Breaking Bread (without it falling apart!)

Happy Friday, everyone! I am very happy to announce that today, B had a SANDWICH, and yes, of course I took pictures! Not only was this a huge milestone for B, but also a happy day for me on the blog. I am so happy to be able to share a recipe for a bread that is yeast free, egg free, free of commercial egg substitutes-- something so sought after by many of us. I will be working on more versions of this recipe so more people can share it, but I invite you mamas to experiment yourself-- try out different flours, different combos of ingredients. I already have made notes on how I will make the next version of this recipe. . .

B's Big Girl Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1c. Sorghum flour

1c. Quinoa flakes

1/4 c. Millet flour

3 Tbsp. Arrowroot starch (or other safe starch)

1 Tbsp Baking powder (use Hain brand for corn free or a homemade version)

1 tsp Baking soda

1/4 c. Canola oil

1/4 c. Honey (or coconut nectar)

1 Tbsp. Vinegar (I used coconut, but there are other vinegars out there!)

1 c. milk (I used coconut but any milk would work here)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F; grease and lightly flour a medium size loaf pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together well with pastry blender. Add in vinegar and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes; blend well with pastry blender. Add in oil and honey-- blend well with pastry blender (I really love my pastry blender!). Once all ingredients are well blended, add in the cup of milk and mix in just completely-- batter may be lumpy and that is OK!!! Pour mixture into prepared pan, cover with a linen towel, and allow to rest on the warm stove top (or another warm surface) for 20-30 minutes. 

After resting period, remove linen towel and bake in preheated over for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly brush the crust with milk (I used coconut). return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until crust is firm and nicely browned. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. After cooling, turn out the loaf onto a cutting board and allow to completely cool. DO NOT slice bread until completely cool--- bread does not slice as well when warm. I refrigerated ours for an hour or so and then sliced it and it turned out nicely. Store in a covered dish or ziploc bag in the refrigerator.

NOTE: this makes a small loaf height-wise, so for an "adult size" loaf, double everything.

For B's sandwich, I let her chose her "filling"--- strawberry jam from For the Love of June (This jam is great because it is only strawberries and sugar and their cross contamination practices are very strict.), coconut manna from Nutiva, sunflower seed butter from Once Again, and honey. She ended up choosing strawberry jam with a layer of coconut manna and a dash of honey. She ate every last gooey bite. She was so proud to have a sandwich, "just like daddy!"