Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Gluten-Free Cheddar and Sesame Bread
The sharpness of the cheddar and the nuttiness of the sesame make this a fantastic loaf to be served with sandwich meats or toasted and served with marmalade. The addition of soy flour, eggs, and cheese makes this loaf particularly high in protein. It is also excellent baked as crackers in the recipe that follows.
Makes enough dough for at least three 1½-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3 cups sorghum flour
½ cup soy flour
2 cups tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup sesame seeds, plus additional for sprinkling on top
2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
3 cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Mix the flours, tapioca starch, cornstarch, ½ cup sesame seeds, yeast, salt, and xanthan gum in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Whisk the dry ingredients to be sure that the xanthan gum is thoroughly incorporated.
2.
Combine the remaining ingredients and gradually mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, or you can refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 7 days.
5. On baking day,
heavily grease an 8½ × 4 ½-inch nonstick loaf pan. Use wet hands to break off a 1½ -pound (cantaloupe-size) piece of the refrigerated dough. Quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it—just gently press it into the shape. You might need to wet your hands a little more to prevent the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface, but don’t use so much water as to make the dough soggy.
6.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval and put it in the loaf pan. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water, then sprinkle it with sesame seeds.
9.
Place the pan on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 40 minutes, until richly browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10.
Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Gluten-Free Cheddar and Sesame Crackers
These crackers are fantastic with just about everything from cheese to dips! You will need to use a silicone mat and plastic wrap to roll out this dough.
Makes enough dough for at least twelve 2-inch crackers
½ pound
Gluten-Free Cheddar and Sesame Bread dough
,
Gluten-Free Crusty Boule
,
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Bread
, or
Not Rye
2 tablespoons sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 400°F,
with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.
2.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with rice flour and cut off a ½-pound (orange-size) piece of dough from the container. Place the dough on a silicone mat and cover the dough with a piece of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the plastic wrap and the silicone mat until you have a 1/16-inch-thick rectangle. Peel off the plastic wrap, and transfer the silicone mat to a baking sheet.
3.
Using a pizza cutter, very gently score the dough into crackers in the shape and size you desire.
Warning: It is important not to cut through the dough with too much pressure or you may damage your silicone mat.
4.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the surface with water, then sprinkle the surface of the dough with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crackers just start to turn golden brown. The crackers on the edges may turn brown first; use a spatula to take them off the baking sheet and continue baking the rest.
5.
Allow the crackers to cool on a rack before eating.
Gluten-Free Parmesan Bread Sticks
If gluten-free doughs can make a
crusty baguette
, it should be a natural as a bread stick—it’s just skinnier! A little olive oil, salt, and parmesan cheese perk up the flavor. Serve them plain or as an hors d’oeuvre with dips.
Makes a generous handful of bread sticks
Use any of these refrigerated, pre-mixed doughs:
Gluten-Free Crusty Boule
.
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Bread
,
Gluten-Free Cheddar and Sesame Bread
, or
Not Rye
½ pound (orange-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough above
Olive oil for drizzling, preferably extra virgin
1 to 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt for sprinkling, to taste
1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
A baking stone is optional, but if you’re using one, allow for a 30-minute preheat, otherwise 5 minutes is adequate.
2.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, or simply grease it well with olive oil.
3.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with rice flour and cut off a ½-pound (orange-size) piece. Dust the piece with more rice flour and quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it—just press it into the shape of a ball. Roll it out with a rolling pin on a wooden board, using lots of rice flour, until you have an oval 1/8 inch thick. Then cut 1/8-inch-wide strips with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
4.
Carefully lay the strips out on the prepared cookie sheet with ½ inch or so between each strip. Drizzle olive oil over the strips, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a light sprinkling of salt.
5.
Bake for about 15 minutes. The bread sticks are done when they are nicely browned but not scorched. Smaller bread sticks might turn brown first; use a spatula to take them off the baking sheet and continue baking the rest. They may still feel soft when done but will firm up when they cool.
6.
Cool the bread sticks on a rack before eating.
Not Rye (But So Very Close), and Gluten-Free
We both grew up eating rye bread; it was the bread that was the muse for our first book. When we decided to add a chapter on gluten-free breads, we made a list of all the essentials to be included, and rye was at the top of our lists. But rye has some gluten in it. So nothing doing.
In place of rye we have used teff flour, which is completely gluten-free. It has a sweet-sour molasses flavor, which lends itself perfectly to a mock rye bread. Add the caraway seeds and we’re very close to childhood memories.
TEFF
is high in protein, calcium, and iron, and its iron is particularly easily absorbed by humans (often a difficult trick for plant-based iron sources). It’s a major source of nutrition in the world, and especially in northeast Africa, where it is made into Ethiopia’s national flatbread,
injera
.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
2 cups brown rice flour
1½ cups teff flour
3 cups tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
¼ cup caraway seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
22/3 cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
1/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, and caraway seeds in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle), until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, or you can refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 7 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.
5. On baking day
, use wet hands to take out a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of the refrigerated dough. Quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it—just gently press it into the shape. You might need to wet your hands a little more to prevent the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface, but don’t use so much water as to make the dough soggy.
6.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F,
with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the loaf’s top crust with water and sprinkle it with caraway seeds. Slash the dough with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts, using a serrated bread knife.
9.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone if you used one). Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 30 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone two-thirds of the way through baking. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Gluten-Free Brioche
This recipe is dynamite baked as a traditional shaped brioche or as a sandwich loaf for your kids’ lunches, and is also perfect in the
“Super Sam” Gluten-Free Cinnamon Buns
. It has a soft texture with a light sweetness from the honey and vanilla that is pure comfort food. It can also be used in place of the brioche dough in
chapter 10
for many of the pastries in that chapter.
Makes enough dough for at least three 1½-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
3¾ cups cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2½ cups milk
1 cup honey
4 large eggs
1 cup neutral-flavored oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on the loaf
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top crust
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, yeast, salt, and xanthan gum in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry ingredients, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle), until there is no sign of dry bits of flour. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days.
5. On baking day,
grease a brioche pan or an 8½ × 4½-inch nonstick loaf pan. Use wet hands to break off a 1½ -pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece of the refrigerated dough. Quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it—just gently press it into the shape. You might need to wet your hands a little more to prevent the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface, but don’t use so much water as to make the dough soggy.
6.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval and put it in the brioche or loaf pan. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
If you’re not using a stone in the oven, a 5-minute preheat is adequate.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the loaf’s top crust with egg wash and sprinkle it with raw sugar.
9.
Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 40 to 45 minutes. The loaf is done when caramel brown and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10.
Remove the brioche from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.