Against the Grain: Extraordinary Gluten-Free Recipes Made from Real, All-Natural Ingredients (2015)

traditional breads and flatbreads

Sourdough Baguettes

sourdough baguettes

IF YOU HAVE BEEN fortunate enough to travel to Paris, you can’t help but notice the number of people walking with a crusty baguette tucked under their arm around lunchtime. If you are gluten-free, it is pretty much torture. Against The Grain’s first product was a gluten-free baguette. Our baguettes are crusty with a very open crumb, yet they are not leavened with yeast.

Bread bakers use all kinds of techniques to produce crusty baguettes, the principal one being steam followed by hot heat. For gluten-free bakers, high heat and steam help, but it is a challenge to retain a nice, tight baguette shape without gluten or some other type of binder. The high liquid-to-flour ratio required for an open and moist crumb results in a slack, spreading dough. In the following recipe, I use light buckwheat sourdough starter instead of active dry yeast. The addition of sourdough naturally binds the dough and makes it more elastic while retaining moisture. The result is an airy, springy texture with a crusty exterior.

Bring on the soft cheese, find a nice shaded park bench, and pretend you are in Paris.

makes two 12-inch-long baguettes

2½ cups (350g) tapioca starch, plus 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup (18g to 35g) for kneading

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup milk

½ cup canola oil

⅔ cup light buckwheat Sourdough Starter

1 large egg

1. In a food processor, combine the 2½ cups tapioca starch and the salt. Pulse to blend.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and pulse until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Add the sourdough starter and egg to the cooled dough and process to combine. The dough will be both sticky and runny, with the consistency of pancake batter.

4. Scrape the dough into a bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. It will absorb more of the moisture and become thicker. Line a two-channel perforated baguette pan with parchment paper.

5. Knead another 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of tapioca starch into the dough—just enough so that it is scoopable and not runny.

6. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Spoon the dough into the lined baguette pan. Shape and smooth the dough into two loaves about 10 inches long (they will expand longer as they bake). Allow the baguettes to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

7. Bake the baguettes for 55 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.

Sourdough Starters

sourdough starters

IT WAS VERY LIBERATING FOR ME when I realized that I could make sourdough starters with gluten-free flours that were just as good as wheat-based ones. Wild yeast lives in grains and seeds, including those without gluten. When you provide the right conditions—flour and water at about 80ºF—the yeast and naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria in the flour feed on the sugars in the flour and divide and multiply. The by-product of the bacterial action is lactic acid, which creates the pungent, sour taste. The wild yeast provides the carbon dioxide that leavens the bread.

The combination of a light buckwheat starter and a quinoa flake-based starter both produce excellent results in gluten-free sourdough bread. (The latter gives bread an interesting texture reminiscent of oatmeal breads.) These starters give elasticity to the dough, which tends to hold in carbon dioxide better and create a more open crumb. I find the sourdough starters work best in artisan breads (as opposed to sandwich loaf-type breads) to lend additional structure as well as their characteristic sour, yeasty taste.

The procedure involves creating the initial starter and then feeding it once after 3 days. Much has been written about speeding up the fermentation process while slowing down the action of the beneficial bacteria by creating an acidic environment. Feel free to increase the acidity of your starter environment by substituting some unsweetened pineapple juice for part of the water.

Wild yeast is a living thing, so ideally sourdough starter is fed on a weekly basis, if possible. When you feed your stored starter, just be sure to discard or use the same amount of starter that you feed it: For example, when you feed it 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water, you need to remove 2 cups of starter. What better excuse do you need to bake some crusty sourdough baguettes? And make sure you thoroughly stir in the “hooch,” the amber liquid that forms on the top of your starter.

1½ cups (180g) light buckwheat flour, plus 1 cup (120g) for feeding starter

1½ cups unchlorinated water, plus 1 cup for feeding starter (see Note)

1 cup (100g) quinoa flakes, plus ⅔ cup (66g) for feeding starter

½ cup (96g) potato starch, plus ⅓ cup (64g) for feeding starter

1½ cups unchlorinated water, plus 1 cup for feeding starter (see Note)

1. Make the initial starter: Measure the initial dry ingredient and water amounts into a glass bowl and stir thoroughly until combined. Allow the starter to sit uncovered at room temperature for 3 days. You may cover the bowl with cheesecloth, if desired. The mixture will begin to bubble, and a thin layer of clear liquid will form on the top.

2. Make the starter food: Thoroughly clean a large canning jar (big enough to hold 2 quarts) with a lid to match, and rinse with boiling water. Stir the starter-feeding amounts of dry ingredient and water into the initial starter mixture, and pour the mixture into the glass jar.

3. Refrigerate the fed starter for 24 hours to ferment the new food. Before using the starter for your first batch of bread, stir vigorously to combine the liquid layer on the top (the hooch) and the remaining starter (often referred to as the “sponge”). Keep the unused starter refrigerated.

NOTE: Chlorinated water tends to slow down fermentation. If you do not have spring water, leave an open jug of water on the counter; in several hours the chlorination will dissipate.

Potato Rosemary Bread

potato rosemary bread

I DRAW MY INSPIRATION FOR RECIPES from many different sources. One source, in particular, has been Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads, a whole-grain wheat baking book. In Reinhart’s words, the gluten in whole-grain breads is compromised by the fiber in the bran. We both have a gluten problem: His breads don’t have enough, and mine don’t have any.

After reading through many of his whole-grain recipes, I had to try a gluten-free version of his Potato Rosemary Bread, which promised a soft bread with an intense rosemary flavor. My initial attempts resulted in either dry, dense loaves that failed to rise, or puddles of dough with no structure. To create a moist loaf with structure, I went back to my own method of pregelatinizing the starch, substituting potato water for my liquid and adding mashed potatoes to the dough. The result was outstanding, with a dense, moist crumb and a sweet, almost creamy flavor. And it’s absolutely sublime in a grilled cheese sandwich.

makes one 8-inch loaf

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1½ cups (180g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup cooked and mashed skin-on red potatoes, reserving 1⅓ cups of potato cooking water

⅓ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of the potato water and the canola oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and remaining ⅓ cup potato water and proof for 15 minutes.

3. Combine the yeast mixture and potatoes with the dough. Add the eggs and rosemary and blend until the dough is smooth and thick.

4. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm area until doubled. Grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan. Use a rubber spatula to punch the dough down and scoop it into the pan. Cover it with well-buttered or oiled plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

6. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. Bake for 70 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the bread onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool fully before slicing.

lynn’s lovely oat bread

AS A MANUFACTURER OF GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, we attend a lot of food shows and provide samples of our food. One of the best parts of these shows is the opportunity for us to taste new products. You never know what gems you will find. It was at one of these shows that I was attending with my sister, Lynn, that she discovered and provided me with my first taste of gluten-free oatmeal bread.

