Baking & Pastry Project Week 10 - Brioches

Baking & Pastry Project Week 10 - Brioches


It's been an extra strength Motrin kind of day.

I was up and at 'em early this morning so I could head out for my annual mammogram and ultrasound appointment. It's a yearly event that was somewhat memorable up until four years ago, when my ultrasound revealed a tiny tumor.

There followed a whirlwind six weeks of doctor's appointments, an MRI, genetic tests and more than a little head banging. I did give into a bout of primal scream therapy after getting thoroughly aggravated with the oncologist. My husband sat on the floor beside the bathroom door and just chuckled at me. Surgery came next, followed by tattoos, six weeks of radiation, nutritional supplements, changing out all the various types of products in our home. We live organic and green.

Four years have passed. I remain cancer free.

But....dang! Mammograms are for the birds. No, no, not really...it's for preparing crepes, pancakes, griddle cakes, and flapjacks. While you're standing there holding your breath and getting squashed, your mind begins to wander. It was probably the oxygen deprivation, but I had visions of Soylent Green. Just pop a person into the mammogram machine, squash them down, then serve them up with maple syrup and coffee.

You know...they really ought to make a mammogram strength pain killer, like those for PMS. 'Cause the side I had surgery on, is ready to hop off and head to Mexico for some fun in the sun...without the rest of me. I could ice myself down like a fish or I could get them to shoot that side up with Novocaine, better yet, how about anesthesia.

My husband came up with the best plan. He had me take Motrin to get through the worst of the day. Later he plyed me with a few glasses of "Passion has Red Lips," a 2007 cabernet and shiraz wine from South Australia. It's made by some young punks over at Adelina Wines. Once I was nice and sleepy he carried me to bed, so I could sleep it all off.

I've got love for my geek.


Schedule

Wednesday - Brioche

Saturday - Craquelin

Shopping List

Brown Rice Flour (Fine or Superfine Grind)
Sweet Rice Flour (also called glutinous rice flour)
Arrowroot Starch
Almond Meal
High Protein Flours, such as: Soybean, White Bean, Black Bean
Whole Grain Flour, such as: Buckwheat, Millet, Sorghum, Quinoa, Teff
Instant Dry Yeast
Sea Salt
Sugar Cubes
Eggs
Butter
Lemon Zest
Whole Milk
Binding Agents, such as: Xanthan or Guar Gum, Chia Seed Meal, Agar Agar Powder

Resources

Flours & Binding Agents: Authentic Foods, Barry Farm, Bob's Red Mill
Instant Dry Yeast: Barry Farm
Agave Syrup: Wild Organics, Native Seeds

Equipment

4 in or 5 in Brioche Pan
6 in or 8 1/8 in Panettone Wrapper

What's Going On?

I was a very lucky woman and received a copy of the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry book along with their culinary dvd's from my family for my birthday and our anniversary. After watching all the DVDs, I decided to work my way through the CIA's Baking and Pastry book - of course making it gluten free. There were so many skills that I wanted to develop and work on. I hope you will be interested in sharing my journey with me.

Want More?

You can also follow me on Twitter, where I'm glutenagogo.

Other Baking & Pastry Project Posts

Baking & Pastry Project #18 - Mixed Berry & Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Baking & Pastry Project #17 - Braided Challah
Baking & Pastry Project Week 9 - Twisted & Braided
Baking & Pastry Project #16 - Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Baking & Pastry Project #15 - Rustic Raisin Bread
Baking & Pastry Project Week 8 - Raisins & More Raisins
Baking & Pastry Project #14 - Cheddar & Onion Mock Rye Batard
Baking & Pastry Project #13 - Prosciutto & Provolone Bread
Baking & Pastry Project Week 7 - Ham & Cheese

Cheesy Crackers & Granola Bars

I love surfing around to the other gluten free bloggers to see what everyone is cooking in their kitchens. I always find so many inspiring things to make for my family. This month the lovely Sea over at The Book of Yum is hosting an Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger Event, a perfect opportunity for me to try out a couple of recipes I've had my eye on at Gluten Free Gobsmacked.

Recently Kate made some delightful animal shaped Cheesy Quinoa Crackers that tempted her and her husband into nibbling. I gave her recipe a whirl and varied it a little bit, since I prefer my quinoa flour blended with other grains. I used a blend of quinoa, amaranth, millet, flaxseed meal and arrowroot starch which was a still a little strong in flavor. I used the flax seed meal as a replacement for the xanthan gum and for extra fiber. I chose to use a block of year old aged English Cheddar I picked up at Whole Foods and some Neufchatel cheese, it was a perfect mate for the stronger flavored flour blend. I made some with my small animal cracker cutters and some cut in parallelograms. What did my family think? My husband and I thought they were delicious and could lure you into nibbling far too many. My son thought they were okay, however my daughter didn't get a chance to try them due to her dairy allergy.



That takes me to the second recipe I tried from Kate's blog, Peanut Butter Granola Bars. I needed to have something for my daughter to try out that was dairy free. She likes peanut butter and will gladly eat a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, but her real love is peanut butter and chocolate. After getting her approval on this recipe, we mixed together all her favorite cereals, seeds, nuts and dried fruit. I used agave syrup instead of the honey that Kate used. My daughter thought the granola bars were wonderful and wants me to include some Enjoy Life! dairy free chocolate chips in the next batch I make. The rest of us thought these bars were wonderful. My husband and I enjoyed some for breakfast while he had his morning coffee and I had my Rooibos tea.

To see Kate's full recipes follow the links above for the Cheesy Crackers and Peanut Butter Granola Bars. While you are there take some time to browse around and see her other gluten free recipes.