Cleveland Cooks: Cavs Performance Chef shares GF recipe the team can’t get enough of

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Natalie Blake, Performance Chef for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Charge, says she and the team dietician work to make sure the players, coaches and support staff are putting good nutrients in to their bodies to ensure peak performance.

“We’ve got to make sure they get their calories, but what kind of calories those are what’s really important here to us,” she said.

The focus on avoiding injuries by preventing and controlling inflammation

“They have to stay healthy and through the season and into the playoffs. So we really try to stay away from things that can irritate the gut, which can release inflammatory chemicals into the body. Gluten can do that,“ Blake said.

She developed a gluten free bread recipe that she uses not only for fast food sandwich dupes and croutons, but also for French toast to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.

“Everybody loves it. They’re like, ‘I want your bread,’ They crave it. They request it,” she said.

Blake shared her recipe she worked on and perfected.

GF Bread:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees ( 375 if not convection) you will pre-heat a cookie tray to place bread loaf pan on also.

Dry ingredients, can be mixed together in stand mixer base.

230g tapioca starch

135g millet flour

60g oat flour

50g sugar

8g instant yeast

8g baking powder

7g xanthan gum

12g salt

Mix together until incorporated thoroughly

Wet ingredients

20g psyllium husk

280g warm water ( hot tap water)

Mix these two ingredients together and mix immediately or clumps will form, add remainder of wet ingredients to psyllium gel

120g warm coconut milk

2 room temperature eggs

2 T avocado oil ( or other neutral oil)

Mix all wet ingredients together with whisk until homogenized

With mixer on low, add wet ingredients into dry, once incorporated turn mixer on medium speed and continue to mix for another 5mintures.

Turn out dough into bread loaf pan, smooth dough until it lays flat in pan, cover

Place in warm place and allow to proof for about 40-60min, or until dough doubles in size

Spray top of dough with pan spray

Place on pre-heated cookie tray in oven and bake for 40min.

Remove from oven and immediately remove from bread pan to avoid sweating, and place on cooling rack