For a number of years, all oats were contaminated with gluten—oats and wheat are often grown side by side, and farmers rotate fields from oats to wheat on a yearly basis. But a few years back, a number of gluten-free oat producers sprang up to meet the demand for “clean” oats. Although oatmeal is sticky in and of itself, it typically needs the addition of other flours for structure and to retain moisture. This recipe uses oats in almost a 2:1 ratio of flour to starch and relies heavily on the protein in eggs to bind the dough and give it structure. Toasting the oats both gives the bread a nutty, caramelized taste and increases the moisture retention of the dough. This is a bread you can make entirely by hand, and the result is a hearty loaf with a loose crumb and lots of fiber and whole grain.

makes one 8-inch loaf

3½ cups rolled oats

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1¼ cups (175g) tapioca starch

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

¼ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons unflavored, unsweetened apple butter

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread 3 cups of the oats evenly on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Turn the oven off. Transfer the toasted oats to a food processor and process until ground into a fine flour.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, brown sugar, and ½ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the toasted oat flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, oil, and honey. Stir the dough until well moistened.

4. Add the apple butter and ¾ cup water. Fold in the remaining ½ cup untoasted oats for texture. The dough will be batter-like. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Lightly grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan. Scoop the dough into the loaf pan and let it rise until doubled. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Then cover the loaf with a foil tent, if necessary, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the sides and bottom sound hollow when tapped. Let cool fully.

oatmeal bread two

YEARS AGO IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, we lived on modest teaching assistantships and the best way to economize was to brown-bag our lunch. The least expensive, most filling, and most durable backpack sandwich was peanut butter and jelly. Our favorite bread was a locally baked honey-oat bread. In retrospect, it probably had less whole oats in it than commercial white flour, but after all these years, honey-oat bread is a comfort food that reminds me of simpler times.

On a trip to find my son Marty’s first grad school apartment, I packed several peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwiches on this bread. The day after baking, I prepared the sandwiches on frozen slices of the bread. Wrapped in plastic wrap, the sandwiches stayed fresh and moist through two flights and over ten hours. As Marty begins living on his own, this bread is sure to become a staple that he can turn into sandwiches all week. It is a slightly sweet and oat-y bread with a great crumb and even better mouthfeel. For someone just starting out in a gluten-free kitchen, it really beats the heck out of commercial sandwich bread.

makes one 8-inch loaf

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats

1¼ cups (175g) tapioca starch

1½ teaspoons salt

1¼ cups milk

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon honey

3 large eggs

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread the oats evenly on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes. Remove them and allow them to cool.

2. In a food processor, combine the toasted oats, tapioca starch, and salt and process until the oats are ground to a fine flour.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it has a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

5. Add the yeast mixture and honey to the flour mixture and blend until combined, then add the eggs. The dough will be stiff and sticky with the consistency of thick oatmeal.

6. Turn the dough into a bowl and use your wet hands to smooth the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan.

7. Knead the dough in the bowl using a rubber spatula dipped in water. Scoop it into the loaf pan and let it rise until doubled.

8. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the bread out to cool.

Sweet Potato Bread

sweet potato bread

ALTHOUGH I RUN AN ARTISAN BAKERY, I’ll confess that I find the “News” section of geeky industry e-zines like Food Business News a fascinating window into what consumers are eating, or at least what manufacturers think people want to be eating. One day I read an article about how a food service giant was expanding their offerings to include sweet potato rolls. Sweet potato rolls? I had never heard of them, even growing up in the South. Always on the lookout for naturally gluten-free flour substitutions, and just happening to have leftover sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving, I had to give them a try. Otherwise I would never have discovered what wonderfully golden and flavorful toast they would make. This bread has all the softness of potato bread, while being moist and flexible. It makes great cream cheese sandwiches and is a nicely color-coordinated and satisfying toast to accompany your morning scrambled eggs.

This recipe recommends refrigerating the dough overnight to maximize the development of flavors; however, the dough can also be made and baked the same day.

makes one 8-inch loaf

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1½ cups (180g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large eggs

¾ cup mashed sweet potato

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and blend until combined. Add the eggs and sweet potato and blend until the dough is smooth and creamy. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, using a rubber spatula, knead the dough into a smooth mixture by folding it over and over. Allow it to remain covered at room temperature for about 2 hours. It will double in bulk again.

6. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan.

7. Scoop the dough into the loaf pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the sides and bottom sound hollow when tapped.

8. Turn the bread out of the pan onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool fully before slicing.

buckwheat sandwich bread

THERE’S AN OLD, GNARLED WILD APPLE TREE in the backyard of our summer cottage. It produces early green apples, and it is a magnet for squirrels, bees, and deer. But we pick bags and bags of the spotty, twisted, and tart gems for us and the neighbors anyway. They’ve always gone to applesauce, but now I have a new use: gluten-free bread. Specifically, I make apple butter, which is an excellent source of pectin to bind yeasted gluten-free bread (see more on pectin).

This is a batter-type yeast bread that does not rely on pregelatinizing the starch. You’ll swear you are making a quick bread with yeast, but it bakes up like regular sandwich bread. The combination of apple butter and buckwheat makes a loaf of bread with a sweet tanginess. It is a great slicing bread, plenty squishy for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I also recommend it for grilled cheese, where the slight hint of the apple pairs so well with sharp Cheddar.

makes one 8-inch loaf

2⅓ cups (280g) light buckwheat flour

1¾ cups (245g) tapioca starch

2 teaspoons salt

1 envelope (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 large eggs

¼ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons unflavored, unsweetened apple butter

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, and salt and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

3. Using a hand mixer, mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, then mix in the eggs and oil. Mix the apple butter and ¾ cup water into the batter; it will be runny, like pancake batter. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 40 minutes.

4. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan.

5. Scoop the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 20 minutes. Then cover the loaf with a foil tent, and bake for 40 minutes, or until the sides and bottom sound hollow when tapped. Turn bread out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

country white sandwich bread

THE FIRST GLUTEN-FREE BREAD I ever baked was a rice flour-based recipe that was considered the best on a number of celiac support group websites. Like everyone else, I thought that adding xanthan gum to the dough was essential. Coming out of the oven, the loaf looked reasonably promising. I couldn’t wait for the bread to cool, and then I tasted it. Disappointment … big disappointment. It had an off-taste and a crumbly texture just like all the commercial breads I had rejected.

After developing several dozen recipes avoiding rice flour, I finally decided to try a naturally gluten-free rice-based bread. I was interested in two things: the convenience of using a gluten-free flour blend, and a familiar taste for those who currently purchase their sandwich bread. You can either make a gluten-free blend yourself (see Note) or buy a commercial blend. Just make sure that the commercial blend does not include xanthan gum. This bread rises beautifully, slices without crumbling, and has a yeasty, rustic quality that will get you excited about white sandwich bread again.

makes two 8-inch loaves

1½ cups (240g) gluten-free flour blend (such as King Arthur; see Note)

1½ cups (210g) tapioca starch

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

3 large eggs

¼ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons unflavored, unsweetened apple butter

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, tapioca starch, and salt and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow to proof for 15 minutes.

