Artisan Gluten-Free Bread

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For me, being gluten-free my biggest bugbear is the bread. Yes, what is on supermarket shelves have improved over the last 10 years. Now there are

  • White bread
  • Rolls
  • Baguettes
  • Wholemeal
  • Brioche
  • Ciabatta

and many more. The shelves and companies trying to tempt us. If you are coeliac, you are held for ransom to some degree. I remember eating very little bread in the first few years. This was for 3 reasons.

  • Firstly it was the price, which was extremely high and still is.
  • Secondly it was the poor quality. I so missed a soft sandwich or roll. The bread was hard and fragile with a nasty taste.

Today buying a great quality gluten-free bread is still hit and miss. We have all experienced the slices with holes and the ones that fell apart after the first bite.

It became even harder when I became vegan as a lot of these breads had egg white or cows milk in the list of ingredients.

I have baked wheat bread all my life but baking gluten-free bread was akin to alchemy. My attempts in the beginning were not great to be honest, so I shelved my attempts and carried on baking gluten-free and vegan cakes and meal with great success.

It is only in the last few years that I have started to attempt to mastermind it again. This recipe is the work of many frustrating months.

This bread has a lovely chewy texture especially when toasted. It has a mild nutty flavour and does not crumble into little pieces or fall away from the crust. It is also the perfect bread to serve with a good bowl of soup.

No eggs or dairy needed

Ingredient Notes

  • Psyllium husk is an irreplaceable crucial ingredient in gluten-free recipes. It acts as a gluten substitute and a binder. It gives gluten-free bread dough elasticity which help you to be able to knead and shape the dough as you would wheat bread.
  • Apple cider vinegar acts like a kind of dough conditioner, in other words it helps the gluten-free flours break down making it act like wheat bread. When used in conjunction with baking powder it creates more air bubbles.
  • Potato starch lightens the texture of gluten-free baked goods. Do not confuse this with potato flour.
Psyllium husk made up with water.

Artisan Style Gluten-Free Bread

A loaf that is not only Gluten-free but also vegan. It is a bread that with the addition of psyllium husk, can to kneaded and shaped like wheat bread.

Difficulty:IntermediatePrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 50 minutesRest time: 2 minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:1 Loaf servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Available

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Add the sugar and yeast to a small jug. Mix with 150 ml of the warm water and place in a warm place until the mixture begins to froth, This usually takes up to 15 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl sift together the potato starch, oat flour, sorghum flour, fine rice flour, salt and baking powder. Set this to one side.
  3. In another small bowl mix the psyllium husk with 250 ml of warm water. This thickens quickly, around 20 seconds so you want to do this at the last minute.
  4. To your dry ingredients add the yeast and psyllium mixes along with the apple cider vinegar. Combine until the mixture comes away from the side of the bowl. Now it is time to knead the dough, You can do this on a lightly floured bowl or with a stand mixer using a dough hook. Do this for around 15 minutes. Form into a smooth ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl with the seam side down. Cover with a damp clean tea towel and place into a warm place to rise. This should take around an hour or until your dough has risen to double the size.
  5. Once this has happened, once again turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently, forming once more into a ball. If you have a proofing basket, lightly dust it with flour and then place the dough into it seam side facing up. If you do not have a proofing basket then I would use a large bowl and line it with a clean cloth dusted with flour. Then use just the same way. Cover the dough again with a tea towel and leave to proof once again in a warm place until doubled in size once more.
  6. While the dough is proofing it is time to re heat your oven to 250 C. In the bottom of your oven place an oven proof bowl on hot water. This will create the steam. Using a cast iron skillet, tray or casserole dish , place it onto a middle shelf of the oven. Once the dough is risen turn it out onto a piece of baking parchment and score the top with a sharp knife.
  7. Remove the cast iron pan from the oven and transfer the dough and paper onto that and back into the oven, Bake for 10 Minutes at 250C and then turn down to 230 C and cook for a further 40-45 minutes until your bread is golden brown. If your loaf is beginning to darken too quickly then place a piece of foil over it with the shiny side up.
  8. Once done remove from the oven and place onto a cooking rack until completely cool.
  9. This bread keeps for 3-4 days in a air-tight container.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, please don’t forget to tag me on Twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of the recipes. I would love to hear your comments too. Feedback is so important.

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  2. Pingback: Artisan Gluten-Free Bread — The Gluten Free and Vegan Alchemist | My Meals are on Wheels

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