Bread!

Baking bread was something I used to avoid as I believed it would be incredibly difficult and time consuming. However, what I wasn't expecting was the feeling of intense pride (and also relief!) when a loaf of bread goes well! 

Late last year I came across a couple of books by Paul Hollywood for sale on Vinted, "Bread" and "100 Great Breads". The second of these books was published almost 20 years ago, so the recipes needed a slight bit of tweaking where oven temperatures and baking times were concerned, however the flavour combinations in some of these breads were incredible! Halloumi and mint bread, basil and brie bread, sour cherry and chocolate loaves, and Guinness and treacle bread are just a few of the flavour combinations that I've tried from this book so far, and they've all tasted fantastic (if I do say so myself!). 

Onion and Rosemary Potato Focaccia - made with mashed potato! 

My photography skills really let me down with this,
a Halloumi and Mint Loaf!

Guinness and Treacle Bread!

Almond Sweet Bread!

What these books, and many like it, leave out are recipes for gluten free breads. I don't have any intolerances to gluten myself, and I see no need to cut gluten from my diet for any of the supposed "health" benefits, but I like the idea of making my baking as inclusive as possible. If I can give the gift of cakes, pastries or breads to more people by making them gluten free at the same time as developing my own skills then why wouldn't I jump at the chance! 

As with vegan substitutes, gluten free alternatives are becoming more readily available (although I will admit to struggling to find reliable recipes for GF bread). As a result, my first attempts at gluten free bread (only last week!) came from several sources, and were very mixed in their outcomes.

Attempt 1: Gluten Free Brown Bread!

Attempt 2: GF Brown Loaf!

The first of these two loaves, a recipe of Jamie Oliver's, was so dense I wouldn't have been surprised if it was bulletproof. I suspect this was to do with the proofing, as it didn't rise very much and probably needed a warmer environment. Whether GF bread requires more heat to activate is something I'm yet to discover (although I can't see why considering the yeast is the same). I'd like to point out I'm not slating Jamie Oliver here (just in case you're wondering who I think I am!), this is just for recipe sources!

The second of the two loaves comes from the back of the Freee GF Flour packaging. For some reason I'm always reluctant to follow recipes from ingredient packets, but I had no idea where else to look... This loaf wasn't too bad, the texture was a very springy, but was somehow quite chewy. After being left in a container overnight the loaf's texture changed until it was more like a gluten-containing loaf. Not a bad attempt, but could definitely be better! 

Yesterday however, in an attempt to feel productive whilst hiding inside from the heat, I stumbled across Victoria Glass' recipe for GF Focaccia over at GreatBritishChefs.com. The recipe seemed too good to be true, surely GF bread couldn't be that easy after my previous disaster? 

GF Onion and Thyme Focaccia!

GF Chilli, Garlic and Parsley Focaccia!

GF Balsamic Red Onion Focaccia!

The end results however are fantastic! The texture of these loafs were pretty much identical to the gluten-containing focaccia above. By simply combining GF flour, xanthan gum, yeast, sugar, salt, oil, milk and egg, the loaf has a wonderfully fluffy interior but crisp exterior. I've made the bread three times today, experimenting with different toppings for each, and all three were delicious! 

I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy these loaves were to make. Whisk everything together, proof and bake! No kneading is required as there's no gluten to activate, so on a hot stuffy day it's almost like a cheat's way to make bread!

Overall, I'm very proud of how this bread turned out! I swear bread making is addictive, and I can't wait to try out some new and unique recipes!

Gibby x