3. Using a hand mixer, mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Mix in the eggs, oil, apple butter, and ⅔ cup water until you have a thick cake-like dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 40 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease two 4½ × 8-inch loaf pans.

5. Spoon the dough into the loaf pans. (The dough will come to within an inch of the top of the pan.) Make sure the pans are separated by at least 2 inches to ensure even baking. Bake for 1 hour, or until the sides and bottom sound hollow when tapped. Allow the loaves to cool for 10 minutes in the pans before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

NOTE: You can make your own brown rice flour blend, as shown on King Arthur’s website: 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch, 1 cup tapioca starch. For this recipe only, combine 187g brown rice flour, 62g potato starch, and 31g tapioca starch.

brown bread

IN THE FALL OF 2012, I was selected as a finalist in America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest, sponsored by the California Raisin Board. They flew me and thirty-five other finalists to the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas, for the final competition. One of only three finalists with gluten-free entries, I knew I was out of my league as I met some of the best bakers and pastry chefs around. For me, innovation was making something gluten-free taste normal. For them, innovation was creating something with a distinct taste profile and a unique combination of ingredients and techniques.

For the competition, the California Raisin Board sent a 250-pound bounty of Thompson raisins, raisin paste, golden raisins, currants, and muscats. What drew my attention were two big jugs of thick, deep brown raisin juice concentrate, which is used in bakeries as a natural preservative, colorant, binder, antioxidant, and moisturizer. It sounded like it was designed for gluten-free bread. I now make my own raisin juice concentrate, and it produces a moist, attractive, brown loaf with great volume, no refined sugar and some of the best flavor I have tasted in gluten-free sandwich bread.

makes one 8-inch loaf

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1½ cups (180g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup Raisin Juice Concentrate (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the raisin juice concentrate, butter, and ½ cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and blend until combined. Add the eggs and cocoa and blend the dough until it is smooth and creamy. It will have a liquid, batter-like texture.

5. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour. Grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan with butter.

6. Use a rubber spatula to punch down the risen dough and scoop it into the loaf pan. Cover it with well-buttered or -oiled plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375ºF.

8. Bake the loaf for 25 minutes, or until the crust browns and becomes crusty. Then cover the loaf with a foil tent, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the sides and bottom sound hollow when tapped. Turn the bread out of the pan onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool fully before slicing.

raisin juice concentrate ✵ makes ½ cup

2 cups (260g) raisins

4 cups boiling water

1. Coarsely chop the raisins and place in a large glass bowl. Pour the boiling water over the raisins and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the raisin sugars to seep into the water for at least 3 hours.

2. Strain the raisin water through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it boil gently until the mixture has thickened and reduced to ½ cup.

high-fiber sandwich bread

IT IS NOT TOO SURPRISING that American diets are deficient in fiber. Grain-based bread products and pizza are the primary sources of fiber in the U.S. diet according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Although the average slice of white sandwich bread has less than a gram of fiber (and most of that is in the crust), there is a lot of discussion about whether a gluten-free diet provides sufficient fiber. Several gluten-free sandwich breads have a decent fiber profile, but the fiber often comes from sources like cellulose, which is surplus spruce tree wood pulp, or oat and rice bran. And while wood pulp is all natural, I would rather not eat a tree.

This sandwich bread is high-fiber and low-glycemic. It is not fluffy, but it is moist and holds together extremely well for slicing, toasting, and grilling. If you are trying to increase the amount of fiber in your diet while limiting your intake of high-glycemic flours, this is the bread for you. This is also a higher-protein bread, with the sources being eggs, coconut, and buckwheat flours.

makes one 8-inch loaf

¼ cup (30g) coconut flour

2¼ cups (270g) light buckwheat flour

⅔ cup (93g) tapioca starch

1 teaspoon salt

⅓ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 large eggs

1. In a food processor, combine the coconut flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, and salt and pulse until blended together.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the oil and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and pulse until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and blend until combined. Add the eggs and blend the dough until it has a smooth, batter-like texture.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled. Grease a 4½ × 8-inch loaf pan.

6. Use a spatula to punch down the dough and scoop it into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.

7. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake the loaf for 55 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn the bread out and allow to cool fully before slicing.

toasted sesame naan

ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS at Against The Grain is sesame bagels. They are way different from any other gluten-free bagels on the market because they are light, with a texture reminiscent of croissants. The ingredient that makes them unique is a hint of toasted sesame oil. Toasting the naan warms the sesame oil, filling your breakfast kitchen with the most scrumptious smell. When you want to serve gluten-free bread along with a meal, a nice toasted naan is a perfect accompaniment. You can either bake it on a baking sheet or slide the naan (on parchment paper) directly onto a pizza stone. If you are grilling, consider brushing the baked naan with a little olive oil and throwing it on the grill. Grilling the naan this way will release the sesame scent and enhance your entire meal.

This recipe is built on gluten-free rolled oats, which are toasted to gelatinize the starch. This increases the binding properties of the oats and enhances their flavor as they caramelize. When combined with sesame seeds and sesame oil, the flavor is a warm, slightly earthy taste with a hint of sweetness from the honey and apple butter. It is also a higher-fiber naan without a distinct oat taste.

makes 2 naans

2¼ cups rolled oats

¾ cup (105g) tapioca starch

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon unflavored, unsweetened apple butter

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 large eggs

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread the oats evenly on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Turn the oven off. Transfer the toasted oats to a food processor and process until ground into a fine flour.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes. Blend the yeast mixture into the oat flour mixture, then add the milk, olive oil, sesame oil, honey, apple butter, and 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. With a hand mixer, beat in the eggs. Mix the dough on high for 4 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down and divide the dough in half. With a moistened spatula, smooth two flat loaves onto the baking sheet, separating the loaves by 2 inches to allow for spreading. Sprinkle the breads with the remaining tablespoon sesame seeds. Bake the naans for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Rising Crust Pizza Dough

rising crust pizza dough

GROWING UP IN A VERY RURAL AREA, I had never had an occasion to try a restaurant pizza. Of course, I had eaten what my dad called pizza—a Bisquick crust topped with homemade tomato sauce, mushrooms, peppers, and baked beans. The crust’s recipe: For 1½ cups Bisquick, use ⅓ cup very hot water and stir only 20 times. I first suspected that my dad’s pizza was out of the ordinary on my husband Tom’s first visit to my childhood home, as he rolled his eyes as if to say “This is pizza?” Despite my dad’s obsession with Bisquick, he was a foodie long before the word was a part of our lexicon … but his pizza was lost on me.

Of all the commercially available gluten-free products, pizza is one of the hardest to get right. Make this shell ahead of time and bring it with you to your favorite pizza joint. This recipe makes two balls of dough. Either parbake the crusts and freeze them for future use, or keep the extra ball of dough in the refrigerator for several days. The dough can also be used to make calzones, pizza bites, or a wrap for baked brie.

makes enough for two 12-inch pizzas, or 4 to 6 smaller individual pies

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (100g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing shells

1½ tablespoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

1 large egg

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the ¼ cup oil and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry ingredients and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and blend until combined. Add the egg and blend until the dough is smooth and comes together. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes in a covered bowl. Lightly grease a 12-inch pizza pan.

5. Dust your hands with tapioca starch. Form the dough into a smooth ball and divide in half, then roll each half into a ball. Use your hands to gently spread out the dough on the pizza pan to the desired size. Create a rim at the edges by rolling the dough under toward the center of the shell. Brush the shell, including the rim, lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Allow the crust to rest for 15 minutes.

TO MAKE A TOPPED CHEESE PIZZA: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF. Cover the raw shell with your favorite toppings and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and begins to brown. (The total bake time will depend on how many toppings you put on the pizza.)

To parbake a shell: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake the shell for 10 minutes, or until the crust is beginning to brown.

skillet pizza

SOMETIMES IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS that can make a major difference in your life. Take skillets, for instance. Always a fan of eggs for breakfast, I spent years scrubbing scrambled eggs out of skillets. I bought regular pans and nonstick pans, even a $70 hard-anodized pan, but nothing seemed to work.

I resigned myself to the myth of nonstick pans. Then I visited my sister, Lynn, and her husband, Joe, who had recently moved back to land after living on a sailboat for ten years. Although it was a big sailboat, and although they were foodies, they kept a minimalist kitchen. It was at breakfast the first morning where I discovered cast-iron skillets: nothing sticks in a seasoned cast-iron skillet, and you can clean it with just hot water and a brush. After all those years, I had met one of my very favorite kitchen tools.

This pizza shell puffs up a lot when parbaked, which may make you wonder how you’re going to get the finished pizza out of the pan or whether you’ll have to eat it right out of the pan with a fork. You have to have faith that the completed pizza will release from the skillet when done. Miraculously, it does, but make sure your cast-iron pan is well seasoned.

makes one 12-inch pizza

FOR THE PIZZA SHELL:

1 cup (140g) tapioca starch

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (50g) light buckwheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2½ tablespoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 egg white

FOR THE TOPPINGS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes

4 slices bacon, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces

10 large kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1 Italian sausage link, cooked, sliced into disks and quartered

½ jar (3 ounces) marinated artichokes, drained and chopped

1. Make the pizza shell: In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the oil and ½ cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Clean out the saucepan to use for the toppings. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and blend until combined. Add the egg white and blend until the dough is smooth and comes together. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes in a covered bowl.

5. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500°F.

6. Dust your hands with tapioca starch to handle the dough. Form the dough into a smooth ball and pat it down into a 5-inch round. Place it in a well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet and work the dough to spread it evenly on the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Use your fingers to roll the sides down slightly to create a rim. Allow the crust to rest for 15 minutes.

7. Prepare the toppings: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until it begins to brown. Add the diced tomatoes (and their juices) and the bacon and cook until the liquid is reduced to a spreadable paste, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

8. Slide the skillet into the oven and parbake the shell for 6 minutes.

9. Spread the tomato topping on the shell and top with the olives, sausage, and artichokes. Put the skillet back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

variations

barbecued chicken skillet pizza

Parbake the crust, then spread 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce over the surface. Top with 1 cup chopped grilled chicken, ⅓ cup sliced red onion, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, and bake for another 15 minutes to finish.

vegetarian skillet pizza

For a vegetarian version, top the parbaked crust with 1 medium onion, sliced and caramelized, 1 cup sliced fresh figs, and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then top with 1 cup arugula just before serving.

Biscuits

biscuits

I HAVE A FEW OCCASIONS to visit the South each year and am always reminded of how off-limits much of Southern cuisine is to those on a gluten-free diet. On a recent trip, biscuits seemed to be on every breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. Oddly enough, Southern-style or beaten biscuits—which are deliberately tough and more akin to what we know as hardtack—are a lot like most gluten-free biscuits. But growing up I never really liked beaten biscuits (often made at home by my dad with Bisquick). I wanted fluffy, light biscuits that crumble in your mouth and taste totally decadent with a melting pat of butter.

Of all the gluten-free formulations, I found biscuits particularly vexing. Like all other gluten-free doughs, they need to be well hydrated, but then they spread into flat hard shells. I had almost concluded that biscuits just didn’t translate when I saw a reference to biscuits made with three leavening agents: yeast, baking powder, and baking soda. That was the breakthrough: Adding yeast and allowing the dough to rest and rise while the flours absorbed the liquid gave the biscuit enough structure to stand on its own. Once you have the basics, there is no end to the variations you can create.

makes about 16 biscuits

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

⅓ cup warm milk plus ¼ cup cold milk

1¼ cups (150g) light buckwheat flour

1 cup (140g) tapioca starch

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm milk and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

2. In a food processor, pulse the buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse just until the mixture is a coarse meal. Stir in the proofed yeast.

3. Add the remaining ¼ cup cold milk and the vinegar and pulse until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with salted butter.

5. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap dusted with tapioca starch. Pat the dough down with wet hands until it is about ¾ inch thick. Use a tapioca-dusted glass to cut out biscuits 2 inches in diameter. Reroll the scraps as necessary.

6. Transfer the biscuits to the cake pans and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Hot Cross Buns

hot cross buns

HOT CROSS BUNS may be the first recipe I was ever introduced to. I still remember snuggling in my mom’s lap with my brother on one side and my sister on the other, while my mom read nursery rhymes from The Real Mother Goose to us over and over. In a singsong voice that captivated us, she would read Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! I would always ask what they were, until one day she decided that we would finally make them.

Actually, it is not so obvious what hot cross buns are—there are as many culinary interpretations of them as there are theories of what they signify. In the United Kingdom, they are traditionally eaten on Good Friday before Easter, but they are also available year-round and come in many flavors. This recipe is a pretty old-fashioned one, warmly spiced with bits of dried fruit. My favorite part is the smell of them baking, and oh yes, eating them warm, even without icing.

makes 8 buns

2⅓ cups (330g) tapioca starch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons milk

½ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 large eggs

¼ cup chopped dried pineapple

¼ cup chopped fruit-sweetened dried cranberries

½ cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg and pulse to combine.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of the milk, the oil, and granulated sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flour and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Add the eggs to the dough and process until smooth. The dough will be both sticky and runny, with the consistency of pancake batter. Scrape the dough into a bowl and fold in the dried fruits. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. It will absorb more of the moisture and become thicker.

4. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Using a spoon dipped in water, drop 8 spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet. Wet your hands and smooth the top and sides of the buns as you round them.

6. Bake the buns for 55 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush the tops with the honey. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

7. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 teaspoons milk and stir until all the lumps are dissolved. Spoon the icing into a pastry bag or sealable plastic bag with a corner cut off. Pipe crosses on the tops.

variation

gingery orange hot cross buns

Substitute ¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger for the pineapple, and add 2 tablespoons of orange zest. Substitute ½ teaspoon orange extract for the vanilla extract.

crumpets

WE CAN THANK HARRY POTTER for crumpets … at least in our house. An avid reader, Marty was in second grade when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first published in the United States. The teacher said he spent most of second grade sneaking the book off her desk and reading it over and over whenever he finished his work. In a scene right out of a fairy tale, at age twelve, Marty had the opportunity to meet J. K. Rowling in London and hear her read in Royal Albert Hall … and eat crumpets.

Crumpets are certainly not the same as English muffins, although they do show similarities. Crumpets are chewy and spongy with a surface of tiny holes created by adding baking powder to yeasted dough, whereas English muffins are more bread-like and crunchy when toasted. These crumpets combine both yeast and baking powder, and use a small amount of sour cream to increase the bubbling action of the baking powder. The baking powder is added at the last minute to provide the maximum number of holes in the surface. The resulting crumpets toast nicely, absorb lots of toppings, and can even be speared and toasted on a fork with marshmallows, just like Harry and Ron did.

makes 6 crumpets

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup (140g) tapioca starch

½ cup (60g) light buckwheat flour

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

⅓ cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons salted butter, melted, plus additional for brushing the skillet and rings

1 teaspoon baking powder

1. In a small bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, and ¼ cup warm water until well blended. Allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, eggs, salt, milk, sour cream, and melted butter. Add the yeast mixture. With a hand mixer, beat on high until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the insides of six 3-inch English muffin rings with more melted butter and lay them flat in the skillet.

4. Punch down the dough by stirring it, and whisk in the baking powder until it is uniformly blended into the batter.

5. Ladle approximately ¼ cup of the batter into one ring and test your heat. The bottom should brown nicely while the top starts to solidify with lots of tiny holes. Adjust the heat accordingly. Fill the remaining rings. When the holes appear and the top start to solidify, shake the rings until the crumpets come loose. Flip the crumpets over and cook them for 15 to 30 seconds to lightly brown the tops. If you flip them too soon, you will lose the lovely holes—but make sure you don’t brown the tops too long, or you will lose the holes as well.

Bagels

bagels

FROM 5KS TO MARATHONS, I’ve been running races for over thirty years. For me, it has always been about engaging in a healthy activity and achieving a personal best. Running my hardest early in the morning typically means finishing a race thirsty and starving, and of all the post-race offerings, orange slices and bagels are the most ubiquitous. It is always hard to pass by those bagels—piles of shiny, seeded carbs that my post-race body seems to crave.

Bagels always elicit strong opinions, but those of us on a gluten-free diet agree on one thing: Gluten-free bagels typically taste like bread with a hole in the center. Not my bagels—they are made from low-hydration dough, and the starch is pregelatinized to give the bagels their characteristically dense and chewy texture. Like traditional bagels, they are also parboiled to further gelatinize the starch on the surface. The result is a shiny, golden bagel, with a slightly crispy crust—finally, a bagel to rival the best in New York.

makes 6 bagels

FOR THE DOUGH:

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch, plus about ⅓ cup (47g) for kneading

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (105g) light buckwheat flour

1¾ teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large egg whites

FOR THE WATER BATH:

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon baking soda

Toppings (any or all): sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dehydrated minced onion

1. Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the 2 cups tapioca starch, the buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the oil and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture and egg whites to the dough and blend thoroughly; the dough will be shaggy. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

5. Using your hands, knead in about ⅓ cup tapioca starch until the dough is smooth, elastic, and just moist enough to handle without it sticking to your hands. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Place them on a piece of plastic wrap dusted with tapioca starch, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

6. For the water bath: In a large stockpot, combine 2 quarts water, the honey, and baking soda and bring to a boil.

7. Lightly dust your fingers with tapioca starch and press down on each ball using your index finger to press a hole in the center. With your other index finger, gently stretch the bagel, while enlarging the hole to 1½ to 2 inches in diameter.

8. Allow the bagels to rest on the plastic wrap while you preheat the oven to 450°F. Liberally grease a baking sheet.

9. Working two at a time, slide the bagels into the boiling water—they will float almost immediately. Allow them to boil for 1 minute, then flip them over and boil for another minute. Use a slotted spoon or flat spatula to carefully remove the bagels and transfer them to the baking sheet (see Note). While still damp from the bath, sprinkle the bagels with a topping (or multiple toppings) of your choice.

10. Bake the bagels for 25 minutes, or until they are nicely browned. Transfer the bagels to a cooling rack. They may be eaten warm or frozen for later use.

NOTE: Once formed and risen, the bagels need to be handled with care, but will hold their shape when boiled (although they may get a tad wrinkly). Gluten-free flours vary, and should your bagels fall or flatten, reduce your rising time and boil them for a shorter duration.

Bialys

bialys

MY HUSBAND, TOM, AND I lived in Brooklyn, New York, for ten years. Like many young professionals starting out, we moved to the city with modest jobs that left a paltry budget for entertainment. In those first years, the city was our entertainment. Like the protagonist who moved to the city in Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, every day, we were stunned, awed, and overwhelmed. We worked all week, and Saturday we explored. It started with a copy of Gerard Wolfe’s New York: Walking Tours of Architecture and History, given to us by a friend. Soon, it became our Saturday morning ritual to walk to some part of Brooklyn or Manhattan and just explore the area and sample the cuisine. And that is how we discovered bialys.

Everyone associates New York with bagels, and everyone in New York has an opinion about bagels, but not so many talk about bialys. A bialy is a chewy, crusty roll similar to a bagel, but it is baked rather than boiled. It doesn’t have a hole, either—rather, there is a depression in the center, smeared with an onion filling. As bagels have become more and more steroidal, bialys have stayed true to their humble origins. Mimi Sheraton, the food writer and former New York Times food critic, wrote an entire book about bialys, tracing their origins to the northeastern Polish town of Bialystok, where few survived the Holocaust. Mimi Sheraton concludes that bread is the “true soul food,” and I couldn’t agree more. But if you can’t eat traditional bread, do you lose your soul? Not at all if you have naturally gluten-free versions. These bialys remind me of those days wandering the streets and ethnic communities of New York City. I’m sure no respectable New Yorker would deem these totally authentic, but they would undeniably have an opinion. Most likely, a big thumbs-up.

makes 8 bialys

FOR THE FILLING:

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon salted butter

Pinch of baking soda

½ teaspoon poppy seeds

FOR THE DOUGH:

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch, plus ⅓ cup (47g) for kneading

1 cup (120g) light buckwheat flour

1¾ teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large egg whites

1. Make the filling: Chop the onion in the food processor until it is well minced. In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly. As the onion begins to soften, add the baking soda to speed up the caramelization process. Cook until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Stir in the poppy seeds. Set the filling aside.

