Gingery Banana Bread

I had a HUGE surplus of bananas that were getting over ripe and needed to be used ASAP so I settled for using some for banana bread. I thought about gingerbread and decided to give my banana bread a gingerbread twist!










3 cups flour*
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

4 medium over ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
6 TB butter, melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

*sub any gluten free mix you like!


Grease 2- 9 inch loaf pans and preheat oven to 350


In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together well.










In a mixing bowl combined mashed bananas, molasses, egg butter and sugar and beat until well combined.











Scoop in dry mixture 1/2 cup at a time beating on low speed until combined.

Gently fold in crystallized ginger.










Split the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans and bake 45-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.









Allow to cool in pans for 10-15 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.


Slice and enjoy!

Spring Dinner Rolls

One of my jobs for Easter dinner this year was rolls. I always had the idea for a light orange-y flavor for dinner rolls in the springtime. I found a recipe and started to follow it but I did NOT get enough sleep last night and several steps in I realized it was for Orange SWEET rolls (like cinnamon rolls, just orange) That's what I get for sleep deprived baking.
Anyway I was able to take the few steps I had already done and create my own recipe for dinner rolls. I did not get the beginning process pictures because I was irritated at myself for not reading the original recipe thoroughly, but it started flowing and they turned out so well I had to share.







5 tsp yeast
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter or vegetable shortening*
2 eggs
5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB orange zest

1/4-1/2 cup butter for brushing


* I don't normally recommend vegetable shortening but in the case of rolls like these butter and shortening are the best 2 choices. Vegetable shortening has the highest melting point so it will hold shapes better, butter is a little lower but it is still ok.  I usually love to sub coconut oil, but I was worried about very low melting point. Maybe I will test that out next time.


Heat the OJ just slightly to about 105 degrees, add in yeast and sugar, stir and allow to sit until foamy.

While you are waiting for that set the milk and shortening on a medium heat and heat until the shortening is melted and the milk is JUST about to boil (don't allow it to get to a full boil!)

Set the entire pan in a shallow pool of ice water and stir until the mixture to come back down to about 105 (no higher than 110)

Add eggs to the foamy yeast mixture and stir, then add the milk mixture.
About 1 cup at a time add in flour and salt. Adding in the zest with the last cup. I changed to my dough blade after cup 3.

Knead by hand or with  a dough blade for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl and turn gently until the dough has a light layer of oil.

Set in a warm draft free location and allow to rise for 60 minutes.


Punch down dough and turn onto floured surface.

Divide into 8 equal balls.

Roll a ball out to about 12 inches . Brush with melted butter and slice into 6 wedges.











Roll each wedge starting on the wide side into a crescent shape and place on a greased baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Allow to rise 30-45 minutes more.






Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until they are golden brown.
Pull them from the oven and immediately brush with a little more butter then allow to cool
.

Chocolate Strawberry Banana Bread

We are on a little vacation and we are going to visit my elderly grandparents. I wanted to bring them a nice treat. I had a ton of bananas to use up and strawberries....and cocoa......delicious!!




This made me 3 good sized loaves. You could probably halve the recipe and get 2 smaller loaves.






3 2/3 cups flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temp
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed (about 3 cups)
6 oz plain greek yogurt
1 TB vanilla
2 cups strawberries, diced and dusted with flour


Preheat oven to 350 and grease 3 loaf pans.

In a bowl mix flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Set aside

In a mixer bowl mix butter and sugar until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well between each.

Add in mashed bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.

Slowly add in flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. When it is well incorporated gently fold in dusted berries.




Divide batter among the pans.

Bake 45-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.








Cool 20 minutes in pans, remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Sorghum Millet Pasta

I wanted to make up some fresh pasta today to change up an old recipe. I decided to change up my old pasta dough recipe as well.









2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup millet flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
3 TB potato starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt

3 large eggs*
2 TB olive oil
1 TB water

* After I made this I kicked myself because I have been meaning to try "flax eggs"(1 TB flax and 3 TB water per egg, mixed well and allowed to gel up)  as a substitute in pasta.....I will next time and add it in but if anyone is willing to experiment please let me know if it works!!!



Carefully measure all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix them until well combined.

Make a well in the center and add the eggs, olive oil and water.













Mix on medium until it all starts to come together....you may be tempted at some point to add more water because it looks crumbly, but just be patient and keep mixing it will come together!









Gather it into a ball and hand knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.











Proceed with your pasta making style. I will be using my KitchenAid Pasta Extruder and making Large Macaroni.









To cook, bring a large pot of water to a low boil , gently add pasta and cook 3-5 minutes to your preferred tenderness (cooking time will largely depend on how long beforehand you made the pasta. I did mine in the am and didnt cook it until mid-afternoon so it had a bit of "drying" time)










 Drain as you would "regular" pasta and use in the recipe of your choice!

Zucchini Bread or Muffins (Gluten Free or Regular)

Zucchini AND Back to School Season!! Once again I have an abundance of zukes. The kids love zucchini bread so here we are...... In muffin form they freeze well and are easy to pull out for some school morning breakfast or after school snack! (Bread form freezes well too of course)






1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup corn starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

OR

3 cups all purpose flour


2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves


2 TB flax meal
1/4 cup water
3 cups shredded zucchini(squeeze out excess moisture before measuring)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 TB pure vanilla extract

Grease bottoms only of muffin tins(I got 20 standard size muffins) or 2 loaf pans and preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl combine all the flour/starch ingredients with the soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Whisk well and set aside.










In a small bowl combine flax meal with water, mix together and set aside to gel up a bit.




In a mixer bowl add shredded zucchini, sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla. Add gelled up flax/water. Mix well.









Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, when it is all incorporated mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.










Scoop by scant 1/4 cup into muffin tins or split evenly between loaf pans
















Bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes for muffins, 50-60 minutes for loaves until a toothpick comes out clean

Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.

I line my muffins up on a baking sheet and freeze for 3 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag.

Gluten Free Savory Waffles

I think it is safe to say I have a slight obsession with savory waffle sandwiches....they are just so good...and an easy alternative to gluten free bread for us! Although we have found a GF bread recipe that works well for us, these are perfect for last minute bread or buns for sandwiches and burgers.  I love Polenta based waffles for my sandwiches. It give them a nice sturdy crunch. They can be used for Breakfast with Eggs and Canadian Bacon or a Sausage patty,  Lunch(they are great cold!) with sliced deli meats or Dinner with a Burger Patty or Hot Sandwich like French Dips, I even made them into individual pizzas! They freeze well and can be quickly heated in the toaster(watch carefully though because most of the time the recipes include cheese, over heat and it might melt too much and drip)


I thought I would put the general recipe on here to link back to when I make specific sandwiches with add in instructions.

Waffles:
1 cup water
1/2 cup polenta(coarse cornmeal works fine too)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg

2/3 cup sorghum flour*
1/4 cup potato starch*
3 TB tapioca starch*
1/4 tsp xanthan gum*
1 tsp baking powder

OR sub the starred ingredients with 1 cup all purpose flour

Add-Ins flavors will vary by sandwich/burger:

This is my basic seasoning but it can be adjusted per your tastes:

1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder**

1/2 tsp smoked paprika(regular is fine too, I just love smoked)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp onion powder**

** if you have an extra moment, saute up a clove of minced garlic and a little onion with a touch of oil until fragrant and tender to add to it in place of the powders!

Generally I include a cheese, an herb and an "extra" in my recipes.
1/2- 3/4 cup cheese, shredded

2 TB fresh or 1 TB dried Herbs(oregano, parsley, cilantro)

1/3-1/2 cup "extra" ingredient (green chilies, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, bacon, chopped spinach)

In a pot heat water to boiling, add polenta and stir vigorously until thick. 

Add butter, reduce heat and stir until melted. 

Remove from heat and add milk. Set aside to cool slightly then add in egg and beat well.

 In another bowl combine the flour mixtures and seasonings. 

Carefully mix the wet ingredients into the dry.

 Gently fold in the add ins. This time I am making Pizza ones so I used chopped pepperoni, oregano and mozzarella cheese.

Cook according to your waffle maker instructions. I tend to cook them a little longer than the recommended time to give it a little extra crunch. 

