Ooh, la, la! French Bread & Rolls- Au Naturale!

​I think the photo for this delicious recipe pretty much speaks for itself. Holy, moly, it's real bread!!   My wonderful husband was skeptical when he saw this bread on our kitchen counter. He wondered if I'd gone off my rocker and allowed gluten in the house.  Ha, no!  It tastes as good as it looks, too.  They're crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.  Let's just say my happy home is now freakin' ecstatic!

For the basics of this recipe, I used this french bread recipe I found at The Lean Clean Eating Machine blog.  I changed it by using real egg whites, real butter, organic coconut sugar, and psyllium powder.  Just a little more Au Naturale Nutrition style!  ;-)
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​Some notes on the recipe:

Is it low-carb? NOPE.
Sometimes too-low-carb isn't healthy, especially if a person needs starchy carbs after a hard workout, if they have thyroid issues, or if dealing with adrenal issues. Any foods that can spike blood sugar should be accompanied with healthy fats and proteins to mitigate the effects.

It is "paleo"?   YES.... UGH!!!!
The main flours used in the recipe are white rice flour and tapioca flour. While I poo-poo grains on a regular basis because they contain anti-nutrients that rob health, white rice is the one exception. Read why in my post, A Grain of Truth - How They Wreck Health.  The paleo diet is all about nutrient density.  Agreed... white rice and potatoes are pretty low in that category.  However, they are considered "paleo"  and a "safe starch" by many experts in the nutrition community (including me) because they of their absence of anti-nutrients.  

Additionally...  stressing about a particular food because it doesn't follow a strict diet plan (like paleo or anything else) will also rob your health!  The name of a particular diet plan doesn't really matter. We're all different with different needs. What truly matters is if your body is nourished and thriving! To read my article about food-related stress, see: The 85/15 Way of Eating: Guilt Free & Nourishing!

It is a yeast bread?  YEP.   Is that okay? YEP.
According to Sarah Ballantyne, PhD (The Paleo Mom) in her article Is Yeast Paleo? there are 3 types of yeast (harmful, beneficial, and neutral).  The harmful kind is the type that causes candida and other infections.  The beneficial type of yeast are a part of the normal, healthy gut flora and are found in fermented foods.  The neutral type is what is used in baking.  The dry active yeast used in this recipe is the strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This strain of yeast is found naturally in some kefir cultures and some lacto-fermented foods.  It is also the strain used to make wine and beer.  There is no need to avoid it in baking.  Hallelujah!!!!  The tiny bit of vinegar in the recipe helps the leavening action of the yeast. 

Can the psyllium powder be omitted?  NOPE.
The psyllium powder is necessary; it's what makes the dough gummy like gluten would.  Psyllium is pure fiber.  You could use xanthan gum instead, depending on what's in your pantry.  I use Jay Robb brand psyllium powder. Other brands are ok, but some have a tendency to turn bread purple!  It must be some chemical reaction.  I'll stick with Jay Robb.  ;-)  

​French Bread, Sub Buns, & Dinner Rolls

Makes 2 large loaves, approx 7 sub buns, or 14 rolls.
It also makes great skinny baguettes!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet dry active yeast + 2 Tbsp organic coconut sugar + 1.5 cups warm water
• 1.5 cups organic white rice flour 
• 1.5 cups tapioca flour
• 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder
• 1.5 tsp Real sea salt
• 2 Tbsp butter/ghee (melted) or avocado oil
• 3 egg whites (6 Tbsp)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• More melted butter for brushing (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a mug, dissolve 2 Tbsp of coconut sugar in the 1.5 cup warm water. Stir in yeast packet and break up any clumps.  Set aside. It should begin to foam in around 5 minutes.

Coconut sugar, yeast, and water.

It should foam after 5 minutes or so.

• In an electric mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, psyllium powder, and sea salt.
• With mixer running, add in the yeast/water mixture.  (Because the dough is rather wet, regular beaters work better than dough hooks.) Mix thoroughly.
• Add in the melted butter, egg whites, and white vinegar.
• Mix on medium for 3 minutes to knead.

The dough is kneading nicely!

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Or use a non-stick silpat, which I highly recommend for this recipe..
• If making loaves or baguettes, separate dough into desired amounts. The dough will be very wet and sticky. This is normal. With wet hands or a buttered spatula, shape the dough into loaves on your baking sheet. You may need to re-wet your hands. 
• If making dinner rolls or sub buns, use a muffin scoop to make balls of dough and place them on baking sheet.  (Shape 2 scoops together for the sub buns.)
• Slash each loaf diagonally every few inches.  Make an X on top of the dinner rolls.
• Cover the dough with a cotton cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 40 to 45 minutes.

Before rising.

After 45 minutes.

• Bake large loaves for approx 45 min & rolls for 30 min.  
• Optional: brush on melted butter/ghee half-way through baking time.  They do look prettier with a butter glaze.
• Carefully remove loaves/rolls from baking sheet to a wire rack.
• Cool completely before serving.   They finish baking as they cool.
• They are best served on days 1 & 2 (no preservatives here!)  Store in a sealed container.  
• The baked bread/rolls also freeze well in a sealed baggie.  Just take out of the freezer about 1/2 hour before your meal.  I slice my loaves of bread before freezing, then defrost individual pieces. 
• (I'm not sure about freezing the unbaked dough.  If someone tries it, please let me know how it worked and I'll note it here.  Thanks!)

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