This post is for all of you self diagnosed lactose and gluten-free-ers out there. I am just like you, I had some major health problems mostly to do with an irregular digestive system. So I went gluten and lactose free and it helped a ton. One little problem though, I love milk and I love bread. 😦 While I will save my story of going from lactose free to only drinking whole milk for another day, I thought we’d talk about bread.
So crazy enough, I never went completely gluten-free. I still allowed myself to have white bread now and then seeing as how whole wheat was the one that always got to me. But eventually I started buying bread fresh from the bakery department and noticed that my system reacted much better to fresh bread than from bread with tons of preservatives. I started buying the simplest bread with the least complicated ingredients…. it was about $4 for a loaf less than half the size of a normal loaf of bread. The last time I was at the store looking for this amazing bread I looked at the ingredients; “Flour, Salt, and Well Water” and back at the price tag. I thought “Shoot! If it’s really that simple I can make this at home!” So I bought a couple of bread pans, some yeast, and some unbleached flour. I used a basic “No-knead” bread recipe and got some tips on how to make it into a sandwich loaf.
As you can see my loaf is a little lopsided and burnt, but hey, this was my first time ever making my own bread at home. Cut me some slack. 😉 Even though the crust was pretty tough (a characteristic of “No-knead” bread anyway) the bread itself was soft and doughy and delicious.
For lunch we made the best Eggs Benedict I have ever had with nice thick, hearty chunks of our homemade bread. Yummy!
HEARTY BENEDICT EGGS (serves 2)
2 thick slices of Homemade Bread
1/2 of an Avocado
1 Tomato
1 tsp. Lemon Juice (optional)
2 Eggs
2-3 Tbs. White Vinegar
1 small cup of bowl
Salt and Pepper to Taste
First, Prepare your toast, other wise you will have nothing to put your nice hot poached eggs on top of. Toast the bread just to the point of having a little dry and crispy on top.
Then take the avocado half the split it between the two pieces of toast, smashing the avocado like a backed potato and then spreading like butter over the thick toast. Slice the tomato and place them over the avocado smothered toast.
At this point I sometimes grind some salt over the whole thing and sprinkle the lemon juice on top. This will give more flavor, but also can leave the bread a little soggy by the time you are done making the eggs. But if you like bread soaked in lemon and egg yolk it’s quite tasty.
Now for the tricky part; poaching the eggs. Don’t worry it’s easier than you think.
Get a medium-sized sauce pan and fill it a little over halfway with water and set it over medium-high heat. Add the 2-3 Tbs. of vinegar and stir once to get it mixed through. While the water is heating up, crack an egg into your small cup or bowl. It will be easier to pour the egg into the middle of the swirling pot than to crack it over the boiling water. When you begin to see little bubbles forming all over the bottom of the pot use the handle of your spoon and begin to create a whirl pool in the middle of the boiling pot. (using the handle instead of the spoon head will create a more consistent “current”) Once you’ve got a good swirl going, carefully pour your egg into the pot. Allow the egg to sit and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then used a slotted spoon to carefully life the egg out and drain the water from the white. (You can also do this by setting the spoon down on top of a paper towel with the egg still in the spoon) When the egg is drained place it on top of your toast concoction and top it all off with a little salt and pepper. Repeat for the second egg and enjoy!
For more tips on how to poach an egg click here.
The Art of Living 