Bread Matters (34 page)

The main ingredients

The following table lists the principal flours used in gluten-free baking, their nutritional profiles and functional properties
¹
. If you find it difficult to get hold of some or all of these ingredients, there are some composite gluten-free flours available in most supermarkets. Check the ingredients list for unwanted additives.

For an excellent general guide to grains and cooking with them, see
A Cook’s Guide to Grains,
by Jenni Muir (Conran Octopus, 2002).

Yeasted Gluten-Free Bread

This is basic yeasted bread that aims to combine reasonable nutritional value with a texture that is not too far from a conventional brown loaf. The linseeds on top help to mask the tendency of most gluten-free doughs to produce a slightly strange white crust.

Makes 1 small loaf

5g Fresh yeast

225g Water (30°C)

140g Corn (maize) flour

60g Chestnut flour

20g Gram (chickpea) flour

30g Manioc (tapioca) flour

10g Cider vinegar

5g Sea salt

495g Total

Linseeds for topping

Dissolve the yeast in the water and mix with all the other ingredients except the linseeds. The dough should be like a smooth, wet cement. You will be able to pour it.

Grease a small bread tin (or use a non-stick one). Tip the dough into the tin. It should come just under two-thirds of the way up the sides. Don’t worry about smoothing it out; it will find its own level.

Cover and prove in a warm place. This dough will not hold as much gas as one made with gluten-containing flour. Aim for a 50 per cent increase in volume. Sprinkle linseeds on top of the dough until there is a good, even covering. If you prefer not to use seeds, carefully brush or spray a little olive or sunflower oil over the top.

Bake in a hot oven (210°C) for about 30 minutes. The loaf is done when it begins to shrink away from the sides of the tin.

Starting a Rice Sourdough

To make the Rice, Brazil Nut and Linseed Bread below, you will need to start a rice sourdough. Brown rice flour is full of wild yeasts and can generate a natural leaven or sourdough in 3 or 4 days without difficulty.