The Multi-Tasker

I miss sandwiches. I know there are alternative breads out there for me to use, but the truth is I just don’t love them. I will say this, though. Udi’s Sandwich Bread makes pretty good toast. And The Grainless Baker’s Cinnamon Raisin Bread does as well. But to have a good ol’ ham and cheese sandwich on bread just isn’t the same. Rice-based bread is either sweet (and in my opinion, the sweetness works against a deli sandwich) or rather rough. There have been times where the inside of my mouth has actually gotten scraped up from the roughness of the bread.

No thanks.

So, in the quest to find alternatives to the alternative breads, I’ve had to get rather creative. The first attempt was inspired – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – by McDonald’s McGriddle Sandwich. Could I use two small pancakes to make an egg and cheese sandwich? I must say, it wasn’t shabby. Sure, it didn’t taste like white bread… but it was soft and squishy. I love soft and squishy.

After a while, I gave up on anything bread-like and just made ham and cheese roll-ups… complete with a pickle in the middle. It was a nice change for lunches, but rather boring.

Then I stumbled across The Multi-Tasker. Buttermilk Biscuits. Salty, crisp outside… light and soft inside. They can be your “toast with jam” in the morning, or your egg and cheese sandwich. They can be your “english muffin” with peanut butter or your companion for a bowl of beef stew. Yes, they can even be your ham and cheese sandwich!

Explore the world of sandwiches with the buttermilk biscuit. That baby will take on many forms and fulfill that empty, sad place in your heart where you thought only squishy bread could live. Alright, so I’m getting a little dramatic… but you get the point.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

½ cup potato starch

½ cup corn starch

¼ cup tapioca starch

¼ cup brown rice flour

1 ¾ tsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes

¾ cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line the baking sheet with a Sil-pat.

In a food processor, pulse together the potato starch, corn starch and tapioca starch, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly mixed.

Drop the butter cubes over the starch mixture and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Turn the food processor on and pour the buttermilk in as it churns, until well incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of wax paper lightly dusted with white or brown rice flour. Using your hands, pat down the dough to about an inch high. Cut out biscuits with round biscuit cutter and transfer to the baking sheet. (It helps to flour the cutter as well.) Cut out as many circles as possible, then gather up the dough and pat it down again to one inch. Repeat the process until all dough is used.

Bake for 25 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven, brush twice with melted butter.