Ok ok….. I know this is another bread recipe, but when I was recently asked by a fellow blogger for an easy gluten free bead recipe, I had this sinking feeling that whilst I have a load of recipes on the blog, I do use lots of different flours and if you don’t have to bake gluten free all the time, you are unlikely to have quick access to (or any desire to source and buy) the base ingredients for the flour mixes.
I have worked really hard over the years to create breads which taste great and move away from the dry, commercial gluten free loaves that Coeliacs and others intolerant to gluten seem to be expected to enjoy. There is nothing worse than eating a sandwich that requires a glass of water with every bite just to swallow it. Although bought gluten free bread has started to improve significantly, many brands still have a long way to go to make me bread-happy and so I still choose to make my own on a regular basis and store batches in the freezer ready for action.
Although I make no apology for the various flours that I blend together (carefully selected for nutrition, texture and flavour), I do appreciate that for some, it seems a complete faff and that it might be off-putting to even try. So for this recipe, I have decided to simplify a little by using a commercial flour blend (Doves Farm Free From Gluten Brown Bread Flour), to which I have added Oat and Teff Flour to improve the nutritional content and balance the ultimate structure and flavour of the loaves. Both gluten free oats (which can be home-ground into flour really easily) and Teff flour are readily available in the larger supermarkets (Doves Farm also package handy pots of Teff), but if you need to use an alternative, either buckwheat flour or millet flour are good Teff-substitutes for this recipe.
Once you have made this bread a couple of times, you will find it really quick and easy…. I promise. You can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and then the dough takes only 10 to 15 minutes to mix ready for proving (including the time it takes to boil the kettle for the warm water). If you have access to a food thermometer (I have a digital Thermapen), I urge you to get an accurate temperature for the water added, as it makes a huge difference to the quick activation of the yeast.
Once you have tried it, you might just find that the brief time it takes to mix, is more than worth the extra effort for a decent lunch…..
This bread is fundamentally a tweaked version of the dough I made for my Bread Bouquet. It is a tried and tested recipe…… and is no less successful with the Doves Farm flour. Actually, I was impressed with the Doves Farm bread flour. Whilst I have never used it on its own, used in this recipe and mixed with the oat and Teff flours it made a wholesome-textured loaf and rolls and the colour and flavour were really good. I bought mine in one of the larger Sainsbury stores, but being such a well-known brand, it must be relatively easily sourced.
Having tested the recipe with this flour, I am fairly sure that you could substitute for other commercial flour blends…… If anyone gives it a go, I would love to know how you get on.
Before you get down to the recipe, I have one last little plea to make…… If you read my last post, you will know that I have been nominated for an Allergy Blog Award. I will be honest, I do really struggle with actively asking for votes (or asking for anything at all…… I hate putting on people…), but as the system goes, it seems that asking is something I need to do…… So if you enjoy my recipes and your visits to my little blog, could I ask you to take a little time to pop over to the voting page, scroll down to my two nominated categories (Free From Recipes and Most Innovative) and then cast a vote for Gluten Free Alchemist via the drop down box? I would really appreciate your support!
Anyway….. back to bread….. I am sharing my recipe with the following this week :
Brilliant Blog Posts with Honest Mum
Cook Once Eat Twice with Searching for Spice – I always make extra bread and pop it in the freezer to keep fresh.
Brown Bread Rolls/Loaves – using Doves Gluten Free Brown Bread Flour (makes approx 2 x 1 lb loaves or 12 to 15 rolls (dependent on size))
Ingredients
100g Oat Flour
90g Teff Flour (if you don’t have Teff, you could use millet flour or buckwheat flour)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
7g gelatine/4g vegegel
3 tablespoons milk powder
11g easy bake yeast (I used Allinsons)
3 large eggs – room temperature
1 tablespoon runny honey
370g warm water (at 46 C/115 F)
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
milk or egg to glaze
Method
- Weigh and mix together all the dry ingredients, including the yeast (I weigh all into an airtight container, seal and shake to get an even blend with no lumps). Set aside.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl and add the honey and warm water (at 46 C/115 F). Beat with a whisk until well blended and airy.
- Add the lemon juice, sunflower oil and dry ingredients and mix together well with a dough hook mixer attachment or wooden/silicone spoon until evenly combined. Continue to mix for a few minutes to allow the ingredients to amalgamate well and become a gloopy batter.
- Spoon the dough into your base-lined bread tins/moulds (about two-thirds full), or dollop large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and smooth with a wet knife.
- Cover with clingfilm and place the trays somewhere warm for about 40 to 50 minutes to rise – I put mine in a very low oven with a bowl of steaming water.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Before baking, brush the tops of the dough with egg/milk to glaze.
