KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Easy once the gluten-free ingredients are assembled. No hand-shaping.
Gluten, a rubbery protein abundant in wheat doughs, is normally the component that both holds yeast breads together and raises them by trapping the gas produced during fermentation. Which means that turning out yeasted baked goods without gluten is always challenging and that the results rarely stand up (so to speak) to breads made the usual wheat way.
Still, for the legions of gluten allergy sufferers with a desperate, abiding craving for bread, ersatz loaves are an acceptable alternative to never eating a sandwich, or toast, or a simple buttered slice again. According to several of my gluten-free friends who have tried many of the available commercial gluten-free products, they are better than nothing, but, often, just barely. Fresh, homemade, gluten-free breads, on the other hand, occasionally taste enough like the real thing to get them highly excited.
I am pleased to say that the following all-purpose yeasted sandwich bread recipe is one that did. Upon taking her first bite, a gluten-free friend declared this the best bread she'd eaten since forsaking gluten three years ago—so good, she said, it almost made her cry! She then carefully wrapped up her gift, took it home, and froze it so she could stretch out the pleasure over the next several weeks. She also insisted that I share this recipe with her immediately.
Admittedly, this bread isn't as springy and the taste isn't as wheaty as the usual wheat-based loaf, but a combination of carefully-chosen gluten-free flours and meals creates a light tan bread with a mild, pleasant multigrain taste and enough cohesiveness that this loaf works just fine for sandwiches. It is good for toast and eating as is, too. (For heartier, darker, seeded bread, see the variation at the end of the recipe.)
Yeast might not seem to serve a purpose in gluten-free doughs, but it does: First, it contributes the same sweet, earthy flavors and aromas that have always made people love yeast bread. Plus, there are a number of gluten substitutes (found in the gluten-free baking sections of health food stores) like tapioca starch, flax seed meal, and xanthan gum that help make the dough cohesive enough to trap at least some of the gas produced during fermentation. Baking powder provides the rest of the leavening.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 13 to 14 slices
1 2/3 cups white rice flour, divided, plus more as needed
2/3 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) gluten-free rolled oats
½ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup flax seed meal or golden flax seed meal
Generous 1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water, plus more if needed
1/3 cup corn oil or canola oil, plus more for coating pan
3 tablespoons clover honey or other mild honey
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup plain low-fat or regular yogurt, drained of excess liquid
2½ teaspoons baking powder
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 1 1/3 cups of the rice flour, the oats, cornstarch, tapioca flour, flax seed meal, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, thoroughly whisk together the water, oil, and honey, then stir them into the bowl with the flour and oats, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until well blended. If the mixture is too stiff to blend together, stir in enough more water to facilitate mixing and yield a barely firm dough. (It will stiffen as it stands.) Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let stand at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. It's all right if the dough doesn't rise a lot.
Second Rise Whisk the egg, then set aside 1 tablespoon to brush on the loaf top. Stir the yogurt, baking powder, and 1/3 cup of the rice flour into the remaining egg. Vigorously stir the mixture into the dough until well blended. If it is soft, stir in enough more white rice flour to yield a fairly stiff dough. Turn it out into a very well-greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Evenly brush the top with oil. Smooth the surface with an oiled rubber spatula or fingertips. Brush the reserved egg over the surface. Using a well-oiled serrated knife or kitchen shears, make a ½-inch-deep cut lengthwise down the loaf. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.
Let Rise Using Either of These Methods For a 2½- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1½- to 3-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. When the dough nears the plastic wrap, remove it and continue the rise until the dough extends 1/8 inch above the pan rim.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F.
Baking Bake on the lower rack for 55 to 60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned; if necessary, cover with foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 206° to 208°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for another 5 to 10 minutes to ensure that the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack; cool thoroughly.
Serving and StoringThe loaf slices best when cool, but the bread is good served warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Proceed exactly as for Gluten-Free Light Sandwich Bread except: Substitute ¼ cup molasses for the honey. Substitute ½ cup cornmeal or ½ cup brown rice flour for the rolled oats. Stir together 1 tablespoon each millet, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds. Stir all but 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the dough before the first rise. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon over the loaf after brushing the loaf top with the egg before starting the second rise.