Gluten Free Apple Bread!

Hello all! It's getting fall-like outside, so there's only one thing to do - APPLE PICKING! This is our second year apple picking, but I can't believe I didn't do it before. So fun! Anyways, in honor of fall and Rosh Hashanah, I decided to try to make a gluten free apple bread. It turned out pretty good! Here's the recipe:

Gluten Free Apple Bread

(Adapted from: this recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar free maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 apple, chopped

Instructions:

• Mix the flours together with xanthan gum in bowl 
• Add remaining ingredients (except apple) in stand mixer and mix - this "dough" is really more of a batter-like consistency, it won't be like normal bread dough, but don't worry!
• Chop apple, mix with a bit of lemon juice (this will keep it from turning brown), and fold into the batter
• Pour batter into prepared bread pan
• Let bread sit in pan for 45 minutes, in warm spot (it won't really rise like normal bread does, but that's ok)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55ish minutes (start checking around 45 minutes, it may take a bit shorter or a bit longer)

Four Ingredient Gluten Free Bread

Have you ever had beer bread? It's delicious and so easy to make! All you have to do is combine your favorite bottle (or can) of beer, 3 cups flour, and about a tablespoon of sugar, and bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes. DELICIOUS. However, recently I have had to eat a gluten free diet and I MISS BREAD. I've tried a few gluten free breads from the store, but they all have an odd taste or weird texture. This is my first attempt at a gluten free bread, and I think it turned out ok.

Before making this bread, keep in mind a few things: (1) Beer bread is better, if that's an option, make that!, (2) this bread isn't bad, but the texture is not all it could be, (3) you should really like the taste of cider to make this bread, because that flavor didn't bake out as well as beer flavor bakes out of beer bread.

So, if all of those things sound good to you, or Cider Bread just sounds good, here's the recipe!

Four Ingredient Gluten Free Bread

(AKA Cider Bread)
Adapted from: Farm Girl Fare's Beer Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten free flour (I used this, but any gluten free combo should do) 

1 bottle hard cider (I think this is all gluten free, but check the bottle to make sure there isn't anything else in it)

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder

Water, if needed (my bread dough was a bit dry, so I added about 1/4 cup water at the end)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients, adding water as needed

3. Bake for 35-45 minutes (start checking at 35 minutes, mine was done around then)

Daring Bakers' Challenge - CHALLAH!

Challah. I LOVE CHALLAH. As my first Daring Bakers Challenge, I'm pretty psyched. It's like easing me into the process. Anyways, growing up I had challah all the time. The local bagel shop had probably the best challah ever, in fact, when I go home, I usually insist on eating challah with literally every meal. So, when I found out the May Daring Bakers Challenge was challah, I was very excited. I have made challah a few times before, but since it's a long process and I don't have a recipe I love, I don't do it too often. This time, I decided to make two loves, one savory (sesame/poppy seed) and one sweet (dried cranberry). I used King Arthur Flour's Classic Challah Recipe because I've had very good luck with their other bread recipes (croissants, English muffin bread, Scali bread). I made a few changes to the recipe, but overall I thought it turned out great.

Challah

Recipe adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
12 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (the original recipe calls for honey, but since I didn't have honey, I used maple syrup - I thought it worked well!)
4 large eggs
8 cups flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoon instant yeast
Add-ins: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cranberries, etc.
For egg wash: 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water, beaten

Instructions:

1. First, mix all ingredients except add-ins and egg wash in mixer with dough hook. Mix until everything has come together into a stiff dough.
2. Split dough in two equal part, put each in a greased bowl (I used Pam) and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for 2 hours. NOTE: If adding in anything that should be incorporated into the dough, such as cranberries, this is the time to do it. Take out your first half of dough and place it into another bowl. Use the mixer to mix the add-ins into the remaining dough half. Then place half into bowl with plastic wrap. 
3. After two hours, split each half into three small "strands." These can be short, as they will rise a bit more over the next 10 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Roll each strand into long strands, maybe 15-20 inches long. Put the end of the three strands together and pinch them so they stay. Braid the loaf as you would a normal braid and pinch the other end. Put on a baking sheet with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with other loaf. Let rest and hour to an hour and a half.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put one loaf in the refrigerator (this will ensure the bread doesn't over-proof). With the other loaf, brush egg wash over entire loaf. DO NOT OVER EGG-WASH. (This happened to me on my second loaf. It was still tasty, but one side definitely tastes a bit like scrambled eggs). NOTE: If putting seeds (or anything else) on top, this is the time to add them on. Bake the loaf in the oven for 20 minutes, then put a foil tent on it and bake for another 20. Take out of the oven, you're done!
6. Repeat step 5 with the other loaf. Now you're really done!
7. HELPFUL TIP: King Arthur's website suggests placing two cookie sheets under the bread to ensure it doesn't get too crispy on bottom. I did this and the loaves turned out great! Since I did do it, I don't know how they'll turn out with only one cookie sheet, but the crust could burn or become too thick.
8. ALTERNATIVES: There are many ways to braid challah. There are 4 strand loaves, round loaves, challah rolls, etc. If you google the type you want, there are tons of tutorials out there.

 Photos of Steps 4 and 5:

 

Photos of the savory challah!

Photos of the sweet challah!

Homemade Croissants!

Today I really felt like making something that took a bit more time and was a little more involved. I was going to make ciabatta, but I forgot to make the sponge last night (I was SO bummed when I realized this morning!) Luckily, I found this recipe for homemade croissants. They turned out so well! It was my first time make croissants, but I think they came out really nice, not perfect, but definitely croissants. This recipe is very time consuming, but totally worth it. It's also a bit complicated, but if you read the instructions carefully and look at the pictures for guidance, it's not too bad.

