I made my first loaf of bread! And it is edible! And somewhat tasty! I am so pleased with myself. As many of you know, I cut out gluten from my diet about a year and a half ago after noticing that I was not feeling well when I ate gluten. In San Francisco, we have a ton of resources so cutting it out was not very difficult. Every market has plenty of gluten free options and since being gluten free is all the rage these days, there are a ton of products out there. I tried out a bunch of products and have found a lot I like. The problem, however, is that a lot of these products are basically, gluten free junk food. I keep finding breads, cereals, crackers, sweets and treats that are full of fat, fillers and sugar. The manufactures have to find a way to make it edible and a somewhat decent shelf life so they pump these foods with junk. Drives me nuts! While I recognize that gluten causes me some digestive distress, I also notice that any food that has a bunch of processed ingredients makes me feel sick. I want to know where my food comes from and eat as clean of a diet as possible. Gluten free is not enough. I want to eat clean ingredients that make me feel good after eating and not bloated and gross.
The one product that I have the most difficulty finding is bread. I have not really enjoyed any of the gluten free breads on the market. Some are better than others but none are really doing it for me. The other thing is that they all have to be toasted because they need to be frozen. For the last few months I have been eating crackers or other starches to satisfy my craving, but I really miss a good turkey sandwich! I just want a sandwich for lunch. Is that too much to ask?
I started thinking about making my own bread but didn’t know where to start so I asked around. A client gave me a cookbook and another friend suggested a bread maker. After some plotting and planning I bought a bread maker and all my ingredients and 3 hours later I have a delish loaf of bread. Woo hoo!
I am still perfecting the recipe so stay tuned for more details. If I can do it anyone can! Domestic goddess here I come!!!