Gluten-free white bread

[lepard]

Gluten-free white bread

Getting a gluten-free loaf to look and taste like one made from wheat involves a spell of weird ingredients. The newest helper in the cupboard is psyllium husk, a fibre that acts more like gluten than tapicoa starch. It's not cheap but keeps well in the cupboard if you buy a big tub.

And if you want to see how it looks, step-by-step, go to Celia Callow's blog to see it as dough and fully baked:
http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/05 ... read-ever/


4 tsp soya flour
50g potato starch
300g cornflour
1 tsp xanthan gum
25g psyllium husk powder
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp vinegar
15ml sunflower oil, plus extra for brushing
2 tbsp yoghurt
325ml warm water
30ml milk

Add the dry ingredients to a bowl, whisk the liquid separately then mix the two really well for about a minute into a soft dough. Leave for an hour, then using a lightly oiled worktop and hands either shape into rolls or into a baton for a tin loaf, then leave covered for another hour and a half or until almost doubled. Gluten free dough doesn't have any spring, so baking in a very hot oven helps. Heat the oven to 240°C/fan 220°C/465°F/gas 9, brush the top with oil and bake for 25 minutes (for rolls) or 50 minutes (for a large tin loaf). Remove from the oven and tin or tray and leave to cool on a wire rack, covered with a cloth to keep them soft.

[celia]

Love it, Dan! Made another two loaves today - one plain and one with rosemary and Kalamata olives. Both perfect. You are a genius, no doubt about it.

Thanks again,

Celia

PS. Have updated blog to include a photo of the olive and rosemary loaf.

[jacklang]

Looks great!
Where did you source the Psyllium husk powder from?
Preferably an online supplier

[celia]

Jack, I was able to buy the psyllium here in Australia at a local health food store. I don't think it's hard to buy...

[DavidW]

To repeat my post from another thread, If you're in the UK then health food shops like Holland & Barrett are a source of psyllium husk, but they are often very expensive - e.g. 180g of Lepicol, which is just brand-name psyllium, costs £7.49 at H&B.

Online, I've found myprotein.co.uk who charge £13.10 for a kilo, plus postage of maybe £3.95 but you'd need to check with them, and you might find it useful to shop around. We don't have links with any suppliers.

[celia]

It astonishes me that it's so expensive in the UK. Over here, it was a 200g bag for $4.40 (about UKP2). I wonder why there's such a price difference..

Another thing - FWIW - I used psyllium husk, not psyllium husk powder. Dan, not sure if that makes a difference? Maybe that's why your bread had more holes than mine?

[iLikePie]

Celia, I had husks as well... I ground them in a coffee grinder because I wasn't sure about whether it would be a problem.

I made this bread for my sister-in-law who avoids gluten. She was very grateful to have it, and after a disasterous attempt at GF hot cross buns a few years back, it has encouraged me to try some more baking for her.

The texture was a bit concerning while I mixed the dough, it's very clumpy and doesn't have the nice silky feel of our regular doughs, but it all worked out in the end (though I still have room for improvement).

[oscarthegrouch]

Looking forward to trying this recipe, it's nigh on impossible to make good gluten free bread. Pre being diagnosed coeliac I used to make a killer tomato and fennel bread, so I might try adding these ingredients...