Hearty White Bread (Grain-Free, Gluten-Free)

Soup is one of the best things about winter. And what is soup without bread? But has it been "no bread for you!" because gluten-free bread is to dense and painful for a badly damaged stomach?

I had given up on bread. But, when I made date-sweetened chocolate coconut flour muffins for a friend who is dabbling in gluten-free, she liked them so much that she researched other coconut flour recipes and sent me this one: Kokonut Pacific Coconut Flour Bread. Sometimes gifts come right back to you!

I tweaked this recipe to make it dairy free and was surprised to find that it had a similar taste and texture to a hearty white yeast bread made by a natural bread bakery near my childhood home that used soft-milled organic wheat. While it was baking I smelled a somewhat familiar smell: the kitchen of a childhood friend whose mother used to bake the dinner rolls where the bread dough "popped" out of a can. While this is much healthier than anything Pillsbury ever produced, it has a similar light flaky taste and texture that I didn't know was possible for yeast-free breads, let alone gluten-free, yeast-free breads. I hope you like this as much as I did! In the meantime, I am trying to eliminate the baking powder to make this SCD permissible.

Hearty Winter White Bread

6 eggs

2 Tbs. grapeseed oil

3 Tbs. unsweetened, organic applesauce

1.5 Tbs. honey

.5 tsp. salt

.5 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 C. coconut flour*

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Generously grease a small loaf pan.

3. Blend together first 5 ingredients (preferably with a mixer).

4. Mix last 3 dry ingredients together in separate bowl.

5. Blend dry ingredients into wet until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour into greased pan.

7. Bake for 40-50 minutes (toothpick or knife inserted in center should come out clean).

This makes 12 thick slices.

The loaf isn't very tall, but the bread is very filling.

*I use this Coconut Flour: Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour, 16-Ounce Units (Pack of 4).