Crusty French Bread Recipe (GF)
One of the first question's on every gluten-intolerant persons lips when they're first diagnosed is, 'will I ever again truly enjoy one of life's great pleasures..hot crusty bread' Yup, that's an Mmm with a capital M.
The great news is with some naturally gluten free flour's at the ready, you can make crusty breads that are arguably as good as the gluten-filled and not always healthy, originals.
I actually had an amazing recipe that tearfully was waylaid, but this adapted recipe by Linda Etherton is very similar, using egg whites and yeast to create bubbles of exquisite soft bread in the centre, and a deliciously crunchy exterior.
Recipe
CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD
Ingredients
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1½ cup potato starch
- ½ cup tapioca starch or flour
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon guar gum
- 1½ Tablespoons instant or bread machine yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1 cup warm water
Directions
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the dry ingredients (sorghum flour through yeast).
- Add the olive oil and egg whites and mix to incorporate.
- Add the vinegar and most of the water. Beat for 2 minutes, adding the remaining water if needed to make a soft dough.
- Spoon the dough onto the pan and carefully shape with a spatula. Because the dough is soft, it will go through the small holes in the pan. Don’t press hard when shaping.
Tip* If you don't have a baguette pan, you can shape foil to create a bread cradle. - Allow to rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm place.
- Brush the top with a little water or beaten egg white
- Use a sharp knife to cut several slits in the top of each loaf.
- Place the pan in a cold oven on a middle rack. Turn the oven on to 200 degrees and begin timing for 30 – 35 minutes.
- Cool the loaves on a wire wrack before slicing