Bulk flours and Gluten Free

[MountainMeg]

Wasn't sure whether to put this under Cooking or Frugality.  I was looking for bulk gluten free flours.  A friend of mine used to order from Honeyville Grains and was very happy with them.  Shipping was always prohibitive though.  Honeyville just started a flat rate shipping of $4.49 for anywhere in the continental US.

I found GF fine rice flour 50# for $53.99 or $1.078/lb.  The next cheapest I could find was $1.64/lb + shipping.  Potato flour is $76.99/50#.  They also have canned food, dried milk/eggs, dried fruit, Oxygen absorbers.

Through 07/14/2009 use coupon code "FREEDOM" for 10% off.

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/

[Atash Hagmahani]

Help me out, Meg.

People in southern India make Dosas--pancake-like wrappers--out of rice and lentils. Christians along the western coast make pancakes out of rice flour.

And Ethiopians, of course, make Injera out of Teff.

I have tried making rice pancakes, but they turn out the wrong texture. I want them to be spongey. Instead they turn out unpleasantly dense and doughey.

One thing I perceive, is that the recipes frequently just call for "rice flour", but there are many kinds of rice! You can buy two different kinds of rice flour in Seattle without much trouble. And their content of "glutin" NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH GLUTEN (one is a starch, the other is the wonderful protein that makes bread chewy--and alas hard to digest!!) differs significantly.

My tolerance to gluten seems to be rising. BUT there are still a lot of folks who can't eat it at all, and I don't want to push my own tolerance by overdoing it.

The idea is actually NOT for a breakfast food (necessarily), but for making something to stuff with savory ingredients for supper--much like Indians would eat Dosas. (Indians like the edges of Dosas to be crisp--but I think a spongy texture like Injera would work better).

The problem with Teff is that it's not a commonly-available flour in most parts of the country (though it is pretty good though).

I wonder if one thing I might be doing wrong, is not letting the batter sit long enough. I've been using yeast instead of letting the batter ferment--it's easier to control. But yeast works pretty fast. Maybe it just needs to sit longer.

One good thing about yeast is it breaks down the phytic acid which would otherwise bind up the mineral content of the grains, and cause a lot of trouble if too much of your diet consisted of grain. I've seen rave reviews of wheat pancakes made using yeast--even without eggs the texture comes out absolutely superb they say. But wheat is a lot more forgiving than non-glutinous batters.

[Wellspring]

Atash:

We've been buying & eating Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas for some time.  I love making wraps and wish these tortillas were bigger than they are.  The size is the same size of all store-bought tortillas.  I'd love to make a flat bread/tortilla from scratch and much bigger.  Here's the link:  http://www.wellnessgrocer.com/food-for-life-tortillas-brown-rice-p-3967.html

Maybe the tapioca flour & rice bran is the missing link. 


Ingredients:  Brown Rice Flour, Filtered Water, Tapioca Flour, Safflower Oil, Rice Bran, Vegetable Gum (xanthan, cellulose), Sea Salt

Description
These unique Tortillas are the 1st available certified Kosher, all natural, Wheat & Gluten-Free tortillas and are the newest addition to the Food For Life Wheat & Gluten Free product line. Our Brown Rice Tortillas were specifically developed to fit the needs of individuals who are looking for Wheat & Gluten Free food options. Each 10" Food For Life Wheat & Gluten-Free tortilla is moist, delicious, easy to use, great tasting and nutritious.

[MountainMeg]

You got me Atash.  I haven't started baking yet, though I just picked up the ingredients to try my first loaf of bread.  I'm going to try this one:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gluten-Free-White-Bread-for-Bread-Machines/Detail.aspx

The thing I noticed in comments is that the GF bread dough does not have the same consistency as regular bread dough.  Seems most of the bakers were surprised that it's more like a quick bread batter rather than a dough that rises.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

[Wellspring]

Another thought Atash:  why not grind your own rice on an as-need basis?  It will be fresh and you'll avoid any oils going rancid.  I've wanted to make fava bean flour, but as you know, favas are ridiculously hard.  I'll have to do a little research on Grain Mills.

[Atash Hagmahani]

Gluten-free rice bread is...weird...takes some getting used to.

To make it, you need a vegetable gum. You can use Xanthan bean gum. What it will do is trap the air bubbles in lieu of gluten. The bread will come out with a soft, somewhat crumbly texture. It makes fairly decent "french toast" because the batter helps hold it together.

I think you'd like gluten-free batter breads better, IF I can figure out how to make them.

[opsec]

I've had rice bread. It's like cardboard. Have you ever tried to make a sandwich out of cardboard?

