Thursday, 15 December 2011

Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs with Orange Cranberry Gravy


When I have parties during the holiday season I like to keep things as simple as possible. Instead of inviting folks over for a high-stress, fancy-schmancy sit down dinner, I throw cocktail parties. There are lots of advantages to this. They are WAY less stressful, easier to pull off, you can have more people and by putting out platters of tidbits to eat and some beverages, you have more time to mingle and actually stand a chance of enjoying your party!

I make a few simple things and then supplement with items I can pick up at the store such as fruit, cheeses, olives, fancy deli meats or salami. I make a signature cocktail, stock up the bar with gluten free beer, wine and water (sparkling and still), turn on some music and that’s it.  I have even been known to use good quality, disposable plates and flatware (but I always use real glasses).

I don’t spend all day in the kitchen and at the end of the night I am not faced with a ton of dishes to wash. And I find people enjoy themselves more than when they were seated at a formal dinner table as they get to talk to everyone (or not, as the case might be) and the whole evening just has a relaxed, festive mood.

If you are looking for a cocktail party appetizer, or simple weeknight meal for that matter, this holiday season, I have a suggestion for you – Turkey Meatballs with Orange Cranberry Gravy. All the flavors of a festive holiday meal in cute, bite sized balls of yumminess – turkey with cranberries in a delicious orange sauce thanks to San-J’s Gluten-Free Orange Sauce.

So go ahead, deck your halls, shop ’til you drop, wrap your gifts with love and care but when it comes to parties – make it easy on yourself. You and your friends will enjoy it more – trust me!

Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs with Orange Cranberry Gravy


Ingredients

½ cup gluten free bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
¼ cup parsley, minced
1 ½ cups gluten free chicken stock – use divided
1 ¼ pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 – 12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries (about 2 ½ cups)
1 cup San-J Orange Sauce
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, parsley and ½ cup chicken stock in a large mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the turkey and mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Shape into 2 inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the meatballs until browned all over, about 6 minutes. Place browned meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in oven until cooked through, 10 minutes.

Add the cranberries to the skillet the meatballs were browned in along with the remaining cup of chicken stock, San-J Orange Sauce and sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until the cranberries pop and the sauce is reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add the meatballs to the gravy and serve.

A gluten free recipe that serves 4 as a main course, 12 as an appetizer.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/12/gluten-free-turkey-meatballs-with-orange-cranberry-gravy.html

Monday, 12 December 2011

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cloud Cookie


It is December (how did that happen?) and while that can mean many things to many people, for me it means coming up with lots of gluten free cookie recipes! I like to give out cookies this time of year and I like to have them on hand for people who stop by during the Holidays.  And doesn’t it kind of go without saying that, “I like to eat cookies?”

For some reason I always associate the flavors of chocolate and cherries with Christmastime. Maybe it is because my Dad would always buy those chocolate covered cherries this time of year. So I came up with this recipe with Dad in mind – chocolate meringues with a sweet cherry inside. They are crisp on the outside, a bit marshmallowy inside and have a secret surprise hidden at the heart – a maraschino cherry. Along with being naturally gluten free they are also dairy free and, if you worry about such things, fat free!

The way to get the very best meringues is to use egg whites that are room temperature but it is much easier to separate cold eggs so I suggest you separate your eggs first and let them sit while you get out all the rest of your ingredients, prepare the pans and dry up your cherries.

You can serve these cookies two ways – the first (and best in my opinion) is to bake them, then turn off the oven and let them sit in there for a couple hours to really dry out, this will give you the traditional meringue. But as I discovered (due to a very impatient Father who couldn’t wait for his chocolate-cherry fix) you can take the cookies from the oven after they bake, let them cool and eat. They will be a lot less crispy and much more marshmallowy; softer and not very crisp. Which way is better, is in hot debate around here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cloud Cookies


Ingredients

24 maraschino cherries
3 large egg whites at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

If the maraschino cherries have stems, remove them. Dry them well with paper towels and let sit until ready to use.

Combine the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start the mixer on low then increase the speed to high. When the egg whites are very foamy, add the sugar gradually while the machine is running. Continue to beat the egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks – about 5 minutes. Sift in the cocoa powder, fold gently to get them mixed in a little then mix on high speed with the mixer for a few more seconds until the cocoa powder is incorporated. You may have to scrape the side of the bowl a time or two.

