The Calm Before the Storm

When the going gets tough, the not-so-tough get baking.  Go figure.  Last night I made a loaf of Rye Soda Bread and I just finished making a batch of mini corn bread loaves.  This morning I am asking myself why on Earth all my friends and family wanted me to move out of California for fear of earthquakes.  As Hurricane Sandy approaches the Northeast, a thirty second earthquake doesn't seem all that forboding. 

I am a control freak.  I think we have already established that in many of my previous posts.  The worst part of this storm is the uncertainty.  At this point, we all know it is going to be bad....especially for those in the Mid-Atlantic states, Manhattan, and Long Island.  I am planning on staying put no matter what, but I do have offers to hunker down with friends who have generators.  Dan and I are rarely apart and this is one of those unusual times.  I am thankful he weathered the storm without much ado in Charleston, but now worry about him returning home amid all the potential damage and power outages.  The plan is for him to stay put until we're sure he has a clear shot home.

I have never been  a corn bread girl, but this is the second time I've made it since arriving in Maine.  There's something warm and cozy about it....whether served with soup, eggs, or just topped with a little butter....it says "home".  So here I sit in my home in my new hometown of Castine with wonderful friends who continue to extend great kindness and comfort during uncertain times. 

Corn Bread

1 cup yellow corm meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup real buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425˚.  Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan or six mini loaf muffin tins.  Combine corn meal, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, and egg together and add to the dry ingredients mixing just until the batter is combined and uniform.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan or mini loaf tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes if using the 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan or 15 to 20 minutes if making the mini loaves.  I think it is best eaten when still warm.

To everyone in the path of Hurricane Sandy, please be safe, take cover, and know prayers and positive thoughts are with you.

What's Up Doc?: Gluten-free Carrot Bread

Wishing everyone a Happy Spring!  By all accounts, it appears a good portion of the country has jumped right over Spring and landed in the middle of summer.  The sycamores in our neighborhood have started to green at the tippy top, my favorite bird has been singing beautifully, and Spring showers are predicted for this weekend.

Since I gave up white flour, my baking has come to a screeching halt.  I've wanted to experiment with some of my old recipes substituting gluten-free flour, but never got around to it until last weekend.  I thought the beginning of Spring and approaching Easter holiday would be as good a time as any to give our family's Carrot Bread recipe a go.  Amazingly, I think it actually turned out better with the substitution!

A little background before the actual recipe.  Most people who go gluten-free do so because of celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Why did I give up white flour?  Aside from my new eating regime, I had started to suspect white flour triggered a pain point on my lower left back.  Within a few hours of eating a product made with white flour, I would experience excruciating stabbing pains in that one very localized area.  When I eliminated white flour the pain went away.  In the years since banning white flour from my life, there have been occasions when I couldn't avoid eating it.  Like clockwork, the pain came back.  Some people might say it's all in my head.....what isn't in my head you might ask....but I can only respond to what I have experienced and I truly believe there is a connection.

 Gluten-free Carrot Bread 

4 free-range eggs
2 cups organic sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
1 teaspoon Bob's Red Mill Xanthum Gum
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups coarsely grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour the loaf pans.  This recipe will produce 2 full size loaves or 4-5 mini loaves.  Beat eggs and sugar together.  Add the oil, flour, xanthum gum, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix well.  Add the grated carrots and mix well.  Spoon into the greased loaf pans.  For regular size loaves, bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the top.  For the mini loaves, bake about 40 minutes.

You can make this with regular flour if you prefer.  The recipe is exactly the same and the quantity of white flour is the same, simply omit the xanthum gum.