KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Surprisingly well-textured, moist, and flavorful. No hand-shaping.
To put it kindly, some gluten-free breads have an "unusual" flavor and consistency. But this moist, springy loaf seems so normal and appealing that many tasters won't even realize it's gluten-free. It goes well with cheeses and smoked meats and is excellent for both sandwiches and toast. Though completely "ryeless," it has a pleasant sour rye taste, owing to the caraway seeds, molasses, and yogurt. The yeast also lends flavor and some lift. Baking powder leavens some, too.
This loaf is fairly simple to make once the various gluten-free ingredients are on hand. All are readily obtainable in the gluten-free sections of health food stores as well as in some large supermarkets.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices
1 2/3 cups white rice flour, divided, plus more as needed
¾ cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup flax seed meal or golden flax seed meal
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, divided
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1½ cups ice water
1/3 cup corn oil or canola oil, plus more for coating pan
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 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 cup of the rice flour, the brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, flax seed meal, 1½ tablespoons of the caraway seeds, the xanthan gum, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the water, oil, and molasses, then vigorously stir into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until well blended. If the dough is too stiff to blend together, stir in just enough water to facilitate mixing, but don't over-moisten, as it should be fairly firm. If necessary, add more rice flour to firm it. 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 this dough doesn't rise much.
Second Rise In a small deep bowl, whisk the egg until smooth. Set aside 1 tablespoon for glazing the dough top. Stir the yogurt, baking powder, and 2/3 cup of white rice flour into the remaining egg. Vigorously stir the mixture into the dough until very well blended. If it is soft, stir in enough more white rice flour to yield a fairly stiff dough, scraping down the bowl. Turn the dough out into a well-greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush the top with oil, then smooth out the surface with an oiled rubber spatula. Evenly brush on the reserved egg. Sprinkle with the remaining caraway seeds. Using well-oiled kitchen shears, make a ½-inch-deep slash 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 until the dough reaches 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, or until the top is nicely browned; cover with foil if needed to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer or 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 5 to 10 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto 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 directed for Gluten-Free Faux Rye Bread, except reduce the caraway seeds added to the dough to 1 teaspoon and add in 1 teaspoon anise seeds and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest. Garnish the loaf top with ½ teaspoon each caraway seeds and anise seeds.
Proceed exactly as directed for Gluten-Free Faux Rye Bread, except add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted after measuring) to the flour mixture. Add 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar and 1 cup dark, seedless raisins (rinsed and well drained) with the water-molasses mixture.