G F Friendly
Gluten-free Bread
easy home-made GF bread that doesn't taste like glue!
When I wrote the article on Gluten-Free Food HL15, I promised to sort out a bread recipe that actually tasted like normal bread and not some plastic substitute. To my mind, this one fits the bill and I'm sure wheat-lovers will enjoy it too, especially the light nutty flavour of the buckwheat (not actually wheat, by the way). I gave up trying for the usual bread dough that could be kneaded, mixing up the ingredients to a heavy batter consistency instead. I did, however, manage to include yeast as a successful raising agent. I daresay baking powder as an alternative might work, and I may give this a go later; but for now, I'll continue experimenting with different combinations of flour using this method. If I come up with anything wonderful, I'll let you know.
300g plain flour
150g buckwheat flour
50g Sorghum flour
410ml water
1 egg
30ml light-tasting olive oil
1 rounded Tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt (optional)
2 level tsps dried baker's yeast
Line a 24cm x 13cm (5 inch x 9½ inch) loaf tin with baking paper. Warm the water to blood-heat temperature so that it feels neither hot nor cold to the touch. Put this in the bowl that is to be used for mixing, along with the sugar and salt. Agitate to dissolve, sprinkle on the dried yeast and cover with a cloth, then set aside in a warm area free of draughts to activate the yeast. This will take about 40 minutes depending on ambient temperature.
In the meantime, combine the flours in a separate bowl. Lightly beat the olive oil and egg in a dish. Ensure that the yeast has activated - it will appear frothy - then gently stir in the egg and oil. Now, add the flours and mix by hand with a plastic spatula for 2½ minutes exactly - this is important. If using an electric dough-mixer, pause after 30 seconds to wipe down the sides, then continue for the other two minutes, but don't exceed it. The idea is to mix the batter thoroughly, but not aerate it.
Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin and paddle it around so that it gets into the corners and the top is even. Put this uncovered in a draught-free spot and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes, or until roughly double in size. Place the pan on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes on 195°C fan-forced (210°C conventional). Once cooked, remove from the oven, lift the bread out of the pan immediately using the paper and place on a wire rack to cool. You can then exercise the chef's prerogative by cutting a slice and loading on the butter - just as a taster!
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