Book of Yum

I don’t know about you, but every time I see a bakery stand at the Farmer’s Market, or the bakery section of a gourmet grocery store, and see some beautiful herb-encrusted flatbread, I can’t help but get a little jealous. Bread can seem a little boring when it’s just plain, unflavored bread- oh, still yummy, but it doesn’t necessarily have the flavor kick to stand on its own as a meal. (I do love me a good vegetarian sandwich, though… with hummus, fresh basil, tomatoes and sprouts, maybe some cheese if I’m doing dairy- oh so good.) So that’s why I was inspired to create this olive herb flatbread for a recent gluten-free support group get-together. We have members with multiple allergies, so I made the recipe as allergen-friendly as possible, with no soy, dairy, eggs, bean flour, or nuts involved. I was inspired jointly by a Bette Hagman recipe in her “Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy” and a recipe for olive herb flatbread in my The Best 50 Olive Recipes (Best 50) cookbook. Basically, the balance of flour to liquid is the only thing similar to the Bette Hagman recipe, but it was helpful and I’m sure the original recipe (with rice and tapioca starch and seasoned with fennel and onion) would be good as well. However, for my creation I wanted a more healthful flour blend with some help from one of my favorite whole-grain gluten-free flours, teff. According to one online source, teff “contains 11% protein, 80% complex carbohydrate and 3% fat. It is an excellent source of essential amino acids, especially lysine, the amino acid that is most often deficient in grain foods. Teff contains more lysine than barley, millet, and wheat and slightly less than rice or oats. Teff is also an excellent source of fiber and iron, and has many times the amount of calcium, potassium and other essential minerals found in an equal amount of other grains.” These researchers were not well versed on the gluten-free diet, but uncontaminated, gluten-free teff flour can be found through Bob’s Red Mill or The Teff Company. I like teff for the whole-grain nutty brown flour flavor it imparts to baked goods, as well as its high fiber and protein, but I think it works best combined with other flours as it is in this recipe. So, why not give this fancy flatbread recipe a try, and see how you like it. Or, better yet, come up with your own fancy flavor combination, test it out, and tell me all about it in the comments?

Want more whole grain bread recipes?
Try Adeena’s Gluten-Free Rosemary Teff Dinner Roll Recipe
or my South American Socca Recipe
or this Apple Onion Fetta Socca Recipe
Or my Allergen-free Buckwheat Crepe Recipe

BytheBay also has a lovely recipe for Gluten-Free Kalamata Olive Rosemary Artisan Bread that looks very promising.

Got any other favorites? Share in the comments!
*Note- I was making other pizzas in the oven at the same time and the oven door was something of a revolving door, so the bread sank a little. However, it tasted great and the texture was very good, so I think it should be fine as long as you don’t overproof it and don’t open the oven while it’s baking!*

Soy-Free Dairy-Free Egg-Free Nut-Free Vegan Gluten Free Olive Herbed Focaccia Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 2 tsp sugar 1 cup lukewarm water 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast 1/2 cup white rice flour 1/4 cup brown rice flour 1/4 cup teff flour 1/2 cup tapioca flour 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum 1/2 tsp salt 1 ener-g foods egg replacer egg or 1 real egg if desired 1 tbsp. high quality olive oil scant 3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (use 1/2 cup in the dough, the rest for garnishing to taste) 1 tbsp. fresh oregano 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme kosher salt or black salt Directions Prepare a jelly roll pan by spraying it with non stick cooking spray or oiling it with olive oil and using parchment paper. Combine sugar with water, add yeast. Combine dry ingredients (up to salt) in a medium bowl. In the bowl of your kitchenaid mixer, combine the “egg” with the olive oil. Add your proofed yeast water. Mix and then add your dry ingredients to your mixer, including 1/2 cup of your olives if you haven’t added them already. beating on high for two minutes. Pour into the prepared pan, spread it with a frosting knife, and add any additional fresh herb sprigs, chopped olives, and salt to the top. Baste with a little more olive oil. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes or so, while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes and tear off pieces to enjoy with high quality olive oil, or on their own. Notes This flatbread was very good. It did deflate a little after rising, perhaps due to the egg replacer egg. Still- Yummy! I’ve always wanted to make an olive flatbread like this. The olive seasonings idea came from a little book called “The Best 50 Olive Recipes.”

