Gluten Free White Bread

Makes 1 loaf.

Free from gluten, dairy, egg, soya & nuts.


I have been trying to bake gluten free bread for some time. Sometimes we have a winner, sometimes we don't. This one looks like a keeper !

Ingredients:

400 gr. of Gluten Free Flour Mix (see below)
375ml Warm Water (hand warm)
1/4 cup Rapeseed Oil
3 Tbsp Psyllium Husk
2 Tbsp Flax meal mixed in 6 Tbsp warm water
4 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 1/2 Tsp Xantham Gum
2 Tsp Cider Vinegar
4 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt

Tools:

Oven
Kitchen Aid, you can use a hand mixer also.
Weighing scales
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup/jar
Spatula
Bread Pan

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 10 minutes on very low. This is needed for the dough rising stage. Don't overheat it, just a gentle warmth.

Mix the warm water with the flax meal mixture, honey, yeast and oil and set aside for about 10 minutes. Make sure the yeast is active, you will see bubbles rising from the wet mixture. If not, your yeast is no longer active. Start again ...

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and xantham gum in a bowl.

Add the wet mixture slowly to the dry  mixture while beating. I use a Kitchen Aid. Don't overmix, just ensure all the ingredients are mixed together quickly at medium speed. Add the cider vinegar and mix for another 10 seconds at medium speed. The mixture will not be the same consistency as a gluten based wheat flour dough, it will be wetter and you won't be able to knead it. I can often spot whether the bread is going to be a success by the consistency of the dough at this stage. This one felt light and airy. If it feels heavy and dense, add a tablespoon of cold water at a time while mixing until the dough has improved.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. I sprinkled 2 Tbsp of the Gluten Free Flour over and to the sides of the mixture while scraping the dough into a ball. "Pour" the mixture in a bread pan and ensure that there is a sprinkling of flour all around the dough to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Lazy woman's approach. You can oil and dust the pan instead.

Place the bread pan in the oven (close the door) and let it rise until it is about 1cm over the top of the rim. This took about 35 minutes for me. Switch on the oven (without removing the bread or opening the door) to 200 Degrees Celsius and bake for about 35-40 minutes. Do not open the oven door for at least 25 minutes. After that cover the bread with some aluminium foil if it darkens to quickly on top.

If you see that the sides of the bread are pulled away from the sides of the pan, you can take it out to check if it is done. Do this by tapping on the bottom of the bread. If it sounds hollow, your bread is done. If not put it back for another 5-10 minutes.

When the bread is done baking, get a clean dishcloth and wrap up the bread, place it on a baking mesh and let it cool down for at least an hour.

However tempting, never cut gluten free bread when it comes out of the oven, it will be wet and sticky. Probably best to stand guard at the kitchen door to prevent your children from trying to saw at the bread before it has cooled down.


Enjoy !

P.S. Hannah wants you to know that she wasn't the one that took the photos on this post.  



Gluten Free Flour Mix

Ratio:

400 gr. Rice Flour
350 gr. Tapioca Starch
200 gr. Potato Starch
150 gr. Glutinous Rice Flour

Put all the flours in a big bowl and use a whisk to mix them thoroughly. Use what you need for this recipe and store the rest in an airtight container.

Glutinous Rice Flour can be bought in Chinese food stores. Contrary to its name it does not contain gluten.

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