SMALL SUCCESSES

...and there have been a few.  I have pulled my old pancake griddle out of the bottom drawer, and am now pretty good at making buckwheat pancakes.  Pancakes are fantastic because you can make a heap and freeze them.  If you want then to be "tanned" then put in two eggs instead of one.  It is the egg it seems that makes the lovely brownish colour.  I guess if you are making GF crepe suzettes it doesn't matter.  But for me, I like the "tanned" look.  I don't start from scratch.  I use Orgran Buckwheat pancake mix.  It is a success every time.  I think I get about 30 pancakes out of a whole packet.  Once you have the pancakes you can fill them with savoury mix, or berries, or roll them around a banana and grill them - or whatever.  A success every time.

And seeing that we are talking about success,  perhaps making a sourdough "mother" is a success.  You were right when you said that most GF bread tastes like cake, and that is because of the rising agent.  If you make a sourdough starter (or mother), then your dough should be springy and resultant bread should taste like bread.  Well I did it,  and it does.  

To make a starter put half a cup of GF flour  in a container with half a cup of water (or enough to make a runny batter).  I left the batter covered by the sink for a week, stirring it every day.  Then I followed the recipe for ordinary bread, substituting GF flour for the suggested flour, and using my starter instead of the suggested starter.  The resultant bread is totally wonderful..  After mixing it I left it to rise for an hour or so (until double in size) and then I cooked it in my microwave for just 6 minutes.  It is fantastic.  I would have liked a crispy top which microwaving won't deliver, but apart from that - a great result. Try this.  It may take you a couple of goes.  Mine did.

The first batch I tried to be smart and cooked it for too long.  I overcooked the bread, but I didn't waste it.  I used part in a bread and butter pudding, and the left overs I made bread crumbs out, of which later went into Indian Style Vegetable patties.

I hope you try these ideas.  I love bread, and now I know this there is no looking back - breadlover that I am.