Real Bread?

Ask a gluten-free person what they miss most and it's most likely bread and beer. When I brought this bread to my gluten-free friend, with shaking hands I presented it--"It's...it's bread."



Density and dryness are the two biggest problems in GF baking if I do say so myself, and I do.  Doubly so in VGF baking, which is already dense/moisture-problem-riddled when using glutinous flours. This bread began as a paleo, almondmeal-based bread from Elana Amsterdam of Elana's Kitchen. I veganised it and baked it in an 8*8-inch pan so it would cook faster. It's moist, springy, and delightful at all times of the day.

That Almond Bread
Modified from Elana Amsterdam, recipe on http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/olive-rosemary-bread/

3/4 cup almond butter (preferably unsalted and unsweetened)
2 tablespoons olive oil (not evoo)
3/4 cup water
3 teaspoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8*8-inch baking pan with parchment and grease the parchment.

In a blender, whip the almond butter to break up any chunks and aerate it a bit.

Add the oil, water, chia seeds, and agave and blitz until uniformly combined.  Scrape down the sides and add the dry ingredients, including the rosemary.  Blend, scraping down the sides as needed, until uniformly combined.  Transfer to the pan and smooth out the top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. The top will still be shiny.  Cool in the pan on a rack for an hour before, as Elana instructs, wrapping in a paper towel then wrapping in foil and refrigerating to store.

This shit is killer.

Parting shots:

Made more bread since my friends and I enjoyed it so much.  This time I used sunflower seed butter for Amsterdam's sandwich bread. 

Sunbutter + baking soda = green!

Been trying different things for breakfast, and I think I'm back to smoothies, bread/oatmeal/grain, and nut butter. It refuels me after workouts and keeps me satisfied until lunch.

Also back to the bentos (Laptop Lunches). It makes meal planning that much easier when there are cute little boxes for everything.

Hot soup for a cold day. Another variation on soul soup with mung bean noodles, black beans, and bok choy.

 First pumpkin pie of the season! I used a little potato vodka in the piecrust (another Amsterdam recipe, 'cept I added the vodka). Interested to see how it turns out.