I bought a bunch of gluten-free recipe books from the U.S. last year, but haven’t had much time to experiment. This month with our ahyi back home in Sichuan, I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen. One frustrating aspect of cooking/baking gluten-free in China is not being able find the right ingredients. Most ingredients used in gluten-free recipes are found only in specialty stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

I went through the recipe books and bookmarked a handful of recipes that have ingredients (or most) I can find here in Shanghai. It’s only a matter of finding time to experiment and trying these recipes! 

Today’s experiment is walnut bread from Gluten-Free Baking Classics.  I’ve been trying different gluten-free bread recipes but haven’t found one that tasted really good. This walnut bread tasted okay but since I’m not the one with the wheat allergies, I’m a lot more pickier about what “really good” tastes like. My husband thought it tasted pretty good . . .

Ingredients:

2 cups Brown Rice Flour Mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (or orange juice)
1/3 cup oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups shelled, walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven toe 350F. Lightly grease 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine milk (or orange juice), oil, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.
4. Add wet mixture to flour mixture all at once and mix until moistened. Fold in toasted nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.