When I moved from San Francisco to the small northern California Town of Chico I started my Bread Project. The intent was to have a project, daily project that I could focus on outside myself to assist in the transition and to help with my Pshycho-Social recovery. I was inspired by the Book/Movie Julie on Julia where the main character cooks and bakes her way through Julia Child's cookbook. For my project I chose the book THE BREAD LOVERS BREAD MACHINE COOKBOOK, by Beth Hensperger.
Well today's recipe is off the internet, not from the book. During the Project there have been lots of twists and turns. Like the inclusion of Gluten free breads. In trying to decide what to do with the left over read, I discovered some new neighbors that had 7 special needs kids that they had adopted. I introduced myself and brought some of my frozen delights, and offered to bring breads from my project. I was told that one of the kids was a celiac and needed wheat free bread. I had never heard of celiac, and knew nothing. But I love to learn. So I started to educate myself. I bought a couple of books, I did a lot of web research, and got schooled in cleaning for a celiac, cross contamination, and the like. I even learned not to bake the gluten free bread AFTER the wheat bread because wheat can stay in the air for 6-8 hours! I also learned that Gluten Free Bread baking is not at all bread baking, but more like cake baking. Done better with a Kitchen-Aid POWERFUL mixer than a bread machine. So I have a rhythm to the process now. I make a gluten Free loaf the night before and refigerate, and then do the wheat bread in the morning before my walk, and by breakfast I have a fresh loaf of bread.
My move to Chico has been a God send. I needed the change to reinvigorate my life. To explore new things and places and get back into old hobbies, push myself outside my comfort zone. I have rediscovered an old love of hiking and hot springs and found a wonderful book called "Touring Hot Springs California and Nevada", by Matt C. Bischoff, and have started discovering Hot springs in the area.
CLASSIC San Francisco Sourdough Bread
2 cups warm water
6 to 8 flour (depends on how thick your starter is)
1 cup sourdough starter.
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl or pot combine water, starter, and 4 cups of flour.
Mix well and cover with plastic wrapo in a warm place for 8-12 hours
I took the dough and put it into the machine on the pasta cycle and kneeded it for about 14 minutes, adding the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time. It made a VERY stiff dough.
Punch Down and divide in half. Form into rounds and dlit the tops. Put on a greased cookie sheet cover lightly and allow to rise till doubled and 1 to 1 and a half hours.
Cut a cross into the top and then bake on 400 for 10 minutes.
GLUTEN FREE FEATHER LIGHT WHITE BREAD
Flour Mix
Rice Flour (1 part)
Tapioca Four (1 part)
Corn Starch (1 Part)
Potatoe Flour (1 teaspoon per cup)
I make about 9 cups at a time, 3c -3c - 3c -3T
THE BREAD RECIPE
3 cups Rice Flour Mix above
2.25 Teaspoons Xanthan Gum
1.5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1.5 teaspoons egg replacer
3/4th teaspoon salt'
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup dry milk powerder
2.25 teaspoons (One packet) active yeast
Sift all these together in a separate bowl and set aside.
WET INGREDIENTS
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
4.5 Tablespoons melted butter
3/4 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoon Honey
3 tablespoon honey
1.5 cups water
Wisk egg, egg whites, margine, vinegar and honey until blended. Add most of the water to the egg mixture. Turn the mixer to low, and change from wisk to the paddles. Slowilky add the flour mixture. after alll the flour is incorporated turn the mixer to high. bBeat on high for 4 minutes. Put into a bread pan and let rise for 60 minutes, or until the bread reaches the top of the pan. Bake in preheated 4009 degree oven covered with aluminum floil, till the last 10 minutes, then remove the foil.
This makes a really wonderful light bread perfect for sandwhiches.