Friday, March 6, 2009

Gluten Free French Bread

Here is my recipe for incredible Gluten Free French Bread:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour/starch
1 Tbs Xanthan Gum
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs rapid rise yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (102-108 degrees F)
2 Tbs melted butter
3 egg whites
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Let the dough rise for 25 minutes
In a 350 degree oven; bake 35 minutes uncovered, then another 35 minutes loosely covered with foil
Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10-20 minutes before slicing.

Making gluten free French bread is really pretty easy. There are a couple of key elements to making a great loaf of bread. First you need the right pan for the job. Second you need to "proof" the yeast correctly.
This is a French Bread Pan. It sells for about $20 online or at a retail store.

Mix the dry ingredients together:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 Tbs Xanthan Gum
1-1/2 tsp salt
Measure out the following before measuring the water:
2 Tbs fast rising yeast
2 Tbs sugar

This is a critical piece for proofing the yeast. The water must be warm enough to activate the yeast but not too hot to kill it. I usually aim for around 105 degrees.
1-1/2 cups of warm water (102-108 degrees F)

Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water. Stir once to incorporate the ingredients then let it proof for about 3-5 minutes. Don't worry if there are lumps of yeast in the water after you're done stirring. It should begin foaming up.

While you're waiting for the yeast to proof; add the following ingredients to the flour mixture:
3 egg whites
2 Tbs melted butter
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Once the yeast has proofed (3-5min), pour the yeast, sugar, water mixture into the bowl and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Divide the dough equally, half for each side of the pan.

Begin using the spatula to gently shape the dough into loaves.

Place bread in a warm area and loosely cover with a dish towel. Let the bread rise for 25 minutes. I usually turn the burners for my stove on for a minute to warm up and then shut them OFF before placing the pan on to rise.

After the bread has risen for 25 minutes; place it into a preheated 350 degree oven uncovered for 35 minutes.

We're getting close to the end. After baking uncovered for 35 minutes, loosely cover with foil and bake an additional 35 minutes for a total of 70 minutes in the oven.
Cool on a wire rack for 10-20 minutes (depending on how anxious you are to eat hot fresh bread)
Makes a great center piece. Ready to be topped with whatever your gluten free heart desires.
Enjoy!!!

19 comments:

  1. I use Carol Fenster's French bread recipe and love it. Yours looks very similar. I always use rapid rise yeast and never proof it. It goes right in with the dry ingredients. I just wrote a post about it yesterday.

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  2. Thanks for the feedback Linda. In my experience, I've found proofing the yeast first results in a more consistent loaf of bread.

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    Replies
    1. What about spreading corn meal on the bottom of the pan?

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  3. Ok, I'm trying this recipe for pizza today. :) Will let you know how it works out. Thanks Brian. As for the proofing, I usually proof for bread and not for pastries etc. I couldn't tell you why! So there's my two cents.
    Jessie

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  4. When using this recipe for pizza was the dough dry? It might be my drier climate but when I made it following your pizza altered directions it was stiff. I might have needed more water. What do you think?

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  5. Will active dry yeast work as well?

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  6. Yes, I believe active dry yeast should be fine.

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  7. Hey Brian, I just made this bread and it's amazing! I posted my notes on my blog.

    http://glutenfreegourmand.blogspot.com/2010/11/fire-and-salts-french-bread-recipe.html

    Thanks for the great gluten-free french bread recipe!

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  8. Hi Brian, This bread is amazing!!!Thanks for the recipe.Selma

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  9. