47 replies to this topic

[alternativista]

A collection of better bread and bread-like (pancakes, pizza bases, pasta) things from either long fermented grains, non-gluten forming grains, or other flours and meals like coconut, almond, yucca root (Tapioca) or from other foods like fermented lentils, cauliflower, etc. While the first few are about long fermented wheat doughs, plenty of grain-free recipes follow.

Be sure to check for recipes in the various gluten free, coconut, Better Grains, and other threads full of recipes in the Food and Recipe Index thread pinned under Important Topics:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Food-and-...ce-t205099.html

You'll always be able to find this thread there as well.

I would still not make grain-based breads a big part of your diet, but if you want to indulge, make it really good bread, and fresh baked bread is the way to go.

Also, be sure to visit the ZAG enzyme thread for info on the ways anti-nutrients in grains and seeds, especially the gluten grains, soy and peanuts are harmful to digestive health and may directly affect how your skin cells exfoliate properly without clogging pores. In this thread you'll also find info on other foods and nutrients that help prevent/undue the damage from the anti-nutrients in these foods.

Edited by alternativista, 26 April 2011 - 11:20 AM.

[alternativista]

Long Fermented Wheat/gluten Breads

Sourdough is an example. And supposedly many celiacs can eat sourdough. This method gives the yeast/fermentation more time to work on the gluten making it less harmful to your intestines and more tolerable to the gluten sensitive. And presumably, causes less of a glycemic impact since the gluten lectins are insulin mimics. And per Cordain, directly affect shedding of skin cells and therefore clogged pores and acne.

Before instant yeast, the yeast and half or more of the flour were left overnight to ferment before making the bread. Both to not waste the flour in case the yeast is dead and because the yeast came in dry cakes that had to be soaked themselves. If you have a bakery that makes 'artisan' bread, they might use this method. It's called the sponge method, but now days if you search recipe sites for 'no knead' bread, you find recipes made with a similar method.

-----------------------------------
No Knead Bread
Here's a basic recipe meant to be left to raise for at least 12 hours. More is, of course better. You need a dutch oven or other heat proof covered dish. Because wet dough in hot enclosed space = steam which = wonderful crusty bread. And this method is very easy with little work involved. And with variations that involve nearly no work. See my notes below. And it's extra cheap because you only use 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. I used to bake traditional kneaded loaf bread years ago and I was always annoyed that I had to spend a dollar to buy the packets of yeast making the bread just as expensive as buying it.

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 ½-pound loaf.

Notes: The above dough is really wet as it should be, but when I tried it, it was way too wet for shaping into a ball. So if summer wasn't upon me, I would experiment with just dumping the dough into a buttered oven proof bowl right before baking and putting it into the oven, skipping all the resting and sprinkling with flour and shaping steps. This means all you do is stir it together and then do nothing else until ready to put into the oven. Incredibly easy. I don't get the point of moving it, sprinkling a little flour, then letting it rest again. Just leave it alone and bake. As it's summer and I don't use the oven, I'm going to try making the dough and when ready to use, ladle it onto a griddle to see how that works. Like Indian Fry Bread.

Also, see this blog commenter who made her own variation:
QUOTE
I bake the bread using the original recipe method, in an oven-proof bowl, with a lid on top. The other day I was in a hurry, so after the initial rise and shaping the dough into a loaf, I plopped it into the cold bowl, and put it in a cold oven (no preheating). Then I turned the oven to 450 degrees, baked the bread for 30 minutes with the lid on and 30 minutes with the lid off. The bread was fantastic. The crust was crispy on the outside, and the inside was delicious. The next day I tried this with dough that was refrigerated overnight. No extra rising, I just sprinkled the dough with flour, shaped a quick round loaf, and plopped it in the cold baking dish, and baked it. It was great! This saves me a lot of time, and I dont have to preheat the oven. Just thought I would pass this on.


