Things to do with Chebe Mix

One of the hardest things to replace on a gluten free diet is bread. Which is no surprise since wheat flour is one of the core ingredients in bread making. For all of our "smaller" breads we've been having a lot of luck with Chebe All Purpose Mix. We order the no-frills pack and it lasts us 3-4 months of fairly heavy use (about 3-5 batches a week). The recipe on the bag is a good place to start so I'll list that here.

1 1/2 Cups of Mix
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Eggs
5 Tbsp of Milk or Water

Directions: I generally mix the wet ingredients in a stand mixer and then add the dry.

The mix will very likely (unless it's REALLY humid) be crumbly and dry and won't quite come together. Add just enough milk or water that the mix comes together into a ball. Too much and it will be sticky, too little and it won't hold together.

Notes: If you want something a little fluffier add a 1 tsp of baking soda. Whether you use milk or water depends on the consistency of the bread you want to finish with. Water tends to be "flatter" in texture and taste.

Variations and Cooking:

Bread Sticks: Divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece in your hands to make snakes about 6 inches long. Bake at 375° for 7 minutes, turn over each and bake for another 7 minutes.

Cheesy Bread Sticks: As above, but instead of "round" sticks, flatten each bread stick with your thumb before baking. While baking the second time, in a microwave melt a little butter or margarine (I find margarine for 6 seconds JUST melts). Add garlic powder to the butter and blend. Brush liberally over the bread sticks. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese liberally over the bread sticks.

Dinner Rolls: Divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece in your palms to make slightly flattened balls. In a round cake tin evenly space the pieces around the edge, but not quite touching the edge. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Turn each roll over and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Cheesy Rolls: When mixing the dough for rolls add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a shredded aged cheese like Asiago or Parmesan. Grated will work in a pinch but shredded gives a better texture. A sharp shredded cheddar works well too. Shredded Mozzarella doesn't quite work for some reason. Bake as regular rolls.

Flat Bread Wraps: While you are mixing the dough, heat a non-stick skillet over the stove top at a medium-low heat. Divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece just about as thin as you can. Your goal while rolling is to end up with something roughly 6 inches by 4 or 5. Close to square but just a bit longer than wide. Drop the rolled out piece onto the skillet. If the skillet is hot enough and non-stick enough, a moment or two after putting it on you should be able to "swirl" the pan and have the piece slide around. Just before you smell the cooked bread flip it over and cook for a little longer on the other side. I know that "Just before" is an odd measure. It will take a little bit of practice. I find if you can smell baking bread, then you've probably taken it a bit too far. You're looking for slightly browned but not crispy. We layer the wraps with paper towel and store in the fridge in a gallon sized zip lock bag.

Pigs in Blankets: You'll probably want to add the baking soda to this one... Roll out snakes like you do for bread sticks but wrap the dough around a gluten free hot dog. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes, turn over and bake another 10. The dogs tend to slide out when you're done but it works well enough. Next time I do this I'm going to try putting a strip of American Cheese (the individually wrapped sliced kind) in with the Dog to try Cheesy Dogs... It might work... but I can't vouch for it.

Other: For rolls... any leafy herb would probably work. "Italian Seasoning", Oregano, Parsley, etc. We like just cheese but the herbs are okay. For wraps it might be interesting to coordinate spices with what you plan to wrap. For example, a little chili powder for spicy foods... I'm also planning on trying to make "waffle cones" by adding some sugar or cocoa to the dough and finding some way to mold them as they bake. This is based on the flat bread getting a little crunchy / crispy when over cooked. I'm just not sure what to mold it on. Maybe just bowls...

Quick Prep: Prepare as you normally would but put the uncooked dough into the freezer. When frozen, transfer the dough into a zip lock freezer bag. At any point in the future pull out one or two rolls or sticks, and bake as normal and just add 5 to 10 minutes to baking time. We cannot recommend vacuum sealing the dough balls until already frozen it seems to make the dough "weird". Once frozen you should be fine though to vacuum seal.

Gluten-Free Fried Mozzarella Sticks

I found this recipe on this site. I must say it worked extremely well and I was a happy little celiac.

Be sure to use a flour with a very fine consistency (one that doesn't contain almond meal, corn meal, or other gritty flours). My Rice Flour Mix works perfectly. For bread crumbs, I used Ener-G's Fine Bread Crumbs - One of the few Ener-G products I like. You might also try the bread crumbs from Gillian's Foods or El Peto. This is definitely a job for fine, dry breadcrumbs rather than fresh ones. If you can get your hands on gluten-free Italian flavored bread crumbs, then eliminate all of the herbs and spices that the recipe calls for.

Oh, the cheesy deliciousness!

FRIED MOZZARELLA STICKS

1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (such as my Rice Flour Mix)
2 cups dry gluten-free breadcrumbs (plain/unflavored)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch strips (or 1 lb of string cheese, with each stick cut in half)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup jarred marinara sauce

Heat the oil in a pan (or use a deep fryer). In a small pot, heat up the marinara sauce (or use microwave).

Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl or pie tin. In a second pie bowl or pie tin, combine bread crumbs with all of the herbs and spices. Place flour in a third bowl or pie tin.

Coat each piece of cheese with flour. Dip in egg and roll in bread crumbs.

Dip in egg and bread crumbs a second time, making sure that the entire piece of cheese is coated in crumbs.

Carefully place each cheese stick in the hot oil and cook until golden, about a minute on each side. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve hot.