Chocolate and Cherry Bread that will make your mouth water

Does this bread actually need an introduction? It's just gluten free heaven, filled with dark chocolate and lovely cherries. The original recipe is by Paul Hollywood, my favorite bread guru. I had to change his recipe a bit to make it gluten free. I added the usual things that help gluten free bread to impersonate normal bread, like fiber husk and xanthan gum, but I also had to change the method a bit. Paul lets his bread proof twice, but that will only create a gluten free bread disaster if you do. You end up with a very compact bread, not a lovely fluffy bread as intended. Simply because if you kneed it after it has proofed you will undo the work the yeast has done so far and the dough will not proof properly again. That's what you get when you lack the elastic abilities that gluten bring to your dough and in the end, your bread. So here's how you make Paul's miracle bread without those buggers of gluten to help you. 

Fluffy & light bread filled with cherries and dark chocolate

Ingredients:

• 500 grams (1 lb 2 oz) of gluten free bread flour
• Some rice flour to dust the bread with and to add to the dough if it becomes too soft and moist.
• 6 grams (0.21 oz)of iodized salt
• 30 ml (1.01 fl oz) of olive oil
• 20 grams (0.75 oz) of yeast
• 10 grams (0.35 oz) of xanthan gum
• 10 grams (0.35 oz) of fiber husk
• 12 grams (0.42 oz) of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of brown caster sugar
• 450 ml (16 fl oz) of warm water
• 175 grams (6 oz) of drained cherries ( I used canned ones, obviously)
• 200 grams (7 oz) of dark chocolate

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 50 degrees centigrade (122 degrees fahrenheit) and put a bowl of water in the oven. This will help your dough proof later.
2. Take a big bowl and put the flour, salt, olive oil, granulated sugar, yeast, xanthan gum and fiber husk to it and mix it all with a fork. 
3. Now slowly add the water while you kneed the dough with an electric mixer. Your dough will be a bit sticky but firm. 
4. Bash the chocolate with a rolling pin until you have small chuncks. Add these together with the caster sugar to the dough and mix again.
5. Drain the cherries and add them to the dough. Now mix well and add some rice flour if your dough gets moist. You want it a bit sticky but firm again. 
6. Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and form into an oval bread with wet hands. (If you do not wet your hands, the dough will all stick to your hands ;-))
7. Dust the dough with some rice flour and carve the dough diagonal.
8. Put it into the oven for an hour to let it proof. It will double in size in that hour. 
9. When the dough has risen, take it out of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade (400 degrees fahrenheit).
10. When the oven is warm, put the bread back into the oven and watch it turn golden in about 25-30 minutes. 
11. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

My Middle Eastern - Mediterranean fusion: bread rolls with yoghurt, feta, pecorino and mint

Yes, yes, I know! Fusion is a horrible word for saying: I took your original recipe, threw in some other ingredients and messed up your dish. To be honest, I don't like the word and the hype that was once created around it, but it got your attention, now didn't it? :-)
Fusion was once a hype, where chef's would make the most horrid combinations by mixing up two dishes from different origin and tadaa... a new cuisine was created. 
How "new" it was I don't know, because fusion is basically what we do daily in the kitchen, isn't it? I mean, the Italian dishes we serve in The Netherlands do by no means resemble the dishes you would eat in Italy. Why? Because we adapt it to our own taste and cooking methods that we are used too. We all do that. I do stuff like that daily in my kitchen. And this recipe is no exception, but in this case I feel a bit of remorse for doing so. Let me explain:

The basic recipe is from an exquisite cookbook called Saha, a culinary trip through the Middle East by Greg and Lucy Malouf. I once bought it as reference when I was working as a concept manager for a chain of Doner restaurants. I just wanted to read up and see how we could eventually expand the menu. You know, get some ideas. The book was just so beautiful and recipes so delicious I kept it on my desk as an ornament. The book just breathed Middle Eastern hospitality and ancient culinary traditions that captured my heart. When I left to another job (I went back to what I love doing most, being a communication consultant and writing for company magazines etc) I took that book with me, determined to cook from it often abiding to the culinary traditions that I loved when reading the recipes. Well, I haven't cooked from it, until today. And I left that job 5,5 years ago. So it was about time. 
And now, when I make the first recipe from it, I do that fusion thing to it. I'm sorry Greg and Lucy. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for putting a twist on your recipe. I promise next time I will make this recipe with Haloumi (which my supermarket in my un-cosmopolitan village just didn't have) and with parmesan instead of pecorino. I solemnly swear. 