Also, I've seen recipes from the same chef in Martha Stewart Living, but it only had 1 1/2 cup of water which would probably making shaping it more possible which would be best if you want to use the preheated dutch oven method.

Another also, in light of the next method I am going to post, I see no reason why you couldn't let it sit for several days up to 2 weeks (which will make it more and more sour as in sourdough) in the fridge before baking.

Links to more info and variations: http://dinersjournal...no-knead-bread/ whole wheat: http://www.sugoodswe...-knead-wwbread/ Multigrain: http://www.culinate..../no_knead_bread
http://www.epicuriou...7#ixzz0mt2mpZxB
If you search for more info, be sure to ignore any suggestions about not letting it ferment at least 12 hours.

Also, this method is potentially better than sourdough because you ferment all the flour. With sourdough, you may add the starter when you may mix in most of the flour and then just let rise a couple hours.

The Science Behind No-Knead Bread - to help you figure out how to make subsitutions or form different kinds of breads:
http://www.seriousea...tm_medium=email

Edited by alternativista, 19 March 2012 - 09:19 AM.

[alternativista]

Another long fermentation method

The 5 minutes a day method that involves keeping dough for several loaves in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (when it becomes pretty much like sourdough) as you use hunks at a time to make a loaf whenever you want it. The name is silly because there's no daily labor involved and what labor there is takes more than 5 minutes. This method is great if you have people around to eat all that bread.

They have several books, the first one, a second book that draws from traditional breads around the world, possibly using other grains that people used before our wheat spread there. And apparently a third coming out on flat breads. See http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com for their blog with recipes, all kinds of tips and variations including other flours and shapes. Like a recent post on hot dog buns.

Basic Recipe: well, i can't find that at the moment, I'll find and edit later. Search the blogs. But unless you are seriously gluten intolerant, you should start with the basic white flour recipe and get the technique down before trying the others. The reason we use so much white wheat flour for bread is because it gives the best results.

Here's the basic GF dough recipe http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1396#more-1396. And a gluten free Naan made in a skillet on the stovetop.

Note: Guar gum and xantham gum are used to bind the bread together in place of the gluten. I found this comment on that: 'Some people react to guar gum, so xantham is better. If you also react to that, try pectin.' With no more info on how to use the pectin or what it does. Although, I guess these things are used to make the bread elastic, which is what gluten does. Otherwise, it would be the texture of cake.

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:23 PM.

[alternativista]

Alternative, Non-Grain Flour:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/simply-...cipe/index.html

Yucca a.k.a. Tapioca Buns (Gluten Free)
The yucca here is a root eaten throughout central America and beyond. It is also known as manioc, and I think it's the same thing as Cassava. Eaten like a potato as well as used for bread.

Ingredients

* Cooking spray
* 1 cup tapioca flour, plus extra for kneading
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 cups Oaxaca cheese or other fresh white cheese, such as mozzarella, finely grated
* 2 large egg yolks
* 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream, if necessary


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine the tapioca flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and egg yolks. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out. Knead the dough with your hands until the dough is smooth, even-textured, and not sticky. If the dough doesn't come together or seems too stiff, then add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together and feels supple.

Divide the dough into 10 even pieces and with your hands, roll each into a ball. Shape the balls into ovals and place them 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the rolls are pale gold (not browned), about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes and serve while still warm. Serve with Pineapple Marmalade, if desired.

Edited by alternativista, 23 August 2010 - 09:36 PM.

[alternativista]

Alternative to flour:

'You Won't Believe it's Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and 'bread' Sticks.' GF

http://cleochatra.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-c...ower-pizza.html

Variations:
http://cleochatra.blogspot.com/2008/02/con...iflower-as.html

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower*
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley


**pizza or alfredo sauce

toppings (make sure meats are cooked)
mozzarella cheese


Delicious and easy.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).

Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.

Place under a broiler (grill for the Europeans) at high heat just until cheese is melted **.

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:24 PM.

