Tomato Sauce from the Garden Tomatoes

Just look at those beautiful tomatoes!  They are actually darker in real life than in the photo.  The stripes and speckles on the longer tomatoes are divine!

I didn't help a lot with planting these tomatoes.  Ginny, my daughter did most of the labor and work --- good job!  Did I give credit to my son-in-law, Aaron, for making the raised boxes in the garden?  Thanks, Aaron.  I did help with germinating some of the seeds.

There are many techniques for getting the tomato seeds started. I wanted to use my PotMaker® but couldn't find it. I had used the pot maker in the classroom to make newspaper pots to plant Brassica rapa seeds. The brassica rapa seeds had been used in the space program to study the effects of gravity on growing plants. Some of the experiments we did with the Brassica rapa in the classroom can be found here.  The students also used the pot maker for germinating  flower seeds for the school gardens.  I recently was cleaning out a closet rented to hold my school "stuff".  Imagine that! I found that pot maker.

The pot maker will be ready for the fall garden and next year. I got those hybrid seeds started in egg cartons.  Angela Blackerby in Mother Earth News shows how to make the newspaper pots with a can.

The tomatoes in the picture above came from the garden.  The names of the tomatoes sometimes seem to vary according to each seed company.  The roma tomato with the "tail" are heirloom tomatoes.  Ginny thinks they are Jersey Devils but I think they are Speckled Roman.  (Whatever the name, they were bought as plants and they make wonderful tomato sauce or salsa.They are somewhat darker than shown in the picture.) The yellow tomatoes in the front are heirloom yellow pear shaped cherry tomatoes.  The red tomatoes in the center are Better Boy Hybrids, started from seeds. A prolific tomato, finally,  in the garden, not shown in the picture, is the Ferry Morse Gardener's Delight cherry tomato.  It is a beautiful tomato.

I believe the one dark red-purple in the back to be a Black Krim but Ginny says not.  That tomato is so very good and added so much flavor to an eggplant casserole I made. I tried saving the seeds from one of the dark tomatoes; I did it wrong.  Tomato seeds should be fermented.  So I am trying to save the seeds from that tomato in the back, hopefully,  using the correct fermenting method this time. These are good directions for fermenting, also. The fermenting method helps the seeds to germinate better and lessen tomato disease.  

Why do I want the seeds? I really like that particular tomato and saving the seeds might asure eating that same tomato again next year.  There are so many opinions about why and how to save vegetable seeds.  There are several "RIGHT" methods of fermenting.  Experimenting can't hurt.  There is always the packaged seeds when saving goes wrong.  I have nothing to lose.  A couple websites stated to dry the tomato seeds on paper towels.  Lesson learned!  That is not a good move because the tomato seeds glued themselves to the paper towel and the paper towel would not release the seed.  Wax paper, parchment paper or a paper plate is a better choice.  Another journey -- saving seeds!

Ok, back to the tomato sauce.

I used the tomatoes to make tomato sauce.  As usual I studied 5-10 recipes before beginning.  I liked the recipe from all recipes.com but changed some of the ingredients and methods of cooking.  The sauce is delicious.  I like thick tomato sauce, especially with chunks of zucchini and carrot.  With this tomato sauce, I can add meat and vegetables and/or gluten free pasta at a later date.  It is also great with spiralized vegetables such as zucchini, butternut squash, or sweet potato.

Try this recipe or the original recipe.  I think you will like either one.

Tomato Sauce from Fresh Garden Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 10 ripe tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 chopped celery stalk
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil or 1/4 cup chopped fresh (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 tablesspoon Italian seasoning or (1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano, 
•           1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp  margoram, 1/2 teaspoon sage (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Burgundy wine (can substitution any red wine,  broth 
•           or grape juice)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (if needed or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (if needed or to taste)

    Directions:

    1.  Fill a medium pot with water and heat to boiling. Working with 2-3 tomatoes at a time, lower the tomatoes into boiling water. Let the tomatoes boil in the water for 15-45 seconds, depending on size.  The skins of the tomatoes should begin to split.  With a slotted spoon, take the tomatoes out of the boiling water and place in a bowl of ice water. The peeling will slip off the tomato.  Place the tomatoes on a cutting board.  Cut as desired into small pieces, removing the core.  If seeds are to be removed, slice the tomatoes horizontally between the core and end.  The seeds can be removed with a spoon.  If needed, these are pictures with directions for removing the skins.  (Note:  I did not peel the smaller tomatoes because they eventually will be pureed)

    2.  In a soup pot or Dutch oven saute the onion, celery, carrot, and peppers together in the olive oil and butter until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Add the tomatoes with the basil, Italian seasoning, wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a little water, if necessary.

