I think with every bread recipe I post I mention that gluten-free bread, regardless of the ingredients it’s made from, doesn’t taste the same as gluten bread. Because each cereal or pseudocereal has its own specific taste. Nothing tastes like wheat. And real bread, without additives to improve taste, texture and shelf life, tastes like the grain from which it is made. What we buy in the store under the title of “gluten-free bread” and has the familiar taste and texture of bread, is “enriched” with chemicals and a lot of sugar to make it so. I once did an experiment: I put 2 tablespoons of sugar in a 500 gram loaf of bread. It didn’t taste sweet at all. Do you realize how much sugar that super-processed gluten-free bread has, if it feels so sweet?
We have become accustomed to the taste of bread with gluten, and in the last 20-30 years, to the sweet and spongy bread in the shops. And now we have to make the switch to gluten-free bread. At this stage we should keep 2 things in mind: reduce the consumption of bread and get used to a different taste of bread.
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You have written me many times that you cannot get used to the harsh taste of millet, which I use most often in bread. So, I started experimenting with different mixtures of natural flours, to “sweeten” this taste a little 😊. You have a mix version here, and another one here. The mixture that I propose to you today seems to me to have a rather neutral taste. I used oats for the first time in a recipe, I didn’t really tolerate them until now. Although I usually don’t use ingredients with the cut ear logo, for oats it is necessary to have the specification “gluten-free”, because it can be the most easily contaminated.
Ingredients
For the preferment:
- 2 Tbsp psyllium bran
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (sold as tapioca flour, but it is starch)
- A sachet of dry yeast
- A teaspoon of sugar
- 400 grams of lukewarm water
The flour mixture I used:
- 100 grams of millet flour
- 50 grams of tapioca starch
- 40 grams of coconut flour
- 50 grams of rolled oats (to state on the package that they are gluten-free)
Extras:
- A teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Recipe Method
Mix the preferment ingredients in a large bowl. Homogenize with a whisk, psyllium bran tends to clump together when mixed with water. Cover the bowl and leave it for a few minutes, to activate the yeast and hydrate the bran.
During this time, weigh and mix the flour and salt. Grind the oats in a blender and add them to the mix. Mix well with a spoon.
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Now make the dough. I put about half of the flour mixture on top of the activated yeast, and mix with the spoon. Then I lift the dough slightly, put the rest of the flour underneath and continue kneading by hand, until all the flour is incorporated. Now is the time to put the olive oil, also under the dough. Resume kneading until it is also incorporated.
Form the dough into a ball and cover the bowl well. I have a large bowl with a lid, but it can also be covered with cling film, then a towel. Let it rise for about an hour.
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Dust the work surface with tapioca starch and remove the dough from the bowl. Using starch to roll out the dough and portion the bread is better than flour, it helps keep it from sticking and the dough stretches better.
Now we need a lot of patience. With the help of the rolling pin, roll out the dough carefully, so not to break it. Fold it in 3, turn it upside down, cover it with the bowl and leave it like that for another 15-20 minutes. The dough is not as elastic as other mixes, so we will spend more time rolling it out. If it breaks at this stage, the bread will crumble. So… patience and slow movements 😊.
Repeat the operation with the stretched and folded. Again, turn it upside down. Next comes the portioning and forming of the loaves. I advise you to make 2 baguettes from this quantity. This way it bakes nicely, there is no risk of it remaining uncooked in the middle. And some wonderful sandwiches come out of the baguette.
Cut the dough in half with a precise cut, so that no pieces remain, otherwise, as I mentioned, the bread will crumble when cutting. Stretch each piece of dough with the same care into a sheet about 2 cm thick, which roll tightly and place with the seam down. Leave the baguettes covered with a towel.
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Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius. Also put in the oven the tray in which we will bake the baguettes. While the oven is heating, they finish their last round of growth.
Put a baking sheet in the hot pan, paying attention to the integrity of your fingers. Also place the baguettes on the baking sheet. With the help of a sharp blade (I have a carpentry cutter blade) make 3-4 deep notches on each stick. These will allow the bread to rise nicely when baked.
Leave in the oven for 45-60 minutes, it depends on each person’s oven. It’s ready when it sounds hollow when tapped on the side it sat in the pan. Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing, otherwise it will appear half-baked.