[alternativista]

Sprouted Grain breads in a crockpot. Only one ingredient

I may try this method this summer, although I'm not liking the part where I have to get out and then clean a food processor.

Thread: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/1-Ingredi...39#entry2821039

Basic recipe uses wheat berries, but you can use other. Whole Foods has Wheat, Spelt, Oats, Rye, etc in their bulk bins.

This Sprouted Wheat Bread recipe is so simple and delicious; you won't believe it is made with only one ingredient. Yes, that's right, bread made from one ingredient. In order to make it you need to plan ahead (about 3 days). Here's how it's made.

1 cup wheat berries
Sprouting equipment
Food processor with S blade
Small Pyrex type bowl (heat resistant)
Crock-pot with low setting

Soak wheat berries for 8 hours or overnight. Then rinse and drain the berries three times a day for the next 32 hours or until the wheat berries have sprouted ¼ inch tails. For more information on sprouting go to our sprouting page.

Important: Make sure the berries are well drained before processing into dough. In other words, don’t rinse after they are finished sprouting!

Place the sprouted wheat berries into your food processor with the S blade in place and pulse until the berries resemble bread dough and form a ball around the food processor blade.

Remove the ball of dough from the food processor. Shape the dough into 1 small ball. You may want to sprinkle with freshly ground corn meal. Place the shaped dough into a small Pyrex type bowl that will easily fit into your crock pot.

Place the cover on your crock-pot and turn to its lowest setting. Cook the bread for approximately 8 hours or until the bread is a rich, dark brown. The top of the bread may crack and it will have a tough, thick crust on the outside and a moist, brown bread on the inside.

This bread is very rich, delicious and extra nutritious because it uses sprouted berries. Because it is so nutritionally dense, you only need a small piece to accompany your salad or soup entrée. This recipe will serve about 4. Your sprouted grain bread recipe will stay fresh in your refrigerator for about 1 week.

Note: Wheat and other 'gluten containing grains' don't actually contain gluten, but two proteins that bind together to form gluten when in contact with water. Normal bread making processes are designed to maximize gluten. This sprouting whole berries may mean this bread is gluten free even if it is made with the most 'gluten containing' wheat.

Edited by alternativista, 03 May 2010 - 12:19 PM.

[alternativista]

Here's a blog with lots of nut meal, flax seed and such recipes. This person is really back to nature, she even gathers and uses acorns.

Flax and almond meal bread or pancakes. A baking soda (not yeasted) bread. Also has some nut meal flour. Perhaps could be made with the above sprouting and crockpot method:
http://animahealingarts.org/?p=394

And here's a bread blog that may have some good methods:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/

Remember, you are looking for either long fermentation or alternatives to gluten grain breads.

Edited by alternativista, 23 August 2010 - 09:39 PM.

[Drizzler]

Two grain-free bread recipes:

Almond Bread
from Elana's Pantry

Ingredients:

2 cups of almond flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
4 whole omega-3 eggs
5 tablespoons of virgin organic coconut oil (heat to liquefy if needed)
1/2 cup hot water
Non-stick baking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. The oven is that boxy thing somewhere near your fridge. No, not the microwave. The bigger boxy thing. With knobs 'n shit.

2. Whisk the wet ingredients together. Mix the dry ingredients together. Now mix both together. The result is swamp sludge. But it'll look better soon.

3. Pour into a sprayed-up 4 x 8 loaf pan or disposable foil pan.

4. Bake for 40 minutes or so.

5. Eat in one sitting. Go to sleep. Poo like the god Thor the next morning. Take a photo of it. Put it on your Facebook wall. Bask in the glory that is you.

Options:

1. This recipe makes a savory loaf. For a dessert-like bread, add 3 or 4 tablespoons of Splenda, a shot of vanilla extract, dried fruits, and chopped nuts.

2. Various dried spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and allspice add tons of flavor and no unnecessary calories if you're cutting and keeping meals volumized.

3. You can also go with 1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of milled flax seed. But don't eat that in one sitting or you'll blow your bunghole to China the next day.

