Take #6: Honey Almond Sourdough

I am not a huge fan of sourdough bread. I mean, it's bread, which means it can't be all bad, but I would also never buy a loaf of my own volition. That said, one of my roommates is from San Francisco and loves sourdough, and since she just broke up with her boyfriend I thought I would be nice and try out one of "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread"'s sourdough recipes. I think the bread turned out pretty well, but  I may only think that because it didn't really taste like sourdough. It used bean flours but it was less dense than the bean breads I've made before, and it rose really nicely. It takes a few days to get your sourdough starter going (and I may have done it wrong), but if you're gluten intolerant and missing sourdough, this isn't a bad place to start.

Sourdough Starter

Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast granules
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon instant potato flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups white rice flour

Combine the potato flakes and water in a 1-1/2 quart glass jar. Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add the sugar and rice flour. Cover and let the jar sit until the mixture is fermented (1-3 days). It will bubble up a lot, so stir it every few hours for the first day.  Replenish by feeding with 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup rice flour.

Fermented!

Note: I was completely unclear whether or not to do this at room temperature or in the fridge, so I did one day out on the countertop and then two days in the fridge.



Four Bean Flour Mix

Ingredients:
1 cup garfava flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour

Mix flours together.



Honey Almond Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups Four Flour Bean Mix
2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon egg replacer
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
4 1/2 tablespoons almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons RapidRise dry yeast granules
1 egg plus 2 whites
3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup sourdough starter
4 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 1/2 tablespoons honey (we were out so I used agave nectar)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Somehow sugar snuck in to the pictures but eggs did not.

Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, egg replacer, gelatin, and yeast. Whisk the eggs and then add the vinegar, honey (or agave), sourdough starter, vegetable oil, and about 1 1/3 cups of the warm water.
If you're using a breadmaker, throw them together per the instructions and wait. Once the bread claims to be done, bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
If you're not using a breadmaker, combine the dry and wet ingredients slowly and mix for three minutes on high and spoon in to a greased and floured bread pan. Allow to rise for 35-45 minutes and then bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes, covering after 10 minutes with aluminum foil.

My loaves never look good straight out of the oven...

It's not sweet, just kind of nutty and bread-like. In fact, I'd say it is pretty nondescript. Maybe if I'd done something different with the starter it would have a more distinct taste.


Bonus Linus Pictures:

Frolicking in a pile of newspaper (see if you can spot the ear!).

Who is that bunny in the mirror?