Gluten Free Crusty White Sandwich Loaf
This is a Becky Excell recipe and – as with all of her recipes – it is brilliant. This is the closest thing to 'real' bread I've tried.
Ingredients
- 475 ml warm water
- 10 g gluten free active dried yeast
- 25 g caster sugar
- 180 g gluten free rice flour
- 190 g gluten free plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 25 g psyllium husk powder ensure gluten free
- 6 g salt
- 2 tsp cider vinegar
- 2 large egg whites
- butter or oil for greasing
Instructions
- Stir together the warm water, yeast and sugar in a jug. Allow to stand for 10 minutes until nice and frothy.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add both flours, the xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder and salt. Mix together until well combined, then add your vinegar, egg white and frothy yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Either in a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment or using an electric hand whisk, mix on a high speed for 3–5 minutes until well combined. It should look like a very thick, sticky batter. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes – this bread batter is very wet, and resting it is super important.
- Lightly grease a bread tin, about 26 x 12cm / 10 x 4¾in, and line with non-stick baking parchment.
- Pour your rested mixture into the lined tin, ensuring that it’s nicely smoothed out and level.
- Loosely cover with clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, until noticeably risen.
- Preheat your oven to 240°C fan / 260°C / 500°F (or as hot as your oven will go if it doesn’t reach these temperatures). Place a large roasting dish at the bottom of the oven and boil a kettle.
- Dust the top of your loaf with a little flour and slash the top of the dough three times using a sharp knife.
- Place in the preheated oven and immediately add a mug’s worth of boiling water to the roasting dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C fan / 220°C / 425°F and bake for another 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
“The closest recipe to ‘real bread’ I’ve found.” – a big claim, but I can’t argue with it! Really great GF bread recipe!
Hi, I was just wondering how well this bread keeps, does it need to be sliced and frozen of not using on the day it’s baked?
Hi Jacqui,
It is best eaten on the day it’s baked in my experience. I slice and freeze anything we don’t eat on the day.
Can this recipe ve used in a bread maker .
Pleazd and thank you
Hi Rachel. I haven’t tried this recipe in a bread maker, I’m afraid, as I don’t own one. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
This recipe makes a good loaf which is excellent for toasting and it keeps fresh if you wrap it in cling film.
The only odd thing is that the colour of the bread is an almost pinky light brown. Not sure why that is. Should the water be removed after the first 20 minutes, when the temperature is lowered to 200c for the final 30 minutes?
Hi David, I hope you are well 😊 Hmmm, that’s strange about the colour. Whenever I’ve made this bread, it turns out golden-dark brown as desired. I’ve never removed the water before the loaf is baked. Maybe it’s down to different ovens? That’s just a guess though.
This is the very best bread I have made and enjoyed since I was diagnosed as a celiac two years ago, I was pulling my hair out as I have tried many recipes that have been nice on the first day but gone dry overnight.
Every time I looked for a recipe there would be a different ingredient that I did not have in ( have lots of different flours in my cupboard now) .
Thank you Becky you don’t let us down.
I’ve used this recipe a number of times and my husband always enjoy it. However, I find the finished loaf too moist. Should I reduce the water or cook longer ?
Hi Karen, my advice would be to remove it from the tin once baked, and then return it to the oven upside down for a further 10 minutes. Then allow it to cool fully before slicing. I hope this helps. :)
Made this loaf today and it’s a solid brick followed the recipe any ideas what went wrong thanks
Oh no, Debbie, I’m sorry to hear this. It always works well for me, though it’s best eaten fresh on the day it’s baked. Did the yeast mixture become foamy before you added it? The bubbles/foam are a sign that the yeast has been activated. Sometimes, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast cells so it’ll be ineffective. If the water is cold, it also won’t activate the yeast. Lukewarm water is key. Another possibility is that there was insufficient xanthan gum to allow the dough to stretch and rise in the oven? Or the oven the oven wasn’t quite the correct temperature?
Advice please:- Is this recipe suitable to be used in a bread maker?
Hi Julie. I haven’t ever tried this recipe in a bread maker as I don’t own one I’m afraid. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.