Soft Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread

 

It's finally finished!!!  After FIVE years I finally developed and perfected my own gluten-free bread recipe using my own personal flour blend!  This bread recipe is a labor of love not only for myself but for all of you who are gluten-free and struggling to make bread that actually tastes good, is not dry or gritty and bakes and smells like REAL BREAD.  That's because it IS real bread.  

Six Tips To Eating Gluten and Dairy-Free Without Breaking The Bank

1. Define your grocery budget.

             

No matter what kind of eating plan you follow, EVERYONE should have a spending plan for buying groceries.  If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.  Before you lay out your hard earned cash for food,  you need to PLAN ahead before you go to the store.  When you are making your grocery list and reviewing your budgeted amount for groceries you need to be thinking about what you need on your list that is gluten free, dairy free or other types of foods that you will need to replace.  We budget about $400 a month for groceries for our household and out of that I spend about $150 a month on gluten- and dairy-free items.

2.  Shop Smarter Not Harder

Know where the deals are!  Don’t spend all your time hopping from store to store searching for the best deals or just looking for the special foods that you need.   Most grocery stores have websites these days, use those to your advantage ahead of time.   Check out those sites and see what they have available to you based on your needs.  A lot of stores also have specialty sections for gluten-free, dairy-free or other non-allergenic foods.  Save yourself some time and know where those are.  I also keep a price book for my specialty foods.  I list the store, what I bought, what aisle it was on and how much it costs.  This way I can go back later and price match future purchases and keep track of past prices compared to current ones.  This helps me to know if I am getting a good deal.

3.  Buy In Bulk

There are SO many benefits to buying in bulk.  If you shop smarter, with bulk buying you will save money, keep a well stocked pantry and shop less often.  Shop at your local health food stores.  We have a really great little family-owned health food store in my area that I love.  They offer bulk bin shopping for things like nuts and nutritional yeast and if I want to order something by the case like dairy-free yogurt they give me a nice discount on my order.  You can also shop online for your bulk items too.  I often shop at Amazon for my gluten-free rice, tapioca, corn and potato flours that I use to make my gluten-free flour blend.

4.  Knowing Good Substitutes For Gluten and Dairy

There are LOTS of options out there for gluten and dairy replacements in your meals and recipes.  Gluten flours can be replaced with rice, oat, bean and nut flours.  There are tons of gluten-free pastas, dessert mixes, cookie and brownie mixes, chips, crackers and more available.  Aldi is a GREAT place to find gluten-free options for your favorite foods.  Dairy lovers can replace milk with plant-based milk like almond (my favorite), cashew, soy, rice.  Nutritional yeast gives dishes a really nice cheesy flavor.  When combined with other ingredients you can make dairy-free cheese sauces and dairy-free parmesan cheese.

5.  Focus On Whole Foods

So many foods are naturally dairy and gluten free that you can have a really great diet with a wide variety of good food just by focusing on eating whole, unprocessed or minimally processed foods.  Processed foods contains a lot of unnecessary ingredients that our bodies don’t need, especially gluten because it is used as a stabilizer in a lot of processed foods.  Instead focus on things like chicken, lean red meats, fruits and vegetables, rice, gluten-free oats, potatoes, quinoa, dairy-free milks and cheeses.  Your body will thank you.

6.  Save Money By Making Your Own Convenience Foods

Take the time to learn how to cook and bake gluten and dairy-free.  So much money is wasted on prepackaged foods.  This is just as much of a problem, if not more so, for someone who has food restrictions.  Gluten free baking like cookies, breads and , snacks and desserts can be super tricky, but it is worth the time and effort to learn how to make these items yourself instead of purchasing expensive prepackaged versions.  Not only will you save money, you will avoid the added unhealthy chemicals and preservatives that a lot of these foods have.  

WANT MORE GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES?  CHECK OUT THESE POSTS:

Denise's Perfect Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Quick Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns
Denise's Perfect Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Denise's Perfect Gluten-Free Biscuits 

Denise's Perfect Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Spice Muffins

Refrigerator No-Bake Cookies
Healthy Hello Dolly Protien Bars

Gluten Free Biscuits

After going gluten-free over two years ago I have struggled in the bread baking department. Gluten-Free baking is NOT like regular baking.  You practically have to be some kind of mad-scientist chemist sort of person to be able to successfully recreate regular bread recipes into gluten-free recipes successfully.  If you've been there then you know how real the struggle is.  Can I get an amen?

