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bread

GF Almond Flour Bread

I love bread as much as you.

I also really like feeling my best *most* of the time. I’ve learned that too much gluten can weigh me down, affect my mood, thinking, skin and digestion.

So I still indulge when I really want to; during those moments I take my time to really really enjoy the hell out of it.

That doesn’t mean I never eat bread on those days that I’m not indulging. It does mean that I make wiser choices and sometimes that involves rolling up the sleeves and turning the oven on.

This is a very simple mix-it-and-dump-it gluten free bread recipe void of gluten and yeast. It won’t rise much so expect a denser bread. I prefer this bread (and almost all gf breads) toasted.

Try this Gluten Free Almond Flour Bread in this simple Avocado Toast recipe for hearty and filling meal anytime of the day!
~Happy Eating,
Monique

GF Almond Flour Bread

2 1/2 cups almond flour, blanched
1/2 cup seeds (I used sunflower and pepitas)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, heaping
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (see the image below).

In a food processor, pulse together the dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil and vinegar, pulse/blend until well combined, about 20 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. The dough will be like a very thick batter, but should be thin enough that it doesn’t roll into a ball.

Pour dough into the parchment-lined loaf pan, the dough will fill about half way. Sprinkle with a few extra seeds if desired.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Test by inserting a toothpick; if it comes out clean from the center it’s done.

Remove from oven. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting. Wrap in foil and store in the fridge.

GF almond flour bread

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, overhanging the edges, for easy clean up.

Gluten, Yeast, Egg Free & Vegan Focaccia Bread!

I MISS BREAD!! If you need to avoid gluten, or even if you are just trying to avoid gluten, this is the phrase I hear the most. Bread has become something we are just simply used to. It’s a vessel for sandwiches, avocados and dips, it encases meat and it gives us something to munch on while we are waiting for the main course. It can be crunchy, chewy, light and airy and still be delicious.

I’ve been scouring the internet seeking great, heck even decent, gluten free bread options. And there’s a few out there. But to add a layer of complexity, eggs are not agreeing with me right now so the gf bread also needs to be vegan. And I need to avoid yeast . . . so these are some tough parameters.

Let’s just get this one thing out there: bread that is gluten free and vegan and egg free and yeast free is not going to be ‘exactly‘ like their typical counterparts. But once your palette adjust slightly, there becomes a new normal (one that is ok adjusting too.)

This original recipe come from Magdalena Wszelaki. I halved the recipe, soaked the cashews overnight and added olive oil to add to that authentic focaccia depth of flavor. It’s quite dreamy really for an egg, dairy, gluten and yeast free bread. It’s going to be much heavier and thicker than the traditional thanks to the fattiness of the cashews, but that also lend to the rich flavor. Fresh rosemary is key but feel free to substitute dried basil.

Gluten, Egg, Yeast-Free and Vegan Focaccia Bread

1 cup raw cashews
1.5 Tbls ground flax + 5 tbls water
1 Tbls water
2 Tbls coconut oil, melted
2 Tbls tapioca starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine pink Himalyan salt
1 Tbls fresh rosemary, rough chopped and divided
1 tsp coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
1 Tbls olive oil to drizzle on the top

Soak the cashews overnight or for at least for 30 minutes; rinse well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a sheet pan in the oven.

Stir together the ground flax and 5 tablespoons of water, let sit for 20 minutes (can do this step the night before).

Blend all the ingredients together (the soaked & rinsed cashews, soaked flax, water, melted coconut oil, tapioca starch, baking powder, pink salt and half of the fresh rosemary) until a thick batter forms, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter next to the stove. Pour the batter into the middle of paper and smooth it out to a circle, less than an inch thick. Sprinkle with the remaining rosemary, the coarse salt and the olive oil.

Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Refrigerate leftover pieces; rewarm in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Quick Gluten Free Sweet Potato Flatbread (think tortilla!)

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Flatbread: don’t adjust your monitor, that purple color is the real deal. No filters or added colors.

Purple sweet potatoes have been plentiful at the markets lately and I just can’t resist them. It’s not often we get to cook with that much deep, vibrant purple.  But, a classic orange sweet potato is going to look great in these too.

I created these quick, yeast-free homemade flatbreads (aka tortillas) on a whim after bread was requested to go with our soup the other day. I pulled the first two off the pan in the same amount of time as it took to cook the soup. For a complete first try, they are pretty darn good! We even used the extras later that day as the bread for a grilled cheese. Think of these gluten free quick breads as a cross between a flatbread, a tortilla and a cracker- each version just gets cooked slightly longer than the previous.

Give them a try and remember to share them on your social media, tagging #HappyEatsHealthy on FB, IB & Twitter!

Happy Eats,
~Monique

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Flatbread

1 small sweet potato, baked or steamed

1/2 cup gf flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbls oil

~1-3 tbls water

Remove the skin from the sweet potato and smash well with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients, except the water, and mix well using your hands. Keep kneading it into a ball, Adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time if needed just to bring it all together.

Pull the dough into small rounds, about 8 – 12 of them depending on the size of your original potato.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Roll out one ball between two sheets of parchment paper. Carefully pull the top sheet off from your tortilla. Flip it onto your hand, or directly into the pan, then carefully pull the remaining parchment away.

Cook the flatbread until it becomes lightly browned on one side, them flip to cook the other side. If you want this to be soft, remove it from the skillet. It you want a crunch tortilla, let it cook until deeply browned, then remove and enjoy.

Optional: try adding a few seasonings for different flavors:

  • minced garlic + onion
  • chili powder +  cumin
  • Sesame seeds