<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Listmates, In July there were two mentions of Expandex: Item #64673 (20 Jul 2006 17:52) - SUMMARY: Alternate/exotic Flour Comments and Opinions <http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=ind0607C&L=CELIAC&P=R2396&I=-3> One person had recently read about a new flour in a recent newsletter from Carol Fenster called Expandex modified tapioca starch. Reportedly goods were more crispy and had a nicer texture with this starch. Item #64627 (16 Jul 2006 10:45) - Summary: GFG <http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=ind0607C&L=CELIAC&P=R504&I=-3>I have the same questions ... What I'd really like to see is a comparison of this product with the new Expandex www.expandexglutenfree.com I have just purchased Expandex in 1 pound bags from Celiac Specialties in Michigan: http://celiacspecialties.com/ . I ordered on Sunday, and the parcel arrived on Friday prior to 1:00 p.m.. They are speedy! (I have no financial interest in Celiac Specialties). In addition to the Expandex, I ordered two types of their bread - hamburger rolls and pumpernickel. I wanted to see what commercial products would be like when baked with Expandex. The pumpernickel is a very tall loaf with nice texture and good flavor even at room temperature. It is not excessively crumbly. It is even better lightly toasted where it becomes really aromatic. The hamburger buns are best warmed and are quite acceptable. Don't expect gourmet bread in the class of a wheat-based bread, but that having been said, the breads are very good. And they are not exceptionally expensive, particularly for GF breads. We also bought some other products from Celiac Specialties that were very interesting - particularly Mayacamas GF brown gravy mix. This plus real mushrooms is a treat. Yeah, it is a bit "middle America" (hmmmm we out here on the left coast), but that poured over meatloaf is a treat I haven't had in a long time. Mayacamas makes a number of GF sauce mixes, and they have posted their ELISA results on their website (www.mayacamasfinefoods.com). Celiac Specialties carries an interesting mix. We will be testing Expandex in the bread recipe the manufacturer recommends as well as in bread recipes that we are currently using. I'll publish results when I have them. My immediately past successful results - not yet published here - involved following directions from a baker friend of mine. He told me to make a "poolish*" to improve the taste of the rather bland GF flour mixes. I also followed the lead from the baguettes of Spain which I sampled in early May (http://home.comcast.net/~vhdolcourt/CD) by adding baking powder on the second rising of the bread (same time as you add salt). The bread was very good when it was hot; however, typical of gluten-free breads, it became hard and crumbly the next day. However, it responded very well to warming, becoming pliable and aromatic. I guess that is why the Spanish baguettes were shipped slightly under baked and had brown-and-serve instructions. Watch this space for an evaluation of Expandex in various bread recipes. Earlier this week one of the list mates recommended reading: http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/671health.html . This article fits well with the baking topic. Vic-Sunnyvale, CA * Poolish - for you to try: Make your bread using all of the liquid ingredients in the normal way. Use all of the flour components but leave out the salt until later. Use only 1/3 of the flour. Let the yeast mixture ferment until tripled in bulk - 5 - 8 hours at normal temperatures, less when it is hot. Now add the rest of the flour plus the salt. At this point I added 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder (1-1/2 t to 3-1/2 cups of GF flour, but I will experiment with more in the future). I also added dough conditioner, the components of which I got from King Arthur Flour - 1 T lecithin mashed with 1 T GF flour and 1/6 t ascorbic acid (vitamin C which is destroyed in the baking) Dough conditioner enhances the yeast. Look poolish up in Google as well as Wikipedia - searched by all of the engines. * Please include your location in all posts about products * ******* To unsubscribe, email: mailto:[log in to unmask] *******