Now that we’re in winter, ( at least in this part of the world) I don’t mind baking from scratch and actually love all of the wonderful smells that emanate from the kitchen and really fill the whole house.
One in particular that’s so enjoyable is the smell of baking fresh bread.
It calls for a blend of 4 flours, and I find a pre-mixed package of “All-Purpose” flour didn’t work well here, so I hope you’ll stock the pantry with a few flours for just such baking needs. I urge you to mix them together and store in a tight jar in a cool place, so you’ll have a “go-to” mix for the future. BLEND OF FLOURS USED HERE IS BELOW.
This is a French Loaf that I’ve made in a bundt style pan on other occasions, but today I used loaf pans. If you’re not going to be able to eat all of the slices within a day or two, then I suggest slicing the loaf and individually wrapping each slice in foil and then freezing in a freezer zip-lock bag. So, whenever you’re in the mood, you can withdraw as many as you need and enjoy all over again!
This is so terrific toasted and enjoyed with some butter, or jam, or even used as French Toast. Whichever you prefer, I suggest you take some time and make this. You’ll need to devote time for the “rising” process since it calls for yeast, but, hey, as I said, it’s winter-time and most of us are spending more of our weekends indoors anyway!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of the High Protein Blend *
- 1 tbl Xanthan Gum
- ½ teas Salt
- 3 large Eggs (Room temp)
- 4 tbl Sugar
- 1 tbl Honey
- 2 pkgs Instant Rise or Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1 cup Milk (or substitute of choice) Room temp.
- 1 ½ sticks Sweet Butter ( Room temp)
- 1 teas. Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ cup Raisins ( If they’re not really soft, soak in warm water and then dry well. Don‘t add wet)
- ½ teas. Cinnamon
Directions:
You’ll need 2 bowls, or if using a stand mixer, get a 2nd bowl for the wet ingredients.
First preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grease the Bundt Pan or Loaf Pans well.
Mix the flours, xanthan gum, salt, sugar, cinnamon and yeast in the larger mixer bowl.
Stir well in combine.
In the second bowl place the eggs, milk, honey, and vinegar. Combine.
Pour the wet ingredients slowly into the dry, and after all is poured, add the softened butter and beat for about 2-3 minutes. Lastly add the raisins.
Using a large spoon or ladle, put dough into the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. It usually increases double-fold. Frankly, because I have a stove with the oven in lower area, I put the pan on top of the stove with burners NOT in use, of course. The warmth from the oven below works fine giving us a warm area for dough to rise.
After the rising process, bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Then lower to 325 degrees for another 20 minutes. BUT, after the first 20 minutes, take a piece of foil and “tent” the bread to prevent burning the top crust. Leave on until done.
Using a thermometer, bread must reach 200 degrees internally.
If not enjoying right now, then keep in airtight container after cooling. Don’t cover when warm, or you’ll have a wet bread from the moisture trapping.
Enjoy!
* High Protein Flour Blend: ( As provided in Living Well Magazine)
- 1 ½ Cups Bean Flour ( I used Garbanzo here)
- If you prefer Sorghum flour, that’s ok here too.
- 1 Cup Cornstarch or Potato Starch ( I used Cornstarch here)
- 1 Cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
- 1 Cup White Rice or Brown Rice Flour ( I used White Rice Flour here)
If you mix these and store in an air-tight jar, it’s a great way to be prepared in the future.
