The Rural Voice, 2019-05, Page 41just a single flavour. When my
Mom’s friends served these breads in
the 70s they always buttered them
and I am tempted to do the same
despite the extra calories but it is not
necessary when they stand quite well
on their own or complemented by a
piece of cheddar, but near the end of
their shelf life a bit of butter and jam
bring them back to life!
The characteristics of fruit breads
make them well adapted to gluten-
free substitution because they usually
have eggs to aid in the structure and
the pectin in fruit helps retain
moisture and hold the loaf together
The fruit also masks some of the less
desirable flavours of the alternate
flours. Ground nuts mixed with rice
flour or tapioca starch are excellent
ways to improve the taste and texture
of gluten-free products and pair well
with fruit combinations.
Ensuring breads are well done is
essential to success with GF
substitution. I add 10 – 15 minutes to
baking time for loaves and when I
was starting to experiment I invested
in an instant read thermometer to see
that the starches were reaching 200°F
needed for their optimum
performance.
Date Nut Loaf
Dates have such a rich flavour and
the fibre in them seems to enhance
the quality of gluten-free baked
goods. This loaf is great to take on
the road. It keeps for about a week,
travels well and goes with coffee
when others pick up a donut or
muffin and you cannot.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dates
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
1 - 2 tsp orange rind, grated from
about 1 orange
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups GF all purpose flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Directions:
Pour boiling water over dates.
Stir in baking soda and orange rind
and let sit until cool.
Meanwhile beat butter with sugar
until light and fluffy.
Mix in eggs one at a time until
combined.
Sift flour with xanthan gum and
baking powder and add to butter
mixture.
Stir in cooled date mixture.
Pour into a greased and floured 9
X 5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350°F
degrees for one hour and 15 minutes
until tester comes out clean and loaf
is pulling away from the sides of the
pan.
Makes 1 loaf
Apricot Almond Loaf
This beautiful, buttery, pound
cake style loaf is a great contrast to
the darker date and banana loaves on
a plate or it is lovely on its own with
a cup of tea or coffee. The original
recipe, from Canadian Living’s 1995
Holiday Baking magazine, drizzled a
little almond liqueur over top but I
find a glaze can break down the
structure in gluten-free baking so I
leave it off.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp brandy or almond liqueur or 1
tsp vanilla
1 tbsp orange rind, grated
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 3/4 cup GF all purpose flour
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup tapioca starch or rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup sliced almonds plus a few
extra to sprinkle on top
Directions:
Beat butter with sugar until light
and fluffy then add eggs one at a
time, beating well after each
addition..
Beat in brandy, orange rind and
almond extract.
Grind 1/4 cup almonds with 1/4
cup tapioca flour to make
approximately 1/2 cup of almond
flour. Set aside.
Sift flour with xanthan gum,
baking powder and salt into a bowl
and whisk into almond flour.
Beat flour into butter mixture then
add apricots and 1 cup of almonds,
mixing until evenly incorporated.
Spoon into a greased 9 x 5 inch or
10 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Sprinkle with a few sliced
almonds and bake at 350°F for about
an hour and a half, until tester comes
out clean and loaf is pulling away
from the sides of the pan.
Let cool 5 - 10 minutes then
remove from pan and cool
completely. Best made the day before
you wish to serve it.
Makes 1 large loaf
Bonnie’s Banana Bread
Two or three different loaves set
out with some cheese and jam when
friends are together seem to get the
conversation flowing and if you are
going to have loaves you have to
include this banana bread. I am still
enjoying this recipe of Bonnie Roy’s
after forty years and was delighted
when I found that it was just as good
made with gluten-free flour. The
bonus is it makes two loaves so you
can feed a crowd or give one away!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 ripe bananas, mashed, about 1 1/4
cup*
3 cups GF all purpose flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Beat butter and sugar then add
eggs one at a time, and vanilla,
beating until light and fluffy.
Stir in mashed bananas.
Mix baking soda with sour milk.
Sift flour with xanthan gum and salt
and add alternately with sour milk,
beginning and ending with dry
ingredients.
Stir in nuts and divide between
two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased loaf
pans.
Bake at 350°F for about an hour
and 10 minutes until loaf springs
back when touched, is coming away
from the sides of the pan and a tester
in the centre comes out clean.
Makes 2 loaves
*Bananas have the most flavour
when they are black on the outside
and soft and golden on the inside. ◊
May 2019 37
Recipes