4. Almond flour expert Elana Amsterdam, author of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, says not to use Bob's Red Mill brand of almond flour or your recipes may turn out runny. She also says to use only the blanched stuff, but I've had great results with my uncircumcised almonds. So there, Elana.



Coconut Flour Bread

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/2 cup ghee (or butter)
2 TBS honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 c coconut flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor (or whisk) until there are no lumps. Pour into greased bread pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40 mins.

[Drizzler]

Perhaps the best article ever written on proper grain consumption:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Be-Kind-to-You...ind-To-You.html

Sprouted grains & flours:
http://www.localharvest.org/store/dept.jsp...=Sprouted&s
http://culturesforhealth.com/Sprouted-Grain-Flour-c48/

Sourdough starters:
http://culturesforhealth.com/Sourdough-Starter-c7/

Artisan bread-making kit:
http://www.leeners.com/bread-artisan.html <---- this site is incredible!

Big selection of bulk grains:
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/buy_wheat...read_flour.aspx
http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/grains.html
http://honeyvillegrain.com/products/Products.html

Edited by Drizzler, 04 May 2010 - 05:15 PM.

[gMARIAs]

Super Simple Microwavable Bread (for those of us who are lazy from time to time)

2 cups almond meal/flour
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs

1. Mix everything together. Make sure the eggs are well beaten
2. Pout it into a tall - bread shaped microwavable dish.
3. Cook for around 2-5 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. It should visibly rise.
4. To make sure it's finished, simply stick it with a knife or toothpick. It shouldn't have any residue on it.

Presto! Easy bread. The best part is that it's super quick, super easy, and super adaptable. You can toss in any seasonings you want to make a variety of flavors. You can also decrease the amount of meal/flour if you prefer a softer, less dense bread.

Edited by gMARIAs, 03 May 2010 - 04:10 PM.

[gMARIAs]

Simple Microwavable Chocolate Cake/Muffins

1-2 cups of almond meal/flour (depending on how dense you want it)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Sweetener of choice to taste (I use about 5 packets of Sweet Leaf Stevia)

1. Mix eggs, salt, baking powder, vanilla and sweetener
2. Microwave the almond milk
3. Add the cocoa powder to the almond milk so that it dissolves and makes a chocolate milk.
4. Add the chocolate almond milk to the batter.
5. Pour the mixture into a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2-5 minutes depending on oven temp. If you want a muffin or cupcake shape, add to a paper cupcake holder. Place the little cupcake holder into a round bowl or something that will support the sides. If you don't do this, the batter will expand and possibly flow out of the cup, making more of a cookie shape.

Still working on trying to find good faux frosting recipe to top it with.

Edited by gMARIAs, 03 May 2010 - 04:10 PM.

[gMARIAs]

Fruit Muffins

2.5 cups of fine almond meal/flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup of sweetener of choice (again, I use Stevia)
1 cup of your fruit of choice

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients together and pour them into 12 muffin cups in a muffin pan. Each cup should be about 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.

Edited by gMARIAs, 03 May 2010 - 04:10 PM.

[alternativista]

Grain Free

Coconut flour Thread:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Greatest-ever-t254046.html

Grain free Pancakes, cookies, bagel/English muffin substitutes, crepes, cupcakes...

Other grain free coconut flour recipes: Bread, pancakes
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/coconut-flour/

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:27 PM.

[alternativista]

Grain Free

Nut Butter Banana Pancakes
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/almond-banana-pancakes/

* 2 ripe bananas
* 1 egg
* 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter

Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well.
Stir in the almond butter, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.
Warm butter in a pan and pour batter into small cakes.
Brown on each side and serve warm.

These are incredibly delicious!!! But the bananas brown/burn very fast leaving the inside kinda uncooked. Experiment with either a low flame or using your spoon to spread the pancakes thin. When I made them, mine were kind of thick.