    3.  Stir in tomato paste, optional sugar, and optional salt. Simmer another hour.  At the end of the hour, discard the bay leaf.  Let the sauce cool until safe to puree.  Puree the sauce in a food processor, a blender or with a submersible food processor.

    4.  The tomato sauce can be frozen or canned.  I like to freeze the sauce flat in zipper freezer plastic bags.  Directions for doing that are here. It can also be refrigerated to use within a 3-5 days.

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Resources:

"Coring, Peeling, and Seeding Tomatoes." About. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. <http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/ss/peeltomatoes_6.htm>

"Easy Newspaper Pots." Mother Earth News. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. <http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/easy-newspaper-pots.aspx#axzz3AvzLMBVq>

"Out of Red Wine? Don't Worry, There Are Easy Substitutes to Make Alcohol-free Dishes." Lubbock Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. <http://lubbockonline.com/life/2011-03-30/out-red-wine-dont-worry-there-are-easy-substitutes-make-alcohol-free-dishes#.U_UgFBZNODo.>

"Plant Growth." - Time Machine. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014.http://timemachine.cmucreatelab.org/wiki/Plant_Growth

"Simple Storage Tips – How to Freeze Soup, Sauce, and Puree." One Hundred Dollars a Month. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. <http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/simple-storage-tips-how-to-freeze-soup-sauce-and-puree/>

"Substitutes for Wine." / Nutrition / Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2014. <http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/substitutes-for-wine.html#b>

Make It Sourdough - Gluten Free Seasoned Coating Mix

Remember this commercial?  I always enjoyed hearing that little girl's southern voice say "... and I helped."  Kraft's Shake 'N Bake still gets decent reviews on Amazon. My son-in-law likes it, especially on the night he has to cook.  There are so many flavors now.  Some of the flavors are orginal, Parmesan Crusted,  Buffalo, BBQ Glaze, Classic Herb and Ranch Crusted. The older directions say to rinse or wet the chicken but the newer directions state to brush with oil or salad dressing.  In the last year or two, the rules for handling raw chicken in the kitchen have changed.

One complaint, though -- a plastic bag is no longer included in the box. That might be a good ecological step in Kraft's planning.  Some alternate uses for the plastic bags could be to coat the chicken, fish, pork, etc. in a bowl.  Another idea seen on the network is to recyle cereal bags as shaking bags and that would bring the shake component back. My daughter uses a paper bag. Other suggestions can be seen here.

Now the next issue with Shake 'N Bake is the gluten problem.  What ingredients are in the Shake 'N Bake?  Well, all the flavors have wheat flour in it -- you know, gluten.  Sad --- that limits the use of this coating for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.  Glad to say that I have an alternative! The alternative will be more healthy, especially when made with wild yeast sourdough.

Remember the failures of the wild yeast sourdough bread that I cut up and put in the freezer.  The bread was good but ugly. There is still more.  It's going to be used to make a sourdough seasoned coating mix.

Try this good alternative to Shake 'N Bake on chicken or pork chops.

Sourdough Seasoned Coating Mix

Ingredients:
3-4 rounded cups gluten-free sourdough bread cubes (about 325 grams before drying)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional or amount to your taste)
2  teaspoon dry parsley
3/4  teaspoon dry basil
3/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon celery salt

Feel free to make any changes in any ingredient amount.


Directions:
1.  Dry the bread cubes using these directions except remember that sourdough bread takes longer to dry.  (The bread crumbs weighed about 325 grams before drying and 170grams after drying).

2.  Put the dried sourdough bread cubes and the remaining ingredients in a processor and process until the bread crumbs have an even, fine texture.

