Today’s Experiment, featuring: Ginger Ale

I’m wondering if I should start a new monthly segment – Today’s Experiment?  Last time I experimented was when I made a sweet quinoa dish. Get the recipe  here: https://gfchopstix.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/todays-experiment/

This time, I decided to experiment with Ginger Ale and baking.

I love ginger – the taste, its many uses, and of course, for its wonderful ability to heal our bodies.  I’m not a huge fan of carbonated drinks, however.  As a child, I loved them (the sugar high), but as I’m getting older (and grumpier), I find that there are other beverages that I prefer – like wine water.

Anyway, back to the Ginger Ale.  Now, as carbonated drinks go, I never order a Ginger Ale. Never! What on earth possessed me to actually add it as a baking ingredient?  I have no idea! Let’s just say that this experiment was, well…. different.

It’s also the first time that I added xanthan gum to a bread recipe. Not sure that it is an essential ingredient, although, I did notice that the loaves were not as crumbly as they tend to be.

 

Ginger Ale Bread (Gluten free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, oat free, nut free)

Ginger Ale Bread

 

Ingredients:

Total of 3 cups of flour:

• 3/4 cup of millet flour
• 1/4 cup of black rice flour
• 1/2 cup of cornstarch (can be substituted by adding more of the other starches)
• 1/2 cup of sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup of potato starch
• 1/2 cup of tapioca starch

Other ingredients:

• 1 packet of quick rising dry yeast (10g)
• 1 Tablespoon of dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 cups of Ginger Ale (any brand)
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Ingredients – you can see all the lovely colours of the different flours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/355F
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flours together
3. Next, add the dry yeast, salt, xanthan gum and sugar
4. Mix well
5. Pour in the olive oil

First step – Dry ingredients in bowl, then add oil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Now add  the Ginger Ale
2. It will be very bubbly at this stage

Next step – Pour in the Ginger Ale and mix

 

1. Give the dough a quick mix and spoon into two small loaf pans, and a medium sized pan, or one large loaf pan
2. Leave to rise, covered, in a warm, draft-proof spot for 30 – 45 minutes

3 loaves a rising…. I used two mini loaf pans and one disposable cake/bread loaf pan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/355F for 35 – 45 minutes, until the sides start to shrink and a toothpick inserted comes out clean

 

 

Optional: sprinkle the top of the loaves with cinnamon and brown sugar just before baking

Notes: This bread is more of a sweet bread (due to the Ginger Ale) and is best eaten on the day it is baked;  or keep for about two days in an airtight container.  It is good toasted too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re wondering why the slice on the right, with blueberry jam on it looks strange, wonder no more! I did indeed take a bite! I just couldn’t resist. Warm, moist and tasty! Yum!