Gluten-Free Bread

All sorrows are less with bread

I’m a bread lover in every shape and form. So when I found out I’m gluten intolerant I was slightly frustrated with the bread options I got. I mean every type of gluten-free bread I tried was either too soggy or bready, the texture was almost never right! So I opted for making my own bread at home in the hope I would be reunited with my love. 

Yes, bread is my love. If it isn’t your love as well then that is probably because you didn’t try a hot loaf of bread with some cheese spread on top. You didn’t enter a bakery and smell freshly baked bread. You didn’t have a baguette dipped in butter and sugar on the streets of France. Bread – that freshly baked, pillowy goodness that completes every meal, complements every moment and absorbs every emotion. 

So at first, I followed a regular bread making a recipe where I used regular active yeast and a deep baking tray! This failed. You see gluten-free flour is much more delicate than regular flour and so a basic use of active yeast and a deep tray won’t do it. In my second attempt, I used dry yeast and a cast iron. I also left it to rise under a damp towel rather than a cling film. Those elements made a huge difference in how the bread actually looks like and how it’s texture is actually like. 

Whilst Homemade gluten-free bread tasted much better than store-bought I still prefer regular bread. I don’t know if it is all in my mind or not but bread made with regular flour is hundred per cent better than any other bread made with other types of flour! 

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Ingredients: 

• 500g Gluten-free flour mix
• 400ml of room temperature water 
• 1 tsp of sugar 
• 1tsp of salt 
• 20g of dry yeast 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together. You may want to sieve the flour first to make sure no little crumbs form, this ensures the bread is airy and fluffy. 
2. Knead the dough and form a ball. Cover it with a damp towel and let it expand in size (double) for 45 min. 
3. Drizzle some olive oil in an iron skillet or a deep baking tray and preheat oven to 200°c. 
4. Bake until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 97°c, about 45 minutes. (If the crust gets too dark before the internal temperature reaches 97°c, place a piece of foil onto the bread. This prevents the crust from burning.)
5. Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for two minutes. When cool, slice into pieces.

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It may differ from one person to another. Baking is a technique that needs to be practised. The more you practice the more you will know what truly works for you.

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Until next time, crave the dish…