RASP Bread

Ever since I bought a bag of amaranth flour at the Indian store (labled as rajgira or rajgara flour, by the way), I've been eager use it. The nutritional profile of amaranth is impressive (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10640/2), and it has a high protein content, with amino acids that complement those found in most grains. However, there aren't a ton of amaranth flour recipes out there, so I was a little nervous about what to do with it. Here's a bread that we call RASP, for rice/amaranth/sorghum/potato. It has a nice crispy crust and light whole-grain flavor. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you want to find more amaranth recipes, try searching for rajgara/rajgira flour recipes. You'll find a lot more! As with other flours, amaranth is available for a great price at Indian grocery stores.

Combine:
3/4 cup potato starch flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt

Meanwhile, combine 1 Tbsp yeast with a bit over 1 cup warm water + 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar (we use the tan crystals from Trader Joe's); let sit until poofy

Mix 3 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 7 Tbsp water; let sit for a few minutes

Combine the dry mix, proofed yeast, and flaxseed mixture with:
1 tsp vinegar
3 Tbsp canola oil

Mix well, and let rise about 20-30 minutes in a warm spot (eg, your microwave after boiling water in it for a while; keep the bowl of water in there to keep things warm.) Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. We baked this in 4 mini-loaf pans, to get lots of the crispy crust.

Redemption Bread

We call this redemption bread because the first few attempts were, shall we say, a bit subpar. With experience and a few adjustments, we have this bread working so well that yesterday I had to make a second loaf in the afternoon after the morning loaf vanished! It was inspired by http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/02/delicious-gluten-free-bread.html, but we replaced the honey with maple syrup to reduce the salicylate content, and a few other tweaks.

The mix:
4 cups sorghum flour
4 cups potato starch
2 cups millet flour
8 tsp (ie, 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) xanthan gum
5 tsp (ie, 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) sea salt

To make 1 loaf:
Combine 1 1/4 cups warm water, 2 or 3 Tbsp maple syrup, and 1 Tbsp yeast; let it get poofy.

Meanwhile, prepare a warm spot for the bread to rise in your microwave by heating a bowl of water for 10 minutes while you get everything else ready.

Combine:
2 1/2 cups dry mix
3 or 4 Tbsp oil (olive, or if you're avoiding salicylates, try canola)
1/2 tsp white wine/rice vinegar
2 or 3 Tbsp flaxseed that has been sitting in 4 Tbsp warm water for a few minutes
yeast/water/syrup mixture

Mix it until it's a smooth batter, and then put the dough into 1 or 2 loaf pans or a square/circle cake pan. Let it rise for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes at 350. If the inside is a bit squishy, we sometimes cut off the edges, eat them, and put the loaf back into the oven for a while longer.

Movie Night Bread Mix

This one is called Movie Night Bread Mix because we happened to make it on a night that involved watching a movie...it is so delicious that we always keep a canister of this mix on hand. For a very similar, single-batch version of this recipe, see http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228.

The mix:
1 1/2 cups teff flour
4 1/2 cups millet flour
2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
6 cups potato starch flour
3 cups tapioca flour
4 Tbsp xanthan gum
3 Tbsp salt

To make a loaf:
Proof 1 Tbsp yeast in a bit more than 1 1/2 cups of warm water and 1/4 cup sugar (we use the tan crystals from Trader Joe's).

Meanwhile, if you don't have a really good place to let bread dough rise, microwave a bowl of water for about 10 minutes to get your microwave warm and steamy, and you can use it as the warm spot. This is the best method I have ever tried.

When the yeast has gotten poofy, mix the yeast/water/sugar mix into 3 cups of the dry mix plus 2 tsp oil (olive oil unless you're low-salicylate, in which case I recommend canola oil). When it's all well-mixed, spoon the dough into a greased loaf pan and let it rise for about 20-30 minutes. Bake at 400 for about 45-50 minutes, or until the inside isn't wet anymore.

Some notes on cost...millet and sorghum flour are about $1/pound at most Indian stores. Potato starch and tapioca flour can be found for a good price at many Asian grocery stores. For yeast, if you bake bread fairly often, Costco sells a brick of Red Star yeast equivalent to a few hundred packets for about $3!