first loaf ever!

For my very first loaf I decided to make one of my favorite bread machine breads - Cinnamon Raisin. When my mother actually used our bread machine this was the bread I remember devouring as soon as it was cool enough to slice. So yummy.

After doing a lot of research I decided to use a recipe I found on Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. She has a lot of good information on baking gluten free (GF) breads and how to make a good all-purpose GF flour. Unfortunately my financial situation does not allow me to buy multiple flours so I went with a pre-made blend from the Gluten Free Mama. Its made of White Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Potato Starch, Sweet Rice Flour, and Almond Meal.

The recipe I have is all measured in grams and for this first loaf I was so afraid that it would overflow so I ended up halving the recipe. The first half was awful. Very dense and dry. I decided to add more water to the second half and it actually came out much nicer. However, I forgot the raisins the second time around. So it ended up just being cinnamon bread which actually formed an awesome idea from Matt to make french toast. Using an egg and almond milk we soaked the pieces and cooked them on a skillet. I didn't have any maple syrup so we sprinkled them with a little bit of sugar and some more cinnamon and then a small amount of honey to top it all off. DELICIOUS! So so good.

Cinnamon (Raisin) Bread (adapted from the Gluten Free Girl)
**made in an old school bread machine**

30 grams ground flax seed meal
60 grams boiling-hot water

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
115 grams water

570 grams GF all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 large eggs
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

FIRST mix together boiling water and flax seed. Set aside to cool.

SECOND heat 115 grams of water to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk with yeast and sugar; set aside in a warm place for about 8-15 mins.

THIRD mix together flour and salt.

FOURTH beat the eggs with the Apple Cider Vinegar. Mix in flax seed and yeasty water.

FIFTH pour wet ingredients into your bread machine pan, add 115 grams of more warm water, and dry ingredients on top of that.

SIXTH turn your bread maker on and go enjoy your day until it's finished baking! (my bread machine suggests using the basic bread setting with a lighter crust for all GF breads. I have yet to experiment. My bread machine is also so old that the company that makes it no longer exists. ha) During the kneading cycles, check on the bread and add water if it looks too dry. GF dough is a bit more sticky than regular dough.

Now if you know anything about GF breads or baking most people will tell you that you MUST use xanathan or guar gum. Do you even know what those are??? Stay tuned for my next post about those and why I use flax seed instead.

And why am I up at 3am you ask?? Just waiting on my next loaf of bread to finish! It's just a plain old loaf of bread that will hopefully be good for sandwiches.