Posts Tagged ‘ baking ’

Baking Gluten Free – Is Xanthan Gum Necessary?

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Baking Gluten Free – Is Xanthan Gum Necessary?

I’ve been gluten free for a couple of years, my son for about a year. All of our baked goods are made in-house, but most gluten free recipes call for xanthan gum. That just sounds so unnatural and additive-y and certainly not something that can be harvested from somebody’s farm. It’s not as bad as one might think, but still, I dislike using it. After all, it’s made with corn and soy, two of our most genetically modified crops. So we did an experiment. Gluten free bread on the right, with xanthan gum. Bread on the left, without. Turns out, it does make a difference. The xanthan-free bread tastes fine, though the texture isn’t as nice as the loaf made with xanthan gum. Good thing this is for making stuffing! Happily, the folks at Bob’s Red Mill promise that all of their products are GMO-free. I’ll be getting my xanthan gum from them from now on.

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Trick: Brown Bananas

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brown bananas

  If you’ve got overripe bananas but no time to whip up a batch of banana bread, stick them directly in the freezer. No need to peel them and put them in a plastic bag. When you’re ready to bake, put the frozen bananas – which will have turned an ugly dark brown – on a plate to thaw. Once thawed, simply cut off one end of the banana and squeeze the fruit out of the skin. The texture will be a bit runny but it’s perfect for blending into a batch of bread. No waste, no plastic. This post inspired by a conversation on the Attainable Sustainable Facebook page about the ridiculous concept of pre-peeled bananas. Yes, really.

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Lilikoi Bread

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Lilikoi Bread

So tasty. So easy to make. I always double the batch and make four loaves – one for now, three for the freezer. Liliko‘i – also known as passion fruit – grows wild here, and I’m lucky enough to have a prolific plant right in my backyard. Ingredients: 1-1/2 sticks butter 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour* 2 teaspoons baking powder 2/3 cup liliko‘i juice** 1/3 cup milk Directions: Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix flour and baking powder together (I just do this in the measuring cup to avoid another bowl to wash). Alternately add dry ingredients and liquid ingredients to the sugar mixture until well blended. Pour batter into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. *I’ve successfully used oat flour for this recipe, too, but it’s a bit more crumbly. **If you don’t have access to liliko‘i juice, you can substitute lemon juice for a lovely lemon bread.

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Make Your Own Vanilla

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Make Your Own Vanilla

I’ve been meaning to make my own vanilla for ages, but I keep forgetting. My husband (the baker in the family) sees that we’re low and picks up a big bottle at Costco, perpetuating a vicious vanilla cycle. Every bottle we get from the store is one more piece of plastic that we have to figure out what to do with, so making my own in a reusable glass bottle makes sense from a waste perspective. But here in Hawaii, it makes sense from a locavore perspective, too: we have a vanilla farm right down the road. How ridiculous to buy imported vanilla in plastic! Even if you don’t have access to locally grown vanilla, it makes sense to make it yourself simply because it eliminates waste and a single batch of homemade vanilla can last indefinitely, since you can keep topping off the jar as you use the vanilla. Inspired to try? Split two vanilla beans down the center with a knife or scissors and slip the beans into a recycled glass jar (one that holds roughly 2 cups of liquid) or a pint-sized canning jar. Fill the jar with vodka and allow it to sit for three...

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Choose Unbleached Flour

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Choose Unbleached Flour

  The difference between bleached and unbleached flour in the final product (and cost) is negligible, but by purchasing the unbleached version you will eliminate chemicals and toxins from your food and our environment. Using chlorine, bromates, and peroxides in processing our food seems crazy, doesn’t it? Especially when there is a better alternative sitting right next to the bleached flour on the store shelf.

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Welcome

It’s one thing to think, “Hey, I’d love to be more self-sufficient!” and quite another to implement a lifestyle change that might require learning some new skills.

Attainable Sustainable is about bridging the gap between wanting change and making it happen without becoming overwhelmed. Nobody’s saying you have to go get a tractor and a cow. Attainable Sustainable is about discovering – one step at a time – how to make changes in your life to support a sustainable lifestyle.

The Author

Kris Bordessa has been gardening for most of her life. She's been authoring books and writing features for the past ten years or so. It's about time she combined the two, don't you think? [More about the author]