In this podcast, Kira and Bill Van Ittersum are introducing you to the joy of easy and scrumptious gluten-free baking!

Kira knows firsthand that reactions to wheat gluten may not always be obvious. She has suffered with headaches and lethargy throughout her life. Even allergy tests did not disclose the problem. Kira believes that eating “gluten-free” is keeping her headache-free. She now feels far more energetic, thinks more clearly, and her joints don’t keep her awake at night. Even weight-loss has become more achievable. “I’m doing a lot of things in tandem, like not eating much sugar, taking supplements, and exercising, so, at first I wasn’t sure how much doing away with gluten, in particular, was helping me. However, now I know. These days, if I eat a slice of regular wheat bread for dinner, I’ll wake up headachy and have post-nasal drip the very next morning. It’s almost an instant result of consuming gluten.”

So, this is Kira’s story of how she provides freshly baked bread and other baked goods for her family after finding and learning to cook with gluten-free ingredients. Her husband, Bill, the bread lover, is very pleased with the results of Kira’s endeavors, and, now, even Kira, herself, is enjoying limited quantities of her tasty treats.

Links:

1. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking Nov 13, 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois

2. Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Baking Revolution Continues with 90 New, Delicious and Easy Recipes Made with Gluten-Free Flours October 21, 2014 by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois

3. Find Namaste Foods and their delicious recipes here: http://www.namastefoods.com/products/cgi-bin/products.cgi?Function=show&Id=13

4. Kira’s Change-Up of Namaste’s Best Banana Bread

2 cups Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt (changed from 1/8 tsp salt)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (changed from 1/2 cup canola oil)
1 cup raw sugar (changed from 3/4 cup sugar & 1/4 cup brown sugar)
2 large organic eggs (changed from 2 large eggs)
4 medium bananas, mashed (changed from 3 bananas, mashed)
1/2 tsp. gluten free vanilla (changed to 1 tsp. vanilla)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (changed from 1/2 cup)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly coat a 9×5 loaf pan with coconut oil.

In a medium size bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the coconut oil and sugars. Add the eggs, mashed bananas and the vanilla. (Please Note: Kira always sets the eggs in a dish filled with warm water for several minutes before breaking them out of their shells because coconut oil tends to congeal and harden when exposed to cold temperatures.) Stir all of the wet ingredients together. Then fold in the dry ingredients along with the walnuts (if using them).

Pour the batter into the 9×5 loaf pan and bake for approximately 65 -75 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. In my oven, 65 minutes is the perfect amount of time. Transfer the loaf to a wire heating rack and cool before serving.

5. Kira’s Change-Up of Namaste’s Granny’s Gluten Free Oven Baked Bread

3 1/2 cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (changed from milk or rice milk)
1 tbsp. Bragg’s apple cider vinegar (changed from regular apple cider vinegar)
2 tbsp. melted coconut oil (changed from oil)
2 tbsp. raw organic honey (changed from honey or agave nectar)
1/2 cup arrowroot (changed from cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca starch)
1 tsp. sea salt (changed from table salt)
3 organic eggs (changed from eggs)
1 tbsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water

Mix yeast in a 1/4 cup of warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. (Please Note: Kira always sets the eggs in a dish filled with warm water for several minutes before breaking them out of their shells because coconut oil tends to congeal and harden when exposed to cold temperatures.) Warm the milk. Add oil, honey, and cider vinegar. Beat room temperature eggs and add to milk mixture. Add yeast mixture to milk mixture and blend.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and blend on medium speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan. Cover loosely with sprayed waxed paper (or plastic wrap) and a dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover loosely with a foil tent to prevent oven browning and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely.

6. Kira’s Change-Up of Namaste’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt (changed from salt)
1 cup unsalted butter (changed from butter)
1-1/2 cup raw sugar (replaces 3/4 cup sugar & 3/4 cup packed brown sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 organic eggs (changed from eggs)
2 cups gluten-free chocolate chips (12 oz. pkg.)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional) (Kira likes walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Drop by small rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes. Then remove to wire racks to cool completely.