3.  Store your bread crumbs in an airtight container in the freezer. The coating mix can be used without thawing.

Adaptions to the recipe:

1.  Vegetable oil, or your choice of oil can be added to the coating mix.  Use 1 tablespoon for every cup of seasoned mix.  Mix until the oil is absorbed and store as in directions.  The oil can also be added to the seasoned coating mix just before using. (The mix without oil would increase the shelf life.)
2.  Substitute the same amount of crushed gluten free corn cereal or crushed gluten free rice cereal  for the sourdough bread.
3.  Parmesan coating mix can be made by adding 1/4-1/3 cup Parmesan cheese to one cup of the seasoned coating mix.



For chicken or pork:
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Beat 1 egg in a flat bottomed dish.  Place one cup of coating in another flat bottomed dish.  The coating can also be placed in a zip bag, a recycled cereal bag or paper bag.

Dip the chicken or pork in the egg until coated.  Then roll or shake in the sourdough seasoned coating mix until the chicken is covered with coating mix. Add more coating mix if needed.

Place in the prepared baking pan.  Cook at 350 for 45 minutes, turning the chicken half through baking.

Sourdough Seasoned Coating Mix on Chicken Thighs

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough English Muffins

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread #1

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Soft Wraps, Waffles and Pancakes

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Brownies

"Don't Wash Your Chicken." Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.<http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/dont-wash-your-chicken>

"HowStuffWorks "Coating and Breading Chicken"" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.<http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/how-to-prepare-chicken-cooking3.htm>

"How to Make Bread Crumbs." Restaurant Recipes Popular Restaurant Recipes You Can Make at Home Copykatcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.<http://www.copykat.com/2012/01/26/how-to-make-bread-crumbs/#j9K241HK4Ps5Bdwu.99>

"Top 10 Reasons To Eat Real Sourdough Bread -- Even If You're Gluten Intolerant - CHEESESLAVE." CHEESESLAVE RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014.<http://www.cheeseslave.com/top-10-reasons-to-eat-real-sourdough-bread-even-if-youre-gluten-intolerant/>

Make It Sourdough - Gluten Free Sourdough Brownies

These brownies are rich, fudgy and moist. They have probiotics (which are beneficial even though heated),  dark chocolate (which is good for you) and the added zucchini provides other nutrients to the brownies.  (The zucchini has no taste in the brownies.) The sourdough starter is made from gluten free whole grains. The wild yeast sourdough starter and low sugar of these brownies won't spike blood sugar as much as other brownies.

I have tried several times to make sourdough brownies and all so far ended in the trash can.  This time I referenced the brownies from Wild Yeast.  Though my instincts led me to believe that this recipe might work, the recipe made too many brownies for one person. The brownies looked nice and were sourdough. A problem with the recipe was that it contained 200 g of sugar. A Messy Kitchen used this same recipe from Wild Yeast but added malted milk powder.  The malt is usually made from barley and wheat and cannot be used by a gluten intolerant person.  Plain powdered milk can be substituted for the malted milk powder.

Being diabetic, I adapted the brownies for less sugar by using 50 grams of sugar and 3 tablespoons of Stevia in the Raw. Some sugar is needed not only for sweetness but moisture and tenderness. I also reduced the recipe by half because I didn't need that many brownies and would be wasting less ingredients if the adapted recipe didn't work and the brownies had to be thrown out. The amount of ingredients in the reduced recipe has worked out perfect.

Mine didn't have the shiny crust on top.  The editor of The Kitchn suggests that the shiny top comes from beating the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar longer. Chaire from Out of the Ordinary Food agrees.  Both agree that only granulated sugar will give the shiny crust and using extra sugar will give a great shiny crust.  Guess I'll have to live without the shiny, crusty tops on brownies.

I think I will always miss those crusty gluten fudgy brownies that you don't have to worry about falling apart when they are just out of the oven.  There is nothing like a warm fudge brownie with ice cream.  But I'll settle for these sourdough brownies -- they can be eaten warm even though they fall apart.  They don't gluten me and that is a good thing!  If you want these brownies to look beautiful, they have to be completely cool before moving them or slicing them. Once cool, they will stay together.

I haven't finished with the design of these brownies.  I think I can still improve them with nuts, or cream cheese or peanut butter.  Being diabetic limits what I can add -- which would be no candies, though adding miniature gluten free marshmallows might be OK.  I will update any changes I make.  I have thrown out so many sourdough brownies because they weren't sweet enough or didn't taste very good. So far, these are a keeper.

