Gluten-free baking can be an exercise in frustration, but this bread recipe has never let me down. For me, the success is in the texture. As you can see, it has plenty of aeration which lends it some of the fluffiness of real bread.
It freezes well, so you can slice it, freeze in a zip-top bag, and take out as needed. It toasts well, and although it is more fragile than regular wheat bread, it does a good job of holding up toppings (see pictures).
If you're unfamiliar with gluten-free bread, be aware that it has more of a batter consistency and cannot be shaped or braided. For challah, some people like to use the silicone moulds, which gives it the appearance of a braided loaf, but in my experience cakes and breads do not bake well in silicone. Since I prioritize taste and texture over appearance, I simply pour the batter into loaf bans and bake as such. It might make for non-traditional challah, but hey, gluten-free challah is non-traditional to begin with. And if you're using this for breakfast toast or school lunches, loaf pans make for neatly sliced sandwich bread.
batter/dough before rising
batter/dough after rising
Recipe adapted from Barefeetinthekitchen.com
Since this bread is made with liquid other than water, it is considered pat haba bekisnin, over which the blessing of mezonot is normally said. When this bread is eaten as the basis of a meal that is at least the size of four eggs (approximately 8 oz.), it takes on the status of bona fide bread, warranting washing, hamotzie and a full afterblessing.
Two unsliced loaves of this bread can be used as challah for the Shabbat meal. If you will be eating the abovementioned size, treat it exactly like bread made of flour and water. If not, skip the pre-meal washing and make the blessing of mezonot instead of hamotzie, and say the appropriate (truncated) afterblessing following your meal (this follows the final decision of the Alter Rebbe that mezonot can constitute the two loaves of the Shabbat meal).
Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice flour
2½ cups oat flour (look for oat flour which is certified gluten free)
1⅓ cups potato starch
⅔ cup tapioca starch
2 tsp. dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
2½ tsp. xanthan gum
1½ cups unsweetened soy or almond milk
⅔ cup honey
½ cup oil
6 eggs (+ 1 egg for the egg wash)
sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
Place the brown rice flour, oat flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, yeast, salt and xanthan gum into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Warm the milk and slowly mix it into the dry ingredients. Add the oil and honey and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs one a time, making sure each egg has been fully incorporated before adding the next.
Beat the mixture at high speed for 3-5 minutes. This adds air to the batter, which helps with the texture of the finished loaf.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or saran wrap. Let rise for 60-90 minutes. (Note: the batter will puff up but don't expect it to double in size like regular bread dough.)
Gently pour the batter into two loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Smooth the top of each loaf with wet fingers or the back of a spoon dipped in water.
Beat the egg and brush the top of both loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Cover the pans and allow the dough to rise for another hour.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then gently tip out onto a cooling rack.
Only slice the bread once it has fully cooled, or it will fall apart. Freezes well.
Yields: 2 loaves
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