"hard-up week"

for some reason i feel renewed excitement when my refrigerator is full. and not just stocked, i mean like stuffed to the gills. i even look forward to my day of grocery shopping. packing up my little man and trekking out to our local market, where we get lost in endless aisles of natural organic goodness....what could be better!? i come home and feel completely accomplished as i organize my groceries to perfection while they get nessled in the refrigerator. as the door closes, i sigh in relief that i now have endless possibilities for my family and me to deliciously stay nourished through out the week.


yes, these are my favorite shopping trips. on the weeks when i have the extra money to spare, i stock up on everything my heart desires. all this, for just two adults and a baby! i usually have one to two trips to the store like this a month. on the other trips, i just buy the essentials and try to use up the other ingredients i have hiding in my cupboards. this is what my grandma always referred to as "hard-up week." this is what my fridge looks like after a shopping trip on hard-up week:


only picking up enough things to keep us moving through the week, i get nervous about the small amount of food before i even leave the check out line. (by the way, the large amount of eggs is due to my husband's obsession, and incredibly large appetite. its normal for him to eat a twelve egg omelette!) but on weeks like this i am challenged farther to create more creative dishes out of the minimal fresh produce combined with the dry ingredients like grains, nuts and dried fruits that have been waiting to be used. so in the creative spirit, i needed to think of another item to feed my hungry husband last night at dinner. on a stocked up week, i would have never thought of making this. but with all the gluten free flours i have, just waiting to be used, i thought why not attempt making a fresh bread to go with our dinner of pasta cashew-alfredo with sundried tomatoes and olives, and balsalmic asparagus. after all, a nice piece of crusty bread would be just a dream come true to soak up all those delicious juices!

GLUTEN FREE FRENCH BREAD
this is the first piece of french bread ive had in five years....and it hit the spot! nothing brings me back to my memories of visiting greece like having a piece of fresh bread to dip in olive oil. making this recipe proved to be really close to my heart:)...and a delightful surprise on "hard-up week!"

you can find the original recipe here. below is my version with a few changes to adapt to the ingredients i had in my kitchen.

GLUTEN FREE FRENCH BREAD
1 c brown rice flour
1 c sorghum flour
1 c tapioca flour
3 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
2 tbs yeast
2 tbs butter, melted
3 egg whites, beaten slightly
1 tsp vinegar

*dissolve sugar in water and add the yeast.

*in a separate bowl, combine the flours, xanthan gum and salt.

*once the yeast mixture has foamed (it should take about five minutes) blend the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. 

*blend in the butter, egg whites and vinegar. beat for three minutes.

*spoon dough onto a greased baking sheet, dusted with almond meal, into two french loaves. (i covered my hands with olive oil and shaped the loaves with my fingers.)

*slash diagonally with a knife every two inches.

*cover dough and let rise in warm place for 20-25 minutes.

when your loaves are done rising, it should look like this


*bake for 40-45 minutes at 400 degrees.


take one bite of this crusty bread and be transported to your wildest gluten free fantasies.






Comments

  1. your bread looks great!! I give the rest of the family GF products/breads and have only made boxed french bread recently. I do make my own pancake flour mix and they all love it.
    Peace and Raw Health,
    Elizabeth

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