Gluten Free Sourdough Brownies

Ingredients:
150g (1 cup) GF dark chocolate chips or dark GF chocolate bars or GF semisweet chocolate chips
113g (1/2 cup) butter (your choice)
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar (or 50 g of sugar and 3 tablespoons sugar substitute or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2  teaspoons honey (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded zucchini with water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 grams regular or dark cocoa powder (not sweetened)
10 grams mik powder
pinch of cinnamon
110 g mature gluten free sourdough starter 100% hydration
1/2 cup to 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)


Directions:
1.  Prepare the sourdough starter by feeding it 7-12 hours before using it. (The bacteria and wild yeast need time to complete their symbiotic relationship).
2.  Preheat oven to 325℉
3.  Prepare a 8x8-inch baking dish by lining with parchment. (Leave parchment "handles" to lift the brownies from the pan to cool).
4.  In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring constantly, just enough to melt. The butter and chocolate can also be melted in microwave for 15 seconds in a microwavable dish.  Stir the melted butter and chips together.  If the chips are not fully melted, place in microwave for 10-15 seconds and stir again. When melting in the microwave, watch the melting very carefully!
5. Beat the sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs together until well mixed.  Stir in the honey if using.
6.  Mix together the cocoa powder, milk powder and cinnamon.  Sift over the chocolate mixture and mix together.
7.  Gently stir in the sourdough starter until completely combined.  Stir in the extra chocolate chips and/or 1/2 cup nuts if desired.
8.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean from near the middle.  Cool for about 20-30 minutes before removing from pan.
9.  Carefully lift the whole brownie out with the parchment paper.  Finish cooling completely on a wire rack. The cooler the brownie, the easier to handle.

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough English Muffins
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread #1
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Soft Wraps, Waffles and Pancakes

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Resources:

"How Do I Make Brownies With Shiny, Crackly Tops? - Good Questions."The Kitchn. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.<http://www.thekitchn.com/how-do-i-make-brownies-with-shiny-tops-180270>

"Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies - Chewy v. Cake-y." Out of the Ordinary. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/24/mexican-hot-chocolate-brownies-chewy-v-cake-y/

"Sourdough Bread: A Delicious Mix of Harmonious Microbes."Encyclopedia Britannica

Online.Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 27 July 2014

<http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2010/01/sourdough-bread-a-delicious-mix-of-harmonious-microbes/>

"Squash, Summer." Squash, Summer. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July <2014.http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=62>

"What Every Baker Needs to Know About Sugar." FineCooking.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 July 2014.
<http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-sugar-affects-baking.aspx>

"Why Is Dark Chocolate Good for You? Thank Your Microbes." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you-thank-your-microbes/>

 "Wild Yeast." Wild Yeast. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July2014. <http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2010/05/06/sourdough-for-health/>

Make it Sourdough - Basic Sourdough Bread #1

L's Basic Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread #1

Basic Whole Grain Sourdough #1

Of all the gluten-free sourdough bread I have yet made, this is my favorite.  Even more exciting, I can eat it without my blood sugar spiking.  

 For my starter, I adapted a recipe from Jean Layton, in Gluten-Free Baking for Dummies. Her original recipe for the starter included brown rice flour and sweet rice flour.  I do not use rice flour and substituted the teff, buckwheat, and amaranth flours for the brown rice flour and oat flour for the sweet rice flour.  It fermented within 5 days and is still working.

I halved Layton's sourdough flour blend recipe; though the flour blend would eventually be used up making the starter and maintaining it, I didn't have a container large enough to hold that much flour. I have since purchased a container and may consider making the larger amount.  Again, I must say that I find weighing the flour is much faster and more reliable than measuring in cups.

I've made this sourdough bread several times and I'm still working on its perfection.  Until now,  I was disappointed in the looks but not the taste.  The taste is fantastic, especially when toasted.  The air holes have been good and the bread is light in weight.  When I first started making the bread, it fell about 20% -  25% as it cooled -- every time.

The original sourdough bread recipe that I've come to like orginally came from Jean Nick, The Nickel Pincher.  Her recipe for sourdough bread was very simple and traditional sourdough, without commercial yeast. Her recipe for the sourdough bread included 6 ingredients:  sourdough starter, gluten-free flour blend, sea salt, sweetener, butter or oil, and warm water.  I eventually added seed dust to increase nutrition and see if it would help with the deflating problem. I started with 1 tablespoon of the seed dust with psyllium powder and later increased to 2 tablespoons.