Spoon 12 heaping tablespoons of the egg white mixture onto each prepared pan (a small #60 ice cream scoop works really well for this). Gently press a cherry into each mound of egg whites. Top with about a teaspoon of egg whites and using an offset spatula or your fingers seal the two meringue dollops together.

Bake for 30 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cookies sit in there for 2 hours. Peel the cookies off the parchment or silicon mats and serve. The cookies are best served within 24 hours, especially if you live in a humid climate. To store, put in an air proof container and keep at room temperature.

Alternately you can remove the cookies after 30 minutes of baking, let cool on a baking sheet and serve. They won’t really be crispy, but are still delicious.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/12/gluten-free-chocolate-cherry-cloud-cookie-recipe.html

Thursday, 8 December 2011

Gluten Free Chipotle Turkey Bean Soup Recipe

There are a couple things I do every year on Thanksgiving after the food has been eaten, the table cleared and that last crumb of pie licked off the plates – first is to convince the hubby to do the dishes and secondly, I put a pot of dried beans on to soak. It’s not that I have anything against gluten free turkey noodle soup but after all the traditional, American flavors of Thanksgiving I am ready to spice things up! Chipotle Turkey Bean Soup is the answer.

I love this hearty gluten free soup recipe – it is filling and wholesome, packed with fiber and nutrients (as well as flavor) and it is a real budget saver. After all the turkey was already paid for, I use Hurst Family Harvest’s Black Bean Chipotle Lime Black Bean Soup Mix which cost about the same as 2 cans of black beans (but feeds a whole lot more) and has a tasty gluten free flavor packet included and the rest of the ingredients are just some pantry staples. If you don’t happen to have any leftover turkey hanging around you can use some leftover chicken or shred up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or just leave out the turkey, use dairy free sour cream and you have yourself a fabulous vegan main course soup.

I also love the fact that this soup takes very little actual work to prepare! After all, I have been cooking, cleaning and entertaining for days – it is time for a little “easy” in my life!


Gluten Free Chipotle Turkey Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 package Hurst Family Harvest Chipotle Lime Black Bean Soup Mix
1 onion, diced
1 – 1 pound bag frozen corn kernels
1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 – 4 ounce can diced mild green chilies
1 bunch green onions, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups cooked turkey or chicken, shredded (omit for vegan)
Chipotle Lime Sour Cream – recipe follows
Handful of cilantro leaves

Directions

Remove the flavor packet from the beans and save. Place the beans in a large soup pot and cover with water. Let sit, covered, overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain the water from the beans. Place back in the pot and add 8 cups of cold water along with the reserved flavor packet. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Add the corn, tomatoes, chilies, green onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder and turkey and heat through, 5 – 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream and cilantro for garnish.


Chipotle Lime Sour Cream


Ingredients

1 cup sour cream or dairy free sour cream
*1 – 3 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo depending on heat level you like
juice and zest of 1 lime – zest finely grated

Directions

Stir together the ingredients and let sit covered in the refrigerator until time to serve.

*I take one can of chipotle in adobo sauce, puree it in the blender and store in a covered jar in the refrigerator, that way I can use as much or as little whenever I want. Or you can take one of the peppers from the can with some of the sauce and mince finely.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-chiptole-turkey-bean-soup-recipe.html

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Gluten Free Teriyaki Mushroom Pate Recipe

Fashion experts tell us that we should dress, get all accessorized up and then remove one accesory before leaving the house, that less is more. For about a second and a half I decided to try that philosophy to my Thanksgiving dinner, to remove one thing from my normal menu.

What I had decided to remove was an appetizer – my thought was it’s at the beginning of a huge meal and that no one is going to miss it. And I decided that what I would leave off was my chicken liver pate – it was my oldest son’s favorite part of the meal but he has gone vegetarian so what’s the harm in leaving it off? After all, less is more, right?

Apparently, at least at my house, when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner – less is less! The aforementioned son informed me that he had flown 3,000 miles and was basically paying a ton of money for one dinner and he didn’t want to be shortchanged.

So instead of taking off one thing, I am swapping it for something else – Teriyaki Mushroom Pate. This is a gluten free, dairy free, vegan recipe that is super easy and quick to prepare and packs a ton of flavor thanks to San-J’s gluten free teriyaki sauce. No one, not even the meat eaters are going to miss my chicken pate this year.

So go ahead, add instead of take away that one more accessory to your Thanksgiving feast this year – after all more is more to be thankful for.