If you could only smell these babies! 

Ingredients:

• 325 grams (11.5 oz) of basic glutenfree breadflour
• 7 grams (0.25 oz) of xanthan gum
• 7 grams (0.25 oz) of fiber husk
• 10 grams (0.35 oz) of dried yeast
• 8 grams (0.28 oz) of granulated sugar
• 5 grams (0.125 oz) of iodized salt
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) of lukewarm water
• 200 grams (7 oz) of Turkish yoghurt
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of grated feta (if you want to do it right, use Haloumi)
• 50 grams (1.75 oz) of grated pecorino (or the original parmesan!) and a bit to put on top. 
• 1 tablespoon of mint

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 50 degrees centigrade (122 degrees farenheit) and put a bowl of water in the oven. This will help the dough to proof. 
2. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, following the ranking of the ingredients above. 
3. Mix it all with an electric mixer till all is combined and you a left with a lump of sticky dough. Don't be alarmed, glutenfree dough needs to be a bit sticky. It needs the extra moisture in the dough to help it proof.
4. Now wet your hands with lukewarm water and created little balls of dough. The water will keep the dough from sticking to your hands. I made 8 and put them on a tray lined with baking parchment. Put them close togehter, so when they proof they will merge a bit. You can tear them off at the dinner table (or lunch table as we did ;-)).
5. Brush some olive oil on each roll and then top with some grated pecorino. (Also, the pecorino is not in the original recipe, but I figured it would make the rolls look even more pretty)
6. Put them in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 
7. Take them out, let them rest a while while you preheat the oven to 250 degrees centigrade, 482 degrees fahrenheit). When the oven is at the right temperature, bake the rolls in about 15-20 minutes till golden and they make your mouth water.
8. Let them cool a bit, but serve them while still warm.

Enjoy!

Glutenfree Turkish Pide that could easily be Focaccia

Yesterday I was writing down a possible glutenfree recipe at 6 am so my kid could take that and the ingredients (and our own baking parchment & mixer) to his outer school activities, because they had planned to bake Turkish pide. I was anxious to let my boy participate, because what if they didn't do it right and my boy got sick? What if they, by mistake, would contaminate his glutenfree stuff? What if they would bake his bread with the other 'gluten containing pide' in one oven? What if my recipe would fail as I had never attempted it myself (which was the least of my worries) and Thijmen would be all upset? What if? What if? What if? 

That is the problem with glutenintolerence. Not everybody knows how to go about it, keeping stuff separate, or thinking a bit of gluten can't hurt. They would never do it on purpose, the ladies at the activity centre are usually very careful, but keeping seperate butter, bread and so on for lunch is a bit different than baking with 15 kids, where you have to help them all. 
And baking glutenfree is different as a whole, because glutenfree dough does not react the way normal dough does. Because the gluten, that make normal dough flexible and supple, aren't in the flour. So you need to pay attention and act as you go along. Add more water or sometimes more flour, let it proof more, or bake longer. You have to act to what you see happening to your dough and you need to know your dough. That sounds very 'new age' but it is true. Heck, it is the case with normal bread too, conditions aren't always the same and it is a product of nature. But with glutenfree it is even a bit more so, because you need to create good conditions for the bread. That is why I always put a cup of water in the oven to create better proof conditions. It can fail so easily. So I had written down every step and  a gazillion warnings not to contaminate Thijmens bread in any way possible (they would probably think I am a overbearing control freak, but they have never seen him sick, I have. Too often). I had even written down my phone number and to call if they had any, really ANY questions at all and not to hesitate to do so. And that had to be it, because no way I would let my reservations keep my kid from fun activities. I just had to trust them. 

But all my worries weren't necessary. My husband texted me that morning: "They are not baking bread. They have no ovens. I have everything with me." 
No oven? Right, that will make baking pretty difficult. But since I had written down the recipe and measured all the ingredients, I decided to bake with Thijmen today. Together. Safely and guaranteed glutenfree.

Based on the recipe we created a bread that could be Pide as well as Focaccia. Glutenfree bread is never exactly like normal bread, so don't expect it to be. This bread isn't any different. But it tastes wonderful, isn't dry or crumbly and in a glutenfree diet it is a good substitute for real Pide and Focaccia. We ate it for lunch, but you could also serve it with dinner, or with some humous or olivespread or sundried tomato spread. 

Is it Pide or Focaccia?

This recipe makes one small pide.

