Tap, tap. That was the sound we heard at the door Friday evening. That was the sound that led to Brian’s opening of the door. That was the sound that led to Brian’s discovery of the person who made that knock. That was the sound that led to a fabulous birthday weekend.
Over a month ago, Brian and I were talking. Reminiscing, actually. We talked about how we missed some of our friends. We wished we could see them. Knowing Brian’s birthday was in a month, the wheels in my brain began to turn.
I sent a message to John Lovette to see if he could come up and surprise Brian for his birthday. And thus began the plans to pull off this surprise.
Friday night, instead of making dinner, I stalled Brian while waiting for John to arrive. It was pretty easy, since Brian didn’t suspect a thing, but it became harder because he wanted to know why dinner wasn’t ready.
Just as I finished putting the toppings on the pizza, the knock came. And I smiled, breathed a sigh of relief, and asked Brian to go open the door (since my hands were messy). He opened the door and stood in shock. Then things got exciting. I soooo wish I had pictures for this post, but our camera has officially decided it doesn’t like taking pictures any longer, and Brian hasn’t had the chance to fiddle with it yet.
The guys had great fun over the weekend. Friday we talked late into the night and Saturday, the guys left to do….whatever it is guys do. They arrived home in time to eat the French Onion Soup I made. We watched a few movies, and again, I don’t think we were in bed before 2. Sunday, we went to church, and after that, ate Steak and Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, French Bread, and Green Beans. That’s what Brian wanted for his birthday dinner. And carrot cake with cream cheese icing (which I couldn’t eat). John left that afternoon, and my man was perfectly happy.
We went to see the “Grace Card” later that evening. If you haven’t seen it, do it. It’s good. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater.
Monday came and Brian and I worked in the tasks that needed to be completed. And this brings me to my favorite part: bread making. I have made several GF loaves of bread, but not one was perfect. I wanted my loaf to be as close as possible to the loaves of bread we used to purchase in the store. And it was. I drank in the aroma as it baked. After cooling, I cut a slice, and sank my teeth into perfection. Ah, the bliss. Even Brian agreed that I had done it. Or rather, God did, but He gave me the inspiration. After nearly 3 months without a decent piece of bread, I almost cried after that first bite.
It was light brown. Golden. Delicious. Soft, smooth, and pliable. The elasticity was perfect. It had air holes in it—just like regular bread. The crust was perfectly crusty, but not too hard. It’s taste was light, nutty, deep, and earthy. It was beautiful. Now that I have the base of my bread, I can make anything I want to. French Bread. Raisin Bread. Bagels. Any flavor of bread. Hamburger Rolls. Yum. I post the recipe here, but please understand that the liquid and flour and yeast do need to be altered. But you have to know what the dough is supposed to look like in order to adjust those ingredients. It should look like a stiff cake batter—you can’t knead GF dough. I’ve been trying to come up with a really great name for this bread. Suggestions are welcome. Here’s where I really wish I had a picture.
Bread:
Base:
2 T Active Dry Yeast (GF), at room temperature
2 T Sugar (I use either raw sugar or honey or both honey and molasses)
1 c Water (110 degrees)
3 Egg Whites (1/2 c), at room temperature
1 c Potato Starch
1/3 c Oat Flour (certified GF)
1/3 c Teff Flour
1/3 c Brown Rice Flour
1 c Flour Blend*
2 t Xanthan Gum
1 t Salt
1 T Rice Bran
1 T Flax Seed Meal
1 t Vanilla, GF and pure extract (this is optional, but I like the flavor it gives)
2 t Apple Cider Vinegar
3 T Butter (NOT margarine—use unsalted)
1 T Olive Oil
Seasoning: (this could change. Use any seasonings you like. For raisin bread, try cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, etc. Try lemon or orange. Have fun)
½ t Garlic, granulated
1 t Italian Seasoning
½ t Dill
Pinch of Smoked Paprika
Topping:
Eggwhite wash (eggwhite mixed with water)
Poppy Seeds
Caraway Seeds
Celery Seeds
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside to foam 5 minutes.
2. Grease loaf pan (I used a round pan, but you can use anything) or line with parchment paper.
3. In heavy duty mixer (you need one for GF baking because of the intense mixing required. You have to thoroughly blend, and mix enough to activate the gluten substitute.) combine potato starch, oat flour, teff flour, brown rice flour, Flour blend, xanthan bum, salt, rice bran, flax seed meal, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, butter, olive oil, and seasonings. Blend on low speed for 1 minute. Add yeast mixture. Blend another minute. (always begin on low speed). Add egg whites. Blend one more minute. Turn mixer to high speed and mix for 3 minutes.
4. Scrape dough out of bowl with spatula into desired pans (hamburger, loaf pan, round, French bread, etc.). Shape each loaf with a wet spatula. Brush with egg white wash (helps with browning). Slash loaf with three diagonal slashes. Sprinkle poppy seeds, caraway seeds, and celery seeds on top.
5. Place immediately on middle rack in a cold oven. Set the oven to 425 and bake approximately 45 minutes, or until nicely browned and temperature of loaf reaches 210 degrees. Cover loaves with foil after about 15 minutes of baking to prevent over browning.
6. Remove bread from oven and cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool on wire rack COMPLETELY before slicing. Slice bread. (Bread does better when you slice the entire loaf. If you won’t eat it all in 2 days, slice loaf, place in Ziploc bag, and freeze.
Smiles!