Gluten Free Teriyaki Mushroom Pate


Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil – use divided
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 – 8 ounce packages of mushrooms (any type) sliced
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons gluten free San-J Teriyaki Sauce – use divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms start to brown, about 8 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of the San-J Teriyaki Sauce and the rice vinegar and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley and stir to combine.

Put the mixture into a food processor with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon San-J Teriyaki Sauce. Process until the mixture is fully combined and fairly smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with gluten free crackers and fresh vegetables.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free
raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-teriyaki-mushroom-pate-recipe.html

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Gluten Free Tuna Casserole Recipe


I am going to just spit it out – I love tuna casserole! There I said it. I know it is not hip, not trendy and certainly not “foodie” (you can add that to my mounting list of why I will never be called a “foodie”) but it is just plain good! I thought about adding some flair to this casserole, tossing in some sun dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese and portabella mushrooms, maybe some fresh basil and I am sure that would be delicious but what I really wanted was something very close to what I recall from when I was a kid – simple, comforting and homey. But I wanted it with less fat and calories and of course, it had to be gluten free.

I kind of think my mother made her tuna casserole with canned soup but when I started cooking I made mine with rich, thick, fattening-as-all-get-out white sauce laden with butter and cream. So I cut the fat and calories by using mostly gluten-free chicken broth for my sauce, low-fat milk in place of cream (rice milk can be used making this dish dairy free) and olive oil instead of butter. Then I added extra fiber by using Pastariso’s Brown Rice Gluten Free Vegetable Rotini – I love the way the spirals add extra texture to this casserole and the fact that this delicious gluten free pasta only takes 6 -8 minutes to cook.

Since there is high probability you just may have some turkey left over fairly soon, this works just as well with shredded turkey meat.

So go ahead, fess up – what food do you love that could threaten your reputation as a “foodie”?

Gluten Free Tuna Casserole


Ingredients

1 – 1 pound bag Pastariso Gluten Free Brown Rice Vegetable Rotini
3 tablespoons olive oil – use divided
1medium white or yellow onion
Kosher or fine sea salt
3 tablespoons gluten free flour blend or sweet rice flour
2 ½ cups gluten free chicken broth
1 ½ cups low fat milk (or rice milk)
2– 6 ounce cans solid light tuna in water, drain and flaked
1 cup frozen peas – thawed
1 cup gluten free panko style bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. Add the Pastariso Gluten Free Brown Rice Vegetable Rotini and cook for 6 – 7 minutes. Drain and rinse with hot water.

While the pasta is cooking heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and milk, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until the sauce thickens, 6 – 8 minutes. Stir in the tuna, peas and cooked pasta. Pour the mixture into a 9? by 13? baking dish.

Combine the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the panko bread crumbs and top the tuna mixture. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the top is browned and the sauce bubbly. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-tuna-casserole-recipes.html

Monday, 28 November 2011

Gluten Free Autumn Shepherd’s Pie Recipe


As diligently as I follow a gluten free diet (and I am diligent – I never, EVER knowingly and willingly cheat) sometimes it happens – I get glutenized!

Such was the case sometime Saturday. I woke up Sunday with my typical signs, a migraine headache and a mysterious, unrelenting itchiness.

Unfortunately, ingesting gluten does nothing to dampen my appetite. No matter how icky I feel, I still need to eat. And at that point I want “comfort food”.

For me, Shepherd’s Pie is pure comfort. My mother made it often when I was growing up, usually using leftovers. I loved it more that whatever the original dinner was.

So I scrounged around my kitchen to see what I could find to put together for a quick and effortless Shepherd’s Pie. I had half a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, a large sweet potato in my veggie bowl and a freezer stocked with a variety of Kettle Cuisine gluten free soups – they are all made with the highest quality ingredients and are made by actual people in an actual kitchen!  The ingredients are prepared the way I would prepare them at home if I were making soup – they are hand peeled, and cut and treated with care and that’s why I LOVE Kettle Cuisine’s soups.

I chose their Roasted Vegetable Soup, not just gluten-free but dairy-free also, and in about 25 minutes I made a dinner for two that was simple but didn’t taste like it, with its rich, complex flavors. This made 2 large, grown up servings, you can easily double or even triple this recipe if need be.

This is seriously one of the easiest gluten free recipes I have ever made. Perfect for a time when you feel like “cooked-all-day comfort food” but don’t have the time or energy to cook all day.

