Gluten Free Bread - Moist, flexible and delicious

I have been quiet lately and taking a break from blogging as life has been so busy.  With working long hours and helping my parents to move house the last few months have passed like clouds in the sky.

  Last night I stopped by my pottery class to pick up some items that had been previously glazed and fired, and watching all of the people working on different projects I realised that I have missed attending pottery classes.

So I have made a date to create a chorizo pot next Wednesday.

Just like pottery, I enjoy blogging so I will continue to 'blog' my happenings and share my love of cooking with you all.

 I decided to avoid eating products containing gluten for one month to see if I would feel any different.  The result is that yes that I do feel better for varied reasons and have decided to continue with my gluten free diet.

Gluten is contained in so many food items but is easy to avoid apart from bread.  The gluten free bread you can buy is generally heavy, thick and non appetising.

Gluten free fried garlic bread

After doing some research I amended the recipes to one that suited the ingredients that appealed to me and also that I had in my pantry.  This recipe is adapted from Quirky Cooking and also King Arthur fine gluten free bread creations.

The resulting loaf is lovely, light and flexible, tasty and desirable.  It is a great for and everyday loaf of bread.

It is also delicious brushed with a mixture of butter and crushed garlic and lightly fried for garlic bread to accompany a gluten free pasta dish.

Here is the dough, resting for 2 hours.

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Gorgeous Gluten Free Bread 

 Ingredients

2 Tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons water

Dry Ingredients
. 300g gluten free flour (purchased from supermarkets or health food stores)

. 220g sorghum flour (found in health food shops)                                          

. 380g tapioca starch (tapioca flour)                                                                
. 2 Tablespoons instant yeast                                                                           

. 1 Tablespoon fine sea salt (you can use Himalayan to taste)                        

Moist Ingredients
4 large eggs

670g lukewarm water

70g light oil (eg. macadamia, grapeseed, sunflower)

30g honey

Method

Firstly, mix the chia seeds with the water and put aside.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix together.

In a separate bowl mix all of the wet ingredients together and add the chia seed mixture.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.   The dough will look sticky but don't knead it, place a tea towel over the top and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

You can cook it now, line a loaf pan with baking paper, sprinkle with a little cornmeal (polenta) and pour enough mixture to come three quarters of the way up the sides and allow to rest, loosely covered for at least 40 mins. 

Make several slashes across the loaf at 2cm intervals.  Brush with a little water.

Preheat oven to 180C and place on lower shelf, bake for 35 minutes or until the sides of the bread leave the pan.

This is enough mixture to make 3 loaves of gluten free bread.

You can refrigerate the dough loosely covered for the next 7 days, although the flavour gets stronger each day.  If refrigerated the dough will need to rest for about an hour and a half, or even 2 hours before baking

 It will rise a little in this time, but it won't double like regular bread dough does.

Allow bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a rack to finish cooling.

This freezes beautifully, sliced and stored in a plastic bag.
You can refrigerate slices for a few days in the fridge in an air tight container.

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Have you ever tried a diet to specifically avoid certain food groups?
Did you notice a difference?

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx