On Thu, 2 Dec 2004, baker1 wrote:

> Can I substitute rice flour 1:1 instead of regular flour for this?
> I'm not supposed to be eating regular flour so I figured I'd try using
> rice.
>
> Suggestions?

Ah, yes... I'm in the same boat, allergic to wheat, so I have to work
around it. From the subject line, it appears you can eat Spelt. Is that
true? If so, go for it - Spelt bakes up almost the same as wheat. Rice
flour does not form a gluten, so it can't bake up to anything I like to
think of as "bread". You get a very dense crumb, with very little rise.
You'll have to experiment a bit with Spelt. I find that it likes to be
a little wetter than wheat doughs, and finishes baking a little sooner.

I have made banana bread with my unbleachd white Spelt flour (Purity
Foods' Vita-Spelt brand), and the only change I needed was to use more
baking powder, as compared to baking soda. I suspect the difference is
that the unbleached flour does not have any significant level of acid, and
the recipe I used didn't call for buttermilk or other sour source. In
general, if the recipe calls for 1/3 powder and 2/3 soda, I reverse the
two.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a very simple beerbread recipe from
alt.bread.recipes I have made it several times since, and it works well
with Spelt. Look for it below...

Dave


Chef R. W. Miller >
Newsgroups: alt.bread.recipes
Subject: help with Beer-Bread

There are a few recipes for Beer Bread out there, but none as simple (and
tasty!) as this one. You can even mix it in the baking pan for easy clean
up. This is sensational when served with soups or just as a snack, but
don't expect it to be around very long when your family gets a taste of
it!

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounces) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter

6-8 servings

1 hour 3 minutes 3 mins prep

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Pour melted butter over mixture.
5. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

[I find that with Spelt, it's done in 50 minutes or a hair less. Dave]