Yeast-Free bread

My new challenge this month is learning how to bake yeast-free (gluten free, dairy free, & soy free) bread. I've been trying to come up with some options. It is important to me that I master a few breads, because at the moment, I am having trouble feeding myself lunch otherwise.

- Skillet cornbread

- Corn tortillas & Gorditas

- Potato bread

- Potato pancakes

- Teff bread

- South Indian chickpea & rice flat breads

- Sourdough bread

- Muffins

- Crepes

- Quick Breads

- Something creative

I used to make cornbread in my (now ex) boyfriends skillet all the time. When he left, I couldn't find another 6" skillet. I still can't. So, unfortunately even though that is my best option, its not one at all.

I have made indian bread before, but mostly pre-gluten free days. My only experiment with chickpea & rice breads ended terribly. It is pan-fried and ended stuck to the pan & partialy burnt and undercooked. Most of my experiments with chickpea flour has not been pleasant (other than an odd cranberry-orange muffin I made with chickpea flour). I feel this is my second best option, even for lack of my experience with Indian culiary arts. I might be able to track down my good friend from South India for help..... hmmmm.

So far, every attempt (and there have been several) with masa harina has not been palatable. This is frustrating since I live on the Mexican boarder. I live in Uptown though, so ironically my mexican food options are not as authentic as downtown (only 10 min). The lady at the deli counter at whole foods today said she would look into getting the store to contract with someone to make giant corn tortillas for me! That would be sweet! I'm sure it can't be too hard to find someone to show me.

Teff (flat) bread is the most amazing spongy stuff ever. Unfortunately, commercial bread is mixed with wheat flour because teff (its grain from Ethiopia) is so expensive. I tried to make it once. Its kinda like making pancakes. Teff is very much like a glue if you cook it. I'm sure your imagination can go from there....

Muffins. OMG muffins. I LOVE muffins. Somehow.... its the IDEA of muffins that makes me love them. I have yet to find a gluten free muffin, homemade or commercial, that doesn't make me gag. Somehow cupcakes do the same thing to me.

Potato pancakes and latkes have started becoming pretty regular in my kitchen. I can make pancakes (they are actually more like patties) from leftover mashed potatoes or a box. Latkes are so far a box only creation. They don't keep well and get kinda soggy, so not very functional for lunches or leftovers.

Potato bread has been my current conquest. I found a mashed-potato bread recipe. General Mills (the most AMAZING! company ever) has been converting much of their inventory into gluten free and labeling everything when it is not. They just converted their Potato Buds into a dedicated gf facility. So, I can make quick mashed potatoes, combine it with gf flour (I mix my own and have a store bought mix) and a few other ingredients and throw it in the oven. My first attempt several months ago was amazing. My next attempt, last week collapsed on me into a solid uncooked brick. Right now, instead of putting it into a loaf pan (I think the baking soda is making it rise faster than I can work with and I am beating it down too much) I threw it onto my pizza stone. It is in the oven now.

I've worked with quick breads in the past from Carol Fensters 1000 Gluten Free Recipes. I consistently have a "not cooked in the middle" problem with all my loaf breads.

I'm sure crepes might work in some capacity. I've seen recipes floating around in my cookbooks from the Pre-mainstream Gluten Free time. Crepes were used for wraps.

Sourdough. I was given this as a suggestion by a reader on my main blog. Thanks Sharon! Will definitely try this out.

I plan on trying some creative options that I occasionally see online, too.

It is frustrating since I consider myself a good cook that I am so TERRIBLE at baking. I've been trying for two years. It seems they have been getting worse instead of better. I have been buying store bought gf bread for the past few months because I just didn't want to be disappointed again by another failure. But the only gf yeast free loaf of bread at Whole Foods that I saw today looked like a brick. No thank you. I think my homemade collapsed in the middle and therefore uncooked Frankenstein creation might be more palatable. .... at least I have incentive now to get over this baking hump.