If you find yourself accidentally glutenized, you are not alone. Pop over to this blog post of Shirley’s and see how some of the top gluten free bloggers deal with the occasional gluten poisoning.

Gluten Free Autumn Shepherd’s Pie


Ingredients

3 cups diced sweet potatoes (from 1 large or two medium, about 1 ½ pounds) – cut into 1 inch dice
1 package Kettle Cuisine Roasted Vegetable Soup
2 cups cooked chicken (about half a chicken) – shredded or diced
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other dairy free butter substitute)
¼ cup rice milk
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the sweet potatoes into a pan with heavily salted cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, microwave the soup for 3 – 4 minutes or until hot. Stir and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Divide the mixture between 2 oven safe bowls or ramekins (my ramekins hold 18 ounces).

When the sweet potatoes are done, drain them and then return them to the hot pot. Put back on the fire and cook for another 30 seconds or so to evaporate any excess liquid. Turn off the heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher then add the Earth Balance, rice milk, salt and pepper. Mash together until fairly smooth. Divide the potato mixture between the ramekins on top of the chicken mixture. Spread all the way to the edges of the ramekins. With the tines of a fork, rake the top of the potatoes to create little ridges. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If you want the top of the potatoes a little more browned, turn on the broiler and broil for a minute but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-autumn-shepherds-pie-recipe.html

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Gluten Free French Bread Recipe – Easy, Easy, Easy!


Today is supposed to be a very lucky day – 11/11/11.  And personally, I am inclined to believe it.  It was lucky for me and I think lucky for you.  I had a gluten free bread baking recipe breakthrough.

As a person who spends most of her time creating gluten free recipes you can imagine that I get my fair share of emails asking if I have a really good recipe for gluten free bread. Before going gluten free I made a few loaves of bread (with varying degrees of success) but I was by no means a bread baker. When I get these emails I think “Why ask me? Why not ask a bread baking expert?

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I am probably the perfect person to ask. Why? Because:

1. I went for probably 15 years without eating bread so I know I can live without it – I would rather not eat bread than eat yucky, grainy, crumbly bread.
2. I love great food but I am also kind of lazy so I am always looking for the easiest way to make something.
3. I am not a person who finds it “relaxing” to knead dough by hand for 15 minutes. I wish I was that kind of person, but sadly when I do menial tasks for any period of time, my mind starts to wonder and that is never a good thing!
4. I am success driven, persistent and some might even say a little OCD – I will keep at something until I get it right.

So, I decided to put my mind to making great gluten free breads. I decided to start with French Bread. I did my homework, I studied first the traditional French Bread recipes and methods, then I looked at gluten free ingredients and studied how to make them work better and finally, I baked and baked and baked!

I played around with flours and baking times and methods until I got a gluten free French Bread recipe that was crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, beautifully browned, tastes like what French Bread should taste like and was easy to make. I threw away a lot of bread, enlisted everyone I came across (including a good number of whom are regular gluten-eaters) in blind taste testing and finally, I am pleased to say, came up with a recipe I am happy with!  And I think YOU will love!

And you want to hear the very best thing? It is actually EASIER to make gluten free French Bread than it is to make the gluten-filled kind! Yes, you heard right – EASIER! No kneading, no double rising (I tried, better without) no hours until bread is ready. You can actually have lovely, perfect gluten free French Bread in about an hour and a half, start to finish!

Ok… so here are some tips I discovered:

Equipment

You are going to need a mixer – it is going to do pretty much all the work for you. (Don’t have a mixer? Head over HERE to enter to win a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer!) You also need a French bread pan – gluten free bread needs support when it is rising and baking. Fortunately you can get one for under $20.00 – considering the cost of decent gluten free bread, an investment so worth it! The pans come either perforated or solid, I used both in testing and it didn’t make a huge difference but I did like the results from the perforated pans slightly more. And finally, unless you are dead certain your oven is totally accurate, run over to the hardware or grocery store and grab an oven thermometer for about 4 bucks – you should have one anyway!

Kneading

Remember when the internet was all abuzz about no-knead bread? Ha! That’s old news to us gluten free bakers! 3 minutes in the mixer and that’s pretty much it, no kneading what-so-ever!