My gluten free sourdough starter is from whole grains. I had been using a whole grain flour blend for the sourdough bread. Since the sourdough starter was made from whole grains, the batter I chose to use with added whole grains was probably too heavy for the wild yeast. That may have been one of the reasons for the deflated bread. In the next few loafs,  I have used another of my all-purpose blends that containes oat, sorghum, corn flour (masa harina) and tapioca.  That loaf became a little lighter in mass and color and the taste was even better.  The sourdough bread reminded me of whole wheat sourdough.

I've tried baking the gluten-free sourdough in a loaf pan (8x4-in), a 2-quart lidded casserole dish, and a 5-quart lidded cast iron Dutch Oven.  I've cooked it by preheating the cooking utensil and not preheating the utensil.  The 5-quart lidded cast iron Dutch Oven was too large. So far, the parchment paper lined, lidded casserole dish, preheated in the oven, wins (whew).  I am hypothesizing that a parchment paper lined 3-quart cast iron Dutch Oven would even be the better trick.  The one with the best reviews is out of my price range at the present.

1.  Dough Placed  in Parchment Paper lined Mixing Bowl, almost ready to ferment.

2.  Dough Has Been smooth Out With
Wet Hand and Scored

3.  Dough Has Risen 12 Hours

I've used different rising times to find the best time.  I've let it rise for 6 hours and other times, 12 hours.  The 12 hour rise seems to make the best bread. The bread is always beautiful when out of the oven and falls slightly but I find it still light. I think it is one of those things that one must live with for gluten-free sourdough bread and any other gluten-free bread.  There again, all the years of baking gluten bread needs to leave my memory and let the gluten-free take over.

Flaxseed and Chia Seed Dust with Psyllium Powder

I find that the seed dust is a good replacement for the xanthan and guar gums besides being much more nutritious.  More and more gluten-free bakers are using flaxseed and chia in their bread recipes in the replacement of gums. Annalise Roberts states in her research that bread products do not rise correctly without the xanthan gum. I first questioned that flaxseed and chia seeds might be difficult for the wild yeast batter to function so I didn't use it.  Then I found that  Sharon Kane used it in her wild yeast sourdough bread.  Then I discovered Dr. Jean Layton's recipe for Pixie Dust-Seed Mixture.  The seed dust is a combination of flaxseed, chia, and psyllium.  I grind the flaxseed and chia seed in a coffee grinder and then add the psyllium.  The psyllium is ground to a powder in its container.  I found that the store brands of psyllium from Walgreens and CVS are gluten free, sugar free with no added flavoring and reasonably priced.  (Walmart's brand (Equate) stated it had 10ppm of gluten from wheat but their disclaimer statement is questionable.)

You can find the ratio of seeds and psyllium with my Basic Sourdough Recipe.  Using the seed-psyllium mixture will change the the Baker's Percentage because the mixture absorbs some of moisture.

Baked Bread in parchment paper lined casserole dish

Using a wire whisk or the wire whisk attached to the stand mixer is another technique that helps improve the volume of sourdough batter.  The whisk incorporates more air for the aerobic fermentation which helps the wild yeast produce more carbon dioxide.  This also pertains to the sourdough starter.


Seed Dust with Psyllium Powder  (thanks to Dr. Jean Layton)

20 grams Golden Flaxseeds
10 gramsChia Seeds,
15 grams  Psyllium Husk Powder

Grind all of the seeds and husk in a coffee grinder until floury.  It will have a feathery texture. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.

(10 grams = 1 packed Tablespoon of pixie dust = 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum)

   

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Basic Sourdough #1

Ingredients:
2 cups (252 grams) actively bubbling gluten-free sourdough starter
2 cups (244 grams)  gluten-free flour blend*
1 teaspoon ( 4.8 grams) sea salt
1 Tablespoon organic sugar, molasses, or honey (honey = 21.25 grams; molasses = 21.57)
2 Tablespoons (27.44 grams) olive oil
½ to 1 cup warm water ( 118-236 grams)
2 tablespoon (20 grams) Seed Dust with Psyllium Powder

Directions:
1. In a large bowl mix the sourdough starter, flour blend, salt, sweetener, Seed Dust and, oil until just blended. This can be done by hand or with a stand mixer.  Add water a few tablespoons at a time until you have a thick batter just slightly thicker than muffin batter (The dough will be sticky and not a consistency to handle or knead).  Whisk the batter 1-2 minutes to incorporate air.

2. Line a loaf pan or mixing bowl with a single sheet of parchment paper, creasing and smoothing as much as possible. Use a loaf pan to make sandwich bread or a mixing bowl for a round loaf Boule shape.  If using a loaf pan, 2 are needed; one is for proofing the dough and one for pre-heating for baking.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan or bowl, cover it with plastic wrap. Set the bowl or pan in a warm place to rise for 7 to 12 hours (or a little longer if you or the dough needs it). The longer it spends making bubbles and a sponge, the healthier it is.  Your batter should have risen at least a third by this time.  Some bakers state to let it rise to the edge of the pan, but my whole grain sourdough has never risen that high.

4. Preheat the oven with the empty cast iron Dutch oven with lid to 425-450°F for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove the hot baking vessel and lift the batter by the parchment paper and place in the heated vessel.  The parchment paper can be quickly cut so that the cover fits over the casserole dish or dutch oven.  Foil can be placed over loaf pan, if there is no lid. Carefully put the baking utensil back in the oven.

5.  Bake the bread for about 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes.  The internal temperature of the bread should be about 205℉ when done.


5. Remove it from the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes, then turn the loaf onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.  The cooling process for gluten-free bread is very important!

6.  When this bread was kept in the refrigerator for a little over a week, it was still great toasted. A couple of bloggers have stated that storing gluten-free sourdough bread in plastic bags causes the crust to become gummy or rubbery.   If storing longer, slice and place in a sealed container in the freezer or wrap the bread in aluminum foil and then place in a freezer bag; its ready for warming that way.  Toast before eating.
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 Add ingredients to make flavored loaves of sour bread:
  

•  diced dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil
• grated carrots, flaxseeds  and pumpkin seed
• cinnamon & raisins
• grated cheese
• chopped nuts, orange zest and dried cranberries 
• chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, 1/3 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (for pumpernickel bread)

*Gluten free flour blend used in this recipe:

1 1/2 (180 g)  cups oat flour
1 cup (123 g) sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups (188 g) cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup (58 g) corn flour (masa harina)

549 / 4.5 =  122 grams/cup

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough English Muffins
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Wraps, Waffles & Pancakes


Resources:

"Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe." Basic Sourdough Bread. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.culturesforhealth.com/basic-sourdough-bread-recipe>

"Beyond the Loaf: The Many Uses of Sourdough." Beyond the Loaf: The Many Uses of Sourdough. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.culturesforhealth.com/beyond-loaf-many-uses-sourdough>

"Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter." - For Dummies. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/glutenfree-sourdough-starter.navId-810789.html>

Kamozawa, Aki, and H. Alexander. Talbot. Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2010. Print.

"Pixie Dust Xanthan Gum Replacer." GlutenFree Doctor. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://glutenfreedoctor.com/pixie-dust-xanthan-gum-replacer/>

"The Gluten-Free-Bread Baking-with-Psyllium-Husks-Powder Test." My Gluten Free Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://mygluten-freetable.com/2014/04/the-gluten-free-bread-baking-with-psyllium-husks-powder-test/>

"The Nickel Pincher: Homemade Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread." Rodale News. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.rodalenews.com/gluten-free-sourdough>

"The Key to Making Delicious, No-Knead, Sourdough Bread -." N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2014.
<http://www.newestartfarm.com/posts/make-delicious-no-knead-sourdough-bread>

"The Most Ignorant of All Questions: Cooling of Bread." The Fresh Loaf. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2014.http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/7979/most-ignorant-all-questions-cooling-bread

"The World of Gluten-Free Bread." : Using The Baker’s Percentage and Bread Hydration for Gluten Free Bread. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://theworldofglutenfreebread.blogspot.com/2013/08/using-bakers-percentage-and-bread.html>

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free English Muffins

These gluten-free English muffins, made with a wild yeast starter,  have a nice sour tang. They are full of “nooks and crannies” and have a wonderful crumb.  They will hold your favorite toppings.  My favorite topping is cream cheese. The muffin is delicious as a breakfast egg muffin with bacon and cheese.  They are also good toasted with cheddar cheese.  I found them to be wonderful with lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon and Boar's Head bologna. (The bologna is gluten free). These split gluten-free English muffins make a quick base for a mini pizza.