Where's The Meat No Beef Gluten-Free Vegan Hamburger Meatless Patties

After creating my no-beef crumbles recipe that is vegan, soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and egg-free, I loved it so much that I used that recipe to create a meatless patty.

This recipe is the BOMB when it comes to ground meatless patties.  It taste great.  It holds it's shape well.  It has a good chew and bite to it and is the closest thing I have tasted to replicated ground meat.  Does it taste like beef?  NO, but when it is served on a hamburger bun with ketchup, mustard, minced onion and pickles it sure does taste a lot like a McDonalds hamburger.   If you are looking for a meatless burger this fits the bill for BB Q's, quick lunches or dinners, Salisbury steaks, meat loaf, hot dogs and more!  This also freezes well.

Where's The Meat No Beef Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Vegan Hamburger Style Crumbles

I have been on a healthier eating journey for four years since having my gall bladder removed that caused me to have digestive issues.  One of the first things to go out of my diet was beef and ground beef.  I simply could not (and still can't) digest the fat in it.  Giving up ground beef meant no more hamburgers and since Saturday nights are hamburger and french fry nights at my house, that just wasn't going to fly.

I have made all kinds of substitutions from grinding up chicken breast and making patties, using lentils for tacos, and just plain ole' skipping the meat all together in dishes that require a ground beef. I've even tried the store bought vegan crumbles and they were, well, nasty.

So, in my quest to find an alternative that I could make at home, I accidentally stumbled upon this creation when I made my vegan meatballs.  I made some adjustment to the original recipe, did some trial and error cooking sessions, and finally came up with the best vegan ground meat substitute that I have ever had!  It's true!!  This recipe is holds it's shape and ground meat consistency when added to soups stews and sauces.  It freezes well.  I usually divide the mixture in half and make some of it into meatless hamburger patties and the other half into meatless crumbles.  SCORE!!!  Now, let's see the recipe.

Before you start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl you will blend up the oat flour, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, regular or Nut-free Vegan Parmesan cheese, dry onion flakes, garlic powder and paprika.

I use dehydrated mushrooms for this recipe.  But I have used cooked mushrooms as well.  The dehydrated mushrooms added dry just give this recipe such a great chewy meaty textture.  If you are using dehydrated mushrooms just roughly crumble them dry into your dry ingredients.

If you are using cooked mushrooms this recipe with still be amazing, but the meaty, chewy texture won't be as much as with dehydrated mushrooms. In a food processor, grind up the cooked mushrooms until they are a very fine mince.

Add the ground mushrooms, tomato paste, egg, liquid smoke and water to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Using wet hands, break the mixture up in small pieces and place on lined baking pans.  Place the baking pans in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy.   As the crumbles cook, you may need to take them out every so often and break any larger chunks up.

Heat up some water, veggie broth, beef or chicken broth or bullion in a large pot on the stove.   Bring the liquid to a boil and add the crumbles.  Cook them for about 15 minutes.  Then remove them with a slotted spoon and put them back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.   Cool them completely.  Flash freeze them in the freezer and then place them into two Ziploc bags. You will be amazed at the resemblance of ground meat that this has.

Where's The Meat No Beef Patties Serve with mustard, ketchup and pickles and a side of french fries for a real fast-food treat at home. Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 55 mins Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Makes: 10 to 12 servings INGREDIENTS 4 cups oat quick oats 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 3 tbsp. Nut-free Vegan Parmesan cheese or regular Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp. dry onion flakes 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tbsp. paprika 12 oz.  cooked mushrooms, drained (canned mushrooms work fine) 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed 2 cups water, vegetable broth, beef or chicken broth or bullion INSTRUCTIONS In a large bowl you will blend up the oat flour, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, Nut-free Vegan Parmesan cheese, dry onion flakes, garlic powder and paprika.  In a food processor, grind up the cooked mushrooms until they are a very fine mince.  Add the ground mushrooms, tomato paste, egg or ground flaxseed, liquid smoke and water to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined.   Using wet hands shape 1/2 cup handfuls of the meatless ground meat into patties and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place the baking pans in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. Heat up the water, veggie broth, beef or chicken broth or bullion in a large pot on the stove.   Bring the liquid to a boil and add the patties.  Cook them for about 10 minutes.  Then remove them with a slotted spoon and put them back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.    Cool them completely.   Flash freeze them in the freezer and then place them into two Ziploc bags.  TO SERVE Put a frying pan on medium high heat and add some oil or spray with non-stick spray (I use the spray).  Brown the patties on both sides in the skillet until they are a light golden brown. NOTES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  I use an ice cream scoop to help get an even amount for each patty.

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