Recipe for Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread Recipe



When our family made the switch to a gluten-free diet, there was one thing we found especially difficult to find: a healthy gluten-free bread that was delicious. Yes there were lots of recipes on the internet, and many box mixes for sale, and even fully baked loaves available at the grocery store -- but very few of them weren't loaded with lots of things that we had already eliminated from our diets as we moved towards eating in a more healthful way. Of the few we found that didn't contain objectionable ingredients, they still consisted in large part of refined starches. What's worse they really didn't even taste that good. That's when we decided we'd rather adjust to a bread-less life, then waste our daily caloric quota on something that not only wasn't really contributing important nutrients, but wasn't even that tasty. After all -- the whole point of going gluten-free was to improve our health. We were used to eating whole grains. What sense did it make to eliminate gluten but then load up on refined starch, sugar and fat?

But then I got an idea to try making bread using whole grains and a "sourdough" approach. After much experimentation, I found a way to make a 100% gluten-free whole grain bread. My recipe has no added sugar, no refined starches, and no added oils. It is eggless and dairyless too. There are no scary ingredients, and except for xanthan gum, none that average people in the world might not be familiar with. (For those new to this journey, xanthan gum is sold in natural foods stores, as a dry white powder. It is made from a fermentation process, and helps gluten free products stay together and can also be used as a thickener.) I am so excited about this recipe that I decided to just give it away -- whether you decide to buy my book or not. I figure if you do try it, you might just want more healthy gluten-free recipes to enjoy -- then I figure you'll buy my book.

You will not believe how wonderful this tastes! In fact it has gotten rave reviews from my non-GF friends. I realize that the instructions below may sound a little daunting at first, but really once you create a good starter and learn to care for it, the rest is really easy. And trust me -- this bread is sooooo worth it!

I am especially proud that I found a way to make a truly whole-grain bread that has NO added oils, NO egg or dairy, and NO refined starches or sugars. But let me warn you, when you pull it steaming out of the oven -- in spite of the fact that it is nearly impossible to slice beautifully until it cools -- it is hard to not stuff hunks of it right into your mouth -- it is THAT good. (I've learned to make two loaves at once in order to have one that I can slice up into neat slices.)

For the record, Buckwheat itself does NOT contain gluten. Botanically, the plant is not even related to wheat (in spite of its name). Buckwheat is actually in the rhubarb family. I prefer to grind my own buckwheat flour, from whole raw hulled buckwheat to assure I am getting 100% of the whole grain in a fresh state. There is a possibility of cross contamination when using whole grains – depending upon the facility that packaged them. If you are extremely sensitive to gluten, you may be better off purchasing pre-ground buckwheat flour that has been batch tested and guaranteed gluten-free.

The first recipe below is for the starter. (A gluten-free/casein free sourdough starter) You will need to store finished starter in the fridge, and “feed it” a tsp of water and tsp of flour (mix it in) every few days. All freshly ground flours should be stored in the freezer.


NOTES ON WATER: I USE DISTILLED OR RO WATER FOR ALL MY FOOD PREPARATIONS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF YOU USE REGULAR TAP WATER IN THIS RECIPE, SOME OF THE CHEMICALS IN THE WATER MAY PREVENT THE SOURDOUGH CULTURE FROM GROWING PROPERLY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU USE PURIFIED WATER.

Making the GF/CF Starter

Ingredients:

5 large dark red organic grapes. (some people have gotten non-organic grapes to work!)
1 cup of buckwheat flour (finely ground – important for starter)
1 cup of water

Directions:

  1. Gently rinse the grapes with water. (Be careful that you don't wash the naturally occurring yeasts off of them.) Then peel the skins and set aside. (You can eat the insides now.)


  2. Place the flour and water into a small bowl and mix well, breaking up all lumps.


  3. Add the grape skins to the flour and water mixture and mix a little more.


  4. Cover the bowl with a wet cloth napkin and set on the counter, out of sun for 2-3days.


  5. Stir the mixture several times a day. Keep the napkin wet.


  6. Smell the mixture and check for an increase in volume and bubbly look. Look for the surface to turn slightly mauve colored. When this happens, search for and remove all remnants of grape skin.


  7. Feed the mixture a teaspoon of buckwheat flour and a teaspoon of water about every 12 hours for 3 more days.


    Now your starter is ready to use. I find that if I keep it out of the fridge for another week – and keep feeding it every day, (or making bread every day) it seems to work even better.


To Make Sourdough Bread:



Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup water
¼ cup sourdough starter (from above recipe)
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup garbanzo flour
½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds (OPTIONAL -- leave out for lower fat product!)
2 & 3/4 cups plus 2 TBS water
½ cup ground flax seeds
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

  1. Mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water and add your entire jar of starter (about ¼ cup). Cover bowl with wet cloth. Let sit about 12 hours.


  2. When bubbly, with rich “sour” smell, remove about ¼ cup of the starter. (refill the same amount back into your starter jar) and put it back into the refrigerator for use next time. The rest of this starter will be used in step 5 below.


  3. Place the remaining 2 cups of buckwheat flour, garbanzo flour, sunflower seeds and baking soda in a large bowl and mix well with a wire whisk.


  4. Place 2 ¾ cups plus 2 TBS of water and the flax seeds in blender and blend until thick and creamy. Add the salt and xanthan gum and blend well.


  5. Pour the wet into the dry, add the starter and mix well. This will be more of a thick batter, then a dough.


  6. Cut a piece of parchment paper about12 x 14 inches and set it in a loaf pan. Spoon the sourdough into the pan, stand the edges of the parchment paper up straight to support a moist cloth napkin that you place on top of this.