Recipes for almond meal: Other grain free pancake and cookie recipes
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-many-uses-of-almond-meal/

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:28 PM.

[Drizzler]

More alternative bread-like recipes:

Hazelnut Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups of hazelnut flour, plus more?
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
dried spices, such as basil, thyme and oregano, are optional

Directions:
Beat the eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients and stir. If mixture does not easily form a ball, add more flour by the tablespoon. 1 T of coconut flour will also help as it absorbs excess liquid very well.

Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and sprinkle some of the flour on as well. Place the ball of dough in the middle of the pan and squish it out into the shape you want. This should be enough dough to mostly cover a standard cookie sheet. It is fine if it doesn't reach all the way to the edges.

Bake the crust for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until it is lightly browned and no longer wet. Top with sauce and other toppings, and return to oven for 5-10 minutes, or long enough for toppings to heat up and cheese to melt if you are using cheese.



Nut Butter & Pureed Squash Pancakes
http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/2009/0...t-pancakes.html

Ingredients:
1 C pureed, cooked squash (any type, even pumpkin)
1 C nut butter
5 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cinnamon
dash of cloves, nutmeg, and any other "pumpkin pie" type spice

Directions:
Separate the eggs, and beat the whites until fluffy (soft peaks are fine). In a large bowl, mix together the 5 egg yolks, the squash, the nut butter, and the salt and spices. Blend thoroughly. Fold the egg whites into this mixture gently, so that the resulting batter is airy and light.

Cook on a well-greased griddle on a somewhat low heat, as they do burn easily. Flip them gently as they do not stay together as well as regular pancakes.

NOTE- Pancake batter provides a great opportunity to "hide" healthy ingredients. This morning, I blended in 2 T of beef marrow and about 1/4 of pureed mushroom soup, and the pancakes looked and tasted fine.

Optional syrup:
1/4 C honey
juice of half a lemon
vanilla (optional)

Combine the first two ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. They will heat up and become much thinner very quickly. Turn off heat, and add vanilla, if using. At this point you can further thin the syrup by adding in some filtered water.


Primal Pumpkin Loaf
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/showt...al-Pumpkin-Loaf (I modified a bit from the original recipe)

Ingredients:
3/4 can pumpkin (~11oz)
1 cup almond meal
6 eggs
2 Tbsp honey (have used 4 Tbsp for more sweetness)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spices
1/2 tsp. of baking soda

Blend ingredients and pour into 9x5" baking pan. 350F for 50 minutes.

This is seriously good stuff. Butter when warm right out of the oven, you might eat the entire loaf.


Grain-Free Almond Crackers
http://cavemanfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/gr...d-crackers.html

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1 egg white
1 pinch salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, egg white, and salt until it forms a paste.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make sure you use parchment paper, because if you don't you'll end up chipping your crackers out of the pan. Place the dough in the middle and top with another piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin (or any other cylindrical instrument), roll out the dough as thin as you can get it. Try to make it take up the whole cookie sheet if you can. Super thin. I mean it!

Peel off the top layer of paper and score the dough with a knife into whatever size crackers you want. Bake in the 325 oven for 10 minutes and then check on the crackers. You are looking for them to color ever so slightly. A little color means crispy, but a lot of color means burned nut taste, which is no good. If the edges have started to color nicely, remove them to a plate and put the remaining crackers back in the oven. Keep doing this, checking every 5 minutes and removing the golden crackers, until finally they are all baked to perfection.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container. You can make many variations on these crackers by adding in different seasonings to the dough base.



