Grandma's Gluten Free Bread Recipe

WHEAT FREE, GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE AND EGG FREE BREAD

This recipe is my very first gluten free bread recipe, last time I made this wheat free, dairy free and egg free bread was thirty (30) odd years ago, when my son was diagnosed with food allergies and we had to eliminate wheat, dairy and egg from his diet.   

I can tell you honestly, in those days shopping for wheat free, diary free and egg free was a huge nightmare!

Unlike, today where you can find a good range of "free from" products available, in health food stores and supermarkets.  

So, you may well ask - Why am I baking "gluten free" bread today?

Recently I returned from Australia, where I spent close to 3 months residing with my daughter and grandchild.  They are both eating gluten free and dairy free, and the little one also has egg issues. Therefore during my stay, it was easier for me to join in their eating habits.  

I must admit I am not at all surprised that I found the gluten free diet suited me.  I have always had issues with eating bread, so only ever ate very small amounts of it.  Sometimes it takes sixty (60) years of living to realize you have an intolerance to gluten.

So now I am back in England and hunting down gluten free breads, and disappointed with the texture of the bread available.  

Although gluten free is available in my local supermarket, it is so light and fluffy, made to resemble normal bread, which I never ate anyway.  I prefer my bread to be solid, crusty and filling.  Like a good Italian ciabatta.  

That is why I have been searching the internet for gluten free, dairy free bread recipes, I want to make and bake my own, because I want a bread with solid texture and weight.  

Also, I want to bake with ingredients which are easy to find and purchase, and most of all, I want to control what goes into my bread.  

So here is my recipe for a loaf of bread which is gluten free, dairy free and egg free.

It has flavour and texture and is my preference for every day gluten free bread eating.

This recipe makes one loaf.  I always cut the loaf in half and wrap in baking paper and then place in plastic zip bag. One half in the fridge and one half in the freezer, we don't eat more than a couple of slices a day, so the freezing helps to keep the other half loaf fresh.

Left:  Bowl with wet ingredients and bowl with dry ingredients.  Right:  Bread batter in loaf pan before rising.

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 teaspoons organic coconut palm sugar
• 2 cups warm water 
• 4½ teaspoons DRY YEAST
• ⅓ cup honey
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ cups GF plain flour (Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize, Buckwheat)
• 1½ cups sorghum flour
• 1 cup rice flour 
• ½ cup flaxseed (linseed) ground
• 2½ teaspoons xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

METHOD:

Using an 11 x 5 inch loaf pan, grease with oil, and line with baking paper, and grease the paper too.  This is to make sure the bread comes out.  I had the horrible experience with my first trial of the bread sticking to the pan, I did use a smaller sized loaf pan, but that was enough for me to make sure it doesn't happen again.

In a small bowl, ADD the coconut sugar and the warm water, STIR to dissolve sugar, then ADD the dry yeast and STIR again.  Allow the mixture to STAND in a warm, draft free place for approx. 10 mins.

In the meantime, in a large bowl, ADD all the other dry ingredients - GF plain flour, sorghum flour, rice flour, ground flaxseed (linseed),  ADD the xanthan gum and sea salt.  Give it all a good stir with a wire whisk, to combine all the dry ingredients.

ADD the honey and the oil to the yeast mixture, stir with wire whisk.

 ADD the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir with the wire whisk, just to combine the ingredients. 

You will need to SWITCH to a wooden spoon to continue stirring the batter.  ADD some extra warm water, up to ¼ cup, if batter seems too thick.  I always do.

The whole process of mixing from start to finish, should only take a few minutes.  

TRANSFER the batter to the lined and oiled loaf pan, forming a loaf shape.  The batter does not fill the 11 x 5 inch pan.

ALLOW the loaf pan to stand in a warm, draft free place, for approx. 1hr.  So the bread can rise.

BAKE in a preheated oven 175C (350F) degrees for 50 to 55 mins.

LET the baked bread stand in the pan for about 10 mins, then remove and COOL on wire rack.  DO NOT CUT the bread before it has cooled completely.

MY RESOURCES:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/simple-bread
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/04/best-gluten-free-vegan-sandwich-bread.html
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/whole-grain-gluten-free-bread_17.html
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/gluten-free
http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/gluten-free-oven-baked-white-bread
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/delicious-gluten-free-bread.html
http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/2009/12/31/victory-gluten-free-bread-with-no-weird-gums-in-it
http://glutenfreegirl.com/2007/10/a-guide-to-working-with-gluten-free-flours