Flatbread a la Pita Pockets

I miss bread. A lot. This rice bread available at the store is a. expensive (over five dollars for a tiny loaf) and b. not very good. It's actually pretty good toasted with coconut oil, but that's about it. It is absolutely terrible for sandwiches. So, we've been without bread for a long time. I've grown accustomed to the lack of sandwiches (lettuce wraps or straight-up salads are surprisingly satisfying in their stead).

Recently, though, I stumbled upon a recipe for a GF sandwich wrap bread. With a bit of futzing, I came up with a really tasty and surprisingly easy pita-type bread for sandwiches or burgers. (Real burgers! with lettuce and ketchup* and everything!) We had a nice pseudo-normal summer meal with those burgers and sides of carrot sticks and Better Made potato chips (fried in "safe" cottonseed oil - safe because it does not cause us an allergic reaction; "safe" because it is a GMO crop and heavily laden with pesticides). Better Made chips are also made in Michigan (where we are) so that's a bonus.

* homemade ketchup recipe to be posted soon!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package of dry active yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca or potato starch/flour (we used potato)
• 2 tsps xanthan gum
  
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• 2 eggs
• extra oil & flour for oiling & flouring pan

DIRECTIONS:

• Proof yeast: stir packet of yeast into 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in sugar. Wait 10 minutes, or until yeast has at least doubled in size with a nice head (foamy top).
  
• Mix all dry ingredients (rice flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, sea salt) and set aside.
• In a stand mixer, combine wet ingredients (1/2 cup water, vinegar, oil, eggs) and mix well.
• Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.
  
• Beat on medium for roughly four minutes until it turns "doughy"
• Oil & lightly flour a "jelly roll pan"
• Scrape dough onto pan, press as thin as possible (fill pan) (oiling your hands first helps keep the dough from sticking to them)
  
• Prick dough all over with a fork
• Allow dough to rise 35-40 minutes in a warm area
• Bake for 10-11 minutes at 425*F - top will be slightly browned

If you allow the bread to cool for 15-30 minutes before using, it will become very soft and flexible. Cut the pan into 8 equal pieces (roughly the size of a commercially prepared piece of sandwich bread) and then slice those like you would to separate the top and bottom of a hamburger bun. Store the bread on the counter in a plastic zipper bag - do not refrigerate as it will get crumbly and stiff. I don't know how long this bread will store on the counter. The longest a batch has lasted in our house is roughly 24 hours.

Yields: 8 servings

"Free" Cherry Muffins

We live in northern Michigan, on the outskirts of Traverse City - the Cherry Capitol, as it were. Naturally summer = fresh, juicy cherries. Yesterday, the girls and I picked cherries with their grandma. We had a great time eating cherries straight off the tree. I think Lily got more cherries in (and on) her than in her bucket. Aevryn was in the sling and started snagging some cherries for herself. She managed to get two cherries (including pits) before we decided perhaps she could sit on a blanket and hang out with some toys for awhile. Surprisingly, this worked out okay - but there were lots of interesting wildflowers all around to grab at and sniff.

At any rate, I have 17lbs of cherries in my house right now, so I am embarking an a Very Cherry culinary journey over the next few weeks. I am hoping to make cherry salsa, cherry jam, cherry preserves, cherry muffins and breads, dried cherries and frozen cherries.

Here is my recipe for our Cherry Breakfast Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups gluten free flour of your choice (I like to mix and match: today's muffins were sorghum and brown rice)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/3 cup safflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup rice milk
  
• 1 cup fresh, pitted sweet cherries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (don't leave door ajar like I did today, somehow? Yikes!)
2. Mix flour(s), xanthan gum, soda & salt.
3. Add brown sugar, making sure it is mixed in very well.
4. Stir in oil, vanilla and rice milk.
5. Add fresh cherries and mix until evenly distributed.
6. Pour batter into greased muffin tins (we greased ours with coconut oil, yum!). For extra cherry goodness, put a pitted cherry on top of each muffin.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until muffins are golden around edges and feel set on top.
   

We like to cut ours in half and spread with coconut oil.

Yield: one dozen delicious muffins.

Alternatives:

• You can sub two eggs for the xanthan gum.
  
• Instead of rice milk & vanilla extract, you could use almond milk & almond extract.
  
• Instead of sugar, you can use honey or brown rice syrup or agave syrup (use 1/2 as much) or maple syrup.