Yeast

I got the best result from Dry Active Yeast. It needs to be “active” so if you have had a jar sitting in your fridge since you can’t remember when, go get a new one – it lasts about 6 months refrigerated, after that it may not be good any longer. If you do store your yeast in the fridge then it will take longer for the yeast to “proof”. You want the yeast mixture to pretty much double in size and be all foamy.

Flours

After testing all sorts of different flour combinations, what worked best was a simple combo of white rice flour, sweet rice flour (also called glutinous flour) and tapioca starch. I used all Asian flours (Erawan Brand) which are more finely milled and cost a fraction of the flours you get in the health food store. I also tested this recipe using my own flour and it came out really great (well…dahaaa!) and the dough was a tad easier to work with.

Gum and Fat

I found that mixing the xanthan gum with the fat (olive oil) before adding it to the batter made it work better. I wish I could tell you why, just trust me on this.

Prep

Get all your ingredients out, mix your yeast, blend the xanthan gum with the oil and lightly beat your eggs before you start to mix, it makes it easier. Do the steps in order as I give you in the recipe.

The Dough

If you were used to bread making in a former pre-gluten-free life you will think there is not enough flour in the dough because it has a consistency more like a thick batter than dough. Resist with every fiber of your being from adding more flour! This is just the way gluten free bread dough is. You need to spoon the dough into the pans and shape it with a spatula – it won’t magically turn into pretty ovals unless you do this.

Slashing the Dough

Cutting 3 or 4 diagonal slashes into the top of the dough will help the steam escape while it is baking giving you a lovely, tender texture.

Prepping the Pans

Either spray your French Bread pans with gluten-free, non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil before putting the dough into the pans to rise. For a really authentic bottom, sprinkle a teaspoon of cornmeal on the bottom of the pans after you oil them up. It isn’t completely necessary but it does add that certain je ne se qua (fancy French term for “a certain something”). If using the perforated pans, place them on top of a baking sheet to oil and dust with cornmeal or you will have a mess to clean. Do not bake the bread on the baking sheet however, just put the French bread pan right on the oven rack.

Browning

I tested everything I could think of to get the perfect brown on the French Bread and what I found gave the best color came from brushing the loaves with melted butter just before baking. The good news is that they also came out beautifully browned with a brushing of melted Earth Balance as well – keeping the bread totally dairy free if need be.

Humidity

To get that crunchy crust and tender inside so characteristic of good French Bread it should bake in a humid environment. This is easily created by putting a pan of hot water into the oven while it preheats and just leaving it there while the bread is baking. You can also spritz the oven occasionally with water from a spray bottle but then you have to remember to do it whereas the pan of water just sits there and does its job.

Gluten Free French Bread


Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dry Active Yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ cups warm water (it should be pretty warm to the touch but not hot)
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tablespoons olive oil
*1½ cups super fine or Asian white rice flour
*½ cup superfine or Asian sweet rice flour
*1 cup tapioca starch
1½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons cornmeal – optional
2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance, melted

*in place of the flours and starch you can use 3 cups of a good, pastry quality gluten free flour blend

Directions

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl about twice the size of the mixture and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Let sit for 5 -6 minutes (10 if the yeast has been in the fridge) or until it is foamy and doubled in size.

In a small bowl stir the xanthan gum with the olive oil until the xanthan gum is dissolved.

Combine the flours, tapioca starch (or gluten free flour blend) and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or just the regular beaters – don’t use a dough hook) and mix to combine. Add the yeast mixture, xanthan gum mixture, eggs and vinegar and mix on low to combine. Scrap down the sides of the bowl once. Turn the mixer to high and mix for 3 minutes.

Spray a French bread pan (with 2 forms) with gluten-free, non-stick cooking spray or brush with more olive oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of cornmeal onto the bottom of each pan.

Spoon the batter into the forms and shape into an oval with a spatula. Using a razor blade or sharp knife cut 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on top of each loaf. Cover the loaves with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise. Let rise for 30 minutes or until the loaves have doubled in size.

Place a baking pan on the floor of your oven (or on the bottom shelf) and fill it with about an inch of really hot water. Position the rack you are baking the bread on in the middle of the oven. Turn the oven on and preheat to 400 degrees.

Brush the top of the loaves with the melted butter or Earth Balance and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

You can also make crusty rolls by scooping the dough into 2 standard sized muffin tins, letting them rise 30 minutes and baking for about 20 minutes.

A gluten free recipe that makes 2 loaves of French Bread or 24 Crusty Rolls.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe-easy-easy-easy.html