, the right pan and best amount of filling. I am getting closer!

Kolaches are a Czech roll - generally an egg-y yeast bread, filled with prune, poppy seed, or apricot filling (they vary depending on region, some are rolls, some are more open-faced). My family's filling of choice is prune - yum.

Makes 3-4 dozen
1 1/2 c. warm milk
3/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. shortening (butter works too)
7 T. sugar
3 egg yolks
2 T. yeast
5+ c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c. butter

Heat milk, water and shortening in a saucepan until shortening is melted. (I've tried both grass-fed lard and butter, and I think the lard version is best. Also, I just learned that grass-fed lard has super high contents of vitamin D!) Cool until slightly warm. Add sugar, yolks, and yeast, stirring well. Place in a large bowl. Add salt, 2 c. flour, and stir well. Work in the rest of the flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Place on a lightly dusted board and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Knead well, until smooth and satiny (about 10 minutes). Work on a lightly floured surface (I end up adding in plenty of extra flour). Shape dough in a ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch down and let rise again.


Grease muffin tins (or cookie sheet, but muffin tin gives a nicer shape). After dough's second rising, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. (*I find this part tricky and hedge on the side of a little thicker rather than thinner. I also split the dough in two so that I can work with smaller quantities.) Cut the rolled dough into 3" squares and drop a teaspoon of your fave filling in the middle of each. (I use two spoons to do this, a la cookie making.) See prune filling recipe below.


Fold kolaches by bringing one corner to the center, than overlapping the opposite corner, then add the 3rd corner, and finally the 4th so that all 4 corners overlap in the middle. I like to leave tiny little gaps where you can see there might be something inside, but some people fold the dough with a lot of overlap so it is totally enclosed. Place each kolache in the muffin tin as you go. Brush with melted butter and let rise another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 350 degree over for 15-20 minutes until browned. Brush tops while still warm with a mixture of 1/4 c. powdered sugar and 1/4 c. whipping cream. (Sometimes I skip that step - but it does make a nice glaze when dry.) Cool on rack. (*Schumacher's original recipe says to bake at 375 for 25 minutes, but I have burned mine twice this way...which could be that my oven runs hot, but I don't think so.)

Prune filling:
2 c. pitted prunes
1 c. orange juice
1 c. water
2 T. sugar
3 t. grated orange rind

Chop the fruit up and mix with the OJ, water, and sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat until it becomes thick and the fruit has become more like a thick paste. Stir in the rind. *I have also had good results by replacing the sugar and rind with a teaspoon of cinnamon instead.