Gluten Free Bread: whole grain-blend

I have been baking gluten free bread for about 7 years. Before I realized I had to eat gluten free, I had never made bread before!   I started with a bread machine, because I knew this would be an uphill battle. The GF bread out there was horrendous. Dry. Tasteless. $7.00 loaf of Sawdust.
The early recipes I tried were more miss than hit.  I spent a lot of time searching and experimenting. Combining recipes for the right ratio of ingredients, with package ingredients of the odd GOOD bread that was out there. I have come up with a recipe that keeps me and all the gluten free people in my life very happy. This latest version I make in my stand mixer, and bake in the oven. I vary my flours from time to time, but these are the ratios I do not veer from.

Gluten Free Bread: whole grain-blend 

175 g (1.5 cups) tapioca starch
100g (1 cup-ish)rice flour
75g  (1/2 cup-ish) GF oat flour
25 g (3 T) ground flax
30 g (2 T )sugar
8 g (1 tsp) salt
12 g (2.5 tsp) xantham gum
1 T instant yeast


1 egg + water to make up 1 -1/3 cup
+1 egg
2 T olive oil
1 tsp AC vinegar
**no need to pre-warm the eggs or water**


Mix dry ingredients to ensure they are well blended. Mix wet ingredients together until eggs are a little frothy, and then add slowly to stand mixer on low, until incorporated.
Mix on med (5) for a good 10 minutes, scraping paddle and /or sides as need be. You will notice the dough get ribbony- this is good.
*if the dough is clumping on the paddle, clean it off and spray with oil.

Spray (baguette)pan with oil, and sprinkle all over with light layer of sesame seeds.

Once mixed, shape into loaves by scooping wet dough out with a spatula, and spreading in the pan. Dip the spatula in water to shape and smooth the wet dough.  Spray plastic wrap with oil, loosely cover dough and rise in a warm place for 40 minutes. *In my experience a tea towel just ends up sticking to the dough, thereby ruining the rise.  Plastic wrap works.
Once risen (it will not double, don't worry), sprinkle with sesame seeds and chestnut flour, then score the top.  The score seems to make a BIG difference in the rise.

Place in pre-heated 375* oven, for 35-40 minutes.
After cooling for 5 minutes, remove from pan to cooling rack.
Wait until completely cool before bagging. Do not refrigerate.

* I am transitioning to using measuring by weight, but I have included approximate cup measurements as well.*

SOCCA

Today will be a new adventure in alternative bread making: Socca.
Thought to have originated in Nice, Socca is a thin, crepe-like pan bread made with Besan, or Chick Pea flour.


Ingredients:
1 cup  chickpea flour
1 cup  water
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper 
(You can also add spices and seasonings here, but for my first attempt I am going to keep it classic.)

The recipe is ridiculously simple. I found many recipes out there, and they are basically all the same: Mix equal portions of flour and water, a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and seasonings. Let sit 1/2- 2 hours before cooking. Baking alternatives include: in the oven under the broiler, on the stovetop using cast iron griddle or pan, or non-stick pan. Today I am opting for the stovetop cast iron combo.
This strikes me as VERY similar to making corn tortillas, in terms of just basically adding water to the flour and letting it rest before cooking. My mixture is resting now.

Mixture rested, time to cook!

These turned out like crepes- but chickpea flour has a very distinctive bite to it, and I thing to fully enjoy them, that "beanyness" really needs to be balanced with whatever is used for the filling. These ideally should also be served as they are cooked, because for me they lost their pliability if left to cool and then re-heated. 
Something different to try, I would recommend making a small test batch to see if you like the flavours, and play with your fillings/pairings!

GF Flax Bread

This is simply a variation on my Teff bread- and what a beautiful variation!

Teff Bread Heaven

Another update for my delicious bread recipe! How to go Dairy-free.

Here it is:

Amsuka's Teff Bread for the Bread Machine

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Tapioca Starch
1 cup Rice Flour (Brown for denser, healthier loaf, white for lighter loaf)
1/2 cup Teff Flour (or Sorghum)**
2 TB Cane Sugar
2 1/2 tsps Xantham gum
2 TB Ground Flax
1 tsp Sea Salt


2 1/2 tsp instant or bread machine yeast

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups Milk- Warm!***
1 egg- Warm!
2 TB Olive oil
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (unpasturized)


**Now bread machines differ, so pay attention to your own machine's basic instructions! My machine (Cuisinart) stipulates adding the wet ingredients first, then layer the dry ingredients over top, finally sprinkling the GF yeast over the dry.**

Here we go!
Warm your milk for 1 minute in your microwave (or on the stovetop). *This is important to activate the yeast!
Place your egg in a cup of hot water to warm. Set aside.


Whisk together the dry ingredients, except for the yeast.

Take your warm milk, add the vinegar, olive oil, and your warm egg. *The egg is warmed so that it doesn't cool off the milk mixture, or cook in the warmed milk mixture!*


Place wet ingredients into the bread pan. Layer the dry ingredients on top. Sprinkle the yeast. Place in bread machine on the gluten free cycle, 2Lb loaf size, and medium crust. remove the mixing paddle when the machine indicates, and re-shape the dough with a spatula- it will be sticky! At this time I also put a generous sprinkling of Poppy or Sesame Seeds over the whole loaf.
This bread is wonderful for sandwiches, toast, everything! Enjoy!

**update- feel free to substitute rice flour for the teff, if you are unable to find it, or if you want a simpler taste. I find the teff gives the bread a sort of Rye-taste, while the rice-tapioca combo is more of a straight forward sandwich bread- still delish!!
Also, if possible, buy your rice (& tapioca) flour in chinatown- it is milled very finely, which results in a nicer texture.
***If you want to go dairy free and use water for milk, you will need to add another egg. Warm the two eggs in warm water at the start.
When you get to the liquid stage of the recipe, break 1 egg into your pyrex measuring cup, then fill with warm water to the 1 1/3 cups mark.  THEN add your second egg and other wet ingredients.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe!

I must tell y'all that though I have only been baking bread a short time, I have tried lots of the gluten free breads out there- this loaf is not like those! With the inclusion of flax meal( which is wonderful) this bread is akin to an artesian whole wheat loaf. I baked a loaf 2 days ago and INTENDED to take a picture, but alas the natives were hungry and I ended up cutting into it (even before it was properly cooled-mmm ) and so kiboshed my own photo-op!! I will post one soon.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe for Bread Machine
-Adapted from a recipe on Celiac.com

wet:
3 large eggs
1 2/3 cup water
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider vinegar is best- more about that another time)

dry:
¼ cup brown or white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup corn flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
½ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup skim milk powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ teaspoons xanthum gum

Every bread machine is different, so adjust to your own machine directions as I did!
For my Cuisinart bread machine, I mix the wet ingredients, ensuring that they are approx 110 degrees (I don't actually take the temp, but I do put the wet into the microwave to "heat" up for 20 sec at a time or so, until it is *just* warmer than room temp). Layer the dry contents over the wet in the bread machine pan. With your finger make a small depression and add 2 ¼ teaspoons GF yeast. Set bread maker for gluten free, select medium, 2 lb loaf, and press go.
A couple of notes:
-When it is humid, I remove 2 Tablespoons of water, which allows it to rise properly.
-Remove the loaf to a rack when the baking time is complete, and allow to cool completely (if you can, I know it is hard!)

Finally, if you have had those brick-like GF loaves from health food stores, this is not anything like those. You will be sweetly surprised by the taste and texture of this loaf.