More help for folks on gluten-free diets

In the bad news department, more and more Forum folks are asking for help in coping with gluten-free diets.

Add to the growing list of gluten-free gals and guys is Peggy McCoy of Bellingham, who writes, “Thank you so much for your great gluten-free bread recipe! My mother cut the recipe out of The Herald and mailed it to me. I am always suspicious of newspaper recipes, but I tried it, and I have been making it ever since!

“I have many food allergies, including gluten, so I now make all of my own bread. Yours (a recipe from Red Star Yeast, which appeared in the June 20 Forum) is the best recipe I have tried. I have substituted rice flour for the bean flour (I don’t care for bean flour), and often add raisins and cinnamon to the recipe.”

And Lori Mailloux chimes in with, “Thank you, thank you, for recognizing the gluten-intolerant. My 10-year-old son was just diagnosed with celiac disease, and I had yet to find gluten-free bread he would eat. I have been shocked to find just how many people are troubled with the disease. To find edible foods for these types is not an easy task. It has changed our lives in the way we eat. More gluten-free recipes for cookies, cakes, etc., would be appreciated.”

Now, to leaven the bad news, here we go with the good. Potentially, anyway. For one thing, here are a couple of recently published newcomers to the gluten-free cookbook scene to consider.

“The Wheat-Free Cook” supplies more than 100 recipes, including breakfasts, side dishes and baked goods, and features enticing entrees like chicken breasts with hazelnut-Parmesan crust and trout with crispy caper sauce.

“The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen” delivers 225 recipes, including things like black bean enchiladas, zucchini lasagna and blueberry cheesecake, to name a few.

Both books are available at online booksellers such as www.amazon.com, where you can also find quite a hefty helping of other gluten-free cookbooks, a goodly number of which are, comparatively speaking, reasonably affordable.

The majority, in fact, sell for under $15 a copy. Although adding tax and shipping does, of course, pump up the total price.

Now, before you get sidetracked scoping out possible gluten-free cookbooks, here’s a different homemade bread to try. It is another borrowed from Red Star Yeast’s “Carol’s Cupboard” collection.

Cheese bread

3 eggs, at room temperature

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, at room temperature

1-3/4 cups water, at room temperature

2-1/4 teaspoons Red Star active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white rice flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup dry milk powder

3-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 tablespoon instant minced onion (optional)

1 tablespoon poppy seed (optional)

1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed (optional)

1-1/2 teaspoons dill weed (optional)

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Bread machine method: Combine eggs, oil and water; pour into baking pan. Thoroughly blend together dry ingredients, including yeast and cheese. Do this either in a bowl with a wire whisk or shake together in a gallon-size, self-sealing plastic bag. Add to liquid ingredients in the baking pan.

Select a normal or basic cycle; start machine. For machines with a bake only cycle, select the dough cycle for mixing and rising. Press stop when the cycle is complete; then select the bake only cycle to complete the bread.

After the mixing action begins, help any unmixed ingredients into the dough with a rubber spatula, keeping to edges and top of batter to prevent interference with the kneading blade.

When the bake cycle is complete, remove the pan from the machine. Allow the bread to remain in the pan for approximately 10 minutes, then invert pan and shake pan to remove the bread. Cool upright on a rack before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

Mixer method: In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil and water and mix well. Thoroughly blend together dry ingredients, including yeast and cheese. Do this either in a bowl with a wire whisk or shake together in a gallon-size, self-sealing plastic bag. With the mixer on a low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet until well blended. Beat about 10 minutes.

Pour batter into three 2-by-5-inch greased bread pans or 1 large loaf pan; allow to rise approximately 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes respectively; use a toothpick to test for doneness.

When baking is complete, remove the pan from the oven and wait for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Makes three 2-by-5-inch loaves or one 5-by-9-inch loaf.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.