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5 from 7 votes

Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread - With Oat Flour Recipe 2

A gorgeous show-stopper Gluten Free Christmas Tree Bread. Made with wholemeal tear and share rolls, it’s perfect for any Christmas gathering… And best of all…No one will EVER know it’s gluten free, so EVERYONE can eat it. Rice free, corn free and can be made dairy free.
Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Proving50 mins
Total Time1 hr 50 mins
Course: Bread, Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Dinner Party, Party
Cuisine: British, Gluten Free, optional dairy free
Keyword: bread rolls, gluten free baking, gluten free bread, wholemeal
Servings: 26 mini rolls approx
Calories per serving: 100.7kcal
Author: Gluten Free Alchemist - Kate Dowse

Key equipment

Ingredients 

Dry Ingredients

  • 250 g Gluten Free Alchemist Rice Free Blend B see NOTES for B blend and flour ratios
  • 60 g tapioca starch (additional to above)
  • 130 g gluten free oat flour To make at home : grind GF oats in a blender
  • 18 g milled (ground) flax seed
  • 35 g ground psyllium husk grind into a powder in a blender
  • 6 g fine sea salt (= 1 tsp)
  • 4.5 g bicarbonate of soda (= ½ tsp)
  • 3 tbsp dried milk powder or 2 tablespoons coconut milk powder
  • 7 g INSTANT dried yeast I use Allinsons Easy Bake - Note : This is an INSTANT yeast

Wet Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs combined weight in shells 195-200g (at Room temperature UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
  • 3 tbsp sunflower oil or alternative such as olive
  • 1 tbsp runny honey (24g)
  • 1½ tsp lemon juice
  • 370 g/ml hand-warm water This is just hand warm and NO HOTTER

To shape and decorate

  • olive oil to oil hands
  • 1 egg + a little milk for egg wash
  • edible seeds to sprinkle and decorate optional - (sunflower/poppy/pumpkin/sesame)

Instructions

To make the gluten free dough

  • Mix together the dry ingredients (flours, oat, flax, psyllium husk, salt, bicarbonate of soda, milk powder and yeast) in an airtight container and shake vigorously to blend.
  • Line a couple of baking trays with good non-stick baking paper.
  • In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, oil, honey and lemon juice to combine.
  • Add the hand-warm water and whisk through with the other wet ingredients. It should foam on the top.
  • Next, add the dry ingredients and beat well to blend (preferably using an electric whisk with a dough hook attachment). If you don't have a dough hook, use a sturdy silicone/wooden spoon and beat hard until well blended. The mixture should look like a runny porridge when done (see photo in main blog post).
  • Place the bowl to one side and leave to stand untouched for a full 10 minutes. This is important and will enable the flours to absorb the liquid and hydrate fully.
  • After hydrating, beat the mixture hard again (with dough hook or spoon) until stiff and holding its shape. The dough ‘batter’ will resemble very thick porridge (see photo in main blog post).

Shaping the dough into rolls and Christmas Tree Bread

  • Make sure your large baking tray(s) are prepared by lining with baking paper.
  • Preferably wearing close-fitting vinyl food gloves, lightly oil the hands with a tiny drop of olive oil.
  • Pull off a piece of the rough-looking dough (judging the size as the dough piece = about half of the intended roll size) and gently work it into a smooth piece of dough in your hand.
  • Next shape the dough pieces one at a time into small balls (lightly re-oil hands as required).
  • As you roll each ball, carefully place onto the baking sheet(s), making a Christmas Tree Shape. Start at the top of the tree with one dough ball... Then two on the next row, three on the third and so on. Be sure to leave a gap of about 2 cm between each ball, so there is room to rise. If the balls are too large, stop and make them smaller, starting again from the top. Leave room on the tray for a small 'stump'.
  • At the bottom of the Christmas Tree, make some small 'sausage shaped' rolls and place them to make the 'stump', again leaving space to rise.
  • When all the dough balls are shaped into the Christmas Tree(s), lightly drape a large piece of clingfilm over the top (be sure the rolls are not restricted) and place the trays in a warm place to prove for about 40 minutes to an hour (dependent on room temperature), until the dough rolls are nearly double in size.

Egg-wash and decoration

  • While the rolls are proving, prepare the egg-wash by lightly beating an egg with a little milk.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 190 C/375 F/Gas 5. Be sure to place a heat-proof dish at the bottom ready to add boiling water before baking (boil a kettle in advance). OR set the oven to steam at three x 5 minute intervals once the rolls are ready to bake.
  • When the dough has risen, lightly brush the rolls with egg-wash and (if using) sprinkle or decorate with edible seeds.

Bake the rolls

  • Just before baking, carefully fill the heat-proof dish with boiling water (or check the oven's steam setting) and then place the dough Christmas Tree(s) into the oven.
  • Bake for between 14 and 18 minutes (approx), until golden brown and well-risen.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer the tear and share to a wire rack to cool.
  • Can be eaten warm or cold.
  • Best eaten within a couple of days. Store in an airtight bag at coolish room temperature/cool larder (NOT the fridge) or freeze on the day of making.

Notes

* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.
Yeast - The yeast used for this recipe is an INSTANT yeast. If mixing up the dry ingredients ahead of time, do not add the yeast until ready to bake as the salt will cause the yeast to deteriorate.
Gluten Free Alchemist Rice Free Flour Blend B can be found on the GFA Flours & Flour Blending Page.
Specific flour ratios for 250g of Blend B : Equivalent to 50g sorghum flour; 25g white teff flour; 25g buckwheat flour; 80g tapioca starch flour; 30g potato starch flour; 40g corn flour (starch). 
If you cannot eat dairy, substitute the milk powder with a dairy-free alternative (depending on the milk-base, the flavour may be affected slightly, although I have used coconut milk powder and it has not been noticeable). You can also use warm liquid milk to replace the water (at the same volume as the water) and leave out the milk powder.
Add-ins - The dough can be flavoured with any number of add-ins before rolling and proofing. Add enough to make a difference, but avoid over-loading. Suggestions:
  • Chopped nuts… Walnuts are particularly delicious.
  • Sultanas and other dried fruit.
  • A sprinkle of grated cheese in the dough.
  • Chopped sun-dried tomato.
  • A teaspoon or two of herbs (dried or fresh) added to the mix.
  • Seeds and pine nuts in the dough.
  • Brushed with garlic butter.
  • A little chilli or spice.
  • Cinnamon or ginger.
  • You could even try sweet with chocolate chips 

Nutrition

Calories: 100.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.7g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 3.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 27.9mg | Sodium: 154.1mg | Potassium: 53.8mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 1.2g | Vitamin A: 59.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 20.2mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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© 2019-2022 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist