Delicious! Hearty Flatbread

I'll be making another trip down to the Eugene Public Library on Sunday after church. I get to take just Nathan which is a treat since "little man" came along. We love the library, and I have been taking him at least twice a month since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. This library is 40 minutes away from us and costs us about $90.00 a year for membership. That seems crazy, but we live in a small, country town and I would have to pay at least a third of that for our public library which is still 15 minutes away, has a small selection of books and no online catalog. Besides, we love books! It's money well spent even on our tight budget.

One great thing about the Eugene Library is the selection of gluten-free cookbooks. I think they have 40 - 50 titles to choose from Wow! I can preview the cookbook and decide whether I want to keep a recipe or two or if it is worth purchasing. A few months ago I checked out "The Wheat Free Cook" by Jacqueline Mallorca. A recipe I really love from it is "Quick Brown Rice Flour Flatbread".

This is a hearty bread to serve with soup, stew, or simply as an accompanying dinner bread. It is hearty, but not overly dense and has a delicious flavor. I buy my almond slivers from Winco (one of the few things I buy from a bin) and grind them in my coffee grinder. I do the same with my flaxseed. I didn't use the yogurt it calls for because I didn't have any, but substituted 75% of the amount with buttermilk. Just a word of caution if you have this cookbook or check it out, the recipe doesn't list the water needed in the ingredients, but I fortunately found it listed in the instructions given.

This flatbread keeps very well for the next day and makes an incredible french toast as well.

Can't beat that!

Quick Brown Rice Flour Flatbread

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup almonds (ground)

3/4 cup tapioca starch

2 tablespoons flaxseed ground

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used about 75% volume buttermilk)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup water

1 large egg

Combine wet ingredients and add them to mixed dry ingredients. Let dough set a few minutes and it will thicken a bit. Form into two 6-inch discs. (Mine always come out somewhat larger). Sprinkle lightly with additional rice flour. Using a long knife, cut a diagonal grid pattern on top of each flatbread, making three 1/4 inch deep cuts each way. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown and crusty, about 25 minutes. Be sure to bake on parchment paper or some other non-stick surface. I usually make a double batch of this and shape into 4 or 5 flatbreads.

These slice best when allowed to cool a bit. You may also wish to brush the tops with butter and eat whole.