Gluten Free Bread

 Let me start by saying I am not gluten free.  I do not have celiac or gluten sensitivities, nor am I that trendy.  I do have friends who are celiac and who have sensitivities and as such, I wanted to experiment with gluten free baking.

I found this recipe on the Well Fed Baker site.  The video is what sold me on trying the recipe.  I have been raving about this bread for the last 2 days.  It is absolutely awesome, delicious, great texture, chew, and a wonderful crumb.

I know that it is a commitment with 4 different gluten free flours, but the results are really worth it.  I doubled the recipe because I have a large pullman pan.  You do not need a pullman pan.  A pullman pan is a straight sided, narrow baking pan with a lid that creates that square look in sandwich breads.  There are also a LOT of eggs in this recipe.  They, along with the psyllium gel, give the bread the support it needs to rise.  

Look at that crumb!  No gaping holes, no collapsing, it's perfection.

I had that slice and was soooooo pleased.  I have been slicing off pieces and eating them with butter, with jam, with anything I can get my hands on. It slices nicely because it has heft and the crust is sturdy.  

The use of 4 different types of gluten free flours may be off putting to some, but it is really worth it.  They are sorghum, brown rice, potato, and tapioca flours.  The website offers several substitutions if you don't have these.  If you have celiac, you probably already have many of these in your pantry.  If not, think of it as a mitzvah for your gluten intolerant friends to keep some on hand.

The secrets, as I can see, are:

1. A stand mixer.  It's a heavy, wet dough and needs to be mixed thoroughly 
2. If you use psyllium powder instead of husk, use 85% of the weight.  I learned the hard way that the powder is hell, just hell, to mix with water and get rid of any lumps.  I strongly urge husks not powder.
3. A double batch used 2 whole eggs and 7 egg whites.  See #1
4. It rises like crazy.  My batch exploded out of the lidded pullman pan during the rise in less than 30 minutes.
5. The long wait of several hours is essential as well.  The bread has to cool to its center in order to slice well.  Patience!

I really have gone total fan girl geek on this recipe and sent a thank you note to the author.  I really want to encourage everyone to give this a go.  Use whatever loaf pan you have but DO NOT GREASE, the bread needs to grab onto the sides.

Post dough explosion

    Here is the pre-bake photo after the dough ran over the sides of the pan.  I            made a critical error in that I assumed it would take longer to rise than it did.        According to the recipe, it is to rise until it is just under the top of the pan.            My hope was that the craggy top would not ruin the look of the loaf.  

Right out of the oven

Cooling