Blueberry-lemon quick bread — GF or not

Blueberry-lemon version.

The Fire and Earth Kitchen folks, who recently taught a cooking class at my house (read about it here), just posted a recipe for blueberry breakfast bread on their Web site. The texture looked very appealing, and even though I don't usually eat cake for breakfast, I was immediately attracted to the recipe. Please don't misunderstand me here, I'm not saying you shouldn't eat cake for breakfast, just that I usually don't. Or didn't. The fact is, I baked a pan on Tuesday, and another one today. I shared some of the Tuesday cake with Miss E, her baby brother and their mom, but there was a lot left, and now there isn't. I think I ate cake for three meals a day, along with other food of course, but my husband is out of town, so it has fallen upon me not to waste the cake. And I didn't.

The crumb. Do you see the crumb?

I made the bread again today because I was tampering with the recipe and wanted to test a small adjustment before I posted it. I didn't have enough blueberries left, so I made up the difference with 1/2 cup of cut-up strawberries, and I liked it even better than the plain blueberry. But here's the most interesting thing about the bread — it can be made gluten-free without any additions like flax eggs or xanthan gum. The texture is perfect, and the taste is excellent. I rarely, if ever, use xanthan gum anymore, but I've never tried baking a cake without something like chia or flax. In fact, I've been doubling up the flax to improve my results. So, gluten-free bakers, why did this work?

Blueberry-strawberry-lemon version. Just look at the rise! Doesn't it look good?

I'm also still obsessed with adding lemon to my baked goods, and by that I mean whole chunks of lemon, skin and all. I add it with all the wet ingredients to my Vitamix, and blend it smooth. I don't know if a regular blender would purée the lemon as well as a high speed blender, so if I were using a regular blender I'd just add the juice and zest of 1/2 lemon. I measure the liquid by putting the lemon into a measuring cup and adding enough almond (or other) milk to make one cup.

I have to admit that the original recipe is simpler — so easy in fact that I actually remembered all the ingredients. I do like my version a lot, though.

Berry-lemon quick bread
based on a recipe from Fire and Earth Kitchen for
blueberry breakfast bread
makes one 9"x9" pan

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour 
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup oat flour 

(2 cups of wheat flour can be used instead of the other flours, if you aren't baking gluten-free. I haven't tried it but F & E Kitchen says yes, and I trust them.)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon or less)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 small organic lemon, seeds removed, plus enough almond (or other) milk to equal 1 cup (see story) OR juice and zest from 1/2 small lemon plus enough almond milk to equal 1 cup
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup oil (I used avocado oil)
• 1.5 cups fresh blueberries or 1 cup blueberries plus 1/2 cup strawberries cut similar size to blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil 9"x9" pan. (I used a glass baking dish.)
2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. Add all wet ingredients plus the lemon, if using, to a blender jar and blend until smooth. 
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, scrapping out the blender. Mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Add half the berries and fold in. 
6. Place the batter into the greased pan and spread the remaining berries evenly over the top. Press in gently, so they still show on top.
7. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for about 45 minutes before serving. Can be served warm or cool.

I'm making the bread again to bring to a Father's Day brunch.

......................................................................................................................................................

Impressing company with Ethiopian food

My husband made an entire Ethiopian dinner by himself — for company — and it was so good, and I was so into eating, that I forgot to take pictures until it had been demolished. So, while it may have impressed the company, it sure won't impress you. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was excellent and beautiful. He used Kittee's recipes from when I was a recipe tester for her upcoming Ethiopian cookbook, and injera from an Ethiopian restaurant. You'll want to buy the book as soon as it comes out. Seriously.

......................................................................................................................................................

Who are these tourists?

And when we're not cooking or eating? We're just a couple of Seattle tourists on a boat ride on Lake Washington.