This week, we’re giving you…

🍽️ The BEST Foods for Hydration

🍽️ Easter Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns

🍽️ Can Chocolate Sourdough be Healthy?

Healthy News Dose

The 13 Best Foods for Hydration

Since water makes up for 60% of your body it goes without saying…Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate people!

By consuming fruits and vegetables high in structured water content is a great way to sneak in some much needed hydration. Dr. Zach Bush, a well known Physician is a huge advocate, almost to the extreme where he only consumes his hydration this way for the sheer nutrients.

Many other Physician’s like Neuroscientist Dr Huberman take a more traditional approach, however. In essence the guide lines still state you should be drinking around 8 ounces of liquid every hour in the first 10 hours you’re awake.

The UCLA’s Health Department website provided a list of foods that are excellent sources of water.

Here are the 13 Best Foods for Hydration:

• Cucumber

• Iceberg Lettuce

• Celery

• Radishes

• Romaine Lettuce

• Zucchini and Summer Squash

• Asparagus

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Mushrooms

• Spinach

• Strawberries

• Watermelon

Thankfully, many of these foods that are good hydrators also happen to taste great both raw and cooked! Another way to hydrate efficiently while healing your gut is through probiotic drinks…why not try Water-Kefir?

The Cooking Corner

 Easter Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns

Whether you celebrate or not, Easter weekend is upon us and that means so are Easter treats! Which can be super hard for us Gluten-free folk. That’s why I wanted to share with you our new Hot Cross Bun recipe

Never had them? Imagine a dinner roll mixed with a cinnamon bun…YUM!

Ingredients:

6 portions

For the Buns:

• 3 cups (380g) gluten-free all-purpose flour (ensure it's a blend meant for bread)

• 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon (10g) instant yeast

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) salt

• 2 teaspoons (4g) allspice

• 1/2 cup (120ml) warm milk (dairy or plant-based)

• 1/4 cup (60ml) unsalted butter, melted (or 60ml coconut oil for dairy-free)

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup (110g) raisins

• Zest of 1 orange

• For the Cross:

• 1/2 cup (70g) gluten-free all-purpose flour

• 5 tablespoons (75ml) water

• For the Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) honey

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) water

Instructions:

Preparing the Dough:

• Make a starter: Combine warm milk with yeast and sugar. Leave for 10 minutes to dissolve the yeast.
  Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free all-purpose flour, salt, and allspice.

• Add Wet Ingredients: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the warm milk with yeast and sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. The dough will be stickier than traditional wheat dough.

• Incorporate Fruits: Gently fold in the raisins and orange zest until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

• First Rise: Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has nearly doubled in size.

Shaping the Buns:

• Divide the Dough: After the first rise, gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between each bun.

• Second Rise: Loosely cover the shaped buns with a clean kitchen towel. Let them rise for another 30 minutes, or until they're puffy.

Preparing the Cross:

• Make the Paste: While the buns are undergoing their second rise, mix the gluten-free flour and water to create a thick paste. If the paste is too thick or too runny, adjust by adding a little more water or flour, respectively.

• Apply the Cross: Spoon the paste into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a cross on top of each bun.

Baking:

• Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

• Bake the Buns: Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.

Glazing:

• Prepare the Glaze: While the buns are baking, mix the honey and water.

• Glaze the Buns: Once the buns are baked, remove them from the oven. While they're still warm, brush them with the honey-water glaze. This will give them a lovely shine and a sweet finish.

You’ll want to save this one for later! I’ve also added it to the Gluten-Free Baking Guide!

Chocolate Sourdough That’s Good for Your Gut!

Let's talk sourdough. Yes, regular sourdough bread reduces phytic acid thanks to fermentation, which is great for digestion.

But, there's a catch: it STILL contains gluten. So, if you have a sensitive stomach or need to avoid gluten, traditional sourdough might not be your best friend…

That's why we're all about gluten-free sourdough bread recipes! We want to make sure everyone can enjoy making and eating sourdough, without the worry of gluten. And we're here to make it fun for you!

Interested in trying something new? Check out our chocolate sourdough recipe in the latest hard cover book!

Chef’s Word of the Week

Have you heard the term, “deglaze the pan”, in reference to cooking? This term refers to the addition of a liquid to your hot pan that you used to cook something in, in an effort to loosen any bits that have stuck to the pan’s surface.

This deglazing liquid could be water, stock, beer, wine, or really any liquid you intend to use in cooking.

By adding the “deglazing liquid” to the pan, you can loosen and subsequently incorporate those tasty bits into the liquid, for use later in something like a sauce.

Upgrade your plate…

Melon-Balled Melon with Finely-Sliced Mint!

I would normally serve this at breakfast, but it works perfectly as a healthy dessert option when you are trying to be well-behaved.

Basically, melon-ball your sweet melon of choice, and mix with some finely-sliced mint leaves. Super simple and delicious!

And sadly, this is all I have for you this week. If you have cooked something awesome lately, let me know!

Even better, post your latest creations in our lovely Facebook group!

Andy G

Resident Chef

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