I have heard the cries of my gluten free friends for far too long and I'm finally happy to report that I've perfected my own recipe for remarkable tasty gluten free bread. Auntie Em can now have asandwichon something besides rice cakes.Hallelujah! Or in her words, "Halle-freakin'-loooooja!"
I tried several recipes from a lot of different sources and never really found one that I liked enough to post on my blog. I'm picky about bread. Some of the loaves I saw were pretty...ugly. They didn't look like sandwich bread. In fact, the number one complaint I hear about converting to a gluten free life...is the lack of really good bread. Gooooood bread. Bread that tastes like the bread you "left behind" to become gluten free. So, I've been playing with some good GF flours and starches...and look! It slices like bread, it is mild and nutty whole grain bread not overloaded with simple starches. Auntie Em is also diabetic so we can't go crazy with the starch. I went so far as to get several different gluten free bread mixes to see what they were using. Still...this homemade one has been the best to date.
Look! It's really bread!
You will need some Tapioca flour.
Here's the 411. Tapica flour is also known as Tapioca starch. This flour, made from cassava root is primarily used to thicken sauces or add chewiness to lighten baked goods. The 4 lb bag was right around 7$ at Honeyville Farms in Chandler, AZ.
You will also need some good whole grain sorghum flour. I really adore how sorghum bakes. I found this atPreparing Wisely in Mesa, AZ. I prefer the fine grind if you can find it.
You will also need brown rice flour. I got some outstandingHoneyville Farms brown rice flourthat I used in conjunction with the sorghum. It was a remarkable.
Next you'll also need some Xanthan gum.
It mimics gluten in baked goods and is 100% natural.
ChefTess Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
1/3cup egg whites
1egg
1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4cup olive oil
1/4cup honey or agave nectar
11/2 cups warm skim milk (or soy milk)
1teaspoon salt
1tablespoon xanthan gum
1cup Tapioca Flour
2cup whole grain sorghum flour ( I loveTwin Valley Mills Sorghum flour)
1½ cup Honeyville Farms brown rice flour
1T active dry yeast
Directions:In a gallon size mixer bowl combine salt, xanthan gum, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, and brown rice flour.
Combine egg, egg whites, vinegar, olive oil, honey and milk in a bowl. Add the yeast to the wet ingredients.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and knead by hand 3-4 minutes. Honestly, you can use a spoon.
The dough doesn't look like regular bread dough. It's more like a thick ice cream...but not cold...and sticky as heck-fire. Yes. Heck-fire is sticky.
Form into a rough ball. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes. This gives the dough time to absorb the moisture so it can be formed into a descent loaf. Yeah. Most of the recipes I saw ended up more like a batter bread and the loaves looked really pathetic. Sorry to anyone who has made those posts and said they are great. I didn't see many that even looked like a normal loaf of sandwich bread. One even said, "look at this gorgeous loaf!" I was looking...alas. I digress.
Sprinkle counter top with ¼ cup extra sorghum flour. Put dough on counter and gently form into a loaf by rolling into a log shape. Use a light hand and cover with more flour if needed.
Lightly grease an 9 inch by 4 inch bread pan. Leave uncovered on the counter 45 minutes. I slashed the top of the loaf with a knife just before baking so it would look more like regular baked bread when it raised in the oven. Don't be afraid, but it won't raise much on the counter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 350 degrees 60-65 minutes until 170 degrees internal temperature.
When bread is finished, let cool 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.
Slice with a very sharp bread knife after bread has cooled. Wrap tightly after bread cools to reserve moisture.
I've found that letting the bread cool completely before slicing is the best for great thin slices.
The texture, flavor, and keeping quality are amazing. Just be sure to keep the bread in a plastic bag. Yeah baby! Bread is back!
There you go! Make some gluten free bread!
Get the printable recipeHere.
For those here local, remember I'll be teaching a free class on gluten free baking Tuesday Jan. 3rd at 10 AM at our local Honeyville Farms store in Chandler. This will be a wonderful class for those wanting some great pointers on baking and cooking with a gluten free lifestyle.
Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess
