Baking Love

I found the recipe for this incredible bread at A Gluten-Free Guide. Catherine says it is from Mireille at the Delphi Forums. When I saw the recipe I knew I had to try it, as it seems so often with gluten-free bread you get good texture/no taste or good taste/bad texture. My loaf of this bread was ugly, hideously brown and lumpy, but quite tasty. The cheese helps add flavour but I might try leaving it out if I made it again. I left out the almond extract and egg replacer, as I didn’t have any, and I had to use part arrowroot starch as I didn’t have enough tapioca flour.

This was my first time using almond flour and it adds nicely to the taste of the bread. I would expect I would notice the textural effects more with a cake, especially a flourless one. The list of ingredients here may look daunting at first, but never fear, they all work together to make what is a most delicious bread.

This bread had so much lift it bubbled over the sides of the tin! I may have let it raise too long but I have never had a gluten-free bread do that before. This bread browns easily. I had to bake mine for 20 extra minutes and I would have baked it longer but I didn’t want it to burn. I would have covered it with foil, as Catherine recommends, but I didn’t have any and I couldn’t think of a suitable substitute.

After all these didn’t-haves, the bread had a good crust, only a slightly gummy texture which was probably from the flours used but may have been remedied by longer baking (covered), and a phenomenal taste! I am looking forward to baking this bread again. Thank you Catherine, Mireille, and whoever developed this lovely recipe.

Almond Bread

110g (1 cup) Asian rice flour

110g (1 cup) tapioca flour

200g (1 cup) almond flour

2 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons gelatine (may replace with agar-agar)

1/2 teaspoon egg replacer

40g (1/2) cup good quality Parmesan cheese (may omit)

3 extra-large eggs room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon gluten-free cider or regular vinegar

1/2 teaspoon gluten-free almond extract

300 ml (1 1/4 cups) warm water

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).

Proof the yeast by adding it to 60 ml (1/4 cup) of warm water between 43C (110F) and 46C (115F). Stir to dissolve. Add the two teaspoons of sugar and let the yeast to sit for five to ten minutes. If your yeast doesn’t foam up well, then it’s probably dead and inactive.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the eggs, honey, oil, vinegar, almond extract and mix on medium speed for two minutes. Add 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the water and beat for one minute. Continue to add water and mix until dough is slightly thicker than cake batter. Pour the mixture into a greased bread tin and let it rise covered in a warm spot. It won’t do much here, it’s gluten-free after all, but just wait until it gets into the oven! (The greasing is important. If you don’t grease or line your tin it will be difficult to get the bread out.)

Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cover with foil after 20 minutes to keep the top from burning.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Casein-Free Option:

Omit the parmesan cheese or substitute with your favourite dairy-free cheese, such as soy cheese or almond cheese, or goat’s milk cheese.