I prefer mixing flours, because so many mixes are too starchy for me. But, there are some good ones out there too.
As I have said in the past, baking a good loaf of gluten-free bread is a crap shoot. There are some good odds, but sometimes it fails.
Dried fruit helps keep the bread moist and makes it a bit softer. Instead of raisins, I prefer dried plums (prunes). Not only are prunes a digestive aid, they add more moisture than raisins.
I discovered a small jar of Authentic Foods dough enhancer in the refrigerator that I had forgotten, so decided to add some to the mix. It’s ingredients are ascorbic acid, lecithin and ginger. Ginger and ascorbic acid is reported to increase the rise of yeast doughs. The recommended amount was 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour.
This loaf is a version of my previous Cinnamon Dried Fruit Bread (Gluten-Free), which used a mix of individual flours. This version uses Namaste Gluten Free Bread Mix.
Namaste Gluten Free Bread Mix ingredients include brown rice flour, sorghum flour tapioca flour, millet flour and rice milk powder, My mix included differing amounts of the same flours plus chickpea flour and small amounts of quinoa, amaranth. The two mixes are very close in similarity
Basically the procedure steps are the same.
The bag mix contained about 3 1/8 cups mix, whereas my mix was closer to 3 1/3. Not much difference there.
There is also a recipe on the side of the bag for cinnamon raisin bread. I used it as a guideline in determining the amount of liquid to use. Their recipe also used 1 egg and 3 egg whites. Those are the only changes made from my original recipe. Their recipe used granulated sugar, mine uses honey and molasses. I overlooked that and did not reduce my liquids. The batter was a little looser than mine normally is, so I beat it an additional minute. In the end, the loaf came out very good.
So here goes the recipe with this bread mix……
Cinnamon Dried Fruit Bread (Gluten-Free) -using a packaged bread mix
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
1 cup water, 80°–90°F (minus 2 tbsp if using honey and molasses instead of sugar)
4 Tbsp grape seed oil
2 Tbsp Raw Honey (or sugar)
1 tbsp molasses, full flavored (or sugar)
Dry Ingredients
1 pkg yeast, active dry (included in the bread mix package)
1 16-oz pkg. Namaste Gluten Free Bread Mix,
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp dough enhancer, optional
Add Ins
2.6 oz prunes, snipped (or chopped)
2 tbsp raisins, chopped
Procedure
1. All ingredients should be at room temperature. Gather all ingredients before starting to mix.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl, turn on low to mix.
3. If using liquid sweeteners, remove 2 tbsp water from the cup (save it to see if needed), before adding the other ingredients. Combine the Wet Ingredients in a large measuring cup, and stir to mix. Stir to mix in raw honey. If not completely mixed, warm the liquids, but allow them to cool, so as not to kill the yeast.
4. Snip the dried fruits using kitchen shears or chop into small pieces. Set aside
5. With mixer running on low, gradually add Wet Ingredients to bowl. Scrape down, return mixer to low. Once the batter has been mixed, gradually add in chopped dried fruit, so to prevent it clumping. After all fruit has been added, scrape down the bowl. Turn the mixer on a 'beat' setting and allow the dough to 'beat' for at least one minute. In this version, beat it 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, grease your baking pan generously with shortening.
7. Scrape the finished dough into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out with a damp spatula. Smooth the top with a small amount of oil. Cover with cellophane wrap and allow to rise to double in a warm place. Do not rush dough. Allow it to rise.
8. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for about 60 minutes or until center of loaf reaches 200 degrees F
If it begins to brown to fast, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Do not seal it, just drape it over.
9. When finished baking, remove from oven and allow to sit about 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack to finish cooling. Turn it out onto the rack. If left in the baking dish, it will get soggy
Store any left-overs, unsliced in an airtight bread bag. Since this loaf version has more moisture, it would be best refrigerated.
Day 10 - Bread is still fresh and not crumbly, although it was stored in an air-tight bread bag in the refrigerator. It was sliced using a bread knife. It can be sliced very thin even with the bread knife!
Servings: 20
Yield: 1 loaf 18 to 24 slices, depending on thickness
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 167 calories, 3.4g total fat, <1g monounsaturated fat, 1.9g polyunsaturated fat, <1g linoleic acid, <1g saturated fat, <1mg cholesterol, 34.1g carbohydrates, 1.8g fiber, 32.3g net carbohydrates, 13.9g sugar, 0mg stigmasterol, <1g starch, 5.4g fructose, <1g galactose, 5.2g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 187.8mg sodium, 163.5mg potassium, 2.1g protein, 26.1mg calcium, 32.9IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, 6.3IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, 1.2mcg vitamin k, 2mg iron, <1g lysine, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc, 0mg caffeine.
This loaf has a texture like a soft whole wheat bread. Possibly the dough enhancer helped in the softness.
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