Bread Sticks

I've had a hankerin' for bread sticks lately. You know, the non gluten free kind that everyone orders with their non gluten free pizza. I know that I would get a serious reprimand from an english teacher for my double negative, but how else do I refer to non gluten free food? normal? glutenous? what? If you have any ideas, I am open to suggestions. 

Anyway, every once in a while, my hubby picks up a pizza and bread sticks of the non gluten free variety for him and the kids. Usually this happens on nights when I won't be around for dinner. Sometimes I am unlucky enough to get home before it has all been eaten. It is so hard to keep my hands off of the leftovers. They smell so good, and I miss them so much. So, instead of mourning their loss, I decided to figure out how to make some of the gluten free variety. 

This is my attempt. They aren't quite as fluffy as the non gluten free variety, but they taste pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

What You Will Need:
Baking Stone - any shape will do (If you don't have a stone, you can use a baking sheet. I just love my stones. I have them in all shapes and sizes.)
KitchenAid Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment (I also adore my KitchenAid mixer!)
Whisk
Spatula

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
3/4 cup Milk, warm (about 110°F)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2/3 Cup Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/4 cup Potato Starch
2 teaspoons Xanthum Gum
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin Powder
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Cider Vinegar

Directions:
1. Lightly grease baking stone. I pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on my baking stone bar pan and spread it around with my hand.

2. In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and sugar. Set aside for approximately 5 minutes until yeast activates and becomes frothy.

This is what the mixture looks like after the
yeast has activated.

3. In the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer, whisk together the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthum gum, salt, and gelatin powder.

I took this picture before I whisked them together.

4. Add the olive oil, cider vinegar and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook attachment until dough comes together. You will need to scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate the ingredients stuck on the bottom of the bowl a few times before the dough comes together.

This is what it looks like. It will still be fairly sticky.

5. Grease a small bowl and a piece of plastic wrap. I spray them both with non-stick cooking oil spray. Dump the dough into the greased bowl and cover with the greased plastic wrap. Set aside to rise. This takes about 20-30 minutes. I drove to the corner store (approximately 1/2 mile) to return a Redbox movie while mine was rising. It was ready when I got home. It is ready when it doubles in size. 

This is the dough right out of the mixer.

This is the dough after it has risen.

6. Preheat oven to 425° F.

7. Dump risen dough onto the greased baking stone. With greased hands, lightly form the dough into a rectangle. Actually, you can choose any shape you like - a circle would work nicely too. 

As you can see, I use my bar pan baking stone a LOT.
It is well seasoned. A friend of mine recently told me that
she always cleans her stones in her self-cleaning oven.
I don't understand that. I like my stones seasoned. They
may not be very pretty, but I think they cook better
than the non-seasoned ones.

8. Bake dough in preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Remove pan from oven.

10. Spread butter all over the dough while it is still hot. This, of course, is optional, but I cannot imagine why you would want to skip it. You can also sprinkle all kinds of goodies on top, like garlic powder, parmesan cheese, poppy seeds, italian seasoning, or anything your little heart desires.

11. Cut into sticks and serve hot. I use a pizza cutter to cut the dough, but really any knife will do. 

12. Eat and enjoy. You can share them if you want, or just keep them all to yourself. I have to admit I could easily put this whole thing away in no time with absolutely no help at all. I am something of a carb/bread addict. They say the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem. I fully admit it, but I'm not in the slightest bit interested in treatment.

Seriously, how could you resist a plate of these? If you can, then maybe you are the one who needs treatment.

I'm having a blast sharing my recipes with you. I look forward to your feedback. Please share your thoughts in the comments. I promise to respond in a timely manner.

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts." ~ James Beard

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Sheryl