- Bake the bread – 15 minutes for small rolls, 25 to 30 minutes for larger loaves.
- Remove from the oven when baked golden brown and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Hello – what kind of mould do you use to make the rolls? I have a 2lb loaf tin but would love to make the smaller, individual ones.
Thanks!
Leila
Hi Leila. No mould needed. Just use an ice cream scoop with a 'sweep-trigger' to push out the dough, or use a large spoon and smooth the tops with the back of a dampened spoon. You can even pipe this mix…. check out my bread bouquet…. similar consistency! https://www.glutenfreealchemist.com/2016/09/beautiful-gluten-free-bread-bouquet.html
Let me know how you get on xx
Hi Kate,
Your method turned out perfectly! Unfortunately my hand slipped when I was adding the gelatine so ended up with 17g instead of 7g, so they didn't rise quite as beautifully as when I made it in the loaf tin – still tasty though.
Thanks for your fab recipe! The bread maker has been banished to the back of the cupboard xx
Oh no! I hope it didn't 'wobble'!
So pleased you have found a recipe that you are happy with x
They look like perfect bread rolls to me. Well done for persisting with your GF bread experimentation and making something that is satisfying to eat and nutritionally sound.
Thanks Choclette. It does seem to have become a bit of an obsession! x
Oooh Kate these buns look so good! I would not be able to resist them x #cookonceeattwice
Thank you Kirsty. They are way better than shop bought GF rolls! x
I always feel very post using Doves flours as they come in those delightful little tubs! Homemade bread is gorgeous and comes with the added bonus of feeling proud that you have made it! Thanks so much for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek – Great to have you on board x
You're welcome Helen…. good to be part of it!
Yum! What fab looking bread. I find it very strange that better GF flour is not available widely by now…surely if GF bloggers can come up with great flour mixes that work then the big manufacturers ought to be able to too! Eb x
Thanks Eb. The flour issue is a tricky one….. The huge problem is the cost…… for big manufacturers to produce flour which is not massively expensive, means a heavy weighting towards rice flour (which is not great for lots of reasons). If they use the flours which have better nutritional content and have a better texture and quality, the cost goes sky high and unfortunately people are either unwilling to spend the money or simply can't afford it! There are a few good blends out there (including Vicki's FFF blend) and it would be good to see them become more available…..
Your bread looks delicious! And homemade one is a totally different thing that the one you buy!
Thank you Alida. It is certainly different from the bought loaves…. Mr GF will only eat the home-made bread!!! x
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried it once but was missing a couple of ingredients, but I now have everything that I need and am planning to make some later today! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
You're welcome Kirsty. I hope it went ok for you! How did you find it? xx
what a generous development of a recipe – looks great – we don't have dove's flour in Australia but the GF flours here have got better (I actually prefer Bob Red Mills from America which I find sometimes). Have gone and voted (was relieved that I did not have to register to vote as some awards do which is a turn off – good luck)
Thank you so much Johanna. Really appreciate your support.
Bobs Red Mill has some interesting blends and flours for sure and many of them are certified GF which is reassuring.
I think this recipe is pretty versatile and would probably work with a number of different flours alongside the oats xx
Your bread looks really good! The trouble for us is that not only does Jumpy's bread have to be wheat-free, it also has to be egg-free. I used to experiment with a range of flours but since I've been using Vicki's 'free from' wholegrain blend, I've not bothered with anything else as it's so convenient and perfect every time. I have to be a bit more adventurous, he he! Your bread does look gorgeous, very much like artisan bread. Thanks a lot for the mention and for linking to my first ever #FreeFromFridays eeeek xx
Thanks Mel. Being egg-free must be really tricky. I am always amazed at the wonderful recipes you and other bloggers are producing without them!
Vicki's flour is great isn't it? It has a good texture and it is great to see a blend which has a better nutritional structure. However I am so used to mixing my own blends now and find that some recipes just need something different. X
I have no experience of baking gluten-free bread but the loaves look beautiful and rustic and I do always love freshly baked bread at home. I'll pop over and vote for you now too and thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Thanks Corina. Freshly baked bread is so much better than shop-bought, but when you are gluten free, it is the difference between mediocre and great!
Thank you so much for the vote…… really appreciate your support xx
They look like beautiful loaves – interesting to see that you use gelatin – I don't think I've ever seen it used in bread before! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare
Thanks Mandy. The gelatin does not give the bread any sense of 'jelliness' but merely adds structure to the bake. It is a strange trick that I learnt from Adriana Rabinovich, but it makes an amazing difference….. x
they look beautiful and quite earthy but light too… you're such a hero for ceaselessly trying to get the perfect GF bread!
Thank you Dom. I do seem to be a little obsessed with it! x