Not by bread alone

Gluten-free tehina bread straddles the fence between stirred dough and pastry dough.

By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN
Surprisingly fluffy and airy no-flour tahina bread (photo credit: PR)
Surprisingly fluffy and airy no-flour tahina bread
(photo credit: PR)
Straddling the fence between stirred dough and pastry dough, gluten-free tehina bread is rising in popularity. I decided to take a crack at it myself and find out what all the fuss is about. The result: a hard-to-resist loaf and alterations sure to make it even better.
Between the cooking and running around that were my lot from Passover to Independence Day, I did my best to ignore the online buzz around the recipe for gluten-free tehina bread. When I had a moment to spare – right between hosting and kitchen preparations – I glanced at the jar of raw tehina made from whole sesame seeds, caved in, and decided it’s time to try out this much-talked-about recipe.
At first glance it’s unclear exactly how this wonder can be made – tehina bread – and from four such basic ingredients: tehina, honey/date honey, baking powder and eggs. Even more so, how can the texture of bread be achieved, just like the one we know and love, when there’s no flour-like substance providing both thickness and stabilization in the picture to explain the phenomenon occurring when baking the bread.
Nevertheless, off to the races I went, sure the results would be promising. At first I made the loaf exactly to the original recipe’s specifications. However, after giving that a shot and examining the results, I decided to provide both an upgrade and variety to the bread.
For the recipe, I used whole raw tehina, which gave my loaf a dark brown coloration, reminiscent of whole breads. In addition, I used sugar-free date honey, thereby turning the bread not only flour-free, but also sugar-free. The bread’s texture was airy and surprising. It rose nicely and the slices were altogether handsome and uniform, easy to spread or dip in thick sauce. While the loaf turned out great, it straddles the fence between stirred and pastry dough.
Gluten-free tehina bread
Ingredients: For small English cake baking dish.
■ 6 Tbsp. regular or raw whole tehina (with regular tehina the loaf will be white, with raw tehina it will be brown, as pictured)
■ 2 Tbsp. honey/date honey/sugar-free date honey
■ 1 tsp. baking powder
■ 4 large eggs
Preparation:
1. Place tehina in medium bowl, add honey/date honey and stir with spoon or hand beater;
2. Add baking powder and eggs one after the other while firmly stirring until a uniform mixture is achieved;
3. Lightly spray baking dish with cooking oil, ladle tehina mixture into it and flatten;
4. Bake in oven preheated to 180º for 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center of the loaf comes out clean and dry.
Returning from the holidays
A lightweight solution for people watching their figure.
Tired of the rich and overly complicated holiday recipes – and not to mention it’s harder to close the top button of your pants – it’s now the time for a simple and easy-to-prepare cabbage and leek pie, sure to put you back on the road to your beloved routine.
You don’t always have to slave away for hours to produce a top-notch dinner. In this period of “after the holidays,” everyone’s just trying to get back to normal, to focus on simple yet satisfying dishes. That’s why this is exactly the time to pick and choose recipes that only require the least amount of busywork in the kitchen, but whose end result nevertheless receives compliments from the entire family.
Getting back to our routine is also supposed to help us get back to our pre-holiday figures, after we were forced to sample a variety of rich dishes, cakes and cookies, confectionery and other indulgences. In order to rein in calories and their consumption, it’s very important to go back to eating simpler, easily prepared foods that don’t require special preparations, complexity or a lot of time. We’re talking about dishes whose special and strong taste comes precisely from their simplicity.
Pies, for example, don’t require a lot of work. All you need is a bowl and wooden spoon. Stir some materials together, transfer them into a baking dish and send it right into the oven. Pies can be made in interestingly shaped pans or dishes, which give them a unique look after they’re done.
In the spirit of the above, I’ve chosen to prepare a type of pie that is quick and easy to make, doesn’t contain cheese and goes well with side dishes. In addition, this is an airy solution for those watching their weight.
Cabbage and leek pie
Makes 10-12 personal pies
■ Cooking spray or oil
■ 2 medium onions finely chopped
■ 1 red onion finely chopped
■ 2 sliced leeks (only the light green and white portions)
■ 1 medium cabbage finely chopped
■ 3 eggs
■ 3 Tbsp. flour, sieved
■ ¼ tsp. baking powder
■ 6 Tbsp. bread crumbs or matza flour
■ 1 cream/yogurt container
■ Salt and pepper to taste
■ 1 Tbsp. olive oil
■ 4 Tbsp. semolina, oatmeal, bread crumbs or pretzels
Sauce for serving
: ■ 2 yogurt containers
■ 1 roughly grated cucumber
■ 2 finely chopped radishes (optional)
■ 2 chopped green onions
■ Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation: Pour oil into skillet and fry onions and leek until golden. Add more oil if necessary. Add cabbage and stir, add about 3 tablespoons of water and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Let cool.
Add eggs, bread crumbs and yogurt, stir and season with salt and pepper. Oil baking dish and pour half of the semolina or other substitute of your choice into it.
Flatten cabbage mixture and pour the remaining semolina on top of it. Bake in oven preheated to medium for about 45 minutes.
Stir all sauce ingredients in bowl and serve alongside pie.