GF: Molasses Bread!
Oh my! I cannot believe that I made it! I have craved this dense bread for years. I really don’t even remember the first time I tasted Molasses Bread – but I do know this – I’m loving the fact that I made a gluten-free version tonight!
No, this bread is not your light and fluffy sandwich bread. It was not meant to be that. It is a dense breakfast bread. Perfect for dense sandwiches (personally, my favorite kind of BLT comes on this type of bread as I used to love the on rye bread) and best with eggs. While I haven’t toasted this one yet, what GF bread doesn’t toast well???
Tonight, while dead tired from a long day of meetings (and no work accomplished), I for some reason found myself in the kitchen mixing flour and trying to figure out a recipe from my head. I have honestly never made a bread recipe before. I’ve been diligent to follow the rules or read the directions. (Please see here for an explanation of my seven years of diligence, aka the bean flour-lava flow incident.) But I read something recently that stated that “gluten free breads/recipes are really forgiving – much more so that wheat bread recipes”. Huh. Well, heck, that was worth testing!
Maybe I have restrained myself too because of the expense of ingredients when you bake GF. But it’s time to let go of some of that, I think. Not that ingredients are miraculously cheaper than yesterday, but rather because it’s time I got my baking feet back under me. (I used to LOVE to bake breads, cakes, etc). I hope you will try this recipe out and let me know what you think. And, if you find a few gaps or think of ways to help improve this tasty loaf, please feel free to share a comment or send me a note. After all, if it weren’t for those who had gone before us on this gluten free path….
Gluten Free Molasses Bread
DRY INGREDIENTS:
4 2/3 cups Carol Fenster’s new flour mix
1 cup quinoa flakes OR GF quick oats
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons gelatin
1 teaspoon sugar
WET INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 egg whites
- In a small bowl, proof yeast with 1/2 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend together all dry ingredients. (I use a whisk to do this.)
- In the mixing bowl, mix together egg whites, molasses and 1 cup of warm water.
- Add proofed yeast (all liquid) to wet ingredients. Mix together well.
- Slowly add dry ingredients alternatively with remaining water. (May need to add more/less water, so please watch batter become a thick cookie dough/GF-Bread batter)
- Mix on high speed for 4 minutes.
- Lightly grease the inside of a bread pan or spritz with olive oil mister. (I use a misting bottle filled with olive oil.)
- Scrap dough into bread pan. Wet a rubber spatula and push the dough into the corners and smooth the top.
(At this point if you would like to add decorative cuts into the top crust, lightly drag a knife across the top in the pattern you desire.) - Cover with spritz/oiled plastic wrap lightly. Then top with a clean dish towel. Place in a warm corner of your counter to rest/rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350*F about 5 minutes before the end of the resting time.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Then take out and cover the top with tin foil (to avoid excess browning). Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until the bread has reached an internal temperature of 140F.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto cutting board.
- Allow to cool additional time before slicing. (As long as you can stand it. LOL)
Enjoy!