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Chemistry based on Bette Hagman’s Focaccia in Fast and Healthy, but this is an original creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1233 Added:  May 17, 2008 Last Modified:  May 17, 2008

When I read that the gluten free menu swap ingredient of the week was apple, I started considering possibilities. Apples are one of our favorite snacks, whether they be crisp organic fuji apples eaten fresh with a slice of havarti, or slow baked apples seasoned with cinnamon and sugar in pie, or baked in Chebe turnovers. But somehow, I was in the mood for a savory apple treat. And, what is more savory than the delicious French socca chickpea crepe? I first discovered socca in Japan, and then furthered my acquaintance with them in the short-lived Berkeley Socca Oven. When Socca Oven closed their doors, those of us at CeliacBayArea Yahoo group were determined to keep socca on the menu in our own homes. But, it was ByTheBay’s post of an especially delicious socca recipe that ensured the socca’s regular place in my house. In addition to my old standby topping of hummus, olives and fresh veggies, I developed a socca with a south american spicy bean topping. Now, here’s a fresh new take on the socca, this time garnished with tangy, delightful goats cheese, sweet apples, and crunchy pecans. How do you like your socca?

Onion, Feta, and Apple Pizza Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 socca recipe, see below 3 oz. goat cheese 1 small green apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 2 oz. feta 2 tbsp. pecans 2 tbsp. oil-cured sundried tomatoes, diced fresh thyme or oregano Directions Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and bake apple slices in a single layer until they are no longer crisp. Remove from pan, and reserve. Melt butter in a cast iron pan on medium heat and then add your thinly sliced onions, letting them slowly caramelize. This may take as long as 20 minutes. When they are golden brown, remove them from the heat and reserve. Make the below socca recipe with diced onions, fresh rosemary or dried rosemary (a generous amount), and extra diced sundried tomatoes mixed into the crust if desired. Sometimes the first socca is fragile, so you can use it for snacking. When the first sturdy socca has spent 9 minutes in the oven, take the socca out. The edges should be brown and lifting from the edges of the pan. Top with a thin layer of goat cheese, onion, apple, feta, sun dried tomatoes, and pecans (listed in order) . Put back in the oven for three minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. Remove from oven, let cool, eat, and make a second socca. If there is more socca batter, enjoy then plain once you have run out of toppings. Yummy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Inspired by Something Extra Nob Hill magazine recipe- with heavy modifications Recipe ID:  1152 Added:  October 27, 2007 Last Modified:  October 27, 2007

Celiacbayarea Group Soccas Bread  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 1 cup garbanzo bean flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup warm water 2 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 diced onion freshly ground pepper Additional olive oil For South American flavor: 1 tsp marjoram or oregano 1/2 tsp cumin seed For Mediterranean flavor: minced fresh rosemary (needles from 1 stick) Directions Heat cast iron pan in oven set to 450 degrees. Mix bean flour with salt, whisk in warm water and olive oil. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes, then add diced onion, freshly ground pepper to taste and seasonings (minced rosemary OR marjoram and cumin ETC). Whisk one more time. Dribble a small amount of olive oil in hot cast iron pan and spread around to cover using basting brush. Pour about half the batter in pan. Swirl the pan so the “Crepe” covers the entire surface of the pan. Make sure it’s not too thick- the thinner the better! Place cast iron pan back in oven for 12-15 minutes and edges are crisp but not burnt. Remove from oven, separate crepe from pan with a metal spatula (so it’s easy to remove later), baste top lightly with olive oil and place any toppings you’d like to have heated- place under broiler for about 3 minutes, watching closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cut into triangles with a pizza cutter and enjoy. If toppings make it messy, fold over the triangle to eat. Yum! I’d give it a 10/10, it was that good. DH gave it a 7/10, saying it was good for a socca. (Soccas aren’t totally his thing). Example of toppings: I basted the socca with olive oil and put some kale on top and broiled it until the kale wilted. Then I took it out of the oven and topped it with homemade hummus, sliced black olives, and chopped organic tomatoes. Totally yummy. For the second one I added pine nuts and fresh basil. Next time I’ll try it with basil or sundried tomato pesto…. Or, you could do a traditional “pizza” with veggies, meat, and even cheese. Basically, the sky is the limit. Notes On a GF board I’m on (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/celiacbayarea/) people have been experimenting with making soccas, a French “pizza” made from chickpea flour. This recipe would probably be great for diabetics or anyone doing low carb diets- and is egg, soy, and dairy free as well. —————————————- I was heavily influenced by GlutenFreeBytheBay’s post. Her blog entry about the socca experience can be found here: http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2006/10/joy-of-socca.html I love her hummus topping! The woman’s a culinary genius, I tell ya.

Rating:  10 Original Source:  BytheBay Recipe ID:  1011 Added:  January 29, 2007 Last Modified:  April 8, 2007