Gigi’s Simple & Healthy Grain-Free Bread
Jun 05, 2014 in grain free bread recipe, grain free, paleo, gluten free bread, gluten-free, paleo bread recipe, bob's red mill.
Grain-free is BIG news in the food world these days. Even those of us who do not label ourselves as Paleo, primal, or caveperson, enjoy grain-free foods.
In fact, any of us who eat a primarily “clean†whole foods diet probably eat fewer grains than the average American.
And many of you, in searching for your best path to optimal health on a gluten-free diet have discovered eliminating most or all grains from your diet works for you.
Regardless of your reason, I know lots of you are eager for new grain-free recipes, especially for a great-tasting bread like this one.
It is simple to make, with basic ingredients and it tastes fantastic… rich and buttery, which amazes me most, since there isn’t a smidgen of butter to be found in the recipe. It’s just that right combination of ingredients that work together so well, yielding a depth of flavor that’s irresistible. Can you tell, the bread tastes amazing?
As always, when I share a bread recipe (and you Food Solutions Magazine subscribers know this first hand, I have a few notes for you before I give you the recipe. While some recipes, say for a salad or a veggie soup, are forgiving and you can be less-than-precise when putting them together, bread making requires that you follow the recipe exactly. I always try to provide as much information as possible about products and techniques so that you get great results every time.
Eggs
This bread contains eggs and I have not experimented to make it egg-free. If you’d like to, go for it and have fun, but for now, I’m leaving this one alone. I love this version and I love eggs. ;)
Be sure to have your eggs at room temperature, per the recipe. You can either (a) place them in a bowl at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or (b) place them in a bowl of very warm water for 10-15 minutes prior to cracking and using. It makes a difference in the rising of your baked goods.
Coconut Products
This recipe contains coconut products – both coconut oil and coconut flour. I use unrefined virgin coconut oil (always) and organic coconut flour. No subs for those, either… they are necessary in the quantities given (yes, it’s a significant amount of both). Regarding the oil, the bread is not low fat, but we shouldn’t be afraid of healthy fats like coconut oil. If you’re avoiding fat, this may not be your recipe. If you’re interested in learning more about coconut oil and coconut’s classification as a “tree nut†by the FDA, you may enjoy the articles, “Facts about Coconut Oil†and “Coconut is NOT a Nut“.
Baking Powder
Traditional baking powder contains grain (usually corn), but for grain-free baking, simply substitute an equal amount of Grain Free Baking Powder. It’s simple to make with only a couple ingredients.
For the rest of the ingredients, I’m not offering substitutions. Again, as with eggs, please feel free to experiment as you wish, but keep in mind grain-free baking can be challenging and even small changes can yield vastly different results. I always recommend making a new recipe exactly as written before making changes if at all possible (I understand if you are allergic to an ingredient this is not possible).
Size
I don’t want to mislead you about this bread’s size. It is not at all close to the size of a typical gluten-free loaf. I suspect you know this about grain-free breads, but I just want to be clear so you aren’t expecting something tall and fluffy like my GF Soft White Sandwich Bread. While this grain-free loaf does rise up nicely (you can see this in the picture up top), it yields small slices. If you want a ‘normal†size sandwich on this bread, simply slice the bread into 4 layers lengthwise. That will yield 4 large rectangles of bread. You can cut each of those in half, to yield 8 bread slices to use to make 4 sandwiches. I personally like the small slices, but do what you like. :)
Now, let’s get to the recipe for Gigi’s Simple & Healthy Grain-Free Bread!
Gigi’s Simple & Healthy Grain-Free Bread
Author: Gluten Free Gigi
Recipe type: bread, grain free
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 50 mins
This recipe is free from gluten, all grains, dairy, soy, tree nuts, peanuts.
Ingredients
- â…” cup minus 1 Tablespoon arrowroot starch
- â…“ cup sifted coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon grain-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, measured in solid state and melted to liquid
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, warmed with 1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal stirred in (I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal.)
- 3 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325F.
- Lightly grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan (I like a glass loaf dish as opposed to metal, but use what you have and what you like). Set the loaf pan aside. (I don’t know how much difference this makes – but it is sure to make a bit of difference – so I should tell you that I place my greased loaf dish on top of my preheating gas stove near the back, so my baking dish is moderately warm by the time my batter goes in… just thought you should know in case you want to follow suit.)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine arrowroot, coconut flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine warm applesauce with flaxseed meal; stir and set aside to mingle.
- In a large mixing bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave (or heat it in a small saucepan on the stove top, then transfer melted oil to the large mixing bowl; either way, make sure the melted coconut oil ends up in a large mixing bowl).
- Add applesauce/flaxseed meal mixture to melted coconut oil; whisk until mixture comes together in an emulsion; this takes about a minute.
- Add room temp, lightly beaten eggs; whisk again, until mixture appears uniform, another minute should do it.
- Add the vinegar and whisk a couple times to distribute.
- Add dry ingredients to liquid mixture; whisk a minute or two until the mixture is nice and smooth. It will be a sunny yellow color, especially if you use farm fresh eggs, the best! (I use a balloon whisk since the batter is somewhat thick.)
- Spoon batter into prepared baking dish and bake approximately 40-45 minutes.
- Very important: Cool bread completely before slicing. This is likely the most important tip I can share on successfully baking gluten or grain-free bread.
- Slice and serve as is or toasted. Either way it’s delish!
- Store leftovers in the fridge up to 1 week (it won’t last that long!) or wrap well and freeze up to 1 month.
Enjoy more healthy grain free recipes and don’t miss another delish dish! Sign up for my free eNewsletter, the Daily Gluten Free Fix, and have each new recipe and article delivered to your inbox.
Try these Grain Free “Pot†Brownies when you need a little something sweet!
Check out this article on grain-free living and don’t miss a great bargain on my eBook, “When Gluten Free is Not Enough: Introduction to Grain Free Living Plus 20 Grain Free Recipes“.
While you’re here, browse the Recipe Index for recipes free from gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. And be sure to explore my vast collection of “Smart Nutrition Backed by Science†articles in the Knowledge section and check out eBooks in the Shop.
If you’re NEW TO GLUTEN FREE LIVING, click on over to the Essentials.
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xo
Gigi ;)
Gluten Free Gigi, Gigi Stewart
Atlanta-based Gigi Stewart is a science-backed Southern Belle with B.S. and M.A. degrees, including a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience with specialty in natural products research. Gigi’s unique fact-based approach to nutrition, combined with her personal experience living with celiac disease and multiple food allergies gives her insight into special diets nutrition and wellness that few are able to offer. A leading voice for the gluten-free, allergen-free lifestyle, Gigi is a published author, magazine editor and a featured chef for The Ingles Table. Gigi’s expertise as a professional recipe developer, nutritional advisor, science and health writer and public speaker is highly sought after in the health and nutrition community.
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