It's a process and takes a whole day but each step is easy
Gluten-free bread gets a bad rap (for good reason!), but I can say with confidence that this bread has it all- great texture and taste. Finding a gluten-free sourdough bread is not easy and there's good reason to seek it out since it has many health benefits. Sourdough bread, aside from being flavourful, is lower on the glycemic index and better for digestion. The fermentation process is believed to reduce the anti-nutrients in grains that bind to minerals, making in more nutritious. Fermenting the bread also gives it a slightly sour taste and richness which with this bread is balanced by the sweet, edgy molasses.
Where to get your starter? I tried doing a wild gluten-free starter from scratch but it never worked very well. I ended up ordering the Cultures For Health brand gluten-free starter from Amazon and it works well if you follow the instructions properly.
What to bake it in? Sourdough bread turns out best when it is baked in a dutch oven or ceramic pan with a cover. I have tried it in a dutch oven and it tends to bake too flat so now I use a covered ceramic bread pan. I have also used two ceramic bread pans- one as the vessel and the other as the cover, and this worked well but sometimes the top would fall off when I shut the oven door. If you have to use the dutch oven, shape the dough into a tall ball so that it maintains some height when it's done.
Why are the amounts in grams? This is fairly standard in bread baking.
Ingredients
Pre-dough
150g Active starter
100g Water
80g Brown rice flower
Liquids
20g Psyllium husks
300g Water
30g Blackstrap molasses
15g Olive oil
9g Salt
Flour Mix
140g Tapioca flour
80g Sorghum flour
80g Brown rice flour
15g Oat flour (optional- you can replace with more brown rice flour)
25g Whole millet (optional)
Step 1: Prime your sourdough starter (2 minutes active time/3-5 hours activating the dough)
Mix 150g of sourdough starter with 100g of water and 80g of brown rice flour. Mix it well and let it sit in a warmish place (it won't be happy on a cold counter) until it is bubbling and looking alive ( about 3-5 hours). You can do this the night before you plan to make the bread.
It's alive!
Step 2: Make the dough (10 minutes)
In a smaller bowl, blend your wet 300g of water with 20g of psyllium husks, mix well then add the 30 g of molasses, 15 g olive oil and 9 g salt and mix well. Psyllium is a binder and it is the structure to this bread. When it is mixed with the wet ingredients it will expand and create a spongy paste but it takes a few minutes to activate.
In a large mixing bowl add the 140g of tapioca flour, 80g sorghum flour
80g brown rice flour, 15g of oat flour, and 25g of whole millet. Blend the flours together then add your pre-dough and wet ingredients. You want to blend everything well but there's no need for kneading since the point of kneading bread is to activate the gluten. Once it's well blended, you should have a dough that is sticky to the touch but doesn't cling to the hands. If you find that your dough is too wet, add more brown rice flour. Let it sit in a warm place covered in a plastic bag or wet towel for 3-5 hours. You will know it's ready when it has grown by about 50%ish (it won't double in size like a gluten-filled bread) and feels spongier.
Step 3: Prep for baking (30 minutes)
Preheat your oven to 425˚F and add your baking pan and cover to the oven. When the oven and baking pan are hot and holding temperature (about20- 30 minutes) take your bread from the bowl, lay it on a piece of parchment paper. Open the oven and holding on to the parchment paper, carefully place your bread inside hot baking pan. Cover it with the lid and close the oven and set a timer for 40 minutes,
You can slit it down the middle but it doesn't really show in the final product.
Step 4: Let it bake (75 minutes)
When the timer goes off at 40 minutes, remove the lid and turn the oven down to 400˚ and bake for another 35 minutes. When it's done, remove it from the oven and from the pan and let it cool down somewhat before cutting into it.
It does hold it's shape better for even slicing when you wait for it to cool down. I often leave half the loaf out and put the other half in the freezer for toast.
Did you have the patience to get through this lengthy process? If so, well done!
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