Croissants

Recipe from: King Arthur Flour 

 

Ingredients:
Croissant dough (beginning)
2 eggs, plus enough water to make 2 cups of liquid
1/4 cup sugar
6 cups flour
1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter mixture
1 7/8 cups butter (cold)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour

Instructions:
I would try to explain this, but it's much too complicated and King Arthur Flour has excellent instructions, with pictures. To find the instructions, go to the recipe here.

Fun Tip: The recipe has you cut off the edges of the dough so that you have a perfect rectangle. Instead of throwing that dough away, you can twist it and then refrigerate it (as you would the croissant dough) and make cheesy (or not cheesy) bread sticks! Right before putting the bread sticks in the oven, brush with the same egg wash and sprinkle with cheese. Then, follow the instructions for cooking the croissants, except lower then baking time to 10 minutes at 425 degrees and 10 (or even 8) minutes at 350 degrees. Yum!

 CHEESY BREAD STICKS!

Fig Walnut Swirl Bread

FIG WALNUT SWIRL BREAD!!

Recipe adapted from: Serious Eats

Yum! Somehow, we have accumulated many different types of fruit "butters" - we have fig, mango, honey apple, and it goes on and on. Honestly, too much fruit butter for two people to eat. SO, what better way to use up the fruit butter than to bake it into the bread itself! I decided to go with fig butter and chopped walnuts, but it was a tough choice. I'm sure any fruit butter would work in this recipe, along with any add--ins, such as nuts, dried fruit, etc. So, without further ado, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons honey

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (this is the best yeast I've found, honestly)

3 1/2 cups bread flour (I used regular flour and it turned out just fine)

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup fig butter (or any fruit butter)

Chopped walnuts (I didn't measure this part, just put as many as you want)

Directions

Making this bread was super easy. I mixed the first 4 ingredients (through flour) in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Once those ingredients were all incorporated, I added the butter and the salt, and mixed until those were incorporated. The butter took a bit longer to mix in than I thought it would, but don't worry! It will. Next, I took the dough out, formed a ball, and put it back in the mixer bowl. I think put just a bit of olive oil on the bread (enough to cover, but not enough so there was a pool of olive oil in the bottom), and covered the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour.

Once the hour is up, it's time to put in the filling! At this point, it's probably smart to start pre-heating your oven to 325 degrees. To fill the dough, I spread mine on wax paper out so it covered a cookie sheet. I then spread fig butter all over it (except one inch at the far end from me, which was a short end) and put the walnuts on. I then rolled up my bread (rolling the short side, not the long side), and put it in a bread pan (which I had pre-sprayed with non-stick spray). I then let the bread rise for another 30 minutes, and covered it with the same plastic wrap I used before.

Finally, put the bread in the oven! Cook it for about 35 minutes, then take it out, let it cool, slice, and enjoy!

Scali Bread

I've been on a total bread baking kick recently. I just made ciabatta, which was delicious (!), but we ate it too fast to take any pictures. SO, when I found this recipe, I had to try it. It's from King Arthur Flour, which I love. Here's the recipe:

SCALI BREAD

Recipe From: King Arthur Flour 

Starter:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 water

1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Make the starter the night before (just mix it all up, it will be like a normal dough). It's stiffer than most starters I've used, but don't worry - that's normal.

Dough

Starter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2/3 cup warm-ish water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the dough with a bread hook (or by hand) until the dough forms into a uniform dough. I think it took about 5-10 minutes with a bread hook. When done, place dough in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 90 minutes. When 90 minutes are up, form three "logs" and let them rest for 10 minutes. 

Topping

1 egg white + 1 tablespoon cold water

Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds

When 10 minutes have elapsed, pull the dough out as long as it will go to form 3 "ropes." Coat each rope in the egg wash topping and sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or anything else. Pinch one end and braid the ropes. Pinch the other end to seal. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap (loosely), and let sit for 90 minutes. Finally, bake bread in 425 degree oven for 25-35 minutes. 

More detailed instructions, and instructions on how to make this bread into rolls, can be found HERE

Poppy Seed Almond Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast
3 cups flour (bread or all purpose)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Slivered almonds for top (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients (except almonds) in mixer with dough hook attachment
2. Run for about 5 minutes
3. Place dough in oiled (or buttered) bowl, cover with damp towel, and allow to rise for 45 minutes
4. Punch dough and let it rise for another 10 minutes
5. Transfer dough to pan, and allow to rise for 30 minutes under a damp towel
6. Top bread with almonds
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Adapted from: All Recipes

Apple Bread

APPLE BREAD

Finally it's fall! And what better to do then go apple picking?!

We started with a peck, which holds 10 pounds.

We quickly realized that a peck just wasn't enough. So we got another.

20 pounds of apples! Not as many apples as you might think...

(Freshly picked!) Apple Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flour
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup apples (cored, chopped, peeled or unpeeled)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients together
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes

Recipe adapted from: allrecipes

Graham Cracker Bread

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons pure maple
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water (warm)
2 tablespoons flour

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes

Recipe adapted from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/graham-cracker-bread-10000000222806/

Braided dough

Dough roll

Finished bread!

Peanut Butter Swirl Bread

Oat Mixture:
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup boiling water

Dough:
1 package yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

Filling:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

Recipe adapted from: Pink Parsley

The oat mixture

Dough rising

Rolling up the dough

Dough rising again

Bread almost done!!