Gorilla Cake
http://www.sonofgrok.com/2009/03/recipe-an...e-gorilla-cake/

Ingredients:
Crust
- Dash of Cinnamon
- 2 Tblspoons organic butter (or coconut oil if you prefer)
- .5-1 cup almond flour

Filling
- 3 bananas
- 2.5 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 eggs
- Dash of cinnamon

Directions:
Crust
1. Melt butter or oil and mix almond flour and a dash of cinnamon into a dough.
2. Press your dough very thinly into your baking pan (Pyrex 9x9)

Filling
1. Process 2 of the cups of shredded coconut until fine. (I used my food processor.
2. Combine fine coconut, unprocessed coconut, bananas and eggs in a mixer (I was trying out my new kitchen aid) Mix until liquid pudding texture. (if you don’t have a kitchen aid, you may need to uses a blender or processor to goo up your nanners.

Put it together
1. Pour your filling into your pan with your crust
2. Sprinkle top with a dash of cinnamon
3. Bake at 350 degrees until done (mine took about 30 minutes).
4. Serve warm or cold! Enjoy!

[alternativista]

Grain Free Banana/Nut Butter Cake and Icing
using coconut flour, milk, oil

Instructions below are for cupcakes

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes)
Cake
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 4 Tbsp coconut milk
- 1/2 Cup coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 whole mashed bananas (very ripe)
- 1/4 C toasted coconut shreds (for the garnish on the icing)
Icing
- 1/4 Cup macadamia nut butter
- 1/4 Cup coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (I found mine at The Big Carrot in Toronto). You could sub raw honey or maple syrup.
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more)
- 1/4 Tbsp 100% vanilla extract
- 1/8 Cup coconut oil

Directions:

1. To make the icing:
1. Melt the macadamia nut butter (especially if you’ve had it in the fridge) so that it’s smooth and easy to mix. Melt the coconut oil with the coconut sugar.
2. Mix all of the icing ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate for a few hours until it’s texture is similar to icing.
2. For the cupcakes:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. In a bowl, mix together coconut flour, salt, baking powder, coconut milk, vanilla extract, bananas and eggs
3. Melt the coconut oil and honey/maple syrup and then slowly add it to the mix.
4. Mix together thoroughly and pour into greased (use coconut oil or non-stick spray) muffin baking pan.
5. Bake for about 20-30 minutes – check after 20 minutes because you might have a better oven. You want to be able to stick a fork into the middle and have it come out dry.
6. Remove from oven and let it cool completely (otherwise the icing melts off)
3. To toast the coconut, spread it out on a baking sheet and pop it into the 350 oven for 5 minutes. Shake it around and put it back in for another 2 minutes or until it’s toasted.
4. Spread the icing on top of each and sprinkle with toasted coconut

Same Cake batter for a Pineapple Upside down Cake
Ingredients (serves 4 big pieces or 6 avg size):
For Caramelizing Pineapple:
- 2 slices of pineapple (about 1 inch thick)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For Cake:
- I used a rectangular small baking dish (see pic at bottom), which fit the 2 slices of pineapple perfectly.
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 4 Tbsp coconut milk
- 1/2 Cup coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp raw honey
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 whole mashed bananas (very ripe)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Start with caramelizing pineapple slices – In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add the pineapple and let it fry for about 2 minutes – until it’s golden brown. Pour the vanilla extract on top while frying. Flip pineapple and fry the other side. Remove and put pineapple at the bottom of your baking pan.
3. In a bowl, mix together coconut flour, salt, baking powder, coconut milk, vanilla extract, bananas and eggs
4. Melt the coconut oil and honey and then slowly add it to the mix.
5. Mix together thoroughly and pour into baking pan overtop of pineapples
6. Bake for about 45 minutes – check after 30 minutes because you might have a better oven. You want to be able to stick a fork into the middle and have it come out dry.
7. Remove from oven and let it cool for a few minutes
8. Put a plate overtop of the baking pan and turn it upside down so that the baking pan is now upside down over the plate.
9. Remove baking pan so that pineapple slices are the centerpiece of the cake.

