Friday, February 23, 2007
Bread: Chebe Bread
As part of a celiac-awareness raffle, I won a package of gluten free, yeast free Chebe bread mix. Chebe’s
motto is that it is “slightly unusual and unusually good”. Wow that is it the biggest understatement of the century!
Rob and I in short, were just astounded at the delicious bread I made up without the use of a bread machine. Chebe bread
is created mainly from the manioc plant, and can be prepared quickly in a variety of ways.
I prepared ours using a fork to mix the package contents with 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 eggs, along with 1 cup freshly
shredded pecorino cheese, and an additional 1/3 cup of water. I then kneaded the dough by hand, rolled into small balls
(1 in. in diameter), and placed onto a non-greased plan. The Chebe baked for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven, and emerged
golden brown.
The gluten free Chebe balls resembled and tasted just as delicious as cheesy gougeres. These were light, flavorful and
perfectly bread-like- but still safe for celiacs. I couldn’t believe how close Chebe comes to gluten bread! One thing I did
notice is that the pecorino was perhaps a bit too salty of a cheese. Next time I think I’ll try a fontina instead. Interestingly,
Chebe can also be used to make sticks, can be frozen, made into pizza dough, and enhanced with a variety of cheeses, herbs,
seasonings etc. Truly remarkable!
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