Teff Bread

After Zumba! last night Constance & I made a loaf of Teff Bread. Teff is an Ethiopian grain that is gluten-free and can grow in harsh environments using less resources than wheat. It is ground into a lightweight, powdery flour and used for creating many different foods, including bread. This is another vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free recipe. I was worried that this bread would be really delicous because Teff is expensive. It comes inside of this tiny, paper bag and one bag makes one loaf of bread. I was right to be worried, it is yummy. I really like the soft texture of the bread's interior. Brown rice flour is so grainy, everything has a sandy quality. This is smooth like wheat flour. The dough for this bread is very soft. I formed it into a wide log and baked it on a parchment-lined pan for about 2 hours. I have found that all of these breads that are made with alternative [to wheat] flours are not really "baking" as much as they are steaming. There is a lot of water in the dough and it is cooking the grains, the same way you would boil a pot of rice, and then the steam is released through cracks in the dough. The result is something dense. White bread has that delicious, light, air-filled quality and chewiness. Without eggs, sugar, milk, or anything artificial, the only thing you taste is the grain. So it's important that it be something worth eating. I think Teff made it onto that list.