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Tuesday, October 26

Artisan Bread


I've wanted to bake my own loaf of bread for ages and my new sweet friend Brittany at RealSustenance has recently tried to create a few loaves egg-free herself.  Her attempts inspired me to finally give it a try!

On one of my fun bookstore dates with myself I found an intriguing cookbook written by the chef behind Seattle's Flying Apron Bakery.  Their house bread recipe looked fantastic and it wasn't long before I began plotting when I could bake my first loaf.  This morning turned out to be the only time I could, so I got up nice and early to throw on my apron, warm up the oven and pull out my flours!

It baked for close to two hours and the kitchen smelled heavenly the entire time.  I think it really settled the somewhat dreamy idea I had of waking early to bake, allowing my husband to wake to the delicious and comforting smell of sweet bread.  The husband is not yet here, but my family gets to experience the mouthwatering aroma and they don't seem to mind being the recipients of my early, morning baking results!

When I pulled it out I immediately fell in love.  A beautiful loaf, it matched its delicious aroma well.  I couldn't help but long for France.  I have never been, but the idea of freshly, baked artisan loafs and baguettes seems to be a common occurrence there.  If I can't travel at least I can create the same experience in my own little San Diego kitchen!

I hope you can enjoy the beauty of this delicious artisan loaf and maybe even give it a try yourself.  Here is the recipe from the cookbook, with my own personal alterations.

Bon Appetite!


{Artisan Bread}

2 3/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Cup Garbanzo bean Flour/Chickapea Flour
1/4 Cup Chia Seeds ground in the blender
11/2 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Cup lukewarm water
1 packet of Active Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup pureed Pumpkin


Warm the oven to 300 degrees and grease your baking pan. Mix the top five ingredients in a medium bowl and mix the Olive Oil, Maple Syrup, water and Yeast in another bowl.  The yeast will become activated after 3-5 minutes of stirring and it will begin to bubble and appear cloudy.  Once it is activated, begin to slowly add the first bowl and Pumpkin Puree to the yeast mixture.  Do your best to not over-mix the ingredients.  Plop the dough on a floured surface (floured with Brown Rice Flour) and knead gently a few times. Create a 12inch loaf and place on greased baking pan.  Lastly, slice the loaf gently on the side to keep it from cracking too much.


Bake for one and a half to two hours in the oven.  When you slide a knife into the bread and it comes out clean, pull your beautiful loaf out and let it cool.  I suggest wrapping it in a cotton cloth or clean towel to keep it warm, moist and fresh longer.... it also makes it appear and feel more European!



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Gluten Free Wednesday

Monday, October 18

Apple Muffins


October is a birthday month! Both of the men in my life celebrate their special days in the first week of this wonderful month. Don't worry, one of them is my Dad.  Haha and he is the one that inspired this recipe!  A lover of the apple and all things that incorporate this tasty fruit, I wanted to find a recipe that used it in a simply delicious way.  My family was having a birthday breakfast for him, so I thought muffins might be a light but filling treat.  Since it's the closest thing to a cupcake, it fit the birthday atmosphere quite well.

The muffins turned out fantastic! I am not just saying that...they really did! Even as I am writing this my Dad is asking me when I am going to make more.

Again, my little backyard apple tree is producing up a storm, so the Michel family has more apples than they know what to do with! Solution?  My Dad says... more apple muffins!

The original recipe is from a wonderful blog called MAID in Alaska. As is typical, I changed a few things here and there, but check out her original recipe here to create your own version.


{Apple Muffins}

6 TBSP boiling Water
2 TBSP Chia Seeds
3 Cups Gluten-free Oats
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 Cinnamon
2 TBSP Grapeseed Oil
2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 Cup Agave
1/4 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
1 Apple shredded/grated
1 Apple chopped with skin on

To begin heat oven to 350 degrees and heat the water.  Grind the Chia seeds in your blender until they become more like meal.  Once your water is boiling, pour it in with the Chai seeds and set aside. Use the blender again to grind the Oats.  Neither the Oats nor the Chai has to be completely ground, just enough to keep texture while still creating some finer meal/flour.  Combine the Oat flour with the rest of the dry ingredients.

Next shred your first Apple with a cheese grater.  Place the shredded Apple in a large bowl with all the wet ingredients. Gradually add your dry mixture to this wet mixture.  Finally chop your second Apple, leaving the skin on, and fold into your batter.  Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven!


Once they are golden brown, pull them out, let them cool and enjoy! They are delicious right out of the oven. They don't even need butter or honey, although these are always delightful compliments.

Enjoy!

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Sunday, October 10

Blackberry Apple Cake


Now that Fall is truly upon us, my family's apple tree has been delivering gorgeous fruit! I love using produce from my own garden or from local farmers markets, so the fact that I can go and grab an apple directly from my yard brings me great satisfaction. My wonderful man and I also happened to go blackberry picking a few weeks ago and gathered enough to make multiple delicious treats.  I froze most of them so I can bring them out later when they're no longer in season.  Today I wanted to share a tasty cake that we made from my apples and blackberries.  I found a wonderful recipe on Karina's blog that caught my eye and I just had to give it a try.  The following recipe has a few alterations, but feel free to follow her original recipe that incorporates cranberries.  I may use that version when Thanksgiving rolls around.  I ate this yummy cake in the morning and would love to bring it to a brunch sometime! It also tasted delicious in the evening with my favorite coconut milk ice cream.  Give it a try and let me know when you prefer to enjoy it! I hope you are enjoying this year's Fall as much as I am!


{Blackberry Apple Cake}

Ingredients:
1 Cup Sorguhum Flour
1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/4 Cup Potato Starch
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Cloves
1 Cup Sucant

1 TBSP Egg-Replacer
1/4 Cup warm Water
1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil
1/2 Cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP raw organic Agave
1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla

2 Cups Chopped Apples
3/4 Cup frozen Blackberries


To begin preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch round pan.  Then mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and all the wet in a larger bowl.  Stir well and then combine the two in the larger bowl.  Fold in the Apples and then pour batter into pan.  Tuck in the Blackberries throughout the batter.  Drizzle Honey or Agave over the batter in a criss-cross fashion.  Place in warmed oven and bake for 45-60 minutes. Test it by sticking a small knife in the center.  If it comes out clean, without lingering batter, then it is ready! Pull out and eat warm. This cake is a delicious breakfast treat or yummy dessert when served a la mode!
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