GF: Molasses Bread!

Oh my! I cannot believe that I made it! I have craved this dense bread for years. I really don’t even remember the first time I tasted Molasses Bread – but I do know this – I’m loving the fact that I made a gluten-free version tonight!

No, this bread is not your light and fluffy sandwich bread. It was not meant to be that. It is a dense breakfast bread. Perfect for dense sandwiches (personally, my favorite kind of BLT comes on this type of bread as I used to love the on rye bread) and best with eggs. While I haven’t toasted this one yet, what GF bread doesn’t toast well???

Tonight, while dead tired from a long day of meetings (and no work accomplished), I for some reason found myself in the kitchen mixing flour and trying to figure out a recipe from my head. I have honestly never made a bread recipe before. I’ve been diligent to follow the rules or read the directions. (Please see here for an explanation of my seven years of diligence, aka the bean flour-lava flow incident.) But I read something recently that stated that “gluten free breads/recipes are really forgiving – much more so that wheat bread recipes”. Huh. Well, heck, that was worth testing!

Maybe I have restrained myself too because of the expense of ingredients when you bake GF. But it’s time to let go of some of that, I think. Not that ingredients are miraculously cheaper than yesterday, but rather because it’s time I got my baking feet back under me. (I used to LOVE to bake breads, cakes, etc). I hope you will try this recipe out and let me know what you think. And, if you find a few gaps or think of ways to help improve this tasty loaf, please feel free to share a comment or send me a note. After all, if it weren’t for those who had gone before us on this gluten free path….

Gluten Free Molasses Bread
DRY INGREDIENTS:
4 2/3 cups Carol Fenster’s new flour mix
1 cup quinoa flakes OR GF quick oats
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons gelatin
1 teaspoon sugar

WET INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 egg whites

  1. In a small bowl, proof yeast with 1/2 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, blend together all dry ingredients. (I use a whisk to do this.)
  3. In the mixing bowl, mix together egg whites, molasses and 1 cup of warm water.
  4. Add proofed yeast (all liquid) to wet ingredients. Mix together well.
  5. Slowly add dry ingredients alternatively with remaining water. (May need to add more/less water, so please watch batter become a thick cookie dough/GF-Bread batter)
  6. Mix on high speed for 4 minutes.
  7. Lightly grease the inside of a bread pan or spritz with olive oil mister. (I use a misting bottle filled with olive oil.)
  8. Scrap dough into bread pan. Wet a rubber spatula and push the dough into the corners and smooth the top.
    (At this point if you would like to add decorative cuts into the top crust, lightly drag a knife across the top in the pattern you desire.)
  9. Cover with spritz/oiled plastic wrap lightly. Then top with a clean dish towel. Place in a warm corner of your counter to rest/rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350*F about 5 minutes before the end of the resting time.
  10. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Then take out and cover the top with tin foil (to avoid excess browning). Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until the bread has reached an internal temperature of 140F.
  11. Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto cutting board.
  12. Allow to cool additional time before slicing. (As long as you can stand it. LOL)

Enjoy!

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