Vegan Bread & Gluten-Free Bread – The Nutty Version

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Now you have to bake a loaf of gluten-free bread.

Because I’ve got another bread recipe for you!

As I said a few weeks ago when I posted my first bread recipe, store bought gluten-free bread is either frozen yuck or too expensive.  So for the past few months I’ve been baking our own bread.

I was really happy with my first recipe but we started to get a little bored with the same bread every time (I bake it twice a week) so we needed something new.  Variety is the spice of life, non?

I used my first bread recipe as a base so this might look a little familiar.  We have made this bread many times now (by “we” I mean me and the voices in my head).   It is a forgiving bread so please feel free to play around with the flours once you feel confident enough to do so.

Vegan & Gluten-Free Bread – The Nutty Version

1 1/4 cups warm water (100-115 degrees f)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 tablespoons ground flax mixed with water to equal 3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sunflower oil (or coconut oil)
3 tablespoons real maple syrup/agave/honey
1 1/2 cups garfava flour
or sorghum flour (or a combination)
2/3 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup ground walnuts or almond meal
1 tablespoon xanthan gum/guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
sesame seeds or hemp seeds for sprinkling

1. Heat water and pour into your mixing bowl.  Add yeast and allow it to proof for 5 minutes.  You will see it puff up – it’s like science class in your kitchen.
2. Add the ground flax to a liquid measuring cup.  Add water to equal 3/4 cup of a flax-water mixture.  Stir and let sit while the yeast if proofing.
3. When the yeast and water mixture has proofed, add oil, real maple syrup (or honey/agave) and flax mixture.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients (I usually do this while my yeast is proofing).  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine.
5. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes (if you’re lucky you have a KitchenAid mixer to do this for you!).  I usually stop my mixer once to wipe down the sides.  If you don’t have a KitchenAid I would stir for at least 10 minutes.
6. At 5 minutes in your mixer, you will have a fairly wet batter – not your typical bread dough.  Remember! It’s gluten-free bread we’re working with here.   You won’t be doing ANY kneading by hand.
7. Scrape the batter into two bread pans (8 x 4 inch) and sprinkle with seeds if desired.  Let loaves sit covered for 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Bake 1 loaf for 45 – 50 minutes (check at the 45 minute mark since oven temperatures can vary so much).  The second loaf should go into the fridge covered until it’s ready for the oven. Refrigerating will slow down the yeast.  You don’t want it to over-proof.
10. Use a knife or a cake tester to check loaves for done-ness.  You want something that will go right to the bottom of the loaf to check for wet ingredients.

Make sure you try this with some almond butter or your favourite morning spread.

Pete and I made some amazing garlic bread with one loaf by cutting off all of the sides so we had some crusty bread.  It was so good.

Of course, this also makes a great sandwich bread.  I tried hummus, avocado, sprouts, and lettuce.  Hello healthy goodness.

NOTES:

Don’t cook two loaves at the same time; been there, done that.

Try rotating your loaf at the 25 minute mark 180 degrees.

I have made this bread with 1/2 cup of almond flour (instead of just 1/4 cup) and cut out 1/4 cup of garfava or sorghum.  Works just as well!

I have not made this with a bread machine (just not a huge fan of the bread machine spaceship).  If you do have one and try it please please please report back with instructions and let us know how it went.

I use silicone bread pans.

If you have a nut allergy, try subbing one of your favourite gluten-free flours.

I store mine on the counter in a ziploc bag.  Ours doesn’t last much longer than 3 days; we’re big fans of toast around here.

Do you bake gluten-free bread?  Any tips you want to share with us for guaranteed yummy success?