gluten free bread Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Australian Plantago Could Replace Psyllium Husk in Gluten-Free Breads

The AHA! Team — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 05:21:40 +0000

University of Adelaide via EurekAlert! – “We hope that more products may use Plantago whole-seed flour, which still contains that beneficial mucilage, as a more sustainable alternative to purified psyllium husk.” – Dr. Cowley Seeds of two native species of Plantago have been identified as producing mucilage that can be used as a natural additive to make gluten-free bread dough more elastic, resulting in fluffier loaves. The research was conducted by a team led by the University of Adelaide’s Dr James Cowley, who discovered the differences in mucilage content and chemistry of each Plantago species affected its suitability for use as a food ingredient. “The differences in mucilage led to wildly different impacts when added to gluten-free breads,” says Dr Cowley. Adding Plantago flour made the doughs more elastic “Adding Plantago flour made the doughs more elastic, making them more resistant to collapsing during fermentation, which made breads with better appearance and texture. “We believe this comes down to the differing chemistries of the mucilage, as the amount alone did not explain the effects. For example, two native species, P. cunninghamii and P. turrifera, produced similar or better-quality breads to commercial P. ovata, despite having much lower mucilage content.” Mucilage is a sticky gel of pure dietary fibre that is produced by many seeds when they are wetted. An example of this is chia seed pudding, which has a gooey texture thanks to the mucilage they produce. Dr Cowley has studied Plantago seeds for more than a decade and says desire is increasing among coeliacs and non-coeliac gluten-avoiders for better gluten-free bread products that don’t have such long ingredients lists. Consumers are increasingly looking for ‘clean label’ products that are perceived as ‘healthier’ “Consumers are increasingly looking for ‘clean label’ products that are perceived as ‘healthier’ or ‘more natural’,” says Dr Cowley. “Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, known as HPMC or E464, is one of the most common gluten replacements in bread but is often met negatively, as it is perceived as ‘artificial’ or ‘unnatural’. “Psyllium husk, which is extracted from Plantago ovata for use in gluten-free doughs, can be included on ingredient labels as vegetable fibre without the need for an E number, allowing it to be more ‘clean label’.” Dr Cowley says the research, published in Food Hydrocolloids, also shows that whole-seed flours – those which use the inner seed parts as well as the mucilage-containing husk – are preferable to those in which the mucilage is removed. “Commercial psyllium husk is made by removing the mucilage through a grinding process, but this produces a large amount of waste with no high-value commercial use, despite our group recently showing that the waste is high in nutrients,” says Dr Cowley. “We hope that more products may use Plantago whole-seed flour, which still contains that beneficial mucilage, as a more sustainable alternative to purified psyllium husk.” Most importantly, the resulting breads were softer, springier and had more volume. “Consumers consider texture and appearance to be critical to their perception of a quality gluten-free bread, and they are looking for springy, airy loaves that behave as closely to gluten-containing breads as possible,” Dr Cowley says. “We aren’t quite there yet, but new additives and formulations appear all the time. Hopefully one day we can produce clean-label gluten-free breads that are just as good as the real thing.” Dr Cowley and colleagues are narrowing the quality gap between gluten-free and traditional breads through follow-up research. “We are now beginning to understand why mucilage chemistry plays a big role in improving the quality of gluten-free breads made with Plantago flour,” he says. “My brilliant PhD student, Lucija Štrkalj, a co-author on this paper, recently successfully defended her PhD thesis and made some exciting discoveries about how the mucilage chemistry leads to more elastic networks in food products.” DOI 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110788 To read the original article click here.

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

The AHA! Team — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:56:24 +0000

Recipe by: Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN – Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe This easy pumpkin bread is good for breakfast or to serve alongside a cup of coffee or tea. This gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe is soft, sweet and satisfying. The fluffy texture melts in your mouth with a rich pumpkin flavor. COURSE: Snack DIFFICULTY: Easy SERVINGS: 8-10 INGREDIENTS ▢1 cup almond flour ▢¼ cup coconut flour ▢½ teaspoon sea salt ▢½ teaspoon baking soda ▢1 teaspoon cinnamon ▢½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ▢¾ cup pumpkin ▢¼ cup maple syrup ▢¼ cup melted coconut oil ▢3–4 eggs INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl. Mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until well-combined. Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes. (Check at 50 minutes, as some ovens vary in temperature.) To read the original article click here.

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Healthy & Delicious Garlic Breadsticks Recipe

AHA Publisher — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 08:00:53 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN – There’s a certain restaurant chain out there that became quite well known for its unlimited salad and breadsticks deal. And while that deal might be over now, breadsticks are still one of the yummiest parts of an Italian meal. While unlimited breadsticks might not be the cornerstone of a nutritious diet, you can enjoy them in a healthy way. My Garlic Breadsticks recipe is the perfect appetizer or accompaniment to any meal. These garlic breadsticks are so easy to make you won’t believe you haven’t tried before. With just a handful of ingredients like coconut oil, garlic cloves and gluten-free flour, you can whip it up at a moment’s notice. Try these at your next dinner. A Lower-Carb Breadstick? The first change I recommend making for a breadsticks recipe is to increase the good fats and lower the carbs, as most breadsticks are often made with inferior oils and are mostly carbs. While that kind of breadstick will only encourage you to keep eating, my garlic breadsticks recipe is higher in healthy fats and lower in carbs. Its nutritional profile is 175 calories per breadstick, with 15 grams of fats, 2 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbs. The key ingredients include healthy fats from coconut oil, coconut flour and an egg. Meanwhile, rather than use garlic powder, this recipe uses raw garlic. Eating garlic regularly is not only good for us — it has been linked to reducing or even helping prevent four of the major causes of death worldwide, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and infections. How to Make Garlic Breadsticks Preheat the oven to 350 F. Then, in a saucepan, bring the coconut oil, water and salt to a boil. Once the ingredients are boiling, remove the pan from heat and and stir in the garlic and gluten-free flour. Mix it all up and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Once the dough has cooled off, stir in the egg and seasoning to flavor up the breadsticks. Keep stirring! Slowly add in the coconut flour and knead the dough. Once you’ve worked it all up, place the garlic breadsticks on the parchment-lined baking sheet and slide in the oven. Let the dough bake for the next 30–50 minutes, or until the breadsticks are golden brown. Once the garlic breadsticks are ready, slice them into long sticks and enjoy! (You can choose to dip them in some homemade pasta sauce.) Be sure to make an extra batch — these won’t last long in the bread basket! Garlic Breadsticks Recipe Most breadsticks are loaded with carbs and unhealthy. Not these! These garlic breadsticks are so easy to make you won’t believe you haven’t tried before. INGREDIENTS ½ cup coconut oil, melted ½ cup water 1 teaspoon sea salt 5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced ¾ cup gluten-free flour 1 egg ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning ¼ cup coconut flour INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan over medium high heat, mix oil, water and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add garlic and gluten-free flour. Mix and let rest for 5 minutes. Once cooled to body temperature, add in egg and seasoning, stirring constantly. Add coconut flour and knead dough. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 30–40 minutes. Once baked, cut into long breadsticks. NOTES You can choose to dip these garlic breadsticks in some homemade pasta sauce. Yum! To read the original article click here.

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