Are you missing the comfort of freshly baked bread on your gluten-free journey? Look no further! Today, I'm sharing a foolproof gluten-free bread recipe to revolutionise your baking game (you don’t need to be a professional baker; FYI, just have fun!) This isn't just any bread – it's a crusty, aromatic loaf that rivals traditional wheat bread in texture and taste.
When I started my anti-inflammatory journey for my skin and hormones, one thing I had to cut out from my diet was wheat, which was quite tricky at the time because, surprisingly, a lot more than you think has this ingredient! But then I started experimenting and learning to make my own, which nourished me inside out and supported my anti-inflammatory diet. Supporting your health needs doesn’t mean you need to restrict yourself from delicious foods!
Tips for Perfect Results
- Use room temperature ingredients for the best rise.
- Don't skip the psyllium husk gel-forming step.
- The apple cider vinegar is crucial for proper yeast activation
- Fresh herbs add wonderful aromatics but feel free to experiment with your favourite flavours
The Waiting Game
While it might be tempting to slice into your warm, fresh-from-the-oven loaf, patience is key. Allowing the bread to cool completely (1-4 hours) ensures the perfect texture and makes it easier to slice. Trust me, it's worth the wait!
Ingredients:
- 8 g (2 1/2 tsp) instant yeast
- 390 g warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- handful of rosemary and thyme
- 20 g (1/4 cup) Psyllium husk (which acts as a gluten substitute – more on that below)
- 100 g Potato starch (not to be confused with potato flour – these are two completely different things!)
- 90 g Brown rice flour (needs to be very finely milled, also called “superfine”)
- 130 g buckwheat flour
- 10 g (2 tsp) Salt
- 12 g (2 tsp) Apple cider vinegar (gives the yeast an extra boost of activity by creating a slightly acidic environment)
- Handful of Rosemary, thyme and sesame seeds
What is psyllium husk, and what is its role in gluten-free bread?
This is probably the only unfamiliar ingredient in the list above, but it is *crucial if you want to bake proper gluten-*free bread. When it’s mixed with water, psyllium husk forms a gel – which acts as the gluten substitute in the dough and the baked loaf.
Before baking, the psyllium gel helps to create a dough that can be kneaded and shaped (as opposed to a bread “batter” that has to be scooped or poured into a loaf tin).
Method:
- You should start pre-heating the oven to 460 ºF (220 ºC) about 30 – 45 minutes before you plan to bake the bread. Mix water and psyllium husk, and wait 10 mins until it becomes a gel consistency.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and quick yeast to a mixer or bowl
- Add wet ingredients: 3 eggs, psyllium husk gel, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
- mix thoroughly to combine. Once combined, you either need it or need to use a mixer to kneed it.
There’s no right or wrong way to knead gluten-free bread, as you don’t have to go through the stretching motions you’d typically use to build up the elasticity in gluten-containing wheat bread.
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, I tend to squeeze the dough through my fingers until smooth and homogeneous. After a few minutes, you’ll notice the dough coming away from the sides, and it will be easy to form it into a rough ball.
While it won’t have the same super-stretchy elasticity of a gluten-containing wheat dough, there’s enough elasticity there that you can stretch portions without breaking off. (Thank you, psyllium husk!)
Before the bulk proof, shape the dough into a ball. This is best done on a lightly oiled surface with lightly oiled hands. Lightly flatten the dough into a disc, then take individual portions along the edge and fold them back, rotating the dough as you go.
Once you complete one 360-degree rotation of the dough, you should be left with a ball of dough. Flip it seam side down and rotate in place to seal the seams.
- Add rosemary, thyme and sesame seeds on top
- 1st rise: bulk fermentation
For the bulk fermentation, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or lined with parchment paper, cover it with a damp tea towel, and let it rise for 35 minutes to an hour in a warm place (we use an oven at 50 degrees). It will approximately double in volume. - Place into a bread tin lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-50 minutes at 220 degrees C
- Let it rest for 1-4 hours until cutting into it. Please wait for the bread to be completely cool before you cut into it.
- Watch the full video tutorial on our co-founder’s HealingwithRoxy Instagram here.