The best part of the these English muffins - they don't cause a blood sugar spike.  Read here about other reasons to eat sourdough.  I converted my original English muffins into sourdough English Muffins. The recipe techniques I used in making English muffins came from Alton Brown.

This site helped me experiment to find the best proportions of sourdough starter and the gluten-free flour blend.  Though the recipe on the site used one gluten-free flour, I decided to use a flour blend because the starches in a blend help make a better crumb. Also, I find the wild yeast perform better with some starch. I added the flaxseed meal and the Seed Dust with psyllium to make the English muffins more nutritious.  The hydrocolloids help the bread crumb and help bind the ingredients.

There are quite a few discussions about using the hydrocolloids - chia, flaxseed and psyllium.  Some research indicates that they are good substitutes for gums.  Other research concludes the gums are much better in trapping the carbon dioxide for making bread rise.

The dough to make the sponge is slightly thick and stiff.  Whisk lots of air into the

batter to help the wild yeast and lactobacilli complete their symbiotic relationship.

The dough is too stiff to use a hand wire whisk.The Danish dough whisk does the 

job perfectly.This job can also be done with a stand mixer with the wire whisk 

attachment.

It takes 7-12 hours to form a sponge.  I let the dough rise 10 hours.  The wild yeast were doing their thing; the starches were being predigested by the bacteria and forming probiotics.  The yeast was busy making carbon dioxide for the rising.  Enzymes were cleaving the proteins into amino acids.  I would have waited 12 hours but I wanted to bake the muffins before going to bed. The sourdough batter had a very nice sponge so I thought the dough might be ready.  Read here about the interesting science of sourdough.

These English muffins can be baked using the oven technique; they will have a dome. They can also be cooked in the traditional way, a griddle, and then they need to be placed in the oven to make sure they cook thoroughly without the top and bottom getting too dark. I personally like using my electric skillet -- so easy!  I can't seem to control the baking process in a griddle.  I do bake them for 10 minutes in the oven.  I test for doneness with an instant thermometer which should read about 205℉.

Sourdough English Muffins Baking in a Skillet After Being Flipped.

In the above picture, the English muffins cooking in the four corners are formed with purchased muffin rings.  The ring in the middle is from a set I made from aluminum foil.  The instructions for making muffin rings are here.  My handmade English muffin rings have lasted for a year. I wash both set of rings and dry them in a warm oven to make sure they do not rust.  I have several handmade rings that are a little larger.  They are used to make English muffin bases for pizza.  It will make two pizzas when split with a fork.  I store the handmade rings, folded in a small plastic container. I store the purchased rings in the original box so they don't dent.

Sourdough with wild yeast does it's best rising at 78℉.  I have found a trick that helps.  I heat water in a glass mixing pitcher in the microwave; then place the bowl of sourdough over the pitcher.  I have a top from a grocery store vegetable tray that fits over the bowl. I cut out slots on the plastic top so that it fits over the bowl's pour-handles. The setup is left in the microwave.  When the water cools, remove the bowl of dough and repeat the process of heating the water. 

Sourdough English Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup (176-240grams) sourdough starter
2 - 21/2 cups (232 grams) gluten-free flour blend* (see below)
1/4 - 1/2 cup (59-188 grams) water
1 tablespoon (21.25 grams) honey
-----------------------------
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon seed dust with psyllium
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

For 1-2 minutes, whisk (with Danish dough whisk or spoon) the sourdough starter, gluten-free flour blend, 1/4 - 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon honey.  Add the water a little at a time so not to over hydrate the batter. Cover and let sit at room temperature at least 7 hours or overnight so all the flours are fermented, the phytate is degraded, and probiotics are formed.

Just before the fermentation is complete, place the muffin rings in the griddle or skillet.  Spray the muffin rings and sprinkle the insides with gluten-freecorn meal. Turn the stove or electric skillet to warm.  (See below if using the oven to make the English muffins)

When the fermentation is complete, sprinkle flax meal and seed dust on dough.

Combine oil, salt and egg in separate small bowl. With Danish dough whisk, combine the liquids into the dough mixture.  Add the baking powder and baking soda.  It will begin bubbling.

Fill the muffin rings 2/3 full of batter.  Smooth the tops flat using fingers and water.  (Don't worry if you feel the dough is too wet - the dough will absorb it.) Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Heat griddle to 270°F - 275°F.  Placing the lid on skillet will help the muffin tops set. Bake 10 minutes, until the top is barely set and bottom surface is nicely browned. Flip the muffins and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove muffins from rings and transfer to a 350°F oven for 10 minutes to cook completely. The temperature with an instant thermometer should be about 205℉.  Important! Let cool before splitting in half and toasting.

Oven Method:  Line a 13"x9" baking pan  (or larger) with parchment paper.  Place 5-6 muffin rings on the pan. Spray the insides of the rings with cooking spray and sprinkle with gluten-free cornmeal.  Fill the muffin rings 2/3 full of batter.  smooth the tops flat using fingers and water.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.  Bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes.  The muffins can be tested for doneness with an instant thermometer.  The temperature should be about 205℉.  Remove from oven to cooling racks and remove the muffin rings. Let cool before splitting in half and toasting.

Sourdough Egg, Cheese and Bacon English Muffin

Update:

English Muffin Loaf

Found that this recipe for English muffins can be used to make sourdough loaf bread. One day I made the dough but got interruped. I didn't have time to get out the electric skillet and make the muffins. Waiting another day would leave the dough to sour another day, which I didn't want. I quickly preheated the oven to 375℉.  I put it in a dough in a 3.5-in x 7.5-in pan, which I sprayed only the bottom of the pan with cooking spray. It baked for about 35 minutes, or until it reached an internal temperature of  about 205℉ with an instant read thermometer.

It makes a beautiful tender small loaf. It is made using the exact recipe for the English muffins, including making the sourdough sponge. I let the sponge do its thing for 7-8 hours before adding the final ingredients. I have made this half dozen times and it turned out great every time.

The loaf makes wonderful little toasted sandwiches. I also like to toast a slice and spread it with cream cheese. To keep over a couple days, I slice it, separate the slices with pieces parchment paper, put it in a zipper freezer bag and put in the freezer.

Toasted ham & cheese sandwich using sourdough loaf

Freezing the loaf. This is about 3/4 of the loaf. The parchment
keeps the slices from sticking to each other.

     --------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The flour blend used:
2 cups (246grams) sorghum flour
3 cups (360 grams) oat flour
1 ½ cups (255 grams) potato starch
½ cup (63 grams) tapioca flour
½ cup (60 grams) amaranth flour
½ cup (60 grams) quinoa flour

Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Sourdough Wraps, Waffles & Pancakes
Make It Sourdough - Gluten-Free Basic Sourdough Bread #1


References and Resources:

"Better Bread Starts with a Sponge." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/better-bread-starts-with-a-sponge/2013/02/04/86ad2460-69a4-11e2-af53-7b2b2a7510a8_story.html>

"English Muffins Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network." English Muffins Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/english-muffins-recipe.html>

"Gluten-free Sourdough Oat English Muffins." Gluten-free Sourdough Oat English Muffins. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.culturesforhealth.com/gluten-free-sourdough-oat-english-muffin-recipe>

"Pixie Dust Xanthan Gum Replacer." GlutenFree Doctor. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://glutenfreedoctor.com/pixie-dust-xanthan-gum-replacer/>

"Sourdough Home - Yeasted English Muffin Bread." Sourdough Home - Yeasted English Muffin Bread. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=bakingintro2#ruleof240>

"The Gluten-Free-Bread Baking-with-Psyllium-Husks-Powder Test." My Gluten Free Table. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://mygluten-freetable.com/2014/04/the-gluten-free-bread-baking-with-psyllium-husks-powder-test/>

"Top 10 Reasons To Eat Real Sourdough Bread -- Even If You're Gluten Intolerant - CHEESESLAVE." CHEESESLAVE RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.cheeseslave.com/top-10-reasons-to-eat-real-sourdough-bread-even-if-youre-gluten-intolerant/>


Disclosure statement:  I have not received compensation for any products mentioned in this site.