2. Make the dough: Without washing the food processor bowl, combine the 2 cups tapioca starch, the buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until they are fully mixed.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the oil and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly and vigorously. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

5. Add the yeast mixture and egg whites to the dough and pulse to blend thoroughly. It will be shaggy, not yet smooth. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

6. Knead in up to ⅓ cup of tapioca starch until the dough is smooth, elastic, and just moist enough to handle without it sticking to your hands.

7. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a piece of plastic wrap dusted with tapioca starch. Press down on each ball and massage it into a 4- to 5-inch disk as if you were making an individual pizza crust. Place the disks on a well-greased baking sheet. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for at least 30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500°F.

9. Gently create a 2- to 3-inch-wide depression in the center of each disk. Spoon the onion filling into the depression in each disk and smear it from side to side.

10. Reduce the oven temperature to 475°F and bake the bialys for about 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer the bialys to a cooling rack.

English Muffins

english muffins

SOME OF MY FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES are of making breakfast over a campfire on a cool Vermont morning. My husband, Tom, grew up in the suburbs—the only time he ever camped with his family, he slept in the car with the dog. Even so, Tom willingly agreed to go camping in Yosemite Park one summer. We hadn’t been there for more than an hour before we discovered the Ahwahnee Hotel, and he noticed they served eggs Benedict for breakfast. Eggs Benedict is a huge treat for Tom, so there was no roughing it around the campfire the next morning.

But for years, eggs Benedict was off-limits. No commercially available gluten-free English muffin ever really seemed like it had the right texture to Tom. Of course, I still made eggs Benedict anyway for his birthday and special occasions, but it was always on one of our rolls. That was before I developed this recipe. Oh, these English muffins! They look, taste, and feel like the real thing. You can actually split them apart with a fork, and they toast up chewy with an open crumb that traps melted butter … and hollandaise sauce. This recipe is definitely my breakfast toast of choice these days.

makes 6 muffins

1⅔ cups (234g) tapioca starch

1¼ cups (150g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large egg whites

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the cooled dough and blend until combined. Remove the dough from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with salted butter.

6. Return the dough to the food processor and add the egg whites. Blend the dough until it is smooth. It will have a batter-like texture.

7. Preheat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or a nonstick griddle over medium-low heat. Butter the insides of six 3-inch English muffin rings and lay them flat on the cooking surface. Spoon approximately ½ cup of batter into each ring and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until the muffins rise and you can lift the rings so that the muffins release. The bottoms should be lightly browned. Using a slotted metal spatula, gently flip the muffins over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

8. Place the browned muffins on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the centers are baked. Allow to cool fully on a cooling rack.

eggs benedict ✵ serves 2

3 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

2 English muffins (preceding recipe), split and toasted

4 slices Canadian bacon

4 poached eggs

1. Make the hollandaise sauce: In the top of a double boiler set over low heat, vigorously whisk the egg yolks until they are well combined and thickened. Whisk in the lemon juice, and gradually add the melted butter until the sauce is smooth.

2. Assemble the eggs Benedict: Top each muffin half with a slice of bacon and a poached egg. Spoon the hollandaise sauce over the top.

Sourdough Soft Pretzels

sourdough soft pretzels

WHEN WE WERE FIRST MARRIED, my sister-in-law Cheri gave me a gift of one of her sourdough “babies”—a jar of gloppy, wheat-based starter covered with a clear layer of liquid that looked like pond water. “Sourdough is a living thing,” she told me. Her starter had been passed down to her and was a descendant of the starter sold by King Arthur Flour Company, which they describe as “a starter that’s been lovingly nurtured here in New England since the 1700s.” Talk about responsibility. I took it seriously and treated it as I would a pet (and it did make great bread). It lived in the door of my refrigerator; I fed it when it was hungry, and nurtured it for over twenty years. They say the starter takes on the characteristics of your region and climate, so this starter might as well have been a character in the movie Baby Boom—over the years, it moved with us from Philadelphia to New York City, to its final resting place in Vermont. Its life came to an abrupt end with my son’s celiac diagnosis—over night, it went from being a treasured part of my kitchen to poison.

It took me a long time to get up the courage to start a gluten-free sourdough. Then I learned that sourdough was the leavening agent of choice for 100% rye flour bread because rye does not contain enough gluten for baker’s yeast to work very well. The structure of rye bread, like that of many breads made with gluten-free flours, comes mostly from the starch in the flour, so it seemed worth a try.

The tangy taste works extremely well in sourdough pretzels. Soft pretzels used to be a big deal in our household: They were the first thing my son, Marty, learned to “cook.” When he was diagnosed with celiac disease, it was the food that he said he would miss most. When I first made these for him, he ate three soft pretzels, one after the other. They are chewy and salty, and just like the ones he remembers. Now, every time he comes home for a visit, he always asks: “Got any of those pretzels?”

makes 8 pretzels

2¼ cups (315g) tapioca starch, plus 1¼ cups (175g) for rolling pretzels

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup milk

½ cup canola oil

⅔ cup light buckwheat flour Sourdough Starter

1 large egg

6 tablespoons baking soda

Pretzel salt (or extra-coarse sea salt)

1. In a food processor, combine the 2¼ cups tapioca starch and the regular salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flour and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes. Clean out the saucepan.

3. Add the sourdough starter and egg to the cooled dough, and mix until smooth. The dough will have the consistency of cheesecake batter. Transfer it to a bowl and allow the dough to rest on the counter for 10 minutes. It will thicken some, yet be too sticky to handle.

4. By hand, knead up to 1¼ cups tapioca starch into the dough, just enough so that you can roll the dough by hand without it sticking—the dough should be tender and slightly dusty. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into an 18- to 20-inch rope. Form the pretzels as shown and place on parchment paper. Generously grease a baking sheet.

5. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.

6. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in the saucepan and dissolve the baking soda in the water; reduce the heat to a simmer. One at a time, slide a pretzel onto a slotted spatula and lower the pretzel into the baking soda bath. Boil it for 30 seconds, and then gently transfer it to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the pretzel salt to taste.

7. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until the pretzels are nicely browned.

variations

cinnamon sugar pretzels

Replace the pretzel salt with a mixture of 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon before baking.

asiago and black pepper pretzels

Add ¾ cup of freshly grated Asiago cheese to the dough with the egg. After boiling, sprinkle the tops with ¼ cup freshly grated Asiago cheese and 1 to 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper. 

traditional brazilian rolls (pão de queijo)

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF AGAINST THE GRAIN, I stumbled upon Pão de Queijo, or Brazilian Cheese Bread. As with most “traditional” recipes, there are tons of variations on the theme, including type and proportion of ingredients as well as techniques. At the point I discovered the cheese rolls, I hadn’t found any other gluten-free bread as tasty, and I wanted to know why they puffed up the way they did and how they developed their tremendously chewy texture. I had no idea the path that inquiry would take me down.

Two main methods emerge in the multitude of recipes: (1) toss everything in a blender and bake in muffin tins or (2) create a gelatinous mixture by preboiling the liquid and the fat, then roll the dough into Ping-Pong-size balls. I’m of the preboiling camp, which totally changes the texture and binding properties of the flour. But the blender method also produces a unique and delicious roll. The following recipe makes light, chewy rolls perfect for appetizers and mini sandwiches. There is an infinite variety of modifications you might try with different cheeses, garlic, and herbs.

makes 24 rolls

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Position one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third and preheat to 450°F. Measure the tapioca starch and salt into a large bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a full, rolling boil, whisking occasionally. Pour the hot mixture over the tapioca and stir until all the tapioca is moistened.

3. Knead the dough with a wooden spoon until it is cool enough to handle, then knead with your hands until the dough cools enough to hold.

4. Gradually add the beaten eggs to the dough, fully incorporating them into the dough before adding more. (If you mix the dough by hand, it will be very sticky and sort of lumpy, but the lumps will smooth out during the baking process.) Mix in the Parmesan; the dough consistency will be like soft cookie dough. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Use a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon dipped in water to drop rounded balls about the size of a golf ball on the baking sheets, 12 rolls per baking sheet, placed at least 1 inch apart.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Put one sheet on the upper rack and one on the lower rack and bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

seeded dinner rolls

SHORTLY BEFORE MY YOUNGER SON, MARTY, left to begin an MFA program in the South, we spent a few days at our cottage on the St. Lawrence River. Living in his own apartment for the first time, he was excited about cooking for himself, but he was dreading the limited gluten-free options in his small college town. What to do about gluten-free bread?

I developed this roll with minimum processing so that he would be able to bake his own. This is a versatile roll that works equally well as a dinner and sandwich roll. It is based on Traditional Brazilian Rolls, but bigger, with more substance. Bake them up in the evening, cool, and freeze them for the week.

Sitting on the front porch of our cottage, watching the water and horizon fade to the same deep blue, we toasted to his success and ate these rolls topped with thin slices of extra sharp Cheddar and smoked Gouda. I thought of the mother osprey atop the gigantic nest near the water, who so carefully tends to her offspring until they are ready to fledge. I knew Marty was ready to fly, but it was bittersweet. At least he has the comfort of home-baked gluten-free bread with him.

makes 6 rolls

2⅓ cups (330g) tapioca starch

1½ teaspoons salt

1 cup milk

½ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon golden flaxseeds

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, canola oil, and sesame oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flour and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and process until smooth. Blend in the sesame seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. The dough will be both sticky and runny, with the consistency of pancake batter. Scoop the dough into a bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. It will absorb more of the moisture and thicken.

4. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch glass baking dish and line with parchment paper.

5. Wet a tablespoon with cold water and spoon the dough in 6 balls spaced equally in the baking dish. Use the wet spoon to shape, smooth, and round the rolls.

6. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are lightly browned. Let the rolls cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool. (The cooling process is almost as important as the baking process since the tapioca structure continues to develop as the rolls cool.)

Pumpernickel Rolls

pumpernickel rolls

AS A FAMILY WITH GLUTEN INTOLERANCE and celiac disease, we eat what we make. So, even before we determine whether a product would be profitable, we ask ourselves, “Would we buy this?” If the answer is “Not really,” or even “Maybe,” the idea is scrapped. It was through this process that we developed pumpernickel rolls, and they quickly became a favorite among our family and staff. When we made them, we looked forward to indulging in a thick Reuben Sandwich.

Frozen food aisles are the most expensive real estate in the supermarket, and staying on those shelves is a very Darwinian process. When we introduced our pizzas several years ago, we couldn’t make them fast enough to keep up with demand. Customers loved the pizzas, and it wasn’t long before the pizzas killed off the slower-selling pumpernickel rolls. Loyal customers have been mourning them ever since. For all of you pumpernickel fans out there these are for you. They are not exactly the same as Against The Grain’s version, but they are a great substitution that can easily be made at home. They are crusty with an open crumb and a moist interior.

makes 6 rolls

2⅓ cups (330g) tapioca starch

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

½ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons molasses

2 large eggs

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, cocoa, caraway seeds, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, canola oil, molasses, and ¼ cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flour and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and process until smooth. The dough will be both wet and sticky. Scoop the dough into a bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. It will absorb more of the moisture and thicken.

4. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch glass baking dish and line with parchment paper.

5. Wet a tablespoon with cold water and spoon the dough in 6 balls spaced equally in the baking dish. Use the wet spoon to shape, smooth, and round the rolls.

6. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are lightly browned. Let the rolls cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool. (The cooling process is almost as important as the baking process since the tapioca structure continues to develop as the rolls cool.)

Caramelized Onion Focaccia

caramelized onion focaccia

WHEN YOU OWN A BREAD FACTORY, you eat a lot of pizza. I’d hate to think about how many pizzas I’ve eaten since Against The Grain’s inception. However, sometimes you want a pizza that is not really a pizza, but gives you the same comfort feeling. That’s where focaccia bread comes in.

Back in my gluten days, I loved to use extra pizza dough, puffy with yeast, to make a small focaccia loaf. I dimpled the top with my fingers and drizzled garlic-infused olive oil over the surface, creating little golden puddles. Rather than the main attraction of a meal, focaccia is a perfect side to soup or a salad. And since the caramelized onions are baked on top, this keeps them from drying out and losing some of their characteristic sweetness and aroma. Like many roasted vegetables, caramelized onions are both sweet and savory. There is some debate about which onions are the sweetest—I vote for Georgia Vidalias, but any sweet onion will make an excellent topping for this focaccia. Here the caramelization is hastened by adding a tiny amount of baking soda (⅛ teaspoon). The baking soda decreases the acidity of the onions and allows them to brown faster without losing as much moisture.

makes two 9-inch focaccia

FOR THE FOCACCIA:

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1 cup (120g) light buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 large egg

FOR THE CARAMELIZED ONIONS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1. Make the focaccia dough: In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture and egg to the dough and blend until it is smooth. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm area until doubled, typically about 1 hour.

5. While the dough rises, make the caramelized onions: In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, salt, and baking soda and cook until just browned. Set the skillet aside.

6. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.

7. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line each with a round of parchment paper. Punch down the dough with a rubber spatula and divide it in half. With wet hands, shape each dough half into a mound, and place each one in a cake pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Wet your fingers and press them lightly into the tops of the mounds to create depressions. Top each mound with the caramelized onions (including any of the onion cooking oil), spreading them over the top and into the depressions. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary over the top. Allow the dough to rise uncovered for 45 minutes, or until it is puffy. It will not rise a lot with the oil and the weight of the onions.

8. Bake the focaccia for 30 minutes, or until browned and fragrant. Transfer the focaccia from the pans to a cooling rack to cool completely.

rustic boule

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH BREAD began in New Orleans. I grew up on the modern conveniences of white sandwich bread, and Sunday dinner fare was pop-and-serve crescent rolls. I landed in New Orleans as a college freshman and felt like I was an exchange student in a foreign country.

When I ventured out into the French Quarter, I found the Central Grocery, an Old World Italian grocery store. I discovered its world-famous muffuletta sandwich, set on a round, relatively flat Italian loaf, and it awakened a palate I didn’t know existed—for real bread. Some people remember their college years fondly for the academic challenges or just the thrill of coming-of-age. Among the things that I remember most fondly was the heritage and unique cuisine of New Orleans, particularly the bread.

For years, I tried to make gluten-free versions of French and muffuletta bread. New Orleans bread has a thin, crisp crust that crinkles when it cools, and a soft, airy interior. The distinct balance of crust and crumb is hard to match, and many speculate that baking it below sea level creates just the right temperature and humidity conditions. Although it has a crust reminiscent of peasant bread or pane rustica, the crumb is light and filled with air bubbles. This isn’t quite New Orleans muffuletta bread, but it is well worth the effort.

makes 3 to 4 boules

2½ cups (350g) tapioca starch

½ cup (60g) light buckwheat flour

1½ teaspoons salt

1 cup milk

½ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease four round 4½-inch mini springform pans or soufflé dishes (or three 6-inch pans).

2. In a food processor, blend the tapioca starch, buckwheat flour, and salt.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

5. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and process until it is thick and creamy. Add the eggs and blend, then add the baking powder and vinegar.

6. Scoop the dough equally into the prepared pans. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the boules are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. Transfer to a cooling rack and immediately remove from the pans. Allow the boules to cool fully before slicing.

ciabatta bread

ONE OF THE CAREERS I HAD pre-Against The Grain was as a real estate agent selling properties near Mt. Snow in West Dover, Vermont. It was a pretty crazy time, just as the Internet was becoming a real estate agent’s most useful tool. I knew the world was changing when I sold a 10-acre parcel I’d never seen to someone whom I had never met. There was a lot of prospecting, and waiting, and e-mailing, and occasionally viewing new properties on the market.

But one of the only reasons I did that job for several years was lunch: Every day the broker and I would make the short walk across Route 100 to a small bakery that sold ciabatta bread, a bit bigger than a roll but smaller than a loaf. It was rustic with a crisp, but chewy crust that you had to tear into, and with a spongy crumb with just the right amount of holes. We asked the baker how he made it, and he told us it was complicated and took 2 days. I now know why, after trying to make a gluten-free version. This is a wet dough that produces the rustic, open crumb and chewy texture. It is a bit harder to work with, but it produces a unique roll unlike any other gluten-free bread. And the baker was right, it takes 2 days to produce.

makes four 5-inch loaves

2 cups (280g) tapioca starch

1 cup (120g) light buckwheat flour, plus ½ cup (60g) for kneading

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1. In a food processor, combine the tapioca starch, 1 cup buckwheat flour, and the salt and pulse until blended.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the dry mixture and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and ⅓ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes.

4. Add the yeast mixture to the dough and process until it is smooth and creamy. It will have a very liquid, batter-like texture. Scoop the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use a wet rubber spatula to scrape it out of the bowl. Wet your hands slightly and use your hands to form the dough into a compact ball. Sprinkle it with the remaining ½ cup buckwheat flour and knead all of the flour into the dough until it is smooth.

6. Divide the dough into 2 balls, then divide those to make a total of 4 balls. Place them at least 2 inches apart on a well-greased baking sheet. Cover the dough with well-buttered or -oiled plastic wrap and let it rise until each loaf is doubled in size. (This may take 2 to 3 hours, as the dough has to warm up to room temperature before rising. As the dough rises, the high ratio of liquid to flour will make the ciabatta flatten and spread into 5-inch-diameter rounded loaves.)

7. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, or until crusty. (Like wheat-based ciabatta, the loaves tend to brown less than traditional loaves.)

8. Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and allow them to cool thoroughly before serving. During the cooling process, the interior texture will transform from slightly gummy to a chewy, open crumb.

variation

savory herb and artichoke ciabatta bread

After step 5, add a 6-ounce jar of artichokes, drained and chopped, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary. Then proceed with dividing the dough into balls before rising.

Olive Flatbread

olive flatbread

A LOT HAS BEEN WRITTEN about the positive benefits of a family dinner on the well-being of adolescents. When I was growing up in the fifties and sixties, Sunday dinner was an elaborate affair, a time when my dad could test out some new gourmet recipe or technique. But one thing was a constant: a bowl of pickles, celery, carrot sticks, and olives. Perhaps on behalf of my sister, who has always had an insatiable appetite for olives, we had an unstated rule that each person could have only three olives. Once when a dinner guest reached for the olive bowl, one of my siblings blurted out, “You know you can only have three olives.” Taken aback, he promptly withdrew his hand and we all had a good laugh. There’s nothing like rationing to make something ordinary seem really special. To this day, I love all types of olives in salads, on pizzas, in lasagna, and just about anywhere else I can slip them in.

In this flatbread, kalamata olives star as both the garnish and for the comforting flavor they impart to the bread. This bread is meant as a side to soup or salad, but it could just as easily be dressed up as a rustic pizza or focaccia with the addition of marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, or slices of fresh mozzarella.

makes 1 large flatbread

1¼ cups (150g) light buckwheat flour

½ cup (50g) oat flour

1 cup (140g) tapioca starch

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

2 large eggs

½ cup large kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease an oval baking dish).

2. In a food processor, combine the buckwheat flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, garlic, and salt and pulse until blended.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the olive oil and ¾ cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately pour the hot mixture into the flours and process until it is moist with a sand-like texture. Allow the dough to cool for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yeast, honey, and ¼ cup warm water and allow it to proof for 15 minutes. Add the yeast mixture to the cooled dough and blend until combined. Add the eggs and blend until smooth and creamy.

5. Spread the dough evenly, ½ to ¾ inch thick, on the baking sheet (or spread the dough in the baking dish). Arrange the olives in an attractive pattern on top of the dough, pressing each olive lightly into the dough. Scatter the rosemary over the dough and lightly drizzle more olive oil over the top.

6. Bake the flatbread for 35 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack.