FAST CHEESEBREAD



P.S. That is a full-sized dinner plate. My DH who is dieting now and fore-swearing his regular bread (he is a big bread eater) just said. "Wow, I'm really glad to have this bread (his breakfast = burger patty, bacon and an egg on the toast.) otherwise this diet would be a lot more austere for me."

NOTE: For a lovely video of how to make this bread, visit Bowulf's Channel.

FAST CHEESE BREAD
Toasted this makes very acceptable bread. It slices easily when cool and makes great sandwiches. Without toasting, it is more muffin-like than bread-like. The gluten-free version is very tasty, a bit higher in carbs, and the flax version is lower in carbs and more whole wheaty tasting and a bit higher in calories.
1 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup gold flax meal
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1/3 cup vanilla whey protein
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated Monterey Jack, OR Cheddar cheese
¼ cup butter
2 eggs
½ cup Hoods Carb Countdown milk, OR
any milk or cream
Grated cheese sprinkle for top, optional

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Cut in butter. Stir in cheese. In small bowl, beat eggs with fork. Stir in milk. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended. Do not over mix; scoop batter into well-greased 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese, if using. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

When completely cool, cut in half one way and then in half the other way (looking from the top down - it looks like a cross). Each quarter makes 4 adequate slices of bread. Use a serrated knife to cut the slices of bread. Toast well before using.

Variation: Gluten-free Bread: Use 2 cups of my Gluten-free bake mix (recipe follows), 3 eggs and a couple of tablespoons of water. Make sure the batter is not too stiff. Add a little extra water, if necessary, by the tablespoonful. There are some differences in the various brands of coconut flour. Update: I made the gluten-free bread again the other day, but it was not possible to toast it (broke into pieces) - now something could have gone wrong (yep, it happens to me too). One would need to either do the toasting in a pan or on the stove-top or in a toaster oven. Upon reflection, the first recipe is best. This one is very loaf-like.

Yield: 16 slices, 1 slice:
137.3 calories: 8.4 g protein; 10.6 g fat; 1.5 g carbs

Gluten-free Bread: 16 slices, 1 slice:
116.7 calories; 5.0 g protein; 8.6 g fat; 3.9 g carbs

Helpful Hint: If you require a sandwich for work, take the bread along separately and toast the bread just before adding sandwich ingredients.

Gluten-Free Bake Mix:
1 ½ cups oat flour
1 cup ground almonds
½ cup sifted coconut flour
1 tsp Xanthan gum