I found the recipe for this delicious gluten free loaf of bread years ago, when I first had to go gluten free, on a French blog called “on mange sans gluten”, written by Perrine.  I have adapted it ever so slightly, but it’s very close to what she posted.  One thing I found out is that, while this bread is delicious when made with cider, it is equally fabulous if you use gluten free beer 🙂

As gluten free bread is usually more “runny” than ordinary bread, I tend to bake it systematically in a cake tin.  However, this bread holds much better than others, so if you want to shape it into a loaf and place it directly on baking paper, you should be happy with the result.

So, here is what you need…

 

Ingredients:

• 150 ml water
• 250 ml cider or gluten free beer
• 300 g gluten free flour (you need a bread mix here; I use Schaer mix B)
• 40 g white rice flour
• 40 g arrow root powder
• 40 g buckwheat flour
• 5 g salt
• 20 g psyllium husk powder
• 7 g dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon colza oil (or sunflower oil)

 

Method:

• Place the water in a large bowl.  Add the yeast and sprinkle the surface with a little sugar.  Let it stand for about ten minutes until the yeast is activated (see Baking bread)
• Add the cider or gluten free beer and mix
• Add the oil, flours, salt, and psyllium husk powder.
• Mix thoroughly, preferably using an electric mixer (I have a simple electric hand mixer, and I use the dough hooks to knead the bread for about five minutes)
• Let the dough rise for about two hours
• When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and knead it again just for a minute
• Put it into a cake tin (lined with non-stick baking paper) or shape it into a loaf of bread and place it on a baking tray (covered with non-stick baking paper)
• Let the bread rise again for about an hour
• Heat the oven at 225°C and cook the bread for about 35 minutes

 

Optional:

• If you have a conventional oven, lightly brush the loaf with a little vegetable oil just before baking.  This makes will make it crustier and shinier.
• If, like me, you are the lucky owner of a combined steam oven, select the “hot air and steam” cooking mode.  It bakes the bread to perfection and there is no need to brush it with oil 🙂
• If you cook your bread in a cake tin, take it out of the oven after 25 minutes, take the loaf out of the cake tin and place it back in the oven for the last 10 minutes.  This will ensure the loaf is crusty all around and not just on top.

 

This bread freezes perfectly.  You can make several and freeze them whole once they have cooled down completely.  When you need a loaf, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours, then put it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to finish thawing and make it nice and crusty again.

You can also cut the bread in slices and freeze them.  I then just take one slice at a time out of the freezer and pop it directly into the toaster to thaw it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!