Recipe experiments and failures

When I found out that I was going to have to give up gluten, I started experimenting with gluten-free recipes. Then I got discouraged and just gave up on bread all together because the ingredients were so expensive, the baked goods were only good on the day they were baked and many of the recipes failed miserably. 

Then a friend shared a recipe with me for a tiny little popover-like bread that was almost fool-proof. The recipe makes a huge amount and, while like most things without wheat flour, they are better when fresh; they do reheat well and are good for a few days. I started playing with the recipe to see just how I could make a smaller amount, change the flavor a little bit and even leave the dairy out for friends that are dairy-free as well as gluten-free. 

I had some great successes and also some epic failures. One of my epic failures was when I forgot to put the egg in; took the batter to bake at church for a potluck. The little puffs didn’t puff at all and were like chewing a gummy bear in the middle. But all in all I have managed to cut the recipe down so it will make two dozen at a time. The dog and I share them, so I get about 15 and Scotchy gets about 5, lets say she gets nearly a third of every puff. 

So I shared that recipe with a friend and she made some. She ended up with one of the epic failures. We didn’t realize that one of the instructions was so crucial. The recipe says to throw everything into a blender and blend it well. My friend that morning just whipped it together by hand. I wouldn’t have thought it would have made much difference, but boy it made a huge difference. Those puffs like the ones I took to church didn’t puff, but instead of being gummy and gooey in the center, these were hard and crumbly. 

I brought them to do with them what I do with every failure I have… feed them to the chickens. I threw them out for the hens and came back in the house, later that day I was in the yard showing a neighbor where I wanted him to move a building for me and I noticed Scotchy burying something. I dug it up and it was one of the puffs. Then I saw her sniffing around and as she would find a puff she would bury it. I am sure she thought if she buried them for a while maybe they would soften up and puff so they would be edible. 

We found that using the blender is essential to this recipe. Just like I found with another recipe that there are two kinds of psyllium powder. One of them is darker in color and I kid you not it will turn any baked goods it is used in a horrible, nasty, dirty purple color. Yes, the chickens have gotten some purple tortillas, and bread. Sometimes it is the ingredients that cause the failure, and sometimes it is the method of mixing. Always follow the recipe exactly, at least the first time. 

Brazilian Cheese Bread Puffs

½ cup milk or water

½ cup neutral-tasting oil

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

A little over 1 cup tapioca flour

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into mini muffin tins, it will make 24. Bake at 350º-375º for about 20-25 minutes. 

Variations: use nutritional yeast instead of the cheese for flavor, or add some chicken bouillon powder for flavor. Leave out cheese and add a tablespoon maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon.