Mozzarella, Basil & Parmesan Bread

I could write a whole story about why home made gluten-free bread is so much better than store bought, or about what it's like to have to bake all your own bread if you are looking for variety in your gluten-free diet, but with this bread, it's not necessary. You cannot buy this kind of bread and come on... look at it:

And it's not that much work to make either... so what are you waiting for?

This recipe makes two fluffy, yummy ciabatta shaped breads. It's delicious as it is, but it is lovely with a cup of your favorite soup. 

Ingredients:

• 400 grams (14 oz) of gluten-free (bread) flour 
• 15 grams (0.5 oz) of yeast
• 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 250 ml (9 fl oz) of warm water
• 60 ml (2.25 oz) of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of greek yoghurt
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of chopped mozzarella
• 50 grams (1.75 oz) of grated parmesan cheese
• a handful of fresh basil leaves (chopped)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade or 425 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Line an oven tray with baking parchment.
3. Mix the flour (in a big bowl) with the yeast, xanthan gum and salt.
4. Whisk the water, oil, eggs, honey and vinegar together in another bowl. 
5. Beat this (together with the greek yoghurt into  the dry ingredients with an electric mixer at a low speed until you have a thick, shiny dough. 
6. Beat it for another 5 minutes on medium high speed, mixing air into the dough and scraping the ides of the bowl occasionally. Add the mozzarella, parmesan cheese and basil in the last two minutes. If it's very sticky, add a bit of extra flour.
7. Divide the dough in two batches and form both into ciabatta shaped loafs on a clean, gluten-free flour dusted surface.
8. Carve the top of the loaves to make them pretty and put them on the baking tray. 
9. Lower the heat to about 200 degrees centigrade (400 degrees fahrenheit) and put them in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. I do not let this dough proof, it works just as well when you put it straight into the oven. They will come out golden, fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free 'leftovers' fiber-cake

My cupboard with baking products was overflowing with leftovers again. That's what happens when you experiment a lot, because somehow you never need the full amount of the stuff you buy for your recipe. So I put it all on my counter and realized they had one thing in common: they're all products full of fibers. Fibers are essential for your (intestines) health. You need them, but celiacs don't always get enough of them. Because gluten-free products lack natural fibers. Natural fibers that are in wheat, barley, rye and spelt. You can compensate part of it by eating lots of veggies but with kids, that's always tricky. Mine do ok with their veggie intake, but a bit more fibers (and vitamins & minerals) can't hurt. So I often bake bread and add nutritious stuff like dried fruits, tomatoes, herbs, nuts, oatmeal and such. But you can also bake cakes full of fibers. That's what I did today:

Ingredients:

• 125 grams (4,5 oz) of soft butter
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of cane sugar
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of molasses (I used Dutch apple syrup)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of gingerbread spices 
• 110 grams (about 4 oz) of almond flour
• 110 grams (about 4 oz) of gluten-free cake flour (I used Schar's C-mix)
• 10 grams (0.5 oz) of cream of tartar
• 50 grams (1.75 oz) of grated coconut and some extra to sprinkle on top
• 25 grams (1 oz) of gluten-free oatmeal and some extra to sprinkle on top
• 125 grams (4.5 oz) of raisins (I soaked them in rooibos tea for half an hour before adding them to the cake mix)
• 1 apple (chopped in tiny pieces)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees centigrade (a little over 325 degrees fahrenheit).
• Cream the cane sugar and soft butter together until it is a fluffy mixture. Add the molasses and mix it in. 
• Then add the eggs and mix that in. Beat the mixture until it is airy and well combined. 
• Now add the spices, almond flour, cake flour and cream of tartar. Beat it well until it is all combined. 
• Add the coconut & oatmeal and mix it in. 
• Finally add the raisins (drain them well!!!!) & the chopped apple. Fold this in instead of beating it, so your batter will stay light & airy. 
• Butter a cake tin and tip the cake batter in. Sprinkle the top with some coconut & oatmeal & put the cake tin in the middle of the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes. If the top gets dark too fast, lower the temperatures.
• When the cake is all golden and baked fully (stick a skewer in to check if the batter doesn't stick to it. If it doesn't, then the cake is done), take it out of the oven, out of the tin and let it cool on a wire rack. 

Enjoy!