Rustic White Bread, Gluten Free

"Without bread all is misery." William Cobbett

 

Hello followers! If you live in the Hamilton area, I'm sure you know about the fantastic Horn of Plenty food store. It has everything you need for a healthy lifestyle!

Sorry that I did not post a blog last week, I've got a lot on the go these days including a big culinary adventure! I'm not ready to fill you in yet, but I will make my announcement soon. Also, I got a new camera. It's a DSLR and my photos should be looking a bit better once I figure out how to use it properly! The photos today are with the new camera, even though I really don't know what I'm doing yet, so I hope they are alright.

Well, today I am once again heading into uncharted waters and venturing into gluten free baking! Look out! Quite a few people I know are turning to a gluten free diet, either recommended by their doctor or on their own. Even I eliminated gluten from my diet several years ago when some problems had surfaced. Back when I was avoiding gluten, the variety of products were quite limited. These days, things are very different and buying or making gluten free items has become much easier! Also, to be frank, this bread tastes much better than any gluten free bread that I had bought back in the day! It's light, soft and tastes like a mild egg bread. Delicious!

 

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

 

'Rustic' White Bread Loaf, Gluten Free

(makes 1 loaf)

 

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp yeast (quick rise instant yeast)

2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used safflower oil), divided

1 tsp cider vinegar

 

In a measuring cup, dissolve the honey in the lukewarm water and add the yeast. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer add in both flours, the xanthan gum and sea salt. Attach the paddle for mixing and set on low to combine the dry ingredients. Once the yeast is frothy, pour it into the flour mixture, along with the eggs, 2 tbsp of oil and the vinegar. Turn the mixer up to high speed and mix for 3 mins, until the batter is smooth (it will have the consistency of a cake batter). 

Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top with your spatula. Cover the loaf pan with a cloth or piece of plastic and allow to sit in a warm place for 25 to 30 mins, until the batter has doubled in size. Do not let it rise up over the top of the loaf pan. Heat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 45 to 50 mins, until browned. For a crusty loaf, place an oven proof dish with water in it in the bottom of the oven. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow the bread to cool on a rack. Enjoy!

How easy is that?! I might add that the ingredients are all rather low in cost, well, except for the xanthan gum. Although it is quite expensive, a little xanthan gum goes a long way and if you are on a strict gluten free diet, it will be a key ingredient in baking. You see, xanthan gum is the gluten substitute and is needed to bind the ingredients together. I really hope you like this bread!

Now, before I go, I gotta talk about Ontario grown garlic! You know when they say that us consumers can make a difference? Well, I now have faith that this claim is actually true! After months of asking grocery store managers why the only garlic available is from China, I recently discovered Ontario garlic popping up in the stores that I shop at. I know its not just me who's been asking, so thank you to everyone for demanding local products in our stores. Congratulations to us all! I consider this quite a triumph and it just goes to show that if we keep asking for local goods in our stores, we will get them! Bye for now followers, I'll be back next week!