But it is possible to make gluten free bread at home that doesn't resemble a small house brick. The premise is that your expectations have to be adjusted somewhat before you start! Forget the rules for 'normal' bread - there's no gluten here to knead! And with a bit of care, you can produce a very tasty, light textured loaf, that slices well and - as with most GF breads - toasts well.
This recipe is one I've had some success with, giving a nice brown crust, good texture and slightly sweet taste. It uses fairly readily available ingredients that can be found in your local health store.
Ingredients
120 ml warm water
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp dry yeast
300g white rice flour
225g tapioca flour
50g sugar
4 tsp xanthan gum
75g millet flakes
1.5 tsp salt
360ml water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp white wine vinegar
3 eggs
Instructions
makes 2 loaves
1. Place warm water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl, mix well and set aside for 15 minutes
2. Sift together the flours, sugar, xanthan gum, millet flakes and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
3. In another bowl, combine the water, melted butter, vinegar and eggs
4. Add the butter and yeast mixtures to the dry ingredients and beat well, preferably with an electric mixer, until well mixed. It will be very moist and sticky.
5. If you can knead it, do so, otherwise divide it between two, greased 450g loaf tins. Put them in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes. The dough will rise slightly, but don't expect too much.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 4
7. Brush the top of the loaves with some vegetable oil and sprinkle on a handful of golden linseeds/ millet flake mix. This will give a nice brown crust with some texture as most GF flours tend to produce a whitish crust that isn't particularly apetising.
8. Bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes until golden brown, or until a skewer comes out clean, and cool on wire racks.
9. Best eaten on the day or within a few days. If freezing, slice it first and freeze on the day you make it.
