Multi Grain Sandwich Bread
The March/April 2006 issue of Cook’s Illustrated had a mouth-watering description for multi-grain sandwich bread. But, of course, this doesn’t work exactly the same for people with gluten intolerance. I am sure the GF version of the bread is a bit denser than the wheat-based variety described in the magazine article; however, this bread has a nice crumb, tastes great toasted and topped with melted dry-jack cheese, and its use as the bread in a stuffing is just wonderful. A number of people with gluten sensitivities also are sensitive to other grains. There is flexibility within the recipe for alternatives – substitute what you can have for what you can’t. The original recipe was created by Erica Bruce and is on Pages 24 - 5 of the magazine issue. If you are unable to use eggs (an amendment in the gluten-free version not found in the original version), make your own egg substitute - for each egg yolk, substitute 2 Tablespoons of light olive oil or melted butter. For each egg white, mix 2 Tablespoons of water with 1/2 teaspoon of tapioca starch and blend thoroughly. Ingredients: 1 1/4 Cup Cereal Mix – You could theoretically use Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal which contains whole grain brown rice, corn, white sorghum, buckwheat grits. Instead, I used 1/2 Cup GF Oatmeal flakes and equal parts of whole toasted buckwheat goats and Ancient Harvest Quinoa flakes to make 3/4 Cup. 20 Ounces boiling water 3 Cups Carol Fenster’s Corn-Sorghum flour mix (or your favorite GF mix). This substitutes for unbleached all purpose flour in the official recipe. 1 1/4 Cups Betty Hagman’s 4 flour bean mix (similar to Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Baking Mix), and 1/4 Cup Teff flour. Together these substitute for the whole wheat flour in the original recipe. 2 1/2 Teaspoons Xanthan gum or Guar gum or a 50% - 50% mixture of both. Note: if your GF baking mix already has either of these ingredients, skip this ingredient. You don’t need additional. 4 Tablespoons Honey 4 Tablespoons Lite Olive Oil or melted butter 2 whole eggs. (Not in the original recipe. GF flour and buckwheat need extra moisture and richness.) 3 teaspoons instant non-quick rising dry yeast. Original recipe calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons and no additional water. (See below for when to perform this step. Do not perform the proofing step earlier than recommended.) About 50 minutes after you pour the boiling water onto the grains begin to proof the yeast in 1/4 cup 110 degree F water to which a good pinch of sugar and flour have been added. Pick a tall measuring cup and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, but not hot, draft-free location. The yeast should be frothy in 10 minutes. 1/2 - 1 Teaspoon salt (You may add up to 1 Tablespoon total per the original recipe, but this would be pretty salty for my taste. You need some salt to moderate the yeast.) 1/4 Cup mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds or a mixed seed mixture – salted seeds are OK. (Original recipe calls for 3/4 Cup, but that is really a lot.) Optional: 1/4 Cup additional McCann’s Quick Cooking Oat Flakes to top the bread for decoration. I skipped this decoration, and I’m glad. Method: 1. Prepare two 8” X 4” banking pans by spreading margarine over all surfaces and then dusting with brown rice flour. Some GF bakers that use the dark gray non-stick pans say all you need to prepare is the bottom. Upon cooling, the bread will shrink slightly and pull away from the sides. 2. Place cereal mix in the work bowl of your stand mixer. Pour in the boiling water. Let stand, stirring occasionally until the temperature cools to 100 degrees – about an hour. Note that 10 minutes prior to the complete cooling, you will need to initiate the yeast proofing process described above. 3. Prior to the complete cooling of the cereal mixture, whisk the flours, salt and Xanthan gum together. If your favorite GF baking mix already contains Xanthan or Guar gum, omit this ingredient. 4. When the cereal mixture has cooled, add all of the liquid ingredients and the flour mix. Mix for 2 - 4 minutes. When thoroughly mixed, add seeds and mix on low until just blended. 5. Spoon the bread dough into the pans, smooth with the back of a dampened spoon, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in bulk – 45 – 60 minutes. Do not let the loaves over-raise. 6. Place the pans into a 375 degree F oven. Bake the bread uncovered for the first 10 minutes and then place aluminum foil hats over the loaves to keep them from over-browning. Bake for 30 minutes and then check the bread to see if a steel cake -*test*-('")er comes out clean. If not, bake longer. When the bread is done, tip it out of the bread pans onto cooling racks. It is OK if the bread cools on its side. Cool for 3 hours before cutting. Bread can be frozen for up to 1 month if it is tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a Ziplock bag.
The March/April 2006 issue of Cook’s Illustrated had a mouth-watering description for multi-grain sandwich bread. But, of course, this doesn’t work exactly the same for people with gluten intolerance. I am sure the GF version of the bread is a bit denser than the wheat-based variety described in the magazine article; however, this bread has a nice crumb, tastes great toasted and topped with melted dry-jack cheese, and its use as the bread in a stuffing is just wonderful. A number of people with gluten sensitivities also are sensitive to other grains. There is flexibility within the recipe for alternatives – substitute what you can have for what you can’t. The original recipe was created by Erica Bruce and is on Pages 24 - 5 of the magazine issue. If you are unable to use eggs (an amendment in the gluten-free version not found in the original version), make your own egg substitute - for each egg yolk, substitute 2 Tablespoons of light olive oil or melted butter. For each egg white, mix 2 Tablespoons of water with 1/2 teaspoon of tapioca starch and blend thoroughly. Ingredients: 1 1/4 Cup Cereal Mix – You could theoretically use Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal which contains whole grain brown rice, corn, white sorghum, buckwheat grits. Instead, I used 1/2 Cup GF Oatmeal flakes and equal parts of whole toasted buckwheat goats and Ancient Harvest Quinoa flakes to make 3/4 Cup. 20 Ounces boiling water 3 Cups Carol Fenster’s Corn-Sorghum flour mix (or your favorite GF mix). This substitutes for unbleached all purpose flour in the official recipe. 1 1/4 Cups Betty Hagman’s 4 flour bean mix (similar to Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Baking Mix), and 1/4 Cup Teff flour. Together these substitute for the whole wheat flour in the original recipe. 2 1/2 Teaspoons Xanthan gum or Guar gum or a 50% - 50% mixture of both. Note: if your GF baking mix already has either of these ingredients, skip this ingredient. You don’t need additional. 4 Tablespoons Honey 4 Tablespoons Lite Olive Oil or melted butter 2 whole eggs. (Not in the original recipe. GF flour and buckwheat need extra moisture and richness.) 3 teaspoons instant non-quick rising dry yeast. Original recipe calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons and no additional water. (See below for when to perform this step. Do not perform the proofing step earlier than recommended.) About 50 minutes after you pour the boiling water onto the grains begin to proof the yeast in 1/4 cup 110 degree F water to which a good pinch of sugar and flour have been added. Pick a tall measuring cup and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, but not hot, draft-free location. The yeast should be frothy in 10 minutes. 1/2 - 1 Teaspoon salt (You may add up to 1 Tablespoon total per the original recipe, but this would be pretty salty for my taste. You need some salt to moderate the yeast.) 1/4 Cup mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds or a mixed seed mixture – salted seeds are OK. (Original recipe calls for 3/4 Cup, but that is really a lot.) Optional: 1/4 Cup additional McCann’s Quick Cooking Oat Flakes to top the bread for decoration. I skipped this decoration, and I’m glad. Method: 1. Prepare two 8” X 4” banking pans by spreading margarine over all surfaces and then dusting with brown rice flour. Some GF bakers that use the dark gray non-stick pans say all you need to prepare is the bottom. Upon cooling, the bread will shrink slightly and pull away from the sides. 2. Place cereal mix in the work bowl of your stand mixer. Pour in the boiling water. Let stand, stirring occasionally until the temperature cools to 100 degrees – about an hour. Note that 10 minutes prior to the complete cooling, you will need to initiate the yeast proofing process described above. 3. Prior to the complete cooling of the cereal mixture, whisk the flours, salt and Xanthan gum together. If your favorite GF baking mix already contains Xanthan or Guar gum, omit this ingredient. 4. When the cereal mixture has cooled, add all of the liquid ingredients and the flour mix. Mix for 2 - 4 minutes. When thoroughly mixed, add seeds and mix on low until just blended. 5. Spoon the bread dough into the pans, smooth with the back of a dampened spoon, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in bulk – 45 – 60 minutes. Do not let the loaves over-raise. 6. Place the pans into a 375 degree F oven. Bake the bread uncovered for the first 10 minutes and then place aluminum foil hats over the loaves to keep them from over-browning. Bake for 30 minutes and then check the bread to see if a steel cake -*test*-('")er comes out clean. If not, bake longer. When the bread is done, tip it out of the bread pans onto cooling racks. It is OK if the bread cools on its side. Cool for 3 hours before cutting. Bread can be frozen for up to 1 month if it is tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a Ziplock bag.