Baking Gluten Free Bread

 Gluten free bread has been a difficult bake for years, and in recent times the job has become easier as there is now a better understanding of what is required.  Gluten Free is not the same as wheat bread, but for gluten allergies, it is one sensible option.

The idea is to use flours like chickpea, rice, maize, with the addition of starch from potato or tapioca and to use xanthan gum as a substitute for Gluten.  The resulting thick batter can be activated with improved varieties of dried, quick action yeast.

There are pre-mixed gluten free bread flours available more widely than there used to be and also bread mixes containing all of the ingredients.  The illustration is an on-line option from Dove Farms, which can be mixed with oil and water and beaten into a stiff dough, risen for about an hour, then baked for 55 minutes in a fan oven.

The mix makes a very stiff batter, which has to be scraped into an oiled bread tin for rising.  I used a bread tin liner for ease.

The resulting loaf needs to be cooled on a rack for at least 2 hours, until it is cold.  It will not cut well whilst warm.

This bake is easily cut with a serrated bread knife and has a good, but soft crumb.  It has a taste of bread, but with overtones of the flour ingredients it is made from.

Gluten free Bread Flour is available from some supermarkets and on line stores.  Do not use gluten free plain flour or or Gluten free self raising flour for bread making.

If you are using the Gluten Free Bread flour, you will need to add Xanthan Gum, a little vinegar, sugar and quick yeast to the mix.  You can substitute water with milk if you wish.

The home baked loaf is, in my opinion, the best option for Gluten Free bread.

Looks like cucumber sandwiches tomorrow.

Footnote:

I enjoyed a sandwich with cheese and pickle, Toasting the bread takes longer than wheat bread and results in a crisper toast - OK with marmalade.  Scrambled eggs on toast was less satisfactory than using wheat bread.

My next gluten free project may be an oatmeal based pizza base.

Worlds shortest scheduled flight

 Westray airport to Papa Westray airport is just 1.7 miles across the North Sound.  It usually takes 2 minutes from terminus to terminus.  I shall fly this route on my X-Plane simulator.

Starting at EGEP Papa Westray in a Robin DR401, the start terminus is a cabin on the departure apron.

The destination terminus can be seen from the aircrafts start position across the sound to Westray

Off we go, taxiing out to the main  run way.

Airborne and starting the approach to land at destination.

The runway at Westray is visible at 500 feet and  am now throttling down  and engaging first flaps ready to land.

Turning in to align with the runway, less than a minute into the flight.

On final approach with second flap position selected.

Rotating across the threshold of the runway.

Taxi in and park up - about 2 minutes to engine off at EGEW Westray.

Looking back, I can see the terminus at Papa Westray where I started out.

It has taken far longer to write this blog than it took to make the flight.

Loganair have the flight schedules for this flight which is a relatively inexpensive hop.  It is also the shortest scheduled flight in the world. However, you would need to get to the island from Kirkwall or sail across on one of the ferries to take the flight.

At the moment, the Orkney Islands Council are discussing a land bridge between the islands, so the worlds shortest flight may soon become redundant.  No doubt it will still exist as a purely tourist driven schedule for some of the year.

Re-Roofing the house.

 A few weeks ago we had a repair done to the front boarding of the roof. It was replaced with a new plastic end board after the old one dropped off due mainly to the securing nails having rusted away.

Now, there is a leak near an old disused vent pipe on the side of the roof and some of the felt lining has come away. The time has come to have the roof re-felted and re-tiled.

Today we have scaffolding around the house in preparation for the work, which starts tomorrow. The old roof was fitted at the building of the house at the end of 1970, so it is 55 years old.

We have also arranged for the conservatory to be re-roofed with a sold pitched roof in September.  This year is becoming quite expensive.

Spanish Omelette

 Today, whilst doing my garden inspection, I noticed the peas were ripe for picking.

I do not very often grow peas as they are targets for pests and badgers.  This year they seem to have grown pest free and healthy, so I picked a handful.

Lots of veg are ripe for picking at the moment, so I decided to make a Spanish Omelette.  We have peas, potatoes, onion, eggs, cheese and parsley - that should do the job.

After prepping the veg, by frying the onions and steaming the peas and diced potatoes, adding a little flour to the potatoes and chopping the parsley into the peas, its now time to crack a few eggs and add a small amount of grated cheese.

Whilst the egg and veg mix is cooking in the frying pan, I prepared a chefs salad of what we had in the greenhouse.  Cook the omelette on one side until it has a firm base then slide it onto a plate and upturn it back into the frying pan to cook the other side.

One small omelette halved, and a little salad is good for 2 people.  It is good to dine on garden produce at this time of year.

Playing with Pictures

Rosie and I went to the Gladstone Museum Costume Day to take a few photographs of the re-enactors around the Museum site.  The results were quite satisfactory.

This image is a good starting point.  It shows people in period costume for 1851.  The Gladstone Pottery Museum setting is fine and the costumes and makeup are exceptional.  The only drawbacks are  that the image is in colour and there is a modern extractor fan on the window behind the steps.  It was the first image of the day, so there is ample opportunity to tidy up the angles. 

A click of the mouse can remove the colours and render the image in Black and White in Photoshop or Gimp. The sharpness of the image is well within the range of a plate camera of the day, but lacks the distortion at the edges of the image and has to great a depth of field.

Just for fun, the rendering can be edited to give a wide range of effects. this level of digital noise on the image makes it look more like an oil painting.  Must get rid of that air extractor fan.......!

This is a more refined and edited picture.  The museum signage has been removed from the doors and all modern traces have been edited out of the image.

Here is a brief sample of the days pictures : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

June pictures

June has been a busy month.  We have had a serious roof repair and a terminally broken oven to deal with.  We manages a short break in North Wales and were oppressed by the humid heat wave towards the end of the month.

The foxes have been consistently entertaining.  The local breeding pair have two cubs and occasionally just hang out individually in the garden to break the routine.

It is a hard life resting and hanging out.

Foxgloves are looking good in Trentham this year.

This is my first picture of an Osprey on a nest at the Glaslyn Osprey Centre near Porthmadog. We have been to see pairs of Ospreys in this area for many years, but this year is the first time I have had my 600mm lens at hand.  Not the best picture I have taken.

The 600mm lens is a good one, and a much better image was gained of this Pheasant at the edge of the fields.

 

Checking out our pond.

 Yesterday I mucked out the pond by extracting excess vegetation and assorted overgrowth.  In the process, I needed to top the pond, which has left our water butts low, and rescue several newts and assorted invertebrates.

Today, I am looking at the pond generally to see if all is good.  There are lots of hoverflies and a few bees using it at present.

Damsel flies are also flitting around in various shades of red and brown.

And, of course, the newts are there in abundance.  Years ago we had  Common Newts and Palmate Newts.  The only ones I have seen since the CoViD outbreak are the Common Newts.  I am sure that has no relationship.

The males are distinguished by their crested appearance in the breeding season,  They also have reddened underbellies.

The head patterns can be very different between individuals and some are still in their winter form, being quite pale and plain.