  7. Set undisturbed for 6- 14 hours (depends on temperature) – until it increases in size, nearly overflowing pan. The time will be less if you can keep temperature at about 100 degrees. Bake it in a preheated oven at 360 degrees for about 60-70 minutes. After it cools, store in the refrigerator. If you want very thin slices – wait until it is completely cool to cut it.

Additionally we have found after storing it in the refrigerator, it tastes MUCH better if we pop the slices in the toaster oven before serving them. Interestingly -- even when toasting -- the slices don't really brown up much -- but they will got hot and fragrant and really yummy. If you really want to impress people (and fat is not an issue) -- serve it with a nice pesto or garlic --olive oil spread (that recipe is in my book too.)

About 60% of Americans have the genes that predispose them to becoming gluten sensitive.

Recent research (By Dr. Kenneth Fine) suggests that about half of these people have detectable immunological reactions to gluten, and the majority will NEVER meet the classic definition of celiac disease -- even though gluten IS triggering an autoimmune reaction in their body which may affect many organs or tissues other then the small intestine.


Recipe for these GFCF Penguins is in my book!

Are You Educated on Genetic Engineering?

Biotechnology is the new frontier. Yet, few people in our country right now, have any idea, just how dramatically Genetic Engineering is poised to change our lives. Proponents believe biotech holds the possibility of doing some great things, and I believe it might have some great applications, but there is also evidence that this technology if misapplied or allowed out of the lab/hospital setting, could have significant and even disasterous consequences for our health, and well being. The problem is, there is so much money to be made right now in biotech, and so little required in terms of safety testing, and no requirement for product labeling, that human hubris and capitalism being what they are, I think we are headed for some difficult lessons -- before appropriate safeguards are put in place. I believe at the very least, people should have the option of taking the risk of exposure or avoiding this risk if they so choose. (But that is currently NOT the case.) Please watch the video below (it is less then 20 minutes long) of how one mother (who just happened to be a wall street food analyst) woke up to this issue. Then go explore this site: Seeds of Deception to learn the facts so that you can protect yourself and your family.

Should you avoid Genetically Engineered Foods?

Check this out -- Vitamin D

Many of us probably have suboptimal levels of vitamin D, which can be a contributing factor to the development of many of the related conditions and symptoms more common in those who are gluten sensitive. Watch this video -- It's worth the investment of thirty minutes of your time. I should mention however, that while some authorities consider D3 superior to D2, there is good data that if D2 is taken in reasonable amounts (like 1000-2000 iu daily -- not the huge megadoses that some doctors recommend taking on a weekly basis) that D2 is very effective. (And for someone like me who prefers to minimize any possible exposure to prions which may contaminate animal derrived substances -- of which D3 is one -- this is very good news.)

Dietition Jack Norris has great info on Vitamin D here. Be sure also to read Vitamin D Researcher/MD Michael Hollick's book, The UV Advantage.

Recurrent Abdominal Pain (R.A.P.)

Pre Celiac Disease?

As soon as my daughter could talk she began to report to me that her tummy almost always hurt. Although it didn't become really bad until she was about 8 years old -- this I believe was due to long term exclusive breastfeeding. Throughout her early years, I raised the issue of her chronic abdominal pain with our family doctor on many occaisions, and he would assure me that nothing was wrong, that RAP was very common in children and usually due to emotional issues. When it increased in severity we went to see another doctor -- he thought she might have ulcers -- but that test came back negative and the other tests he ran showed that she was in good health. He thought she was fine too. Eventually I learned about gluten from a friend and well you can read the rest of this story by clicking on the links to articles at the top of this page. However the main point I wish to make here is this: In looking back, it is clear to me now that my daughter -- probably from birth was reacting to gluten. Her fussiness, her greenish stools, her starting to nurse and then pulling off and crying, and then years of tummy aches -- all suggest that gluten was causing her issues from the very beginning. On many occaisions I suspected that wheat might be affecting her -- but its withdrawal never entirely resolved her issues. Now of course I know that gluten is not just in wheat, but also barley, spelt, rye, oats and lots of things made from these. RAP is very common and most the time, it's cause is never found. I would urge anyone who's child is suffering, to explore the possibility that gluten might be the cause of their distress.

Why is Gluten so Problematic?

August of 2009 Scientific American published this very in-depth article on Celiac Disease:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=celiac-disease-insights

With this quote in it:

"Gluten, however, has a peculiar structure: it is unusually rich in the amino acids glutamine and proline. This property renders part of the molecule impervious to our protein-chopping machinery, leaving small protein fragments, or peptides, intact."

However one thing the article left unanswered. I want to know what is the scientific basis for so many doctors believing that antigliadin antibodies are non-specific and are not (by themselves) indicitive of a problem? The article said that anti-gliadin antibodies are NOT considered specific to celiac disease because they are often found in people who do not have celiac disease. But given that it has only been about 65 years that the medical profession has even made the connection between celiac disease and gluten, and only SIX years since the medical profession realized the incidence was at least TEN TIMES more common then they previously thought....why are they still assuming that anti-gliadin antibodies are nonspecific?

Could it be that all those people who do have antigliadin antibodies in their systems, but don't show damage to the villi are still having a dangerous reaction to gluten? Should the definition of celiac disease be altered...or else dropped altogether and simply be part of a condition called gluten sensitivity which may or may not create visible damage to the villi of the small intestine?

Taxonomic Relationship Amongst Grains

Taxonomic Relationship Amongst Grains
Only the Hordeae tribe make their own gluten -- but oats can absorb gluten if they are grown or stored near gluten containing grains.
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