Gluten Free Bacon-Apple Cheddar Bread

More About This Recipe

• Once upon a time, I made this super-rad bread with a panda’s face in it. It was awesome and everyone was happy. Once upon another time, I tried to make this super-rad bread again, only gluten free. It was not so awesome. Here’s the thing: It’s not that pandas hate being gluten free or anything (in fact, I’m pretty sure real-life pandas are, by default, gluten free eaters… unless bamboo has gluten in it? ANYWAY…). It’s just that, if you know a thing or two about gluten free bread baking (something I don’t know too much about, but am slooooooowly trying to learn), you know that the dough for a GF bread should always have more moisture than a non-GF bread – in other words, any good GF bread has the consistency of a thick quick-bread batter before baking. It’s what makes gluten free bread baking such a challenge in the first place. In spite of the ups and downs of my gluten free bread baking education – wherein I realized that said panda bread, alas, cannot be made GF unless you want a Picasso-like version of a panda face – I am not leaving you GF eaters without something just as tasty! Ladies and gentlefolk, I give you Gluten Free Bacon-Apple Cheddar Bread, a.k.a., I-want-to-stuff-this-whole-loaf-into-my-face bread. I kid you not, I’m not sure a single soul could ever guess that this bread is gluten free if they didn’t know in the first place. The texture of the loaf is light, fluffy and moist just like any quick bread – and if that’s not convincing enough, the deliciousness of the crispy, salty bacon pieces swirled with sage, tart apples and sharp cheddar cheese blocks out any suspiciousness of the lack of gluten in this recipe.
• For those who don’t need to go GF, you can bake this loaf with the same amount of regular all-purpose flour, and just omit the xanthan gum. And for those who bake this for a gluten free friend, be sure to use gluten free baking powder and to keep all surfaces, utensils and bowls clean and free of gluten. And for all ya’ll, try to contain yourself when you pull this loaf out of the oven and get a whiff of its deliciousness, OK? I know it’s tough, but you’ve got to do it, because this is one bread recipe that everyone can enjoy.