Gluten-Free Makeovers by Beth Hillson

vegetable oil
    Spray an 8½ × 4½-inch or 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with vegetable spray.
    In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, add the flour blend, milk powder, brown sugar, and yeast and mix to combine. Mix together the water, eggs, and vegetable oil in a separate bowl. Add to the dry ingredients. Beat on low for 1 minute. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, shiny, and has thickened.
    Scrape the dough into the prepared pan. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free area until the dough rises to the top of the pan.
    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake on the middle rack for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top sounds hollow when tapped and the internal temperature reads 190° to 200°F.
    Remove and turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.
Bread Machine Preparation:
    Combine the eggs, water, and vegetable oil and pour into the bread pan. Combine the flour blend and milk powder. Spoon over the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Follow the instructions of the machine for proper setting or pick a setting that allows for one knead and rise cycle and a 50 minute bake time.
    Avoiding Dairy? Use Vance’s DariFree or powdered soy milk in place of powdered milk (see Simple Substitutions, page 265).
Flaxseed Bread
    Dairy-free
MAKES 1 LOAF
    A former restaurateur with a classical culinary background and a great deal of curiosity, my friend Priscilla Martel has a better understanding of gluten-free baking than most gluten-free people I know. As such, she made sure that the fine professional baking tome, On Baking , contained a representation of gluten-free recipes. This one is adapted, with permission, from her book. *
    1½ cups rice flour
    1½ cups tapioca starch/flour
    ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
    3 teaspoons xanthan gum
    2 tablespoons sugar
    1½ teaspoons salt
    1 large egg
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1½ cups warm milk or water (105° to 110°F)
    4½ teaspoons instant active or active dry yeast
    1 teaspoon cider vinegar
    Lightly oil a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan.
    Combine the rice flour, tapioca starch/flour, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the oil, milk, and yeast. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and beat on low speed for 1 minute, or until blended. Add the vinegar and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.
    Scrape the dough into the prepared pan. Coat a rubber spatula or a sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable spray and smooth the top. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free area to rise to the top of the pan.
    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake 60 to 70 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 190°F to 200°F. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and freeze any portion not used within three days.
    * Recipe credit: Adapted with permission from Sarah R. Labensky, Eddy Van Damme, and Priscilla Martel, On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals , second edition (Prentice Hall: 2008).
French Baguettes
    Dairy-free
MAKES 2 OR 3 BAGUETTES
    This dense, chewy bread is nutritious thanks to the addition of potato and chickpea flour. It was the culmination of a brainstorming session with fellow chef, Rebecca Reilly, who said she needed baguettes. “Who doesn’t?” I said. These are great for rolls and bread sticks, too. Enjoy as is or slice and use for bruschetta. For a simple, yummy appetizer, top slices with a mixture of chopped pepperoni and grated cheese and broil until the cheese melts.
    2¾ cups Bread Flour #1 (page 15)
    ½ cup chickpea flour
    ¼ cup potato flour
    1 teaspoon xanthan gum
    2 packages instant active or active dry yeast (4½ teaspoons)
    1½ cups warm water (105° to 110°F)
    3 large eggs, at room temperature, or flax gel
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon cider