Gluten Free Paska Recipes

GLUTEN FREE EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Zest the orange and lemon into a large glass measuring cup. Squeeze the juice from half of each fruit into the measuring cup as well. Add enough milk to make 1 cup (250 ml) total liquid. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, just to warm it up slightly. Stir. Add the oil and eggs and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to whisk together the brown rice flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, sugar, powdered milk, yeast, xanthan gum, and salt.
• With the mixer running on low, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and beat for 2 minutes.
• Grease a muffin tin with butter or oil. Scoop the dough into the prepared pan. I use my large cookie scoop, dipped in water, to do this easily. Divide the dough between the muffin cups, I got between 11 & 12, depending on how big I made the buns.
• Dip your finger in water to smooth the tops of the buns.
• Place the buns in a warm, draft-free area to rise for 30-45 minutes. I like to turn the oven on to the lowest temperature, just so it warms up in the oven, before turning the oven off, and placing the buns inside to rise.
• Bake the buns in a preheated 350 degree F (176 degree C) oven for 18-20 minutes. Because of the higher sugar content, the buns will brown quite a bit when baking. If you notice them browning too much, you can cover the top loosely with foil.
• Once buns are finished baking, remove them from the muffin tin and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Frost them before serving.
• Beat together the Confectioners' sugar, butter, and orange juice until smooth. Spread on top of the buns before topping with sprinkles or shredded coconut. (optional)

GLUTEN-FREE PASKA

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of bread flour blend in a saucepan, and heat on medium, whisking periodically until thickened; approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Heat 3/4 cup of whole milk until it is approximately 110 F (I use my microwave). Dissolve 3 1/2 tsp granulated sugar in the milk, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow the yeast to proof. While waiting for the yeast the proof, prepare the dough mixture.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 cups of bread flour blend, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, potato flakes,** psyllium husk powder, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk by hand to fully combine.
• Add the eggs, tangzhong (roux), and butter to the stand mixer bowl. In the yeast mixture, add the ascorbic acid and amylase enzyme (if using), and juice/zest of the citrus. Give it a quick stir. Then pour into stand mixer bowl.
• With the paddle attachment, slowly begin mixing until everything is fairly incorporated. Then increase speed to medium high, and mix for about 5 minutes. The dough will be extremely sticky, not like a "normal" dough. But it will be much thicker than typical gluten free "batter" dough.
• With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl until the dough is a ball in the centre of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warmish place until doubled (might take 1-2 hours, depending on temperature).
• After dough is doubled, place in the refrigerator for 4 hours *minimum,* preferably overnight. This helps the dough to be more firm and workable. Alternatively, you can place the dough in the freezer for approximately 20-30 minutes. After dough has rested in the fridge, oil or butter a 8.5 x 4.5 bread pan (if it is not non-stick). Then sprinkle some bread flour blend on the countertop, and empty dough from the bowl on top of the flour blend on the counter. Sprinkle more bread flour blend on top of the dough, and begin to work the flour into the dough. You will be kneading the dough to make it smooth and less sticky (not to activate the gluten; because there is no gluten).
• After the dough is smooth and not as sticky (there will still be some stickiness), carefully flatten the dough out to be the length of the pan, fold the dough over in a rolling motion (sealing the edges each time), until you get a dough log. Seal the final edges at the bottom. Flip the dough log over so the seam is at the bottom, and place in the bread pan. Cover and let rise. A helpful tip for rising -- I turn on the oven to the lowest possible temperature (170 F on my oven), and then let it heat up somewhat around 100 F (not to 170 F) and turn the oven off. Then I place the loaf in the oven to rise. Let the loaf rise so that it is crested about 1-2" above the top of the pan.
• When the loaf has finished rising, take it out of the oven (if you let it rise in the oven), and heat the oven to 375°F Then throw several ice cubes into the bottom of the oven and place the loaf on the middle rack (do this quickly; do not keep the oven door open for long). Immediately lower the temperature to 325°F You may need to cover with foil after about 20 minutes to keep the crust from getting too dark. Bake for a total of 45-50 minutes. After the loaf is finished baking, remove it from the oven, and let it sit in the pan to cool for approximately 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Alternatively, if you make buns, let the buns rise to double the size, and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.
• For the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter together, then add the powdered sugar, then the milk or heavy cream. When the loaf is fully cooled, top with the frosting, and cover in sprinkles.
• **Note: If you wish to omit the potato flakes but use potato water instead, reduce milk (for yeast mixture) to 1/2 cup, and use 1/4 cup potato water instead. To make potato water, peel and chop (into large chunks) a medium potato, and boil in water until tender. Drain water from the potato, reserving 1/4 cup of the potato water.