I accidentally upgraded my wordpress account and it wreaked havoc. Lost all kinds of posts and it broke countless links. F@$#! One of the many post sent off unanchored into the ethernet was this guest post (and photo) by freelance writer Stephanie Stiavetti. As with her gluten-free fried chicken, enough people have asked about it that I'm reposting it again. I've really only recently become aware of what a rotten disease celiac is, especially for people who love to cook, and to eat, and to write about it. This post with Carol Blymire (alineaathome.com) describes the situation, um, vividly (the post also has glutenfreegirl's awesome pizza dough recipe). It's also impressed on me how important it is for chefs to understand celiac disease and gluten-free cooking. Stephanie Stiavetti, a social media consultant and reluctant techie based in the Bay Area, blogs at wasabimon.com. — M.R.
by Stephanie Stiavetti
In the very beginning of my gluten-free life, I had some dark days indeed. I used to watch everyone else eat their cookies and sandwiches, and in my mind, I just could not reconcile the fact that wheat was suddenly bad for me. It was incredibly difficult to unlearn a lifetime of nutritional education that simply did not apply to me anymore. And how would I survive in the modern world, where nearly everything seems to contain gluten? Oh, woe is me! After a few moths of feeling sorry for myself, I got over it.
There's a whole world of food out there that doesn't involve gluten, so I got busy rediscovering how to feed myself. Not only did the rules of nutrition change for me, but so had the rules of cooking in general. Everything was different - how I made sauces, soups, and most distinctly, breads. Many years ago, back when I could eat regular wheat-based bread, I remember loving brioche. I'd inhale slice after slice, slathered with with butter, turn it into Thanksgiving stuffing, and slice it up into the most amazing French toast I've ever eaten. I was terribly sad to give it up, but that's what I had to do to stay healthy.
Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg developed this gluten-free brioche recipe for Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and I'm so excited to have brioche in my baking repertoire again. The first thing I made was a Prosciutto, Havarti and Tomato Panini, and then I went on to make Brioche Cinnamon Rolls and Chocolate Chip Buns. This recipe is so versatile that it can even be used to make Mini Summer Pizzas. For more info about the lovely folks who created this recipe, be sure to check out a short interview with Jeff and Zoë, wherein they share some tips for gluten-free baking. A note on pans and shapes: While this recipe makes a loaf of bread, feel free to turn it into classic brioche shapes if that's what you prefer. Here are some non-stick brioche moldsavailable online or at your local baking supply store.
Gluten-Free Brioche Recipe
From "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" by Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg
Makes enough dough for three 1.5 pound loaves
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- 3 ¾ cups cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated yeast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons xanthan gum
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup neutral flavor oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on loaf
- Raw sugar for sprinkling on top crust
- Whisk together the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
- Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry ingredients using one of the following: a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment) or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix just until there are no dry bits of flour. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bits of flour to incorporate if you are not using a machine.
- Cover (not airtight!) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
- The dough can be used now, after this initial rise, or it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days - do not store in an airtight container!
- On baking day, grease a 8.5"x4.5" nonstick loaf pan. Use wet hands to break a 1.5 pound piece of refrigerated dough and shape it into a ball. Note: the dough isn't stretched because there's no gluten in it - just gently press it into shape. You might need to wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface. Do not make the dough soggy.
- Elongate the dough into an oval and put it in the loaf pan, smoothing the surface with your fingers. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you are using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Just before putting it in the oven, use a pastry brush to gently paint the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle raw sugar.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 40-45 minutes. The loaf is done once it is caramel brown and firm to the touch. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking times.
- Remove brioche from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating. If it will not come out of the pan, let it sit for five minutes to allow the loaf time to steam itself loose from the pan. To firm up the outer crust again, place it back in the oven for three minutes to dry out the damp sides.
Morgan
The discovery of gluten-free products is endless! And they're not all bad! Sure, most of them are, but if this review is any indication, this brioche should be delicious! Will definitely need to try it. Amazing how many different things this can be!!! Cheers!
DiggingDogFarm
The brioche looks amazing.
Being a diabetic, I wish low-sugar/starch/glycemic was 'in' the way gluten-free has been lately.
avril rustage-johnston
Oh boy, I hear you! Many supermarkets in my area (Central Ontario) have whole sections devoted to gluten-free products, whereas items for diabetics are few and far-between. Puzzling, given the news stories about the growing number of people with diabetes. Perhaps we need to make our voices heard.
janice
Isn't this more of a challah? I always thought that brioche had obscene (read: delicious) amounts of butter. Just curious.
Tucker Keene
I would think that the veggie oil be the substitute for butter in this recipe.
So long as we're looking at special diet brioche, there is a darn good vegan version by accomplished food blogger and cookbook author at Bittersweet Blog: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/bread-with-a-heart-of-cake/
I have never had normal brioche, so I don't know how this compares, but it was a very successful loaf with great texture and taste. I used it in a bread pudding recipe, and it was marvelous.
Diane
These brioche look so tempting, I'm going to have to try this recipe as soon as "baking weather" arrives! Since I don't get along well with cornstarch, I'll have to substitute. That will give me an opportunity to apply "Ratio" principles to a recipe presented in volumes rather than weights, AND to substitute ingredients. I also live at high altitude (7,500 feet). It's not a recipe -- it's an adventure!
CJ
This is a pretty high startch-to-grain ratio. Anyone have a brioche without so much starch?
Alexandra
I am a bread baker by profession, and I really don't see how the above recipe can be called brioche without using quotation marks. Just because you bake something in a brioche tin doesn't make it brioche. Where is the butter? And the ratio of cornstarch to rice and tapioca flours is weird. Lastly, when working with gluten-free flours it's imperative to use weight not volume measurements.
Amy (Minimally Invasive)
There's nothing I don't love about this post, but I especially appreciate the introduction. WordPress (argh, they got me, too!) but also your realization that gluten can do some ugly things to certain people. Now, if only I can get my parents to understand that..."But you can have just a little, right?"
Frankie
Slam dukinn like Shaquille O\'Neal, if he wrote informative articles.
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Amy
Our family LOVES this bread and we eat devour it. To all the folks wondering about how it can be called Brioche, ratios, etc...gluten free baking is a totally different world. It defies all rules of baking so for those that care less about ratios/names and more about taste-THANK YOU Jeff and Zoe for your efforts and results!
KC
Yes! Made 1/4 batch to test as ingredient list sounded strange to me. Substituted butter and sugar for oil and honey. Made in muffin pan. Made 7. For fun I put a layer of chocolate chips in one. 20 minutes baking time. I ate all 7 with 24 hours! Satisfied my sweet bread craving. The one with chocolate satisfied my craving for pain au chocolat.
I may shorten baking time a little as bread was a touch dry when cool. Warming up did soften again.