Gluten Free Vegan Crusty Bread Recipe

free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs

created by carrie forbes of gingerlemongirl.com

1 1/4 cups almond flour (5 1/8 oz., 144 grams)

1/2 cup brown rice flour (2 1/2 oz., 71 grams)

1/2 cup sorghum flour (2 1/2 oz., 72 grams)

1/2 cup arrowroot starch (2 1/8 oz., 59 grams)

1/2 cup potato starch (2 7/8 oz., 81 grams)

1 teaspoon gluten free, corn free baking powder

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon guar gum

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups warm water ( heated to 110 degrees)

1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast

3 tablespoons honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

• In a large bowl whisk together almond flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, potato starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, guar gum, and salt.
• Heat 1 1/2 cups of water in your microwave for about 40 seconds or until it's 110 degrees, measured with a food thermometer.
• Add rapid rise yeast and honey to the warm water. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes until it's bubbly and smells yeasty.
• Add the oil to the yeast mixture and pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Stir for several minutes until the dough is like a very thick cake batter and you can form it into a loose ball. Oil a large glass, ceramic, or plastic bowl and set aside.
• Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bread dough. Using your hands, coat the dough with the oil. Place the ball of dough into an oiled bowl to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set in a warm area of your kitchen.
• Allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, or until it's doubled in size.
• Place a large piece of parchment paper or a silpat mat onto a cookie sheet. Dust it with millet flour or brown rice flour. Gently pour the risen dough onto the dusted surface.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a "boule", or a rustic oval shape. Place each loaf several inches apart on the dusted surface.
• Using a sharp knife, place three small 1/4" slits on the top of each loaf.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven now to get very hot.
• While the oven is heating cover the dough with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow it to rest and rise for an additional 30 minutes. This is your 2nd rise.
• After the dough has risen a bit (around 30 minutes) it's time to put it in the oven. If you're using a pizza stone, use the cookie sheet to slide the parchment paper with the bread loaves onto the hot stone. If you're just using the cookie sheet, place it carefully in the oven.
• Bake the bread for 30-45 minutes. When finished the bread should be golden brown, should sound a bit hollow if tapped, and should reach an internal temperature of 180-190 degrees if tested with a thermometer.
• Place the bread loaves on a wire rack and allow to cool for AT LEAST an hour if not longer. The longer you allow the bread the cool, the better the texture will be when you slice into it.
• To store: Place in a ziplock bag. The bread will keep on the counter for about 3 days. After that slice it and freeze any remaining bread.

Carrie's Notes:

• Almond flour is fairly key for the bread to work well. Yet, if you cannot tolerate almonds, I would suggest trying a bean flour in it's place (for the protein and fat content.)
• If you cannot tolerate rice, use additional sorghum flour in place of the brown rice called for.
• Olive Oil: This recipe calls for a large amount of oil compared to most gluten free bread recipes, that is to help replace the fat from the eggs. Oil also acts as a humectant and assists with the texture and moisture content of the bread.
• Honey, Agave Nectar, or Maple Syrup: This bread also calls for a fairly large amount of "sugar" compared to other gluten free bread recipes. The sugar not only helps activate the yeast, but like the oil acts as a humectant to help the bread stay moist and retain it's shape. Make it first with the amount of sweetener called for. If you think it's too sweet, try it next time with less.

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