Happy in the Service of the King: Baking Lessons (A Recipe for Gluten-Free Bread)

I love baking. When I had Abby I thought it was going to be so much fun to teach her how to bake as she grew up. Now that she's older this is usually how it works: I get grumpy with her because she's making a mess and then she ends up not wanting to help. Not at all the beautiful mother-daughter bonding time I had pictured! Well, last week I decided this needed to change. The reason she was making messes was because I had never taken the time to show her what to do. If you don't know how to measure flour, you are going to make a mess. After our first "baking lesson" she is doing amazing. I didn't even get grumpy with her for spilling a bit of flour! (She honestly isn't that messy, I'm just a bit of a neat freak. Wait, don't look at my house right now!)

The first thing I'm teaching her how to make is bread. Because none of us can eat gluten and the children can't eat dairy, we make our own bread. We can buy bread, but at $6 a loaf we don't do this very often. A few years ago I posted a recipe for gluten-free bread, but since then I found and developed this recipe into one we all enjoy. So below you will find a recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free bread (it's so simple a 4 year old can make it!). This bread is amazing for sandwiches the first day you make it. After that it's still delicious, if you toast it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoons sweetener (we use honey)
1/2 Tablespoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup + 2 1/2 Tablespoons white rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch (also called arrowroot)
1/4 cup corn flour (cornstarch)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons oil
2 large eggs
1/2 Tablespoon guar gum

Directions:

First, dissolve sweetener in warm water and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand to dissolve yeast.

While the yeast is doing it's thing, measure out your dry ingredients into a bowl.

Next, mix your eggs and oil into another bowl.

After the yeast has dissolved, pour in your dry ingredients.

Add your wet ingredients.

Give the ingredients a bit of a mix by hand.

Put the bowl on the mixer stand (you can also use a hand-held electric mixer).

Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 3 minutes.

Pour dough into bread pan lined with baking paper (I helped with this bit).

Smooth down the top with wet fingers.

Watch out for the baby at your feet! :)

Clean up your mess while you leave the dough to rise for one hour.

After the dough has risen for one hour, bake for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F for all you Yankees). Now, behold the finished product!