To Changes

A typical Sunday around here, after we try to delegate who's turn it is to clean up from brunch with "Well, I set the table!"

Followed by,

"And I put the kettle on to boil!"

Forcing me to reply with,

"I mixed the pancakes!"

And eventually ending up in a shared effort of putting away the condiments, stacking the plates neatly (which don't need to be scraped this time!) by the dishwasher, and wiping down the counter, is then filled with dad building something outside, whether that be replacing our very old and very rotten wrap-around deck, or some other handy-man project, and mum and I working on our own individual "projects" as well. Today, I started this blog. And cooked.

That's our typical Sunday.

And in the middle of this very relaxing-but-very-exciting day sits lunch, later than other days to allow the pancakes to digest (except they don't feel like they're sitting in your stomach like gluten pancakes!). However, eventually everyone begins to need food, which is evident as things begin to annoy us, and nothings goes quite so smoothly as they did earlier in the day.

Like when I got frustrated because I couldn't figure out which button would lead me to publishing my first blog post. Mum can attest to that, as I yelled out in annoyance,

"This isn't working! Again!"

Yep, definitely lunch time. Which was only realized after mum suggested it.

Before I stopped eating gluten, I loved open-faced tuna-melts for lunch. Okay, I still love them, but they're just one of those fantasy things... That is, until I have them with gluten-free bread! They're a comfort food for a cloudy and gloomy day - just like today with the clouds threatening rain all day, and the September chill in the air. As mum suggested tuna-melts, after she scoured the pantry for ideas and coming into the kitchen pleased and excited that she'd found something: we looked at each other and both knew,

Of course, we don't have any gluten-free bread.

Double and triple-checking the fridge and cupboards, we still didn't turn up anything for me to have with the tuna melt. Devastating.

This was a roller coaster few moments for me clearly; I didn't want to be left eating cold beans from the can while delicious smells wafted around the room. No. That's just not okay.

And then the most brilliant idea came to me. Yam.

Or sweet potato. But I'm pretty sure it was a yam.

There, in the midst of the vegetable drawer, covered by the red and yellow peppers, and obscured by the baby carrots, was half a yam left with my name on it. It was quickly microwaved until almost cooked (2-4 minutes), and then my almost famous tuna melt mixture was spooned over top before it went straight under the broiler to melt the cheese to perfection.

There's definitely a recipe coming soon for this.

It tasted amazing, mainly because I love yams so much, but I learned that there needs to be some quick alternative for meals when my parents want bread, and without the drama of trying to find something.

So I decided that today was the day I would finally venture into gluten-free bread making. A recipe which I was scared to try, mainly because of the many stories of horrible results, including clumpy, dry, and distasteful "breads."

My solution? No recipe.

I did my research, reading bread recipes with wheat flour and gluten-free, and choosing from the most reliable ingredients to me (at the moment I'm sticking with eggs because they tend to bind the dough together and prevent too much crumbling), I formulated an easy gluten-free roll recipe.

We had them for dinner, so around three that afternoon I got out my many flours from the cupboard, and lined them up across the counter, labels facing me and ready for measurement time! The funnest part is adding them into a big bowl and seeing all the different colours turn into one big mix.

These babies might turn out purple...

The purple flour I used is purple maize, and even though the mixed together dry ingredients don't appear purple, the addition of any liquid will turn even the tiniest bit a deep purple. I love seeing how things change with the addition of each new ingredient and process. Like rising.

From when I first set the batter out to rise...

To a little over an hour later...

The difference is amazing!

However, while forming my rolls, the dough was extremely sticky, and not at all like dough. I hoped this would mean they'd be moist and delicious once they came out of the oven! But in the mean time, I had to deal with dough stuck to my hands, making it extremely difficult to form perfect little dough balls. But I managed.

Then, lined up perfectly in a little baking pan, I sent my creations into the heat, to be changed again into something wonderful!

... Mmm. Delicious. They ended up tasting like bread, but the texture was more like scones, which was alright by me! But I'll be revisiting this recipe in search of the perfect dinner rolls. Maybe I didn't quite get the proportions right?

Anyways, here's the recipe for my rolls - square shaped - that taste delicious with stews and soups!

Gluten-Free Rolls
Click here for printable version.

It's important to be aware of the amount of liquid you may need to add to the dough, depending on the atmosphere of your kitchen, or the types of flours used, which all act differently, the dough may need different amounts of liquid.

I cooked these for 25 minutes at 350°F, which didn't produce a hollow sound on the rolls when they were tapped, but they were cooked.

Ingredients

1 packet (8g) of instant yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c to 3/4 c warm liquid (equal parts rice milk and water)

1/2 c sorghum flour
1/2 c blanched almond meal
1/2 c arrowroot flour
1/2 c white rice flour
1/2 c purple maize flour
1 1/4 tsp salt

1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

In a small bowl, combine together the yeast, brown sugar, olive oil, and 1/2 c of the warm liquid. Set aside.

Mix together the egg and lemon juice in another small bowl, and set aside.

Combine the flours and salt together, and forming a well in the center, pour in the egg mixture and the yeast mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.

At this point you may need to add more liquid if the dough is not wet. I must note, that the dough should not resemble wheat-flour dough - otherwise you will end up with dry and crumbly rolls! It will change texture as it rises, drying slightly, and binding.

Oil another large bowl, and carefully transfer the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit between one and two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a square baking pan with oil, and dust with a gluten-free flour.

With your hands, form little rolls and place into the pan.

Cook for 25 minutes, or until tops have set and begin to brown slightly.

Enjoy with butter, and excellent accompanied with any meal!