Use them as you see fit!!!Burgers, Cold, Sandwiches, Hot Sandwiches, Breakfast Sandwiches, Mini Pizzas.......CREATE!!!

Gluten Free Bagels/Buns and Bagel Chips

I found an old set of Donut Express pans and I though it would be fun to try my gluten free bread recipe in bagel (Mini and Full Sized) and bun shapes(with the filled donut pan) They turned out beautifully! They don't quite come out with that awesome chewy outside because of the lack of boiling but with the steam created in the oven it is a good replica. I got 6 bagels, 6 buns and 12 mini bagels.
So if you have a donut pan pull it out!! (If not take a look at local thrift shops, mine is always loaded with them)

--please disregard the whitish  topping...I experimented with a cornstarch glaze to shine them up and it did NOT work LOL(didn't affect the taste though!)

Step One:
Follow my Fluffy Gluten Free Bread recipe to the final mixing then come back here. (I made it with the Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Cereal flour variation)


Got that done? On to the next


Grease your pans. It says no stick, but I don't trust that at all so I give it a light wipe down/spray or whatever your favorite greasing method is.

Scoop the batter into the trays filling about 3/4 full

This batter is not quite liquid and not quite solid so you need to spread it in. My preferred method is to spread it in,  then bang the whole pan gently on the counter to even out tops and release any bubbles.

Allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.


While they are rising set your oven to 400 degrees and place a deep dish of water on the lower rack. Allow to heat and get nice and steamy in there. Don't open the door unnecessarily.




Place the pans into the steamy oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.









If you want to add toppings you can do an egg wash about 10 minute before the end of the baking and sprinkle on toppings before it dries(be quick!)




Remove from pans and cool completely





Ready for Bagel Chips??

This is for 6 bagels but you can cut it down if you only want a few chips.

You can make these right after cooling, or use ones that are past their prime freshness.

Take 6 bagels and slice about 1/4 inch thick. Make them as uniform as possible. I slice about 6-8 times one way then in half the other way.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Any seasonings you desire, amounts to taste
Suggestions:
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Black Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Greek Seasoning
Taco Seasoning


Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Mix your seasonings and olive oil well.











Place the bagel slices in a large plastic bag, Drizzle with the 1/2 the oil mixture and close bag(I blow in a little air to give them plenty of room. Shake gently to coat, add the second half and shake again.






Pour onto greased baking sheets (probably 2 unless you have a big one) and arrange in a loose single layer.
If you want to put a little salt on sprinkle it over them now.







Bake for 45 minutes, giving the pans a shake/ gently stir every 15 minutes or so. Rotate pans as needed for even browning.
Remove from oven when crisp.

Allow to cool completely and store in a sealed container.

Fluffy Gluten Free Bread

It is really a crapshoot when it comes to good, non-crumbly but light and  fluffy gluten free breads. This one was a hit with my bread knife and with my son! Nothing like a good piece of fresh toast with homemade blackberry jam!

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 TB yeast

2 TB sugar

1 cup sorghum flour*

1 cup brown rice flour*

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup ground flax

1 TB xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

3 egg whites

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 TB butter, melted

* I had some Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal on hand that my boys weren't too fond of(texture wise) as breakfast food so I took that and stuck it in my vitamix and ground it into a flour and subbed it for the sorghum and rice flour....it was AWESOME!!! It is Buckwheat, Sorghum, Rice and Corn so it was a nice combo in the bread) If you have some of that I recommend giving it a try!

In a large bowl proof the yeast with the water and sugar until nice and foamy.

While the yeast is proofing whisk together the dry ingredients in another bowl

In a large measuring cup beat eggs with vinegar until nice and foamy.

When the yeast is ready add the dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between additions.

When all the flour is incorporated add the egg whites and butter

 then beat on high for 3 minutes.
It will not be firm like "regular" dough! Don't add more flour!

Spoon into a greased loaf pan (I used a 10 x 5 loaf pan, anything smaller than that should be divided into 2 pans)

Shake it around a bit to form in to the pan.

Allow to rise in a warm draft free location for 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

 Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.....see those pretty tomatoes, they are just ITCHING to be in a sandwich!!!