Kneading dough is part of our Waldorf school’s curriculum, and it turns out you don’t really knead gluten-free dough. The xanthan gum is what adds the elasticity. So rather than use gluten-free dough in the classroom, my son’s teacher and I decided the class would use wheat as usual and we’d just bring in our own pre-made rolls.
That’s fine, except that it means I need to bake! I love the taste of fresh yeasted rolls, but they are easy to get addicted to. After living two and a half years with essential no bread products, my son has quickly come to adroe these rolls! This carb-dependence is a bit of a compromise on my part (since I tend to agree with the ideas presented in Gut and Psychology Syndrome and the Body Ecology Diet that complex carbs do harm our guts), but I think the other aspects of the Waldorf curriculum are really great.
Right now we are using the recipe in the October/November 2008 Living Without magazine. I won’t detail the recipe while it’s still on newstands, but essentially I’m using millet, rice and potato starch flours in the rolls. The dough (pictured here before rising and after 4 minutes in high with a hand blender) is very fluffy and light after it rises — does not roll well into balls. But they do taste pretty good. I am letting my son eat a little of the butter that is also made fresh at the school. I tried some and it sure is good. But at home, we’ll try to stick to cultured butter and hopefully eventually make ghee out of unsalted butter.
I’ve been making one batch of twelve, but the rolls are so popular at home I think I need to make a larger batch or I’ll be doing this every week!
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