From a Primal dieter's blog with plenty more recipes:
http://cosmopolitanprimalgirl.wordpress.co...side-down-cake/

[alternativista]

Oat flour tortillas (no wheat or corn)

A chef on Top Chef made them, but I couldn't find their recipe. I found this:

Oat Flour Wraps/Tortillas Recipe #301707
This is a wheat-free recipe but may still contain gluten depending on your source of flour. From Bob's Red Mill as contributed by contributed from All Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hunt Jones, RN . Posted in response to a recipe request.
by Molly53

20 min | 15 min prep

SERVES 4

* 1 cup oat flour (Bob's Red Mill preferred)
* 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix (store bought, Taco Seasoning Mix or your own recipe)
* 1/2 cup water

1. Mix the first two ingredients together; stir in water, then feel for consistency (the dough should be soft, but not wet, and mold easily).
2. As you stir, the dough will form a ball (add more water if necessary).
3. Pinch off four balls of dough about the size of golf balls.
4. Roll them in a little additional flour to coat well.
5. Knead each ball a bit as you pat or roll it into a flat circle that is about 1/8 inch thick and 5 inches across.
6. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle (no oil or grease).
7. Place each tortilla in the hot pan and cook for a few minutes on each side.
8. Tortillas should become lightly brown and start to appear dry.
9. Cool on wire racks.
10. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Except I would not add taco seasoning. Yuck. Use a little salt.

And since tortillas are such simple things, I imagine you can make them with almost any flour with a little experimentation.

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:30 PM.

[CheyCheyenne]

Biscuits: http://healthyindulgences.blogspot.com/search/label/biscuits

Fluffy Biscuits
Adapted from this recipe by Laura Dolson

Makes four biscuits

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted organic butter or nonhydrogenated shortening
1 cup plus two tablespoons of finely ground almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
4 egg whites

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Cut cold fat (butter or shortening) into dry ingredients with the tines of your fork, rotating the bowl around with your other hand until the mixture has pea-sized chunks throughout. You could also use a pastry blender, in which case you probably don't need to read these instructions.

2. Chill mixture in the fridge for 5-10 minutes or as long as you can stand it. The longer the better. The more the fat can get cold and hard, the puffier your biscuits will be. Remember that!

3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites (using the shell halves to tip the yolk back and forth a few times). Reserve yolks (save all that creamy goodness for ice cream or homemade mayo!) and whisk egg whites with a fork in a bowl for 20 seconds, until no longer stringy and gloopy. You just want 'em a little foamy.

4. Remove mixture from fridge and whisk in the egg whites for a couple of seconds, breaking up any massive chunks in the dough with your whisk or fork. It'll be an extremely runny dough with chunks of the almond mixture. Pour it into greased foil-lined ramekins/nonstick muffin cups/a muffin top pan and get that sucker in the hot oven before the fat can even THINK about softening!

IF YOU ARE USING FOIL-LINED RAMEKINS, bake for 15 minutes. IF YOU ARE USING A MUFFIN TOP PAN, bake for 12 minutes. The edges of these biscuits stick really badly, so be sure to grease liberally whatever vessel you're using to bake these. Some sort of non-stick pan works best here! Silicone muffin cups are great, too. Greased foil-lined ramekins are alright, but you have to gently tease the muffins out of the foil.


Not sure if you guys eat butter/shortening though

[alternativista]

Pizza Crust Method

In his new easy Italian cookbook, Mario Batalli recommends making pizzas by making and shaping the dough then cooking on a griddle until just barely tan, not brown. They can then be used or stored in the freezer. To use, add your toppings then cook pizza under the broiler. I usually make a simple Margherita-style pizza with tomato slices or sauce, thinly sliced onions, cheese,

Use one of the long fermented bread dough methods mentioned in prior posts. In my attempts, they make such a wet dough, I think you could practically ladle the dough onto the griddle and spread thin (which I've been meaning to try). But if your dough isn't that wet, you need to shape it with your hands on a floured (or cornmealed) surface.

Note: I tried ladling it onto a griddle. It doesn't work. Even though it's wet and will spread out, you can't spread it to pizza crust thinness while cooking it on a hot griddle. It's elastic and it snaps back. You will have to shape/stretch/roll it into pizza crust size and thickness, then transfer to the griddle.

Edited by alternativista, 26 November 2010 - 02:34 PM.

[alternativista]

Grain Free

This is exciting. Empanada dough, which means it's a pie crust dough, made from plaintains. The only flour in the recipe is used to prevent sticking when rolling out dough and I'm sure you can use any substitute.

This is from a famous chef owner of a Mexican restaurant in Chicago. He's had a TV show on PBS for years. http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=170

I'm going to use it to make these nut filled pastries they sell in Panaderias (Mexican bakeries).

Ripe Plantain Turnovers with Black Bean Filling
Empanadas de Platano

Makes 12 empanadas, serving 4 to 6 as a snack
Ingredients

3 to 4 large (about 2 pounds total) ripe (but not mushy) plantains (ripe plantains are nearly all black)
Salt
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Flour for forming the empanadas
Vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2 -inch, for frying
1/4 cup grated Mexican queso anejo or other garnishing cheese like Romano or Parmesan
1 cup salsa (Chipotle Salsa is delicious with these empanadas)
Directions

1. Make the plantain dough. Fill a large (4-quart) saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cut the ends off the plantains. Make a shallow incision down the length of the plantains, then cut them half. Add to the pot and boil for 20 minutes. Using tongs, remove from the pot and remove the skins. Cut into 1-inch pieces and let cool completely. Process the cooled plantains thru a food mill (fitted with the largest hole die) or a potato ricer. (There will be about 2 cups of puree.) Season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon.

2. Make the filling. While the plantains are cooling, puree the beans in a food processor until smooth. In a medium (8-inch) non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until slightly brown. Scrape in the pureed beans and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture has the consistency of very soft mashed potatoes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon. Let cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

3. Form the empanadas. Drop heaping tablespoons of the plantain dough onto a heavily floured work surface and roll the dough in the flour to form rough balls. Press out each piece of dough into a 2 1/2-inch circle, flipping the dough in the flour to keep it from sticking to your fingers. Add more flour to the surface as needed (you will use approximately 1/4 cup of flour for this step). Place 1 tablespoon of the cooled bean mixture in the center of each piece of dough. With lightly floured hands, pick up the dough, fold it in half around the beans and press the edges together with your fingertips to seal the empanada. Lay the finished empanada on a lightly floured, plastic wrapped baking sheet. Continue until you’ve made all the empanadas.

4. Fry the empanadas. Heat the oil in a large (10-inch) deep, heavy skillet until hot - about 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry the empanadas 3 or 4 at a time, turning occasionally, until nicely golden, about 3 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once on a warm serving platter with the queso anejo sprinkled over the top. Pass the salsa for guests to daub on as they like.

COOK’S NOTES:

The formed empanadas can be covered and held at room temperature for several hours before frying. The finished empanadas are best just hot out of the skillet, but they can successfully be fried a day in advance; cool completely before storing in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 375 degree oven until thoroughly hot, about 10 minutes.

Choosing the right plantains for this recipe: Choose plantains that are yellow with black stripes. They should still be firm when you press on them with just a slight amount of give. Plantains that are too ripe will affect the consistency of the dough and you'll need to add flour to the dough in order to work with it. Also, using a food processor to puree the plantains will yields a consistency that requires more flour.

While the empanadas will not be quite as tender as when fried, they can be brushed with an egg wash and baked at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

You can substitute 6 ounces of queso fresco or goat cheese for the black bean filling.

Edit: I just found another source from another cook with a new PBS series Patti's Mexican Table, and in her blog, she says the best dough is from plantains that are not fully ripe. They should be mostly yellow, not black and not green. http://patismexicantable.com/2010/06/dining-in-mexico.html

Hell, I just noticed that the instructions I already had said they should be yellow. I don't know how I missed that. I used very ripe, black plantains when I tried this.

Edited by alternativista, 26 May 2011 - 07:58 PM.