Mama for the Win!!!!!!!

This is my first gluten-free challah. I have made challah before when my love was creating masterpieces with dough. Alas, dietary restrictions put an end to that joy.

This is a mini challah, and it is also the first I have ever made into a circle. It is just a little bigger than a very large biscuit. I was experimenting today, because I did not know whether this gluten free dough was braidable without the gluten that lends the qualities that make braiding dough so much fun and so easy. I now I know this dough, as crumbly as it is, CAN be braided if you are really gentle.

Tomorrow is preparation day for Shabbat and the Feast of Trumpets, and I will attempt to make this on bigger scale. The braiding will be tricky, because did I mention it is crumbly? I would liken the texture to partially dry playdoh. If I have a successful bake tomorrow, my recipe will soon follow, and hopefully I will have some tips to make it go smoother and easier for you.

Gluten free baking is a bear to learn and have it turn out right every time. Let’s be honest, this is not as pretty as those made with wheat, but it won’t make my family sick.

Those of you who have dietary restrictions, allergies, food sensitivities, texture aversions, etc can appreciate how difficult and frustrating it can be at times.

Avoiding additives, my first homemade egg, acid, and oil mayo was a dismal failure and left me sobbing, thoroughly convinced that I would have to live without mayo. On to whole food plant based to improve our health, and my first three oil and acid, but eggLESS mayo left me sobbing and feeling defeated, at least temporarily…until my husband reminded me that I wasn’t a quitter.

Then we learn that dietary fat makes insulin resistance worse, and I have to learn a whole new way to make mayo. My first low fat (oil less) mayonnaise took A LOT  of attempts and adjustments to get it right. But I did get it right! You can find that recipe here.

Mayo is just one small example of how we have had to change our diet and how we have needed to learn to cook things in different ways so that we can still have some of our favorite comfort foods without the ingredients like gluten, dairy, eggs, and other things that make us sick.

Many aspects of our life can be isolating: autism, dietary issues, religious beliefs, and more that can leave us feeling left out, so if there is something I can do that enables my family to enjoy some parts of tradition, then I will do everything I can to make it happen.

The texture was nice and flakey versus the doughy, not-quite-done-in-the-middle texture that is the problem with most gluten free breads. Today I used baking powder as the leavening agent. Tomorrow I will do the same. But I am going to experiment with some sourdough to see how that turns out too if I can get the gluten free starter right.

This truly is a win, to get it right the first time…..the true test will be tomorrow to see if it is repeatable and on a larger scale.

Moral of the story: Never give up! Never quit! And always watch for “grab it and run” Kirby, the human-food thief!! BUT it is Kirby approved!

If tomorrow’s challah is a success, a recipe will soon follow and be linked here.