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The Zenbelly Cookbook, an epicurean’s guide to paleo cuisine
To celebrate the release of my very first cookbook, I will be sharing a recipe from it every week, so you get a sneak peek of what’s to come! And if you’re already excited, you can, of course preorder it HERE. You’re likely to get a lower price if you preorder, and it will be on your doorstep on AUGUST 12TH!
What can you expect from The Zenbelly Cookbook, you ask? Good question! Here are the things I’m most excited about:
How To’s
The beginning pages of The Zenbelly Cookbook are chock full of tips and techniques, complete with step by step photos to go with them. You’ll learn everything from how to source quality ingredients, to how to hold a knife, to how to cut up a whole chicken.
Photos
2 per recipe! Each recipe in the book has an ingredients photo (like the one below) and a plated photo (like the one above) I had so much fun doing both of these shoots, but mostly the ingredients shots. There’s something about organizing things neatly that brings me zen. Plus, I love how it gives a visual “before”, so you can see all of the ingredients you’ll be using. I hope you love them, to
Recipes
Duh, I know. But I’m so excited to share these recipes with you. While there are some favorites from the blog that just had to be included (like NY Style Pizza Crust and No Joke Chocolate Cake), about 100 out of the 110 recipes are brand new.
Menus
I’ve included several menus for you, including an adventurous Thanksgiving spread, and a fancy multiple course dinner party menu that you can make 98% of ahead of time. Imagine how impressed your guests will be when you present them with an incredible dinner, all the while being nothing short of cool and collected. HOW DO YOU DO IT?! (Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me!)
I’m very excited to be sharing these little sneak peeks with you, and will plan on posting one every Wednesday for the next few months. So stay tuned, and subscribe if you don’t want to miss a post! (Don’t worry, I’ll never share or sell your email address, and the only time you’ll hear from me is when I post a new recipe, or have news directly relating to this blog or the book)
This week, I’m sharing my recipe for Paleo Breadsticks. These babies are soft and chewy on the inside, with a bit of a crust on the outside. The dough takes a bit of time to rise, since it is a yeast-dough, but I hope you find that the end result is worth it! Enjoy these with a salad if you miss having something bread-y with a big salad, dip them in marinara or Puttanesca sauce, serve them with charcuterie… Whatever makes you happy!
paleo breadsticks
prep time: 90 minutes | cook time: 12 to 15 minutes | makes: 10 bread sticks
2 teaspoons dry active yeast (naturally gluten-free, but check the package to be sure)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup warm water (should feel warm on the inside of your wrist, but not burn)
1 cup finely ground almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter or light olive oil, for brushing
• In the warmed bowl of your stand mixer (or alternately, the bowl you’ll be using with hand-held beaters), combine the yeast, honey, and warm water and whisk to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, psyllium husks and sea salt.
• Once the yeast is foamy, mix in the egg and olive oil, and then add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on medium-high for 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl once to make sure it’s all incorporated.
• Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula again to gather the dough together. It will NOT look like the dough you remember, it is much wetter. Use the spatula to get it into as much of a ball as possible.
• Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set in a warm (but not hot) place. Allow it to sit for 75 to 90 minutes.
• After 75 minutes, check the dough to see if it’s risen. It won’t rise as dramatically as a conventional dough would, but it will have changed, and gotten aerated, and a bit larger.
• Turn the oven on to 425°F.
• Line a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper.
• Divide the dough into 10 sections, and, with oiled hands, roll them into long skinny sticks. They will rise when cooked, so make them skinnier than you want the end result to be.
• Transfer the sticks to the prepared baking sheet and brush with melted butter or olive oil.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Variation: Sea Salt−Studded Bread Sticks
Sprinkling these bread sticks with coarse sea salt adds some nice texture and flavor. Reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon, and sprinkle some coarse sea salt on after brushing with butter or oil before baking. Just enough to get a crystal or two per bite.
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Katja says
Simone,
These look bomb! Making these this weekend. Can’t wait to see the rest of the book. 🙂
j p says
Sounds like a great recipe!
pamela says
Beautiful, it wasn’t until I read your recipe that I realized how I’ve missed breadsticks. Can’t wait to try these.
Jana says
Why wouldn’t you use powdered instead of husks?
zenbellyblog says
Because the best grain-free bread recipe I’ve ever made uses husks, and it does great things for the texture.
Nancy says
Going to make these. Thanks
Marjorie Wax says
Can you skip the psyllium husks?
zenbellyblog says
It will change the texture, I can’t say how until I try it myself! I added it because it does great things for the texture.
Marjorie Wax says
Thanks for the response – I guess I’m going to have to buy some psyllium husks and give it a try!
Liana says
Do you know….can the egg be replaced? 2 in our family are allergic.
zenbellyblog says
I know some people have good luck with flax eggs in general, but I can’t make any promises on a sub I haven’t tried myself! Let me know if you try it.
Jamie Carlyon McNally says
By my calculation 10 breadsticks works out about 8 or 9g net carbs is that right?
Jamie Carlyon McNally says
Per breadstick I mean, also is there any way of substituting the arrowroot for the low carb paleo dieter? Thanks x
zenbellyblog says
I don’t calculate nutritional information for me recipes. My recipes are mostly almond flour, making them inherently lower carb than the traditional baked good, but I don’t take it farther than that.
ylla says
Actually…..your bread sticks are NOT inherently lower in carbs than the real deal:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/baked-products/4881/2
go ahead and select per bread stick….
There are a lot of paleo people out here that care about carb content and while arrowroot is not a grain its not exactly healthy as far as cal/content to nutritional ratio.
Also here is data for arrowroot its a very poor option for health.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5677/2
zenbellyblog says
Well thanks for that, Ylla! I don’t eat arrowroot for it’s nutritional content, I eat it because it’s a great alternative to gluten containing flours, especially when combined with almond flour. None of the baked goods recipes on my site are intended to be staple foods, they’re intended to be occasional treats. Isn’t it awesome that we all get to eat what works best for OUR OWN bodies? What a wonderful world.
zenbellyblog says
I’m also missing the part where you do the actual carb comparison with this recipe? Please do share, as people would love to know! Thanks again, Ylla.
Rachel @ Following In My Shoes says
Can these be frozen? I was thinking about making batch and freezing for school lunches.
Jane says
Have you tried or do you recommend any shape variations on these? Like does it make good rolls or bread?
zenbellyblog says
They’re not super fluffy, so I don’t know if they’d be good as rolls or bread. Flatbread, definitely. If you’re looking for awesome rolls, check out my challah recipe!
Linda says
I made these last night and everybody really liked them! I do not have the psyllium husks yet so I used ground chia seeds. I am anxious to try the husks. I put the batter/dough in a pastry bag and squeezed out the sticks. Worked great!
Carolyn Y says
Hi I love potato bread … I may try substituting potato for arrowroot. Have you done it? Any suggestions on ratios? Or even a good grain free potato bread recipe? Thank you!
zenbellyblog says
I haven’t tried it, but love using potato starch in other recipes! It’s heavier than arrowroot, so I would either sub by weight, or use about 3/4 as much potato compared to arrowroot. Let me know if you try! I don’t have a potato bread recipe yet, but it’s on my list to crack!