Submitted by Judy on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 13:07
Ellie Bread
Ellie bread was a cornerstone of the Cooqi bakery. It was designed, as its name perhaps suggests (it was named for my then-4-year-old daughter), to appeal to the challenging palates of kids. Recently, I dusted off the old recipe, upgraded it slightly to 2.0, and found myself newly wowed by how good this bread is, especially fresh from the oven. Indeed, it was this experience of fresh-from-the-oven bread that first inspired me to develop mixes—I wanted everyone to have access to such heaven!
- 2 ½ c. Cooqi Pizza+Pita Mix
- 1 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1 packet instant yeast (included in Mix bag)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 c. cultured buttermilk/milk of choice
- 2 T oil of choice
- 2 T honey or agave
- 2 T organic unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp. cider vinegar
Combine Pizza+Pita Mix, xanthan gum, and yeast in a bowl and set aside. In bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix eggs, milk, oil, honey, applesauce, and vinegar, and beat on low until blended. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer, scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula, and turn mixer back on at high speed. Mix on high until batter becomes smooth in consistency and slightly lighter in color, about 1-2 minutes.
Spray a 4” x 8” bread pan with oil. Pour dough into prepared bread pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover the pan with a towel, place in a warm spot, and allow to rise to an inch below the top of the pan. Rising time will depend on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen, but should take between 30 and 60 minutes. When dough looks almost fully risen, turn on oven to 350.
Place bread pan in center of oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove loaf, brush top with mixture of egg white beaten with 1T water, return loaf to oven, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the internal temperature reads 180 degrees.
Remove bread from pan and cool thoroughly on a cooling rack before slicing. This bread is best when left at room temperature and eaten within 1-2 days, but may also be sliced, wrapped with a double layer of plastic wrap, and frozen. If frozen, it will keep for several weeks, and may be toasted directly from the freezer, or thawed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.