Ingredients:

• 200 ml (7 fl oz) of lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 10 grams (0.25 oz) of dried yeast
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of bakers salt/iodized salt
• 250 grams (9 oz) of basic glutenfree bread flour
• 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon of fiber husk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 50 degrees Centigrade (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and put a bowl of water in the oven. 
2. Put the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add the olive oil, salt and a quarter of the flour. Mix it all well and then slowly add the rest of the flour, bit by bit, mixing it in till you have a firm ball.
4. Put the dough (still in the bowl) in the oven and let it proof for 40-45 minutes. 
5. Take the dough out of the oven and preheat the oven to 230 degrees Centigrade (450 degrees Fahrenheit).
6. Roll out the dough on parchment paper, form it into an oval and punch small holes in the top of the dough with your finger. Now brush it with some olive oil. If you want it to resemble Focaccia, you could sprinkle sea salt and rosemary sprigs over the top. Also you should make it a square or a rectangle shape. 
7. Put it in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes depending on your oven. Check every once in a while and you may want to turn the bread over once the top is lightly golden. This will give you an even, crispy crust.
8. Take it out of the oven when ready. Brush over it with some olive oil once again and let it cool before you serve it.

My youngest munchkin enjoying his Pide for lunch.
Recipe approved!

Fragrant feta, parsley and dill bread

Yesterday my 89 year old tough, sweet, wonderful, opinionated grandma passed away.  My last grandparent, my mothers mother and my kids oh so beloved nanna. We have been very lucky to have had her around for so long, but her passing hurts none the less. But because weirdly enough the world moves on while you are grieving, baking bread was on the agenda for today. I decided to do some therapy baking and try something new, while contemplating my grandma and her love for food. Or better said, her not existing love for cooking and so on. My grandma has never loved cooking, she ate because it kept her alive & kicking. Of course there were things she loved to eat, but cooking never was her favorite task. Where my mom and I get our love for cooking and baking from we don't know. Not my gran, that's for sure. Her oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts or Dutchies in English) and her (mostly collapsed and thus wonderfully sticky and gooey) cake on the other hand were legendary. My gran came from a family of 11 (and only one brother now remains, so sad) and every New Years Eve my gran would bake buckets full of oliebollen. Even when her huge family decreased over the years with brothers and sisters falling away, she kept baking them in buckets. We ate tons of them, even if they looked dreadful, they tasted marvellous. I don't think she ever wrote down her recipe, and I can never ask her now. Her "oliebollen" will stay a legend from now on. 

While kneading my dough I also contemplated the possibility of my grandma being a celiac without knowing. Because my gran has had tummy troubles her whole life, but never had herself checked out. My hubs and I have so often thought: what if I baked glutenfree bread for her too, would that have helped her somewhat? But she was so old and stuck in her ways and attached to her basic wheatbread that we never pressed on. She would've been so sad as to know she made her oldest puppy (that is how she always referred to my boys) so sick, so maybe it's better that we will never know. And that she will never know for sure, because I know the thought has crossed her mind too. 

As I was thinking of my wonderful gran, my hands worked seperately and created this soft, fragrant bread, made with Turkish yoghurt, feta, dill, parsley and paprika. It would be something my gran would never eat (way too exotic for her) but that she would be very proud of me for making it. Love you gran!

This bread is very fragrant, you'll smell it through your whole house when baking

Ingredients: 

• 50 grams (1.75 oz) of butter
• 75 ml (2.75 fl oz) of milk
• 20 grams (0.75 oz) of yeast
• 175 grams (6 oz) of Turkish yoghurt
• 75 ml (2.75 fl oz) of olive oil
• 1 egg
• A teaspoon of iodized salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons of fiber husk
• 450 grams (1 lb) of glutenfree flour
• 200 grams (7 oz) of feta
• 3 tablespoons of dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons of dried dill
• 1 teaspoon of paprika powder
• 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 50 degrees centigrade (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and put a bowl of water in the oven. 
2. Melt the butter and put it in a bowl to let it cool a bit. heat it the milk, just a bit so it's warm, do not let it boil, stir in the yeast and mix in the olive oil and the yoghurt. Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Set the egg yolk aside and mix in the egg white in with the butter and the milk, yeast olive oil mixture as well. Add the sugar, iodized salt, xanthan gum and fiber husk and mix in. 
3. Add the flour and gradually work it through. When it's well combined, add the crumbled feta and the herbs and spices. Knead those through as well and then transfer the dough to a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Form a loaf and carve on the top a couple of times. 
4. Put the baking tray in the preheated oven and let the dough proof for about 30-40 minutes. Take it out of the oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (350 degrees fahrenheit).
5. Mix the left over egg yolk with two tablespoons of water and brush it on top of the loaf. Leave it to rest another 10 minutes while your oven preheats. Then put it into the oven for about 35-40 minutes till it's golden. 
6. Let it cool a bit before carving it, this bread is very soft and crumbles easily. 

Enjoy!

Delicious walnut, cinnamon & raisin bread

Glutenfree flour often lacks fibers. That is simply because the (semi)grains used to make them contain less fibers than wheat or rye. That is why i often add other products to the bread to make sure my kids get their daily dose of fibers. One of the things you will find in many of my recipes is fiber husk, which adds fibers (as the name already says) but that has no taste. I therefore add nuts, seeds and fruits to the breads I make for my kids. 

Last week I searched my entire house for an old cookbook, which ended up to be in the big bookcase in my living room, right under my nose. I just have too many books, and I may need new glasses too. :-) I wanted it to make sugar bread, but that recipe wasn't in it. I did find this recipe and added the ingredients in my basic bread recipe. My youngest has a sweet tooth and he loves this bread. I even pack him some for daycare, so he will eat well there too. 

I make this bread in my Breville breadmaker, but you can also make it in a conventional oven. 

Ingredients:

50 grams (1.75 oz) of chopped walnuts

75 grams (2.65 oz) of raisins

750 grams (26.455 oz) of glutenfree all purpose flour

700 ml (23.67 fl oz) of lukewarm water

10 grams (0.35 oz) of fiber husk (to add more fibers to your bread and to improve consistency)

3 tablespoons of olive oil (in this case I use the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes as it has tons of flavour)

2 teaspoons of xanthan gum

12 grams (0,42 oz) of sugar

18 grams (0,64 oz) of yeast 

6 grams (0,21 0z) of baker's salt (you can use normal salt too but bakers salt adds iodine to your bread which gives a better taste to your bread)

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of ginger bread spices

2 tablespoons of caraway seeds

Made in the breadmaker:  

Add the lukewarm water to bread mold. Put in the fiber husk and the olive oil. 

On top of that you add the glutenfree all purpose flour. Now you add the sugar, xanthan gum, bakers salt or normal salt and the yeast. Make sure the yeast does not come in direct contact with the salt, because that will diminish the effect of the yeast. Then add the cinnamon, ginger bread spices, walnuts and raisins. 

Put the bread mold into the machine. If your machine has a French bread setting, use it! It gives the best result, as it allows the bread to develop and proof very slowly. If you don't, some machines have a glutenfree setting. Just make sure that the bread gets the chance to develop well. Help the machine along with a wooden spoon or fork when it mixes the dough, as it will turn into one heap and will not mix everything sometimes. That's what you get when you have no gluten to help the dough to stick together. When the machine is done mixing, sprinkle the caraway seeds (and some extra walnuts if you have some left) on top. Now wait and be prepared to take a wonderful loaf out of the machine when it's done. 

In the conventional oven:

If you use a conventional oven, put it on 35 degrees centigrade or 95 Fahrenheit so your oven is warm enough to let your dough proof. 

Put everything in a big bowl in the same order as you would in the breadmaker. 

Add the lukewarm water to bread mold. Put in the fiber husk and the olive oil. 

On top of that you add the glutenfree all purpose flour. Now you add the sugar, xanthan gum, bakers salt or normal salt and the yeast. Make sure the yeast does not come in direct contact with the salt, because that will diminish the effect of the yeast. Then add the cinnamon, ginger bread spices, walnuts and raisins. 

Mix it on a slow mode for 2-3 minutes first. When it's mixed well, put the mixer on a fast mode a mix some more (usually 6-8 minutes will do). Mind you, this will train your arm muscles, mixing is hard work. 

Grease a bread mold and transfer the dough into it. Even it out. Top it with the caraway seeds and some left over walnuts if you have those. Put the dough in the preheated oven and add a bowl of water, that will help the proofing process of the dough. Put the timer on 50 minutes. 

When your dough has risen to double it's size, take it out of the oven and cover with a damp dishcloth while you preheat the oven to 225 centigrade or 437 Fahrenheit. After ten minutes, put the bread (without the dishcloth) back into oven. Leave the bowl with water in the oven and bake the bread in 45-50 minutes until it smells heavenly and is golden brown. 

When it's done, leave it to cool on a wire rack under a fresh (dry) dishcloth for at least an hour and a half. When fully cooled, enjoy a slice or slice it up and put it in packets in the freezer to enjoy later.