I used to love the bread baskets at restaurants. Going through the bread and picking our favorites was part of our eating experience. Now that we are gluten free, obviously we don’t do that anymore. But being gluten free doesn’t mean going without, it just means that we approach our bread basket in a different way. When the holidays roll around, I love to offer my family options that are safe for everyone. In this bread basket, there is a little something for everyone. I have included a quick herb flat bread, polenta chips, yummy, yeast soft bread rolls and frico – delicious cheese crisps. Try some of the recipes to add some variety to your holiday bread basket.
There are a lot of great bread roll recipes out there and the one I use the most is Simply Gluten Free’s gluten free, dairy free soft bread roll. My family loves these rolls! Click here to check the recipe and website out.
Frico or Cheese Crisps are unbelievable delicious, addictive and crazy easy. Eat them alone or add them to a meat and cheese tray. When they are warm, you can place the on top of an upside bowl or muffin tin and allow them to cool. When cooled completely, you can use them as bowls for nuts or meats.
Frico – preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shred one cup of your aged hard cheese of choice – I use Parmesan and Goat White Cheddar Cheese. Add 1/2 tsp of desired spices and mix well. Mound 2 tablespoons of cheese mix onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper covered baking sheet and spread each mound out into a 4″ circle. This will make 8 large rounds, if you would like smaller rounds, use 1 tablespoon of cheese mix per round and make 2″ circles. Bake until cheese has melted and has just started to brown. Remove pan from oven immediately – you do not want the cheese to brown completely because it will become bitter. Allow to cool for a minute, then with an inverted spatula, transfer rounds to on top of a plain brown paper bag. Allow to cool completely. These will store in an airtight container or two days.
We have been craving a flat bread/cracker in our house to go with hummus. This recipe can be switched up with different cheeses and spices, depending on your taste. They are great with hummus or dips, cheeses or all by themselves.
Flat Bread – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 cup of all purpose gluten-free flour blend, 1/2 Cup Brown Rice flour, 1/4 Cup sorghum, 1/4 cup potato starch in a large bowl and whisk to combine well. To the bowl add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup neutral flavored oil. Mix well until incorporated. To mix add 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese and 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella, 1 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp dried garlic, 1/4 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread onto a silicone baking mat covered baking sheet to a 1/4″ thickness. If you desire a thinner, more cracker like bread, spread dough out to cover entire mat. Bake for 6 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Be careful not to over bake the flat bread. Allow to cool and slice with a pizza cutter into desired shape.
I love polenta and thought how bad can polenta chips be? These are delicious on their own and can serve as an appetizer base for sour cream, pico de gallo and cilantro, or tomato and soft goat cheese. The possibilities are endless. Top them with anything you would serve on top of bread or a cracker. Delicious!
Polenta Chips – prepare your polenta. Start with one cup of uncooked polenta and follow the manufacturer’s directions. After polenta is cooked, pour it out onto a silicone baking mat covered baking sheet and spread out evenly. Cover with parchment paper and cover with another baking sheet. Press down to compress polenta and place polenta with both baking sheets into the refrigerator to cool. Allow to cool for at least one hour or until cold. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove top baking sheet, and cut polenta into desired shape. Bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown. After baking, broil chips until golden and crisp about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chips. Keep a close eye on them while in the broiler. Remove from broiler and allow to cool. Top and desired and serve.
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