I’ve been away from this blog for a long time.  After I was in a car accident in January 2013, I had whiplash, headaches, and dizziness that was aggravated by using the computer . . . so I cut back.  I kept track of my allergen-free cooking in a handwritten journal (and will try to find time to go back and post a few of those recipes).  Today I made a loaf of bread that turned out so great I just had to share the recipe!

Lucinda’s Best Yet Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Bread

baked on October 4, 2013

Now that the summer is over and the house is rather chilly (haven’t turned on the heat yet), it’s time to start baking again.  After several dismal failures in the GF bread department last Spring, I gave up.  Most days I have a chef salad for lunch, so I don’t need bread for a sandwich.  But tomorrow I’m going somewhere and need to take a sack lunch . . . so a sandwich would be convenient.  I decided to combine the best aspects of several recipes and try again.  It turned out GREAT!!

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups GF flours (the combination I used is listed here):

• 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
• 3/4 cup tapioca starch
• 3/4 cup teff flour
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 3/4 cup Superfine Brown Rice Flour

• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar (I used organic coconut palm sugar)
• 1 Tablespoon guar gum
• 3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey)
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-7/8 cups warm water (105-110°F), divided

Directions

1. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the GF flours, brown sugar, and guar gum.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flax seeds and 1/2 cup warm water.  Stir.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens and becomes the consistency of beaten eggs.
4. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water (105-110°F).  Let sit 5 minutes or until frothy.
5. Add the yeast mixture and flaxseed mixture to the flours.  Stir.  Add oil and 1/4-1/2 cup warm water.  Stir.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes.  (The mixture may still be rather dry.  That’s okay.  It needs to sit to allow the guar gum to start absorbing liquid and the yeast to start growing before you add the final ingredients.)
6. Add 1/4-1/2 cup warm water, salt, and baking soda.  Stir.
7. Add 1-2 Tablespoons more warm water as needed to get the dough to come together.  It will be very thick, but no longer dry. ( I used a total of 1-7/8 cups water, but the amount you need may vary.)
8. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan.  Smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until it almost reaches the top of the pan. (40-60 minutes)
9. When the loaf is almost risen, preheat the oven to 350°F.  (If the loaf was rising in the oven, remove it to the top of the stove and uncover it.)
10. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf is 200°F.
11. Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

©2013 Lucinda DeWitt