Gluten-free white bread loaf

The coeliac disease (CD) and gluten-related disorders are on the rise. Gluten-like proteins are the trigger for this, which is present in wheat, rye and barley.

Often people think of Gluten-free products as dry and crumbly. Still, with the right blend and combinations of different flours, the baking is successful and delicious.

Gf flours work differently to wheat as they lack the protein Gluten and you need to understand how they work. Therefore, the result of baked goods is different, and there is nothing that can accurately mimic the role of Gluten. But understanding how to blend will help achieve the best home Gluten-free flour mix.

Many different gluten-free flours are out there, and there are so many different combinations and proportions of flours possible. For light breads and cakes, I prefer to use more starchy flours such as tapioca, corn-starch, potato flour in addition to a high protein flour. For whole grain flours, I like to use sorghum, teff, buckwheat and quinoa. White rice flour, I always incorporate it as one of the blends of flours as it has a neutral flavour.

Gluten-free baking is about experimenting all the time with different combinations. Once you find what pleases you stick to it and use it for all your baking needs.

Some gluten-free flours can be expensive, but white rice flour, tapioca flour, sorghum flour and cornflour are cheap are readily available in supermarkets that cater to the Asian customers.

You check out more gluten free recipes here.

Some of my favourite flours:

Tapioca flour from cassava and arrowroot flour is light and improve the texture of baked goods.

Corn starch makes baked goods soft

Rice flour is cheap and has a neutral flavour

Sorghum flour has a mild taste

Teff flour is rich in iron and fibre

Buckwheat is high in protein and fibre

Oat flour is sweet and light

Xantham gum is a binder and stabiliser. It also adds a chewy texture.

Servings: 14 slices

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes

baking: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Wet ingredients

120 millilitres warm water

200 millilitres warm milk

Two tablespoons sugar or honey

Two eggs, separated

70 millilitres canola oil

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Dry ingredients

One tablespoon instant yeast

260 grams of rice flour

120 grams sorghum flour

120 grams tapioca flour

One teaspoon xanthan gum

One teaspoon GF baking powder

One teaspoon Himalayan salt

Method:

· Separate the eggs and leave aside.

· Combine all the dry ingredient in the bowl of the electric mixer. Add all the wet ingredients except for the egg whites. Whisk together Using the K hook for 1 minute. You can be achieved whisking by hand as well.

· By now you should have a batter resembling cake batter.

· Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks occur.

· Pour the fluffy egg whites into the batter and mix for 20 seconds on low. You can mix by hand as well.

· Oil the base of a 1 kg or 2 LB bread tin then line with a folded baking sheet to cover 2/3 of the base as seen in the video.

· Pour the dough into the tin and press down with a spatula to shape it, then sprinkle any GF flour on the top.

· Meanwhile, put the oven on pilot light 50 C and place the tin in leaving it to proof. The process might take up to 50 minutes to an hour. It needs to almost double in size and have natural occurring cracks on the face. You can also achieve this by placing the tin in a warm place but, may take longer to proof.

· Remove the proofed tin to a warm place then raise the temperature of the oven to 200 C. Once the oven has reached temperature, place the bread in the 2/3 upper part of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

· Remove from the oven and tip the tin upside down on a wire rack removing the mould and bake in the oven for a further 10 minutes or so until you tap the base and hear a hollow sound.

· Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.

· Best sliced following the steps in the video and frozen. Thaw as needed.

Notes:

· The Addition of vinegar help strengthens the dough and react well with baking powder releasing more carbon dioxide to help the raising of the dough.

· The Xanthan gum or guar gum binds the dough.

· Always mix your GF flour blend.

· Always have a big GF flour blend mixed and stored in an airtight container which comes handy all the time

· Gluten-free baking is a formula meaning; if you add more or less of an ingredient or change the flour, the result will vary.

· Always slice and freeze the bread as it will harden by the next day.

Per Serving: 201 Calories; 6g Fat (28.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 32mg Cholesterol; 205mg Sodium.