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Wild Rice and Chia Bread ...Gluten Free

"Let them eat cake  grass !"

Living is learning, and sometimes randomly gathered information comes together - unexpectedly.

For example --  last week I learned,
  • why cows chew their cud
  • that my granddaughter for personal reasons decided to leave meat out of her diet
  • wild rice isn't rice at all -- it is GRASS 
Cows  - as well as other grass grazing animals -  thrive because nitrogen rich grass has a surprising amount of protein.  The animals are selective in choosing the grass that is rich in nitrogen, avoiding the sour grass. The reason they chew their cud is to extract the maximum amount of protein from the grass.

Wild Rice --  I was surprised to learn that it is not rice at all but an aquatic grass - and what makes it so healthy is its protein, mineral and vitamin content. 
Wild rice is good for the heart, for the bones, for the immune system - it reduces signs of aging, regulates digestive tract and helps prevent diabetes and cancer.   

Another challenge - So I have another challenge preparing my family dinners, not just gluten free and avoiding nut allergies but now also being considerate of  my granddaughter not eating meat.
As mothers, grandmothers, we care about the health of our families .. and I am concerned about my granddaughter getting all the nutrients that she needs on a meat-less diet. 

Having learned about the nutritious value of wild rice, as well as its protein content,  I began to think of ways to incorporate it into my cooking.  I wondered about putting it in my bread - as the cost of wild rice demands I stretch it.
I bought some wild rice and ground it into flour -- 1 cup of flour cost me $6.50.  Why is it so expensive to be healthy ????

I am so happy with my last totally fool-proof bread recipe - found here -- but I am always reaching to make good better and better perfect!!  Adding more nutrients has to make for a better loaf - and I wondered if the wild rice might improve my bread in other ways as well. And it did
I found that the wild rice flour not only added flavour but also added a 'springy-ness' to the bread texture . I also added Chia seed flour to my bread, since Chia seed helps as a binder and is also very rich in nutrients.

I wasn't sure whether to soak the wild rice flour before using it or not - some  say yes, some say no - so I erred on the side of caution and soaked it .. So glad I did or I would have ended up with a very heavy loaf of bread.

My loaf smelled so wonderful baking -- and really tastes great.  My husband thought it was very good, he is my  honest critic!
If you have become discouraged with gluten-free bread, do try this bread before you give up !




While you could add the wild rice flour to your favorite  'wheat' bread recipe, you could use my recipe making the following changes - substitute wheat flour for Julie's flour and then add as much as you need to knead the dough as you usually do, and  leave out the baking powder, the xanthan gum and the Psyllium powder.

I have copy/pasted my bread recipe with the variations added...  
  •  3/4  cup warm water
  • 1 tsp sugar 
  • 1 1/2 tbsp traditional yeast 
  • 1 tbsp  honey
  • 1/2 cup milk 
  • 1/4 cup wild rice flour
  • 3 eggs 
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/3 cup mashed potatoes **see note
  • 1 1/2 cups Julie's Flour 
  • 1/2 cup flaxseed meal 
  • 1/3 cup chia seed flour
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp Psyllium Husk powder (optional) 
  1. About two hours before baking, soak the wild rice flour in the 1/2 cup milk 
  2. Proof yeast in warm water and sugar  - about 10 minutes. 
  3. Put eggs, oil, honey, mashed potatoes, wild rice/milk mixture into blender and blend on high for about a minute until perfect smooth. 
  4. Pour into bowl of mixer with the proofed yeast 
  5. Blend together the dry ingredients, add to liquid and stir to blend, then beat on high (with paddle) for about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Line bottom and long sides  of glass loaf pan with parchment paper 
  7. Fill loaf pan with batter to about half full - spoon, by large tablespoon,  any remaining batter onto parchment lined pan or pie plate, to make buns. 
  8. Let rise in warm place until bread rounds over the the top of the pan. 
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes ... about 30 minutes for buns. 
  10. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. 
** note -- I make mashed potatoes and then divide into 1/3 cups portions, put them in plastic bags and store in the freezer - then when I am making bread I just need to take one bag out of the freezer and thaw.  


Do you include wild rice in your cooking?  
Share with us your favorite ways of using/serving wild rice to your family. 


6 comments:

  1. Vegan or vegetarian? I noticed you included milk and eggs in the recipe.

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  2. His family is Lacto-Ovo vegetarian ,like me , and it's not that hard to find good recipes. I use lots from MG CC site and books. Nothing with gelatin however B12 is the only thing really missing otherwise a grains and veg diet is quite healthy

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  3. Your bread, as always, looks and sounds amazing. You are such a fantastic resource for anyone with a gluten free diet Julie!!

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  4. delicious looking bread ,inviting indeed!

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  5. I can understand the new challenges you are working with and your love for your family certainly shines through! I've been reworking and keeping my eyes open for new recipes, too ( gluten free, dairy free and no/low sugar) . I have really appreciated your efforts in bringing us great gluten free options! The wild rice info was interesting as well as the nutrient content.

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