[MountainMeg]

It's not tasty.  I had to take my poor kid off bread altogether for a few months before he'd give it a try.  Toasting it gives it a better flavor.  Rice pasta isn't bad -- I can't tell much of a difference.  And Trader Joe's GF pancakes are actually very good.

But, it seems to be worth it.  The few times Matt broke the GF diet really caused some problems.  He must not have liked the feeling because now he self checks ingredients before asking for something.

[Lady Lilya]

Just skimming this thread due to shortness of time.

Atash, I just started a 700 page book about the way people prepared food when we were not so sickly.  As I understand it, there are chapters about soaking grains in things like kefir to denature the phytates, and sprouting them.  I've heard some people who follow the diet recommendations of this book refer to "blender batter" which I believe is where they soak grains in kefir in the blender, and then when they sprout they blend it into a batter to use for baking things like pancakes.  I would think the yeasts in kefir would make a bubbly batter.  Kefir itself is quite a bubbly liquid, which always reminds me of bread dough when I drink it throughout the day.

I'll know better when I finish the book.  But it could take me a while.  I don't get a lot of time for reading actual books.  The toddler won't leave me alone if he sees I have a book.

[Wellspring]

LL:

What is the name of the book you're reading??

[Lady Lilya]

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

By the way, I know a lot of people who are completely grain free, and I am not far from that myself this past month.  Small amount of rice is all the grain I've had.  After the first week my body acclimated and I feel much less hungry now on much less food.

I've been having about a quart of green smoothie for breakfast (40% green leafies, 60 % fruit, blended in a high power blender).  I've been drinking kefir throughout the day.  I've also been drinking a tea from a blend of herbs chosen for high nutrient value (2 parts red clover blossom, to one part each of stinging nettle, comfrey leaf, and oatstraw).  And also been drinking bone broth (red meat or chicken bones with some salt and a bit of vinegar, cooked a long time to extract the minerals from the bones). 

Meals are: Meat or eggs.  Plus potatoes or rice noodles or rice crackers.  Plus sauteed greens or a salad with lemon-based dressing. 

I'm working towards incorporating more of the things on Pat's list:
http://heal-thyself.ning.com/forum/topics/help-for-my-husbands-health?page=1&commentId=2814160%3AComment%3A3688&x=1#2814160Comment3688

I know Pat personally for the past 2-3 months.  She (and a bunch of other women who have been educating me) is trained in a variety of alternative medical methods.  I'm not aiming for all of those things on the list.  But I don't think I am a very bad case, compared to the people she usually treats. 

The point is to improve my digestion, which has gone horribly wrong.  In the mean time, I am finding myself eating more things that can be more easily grown/raised by individuals without the system.  Fruit trees, a garden of green leafies and herbs, chickens and a goat would cover most of our needs.  We are working towards a living environment that is conducive to raising those things for ourselves.

[Wellspring]

Great book!
We have it but haven't yet dug into it.

It's been more difficult for both of us to get off grains entirely as the stress of taking care of my dying mother is a big stress; so naturally, we tend to gravitate toward those "comfort foods," like bread and butter.  Hmmmmmm . . .
But that's mostly at dinner.  Morning and through the day we are SOOOOO GOOD!  Made a green smoothie today (all greens and no fruit).  Why do you use so much fruit in your GS??

Will have to get out Nourishing Traditions and revisit it.

Thanks LL~

[Lady Lilya]

Actually, I STARTED with that ratio of fruit as recommended by Victoria Boutenko, the author of Green For Life.  Now I tend to want a higher ratio of greens. 

[Dame]

LL:  red clover blossom, stinging nettle, comfrey leaf, and oatstraw; are these dehydrated or fresh or... And, is the oat straw green or ripe (ecru).  Also,how much per day per person are you using.

I ask as all these things are in overabundant supply in my yard right now and if they can be dehydrated I need to get busy. 

[Lady Lilya]

They are dry.  The oatstraw I have now is green, but most oatstraw you can get for tea purposes is ecru-colored.

The recipe I got is to put 2 cups red clover and 1 cup of each of the others into a gallon jar, pour boiling water over it, steep for 10 hours, then strain.  They you can refrigerate it and drink it over time. 

I am aiming for drinking 2 quarts per day.

The blend tastes a lot like chamomile, but a little more green.  I really feel like I am drinking my lawn. 

It is very refreshing when cold.  And the flavor is more mild.

-----

I think I forgot to mention above that I am also aiming to keep my protein consumption low.  I think my body has built up too much ammonia.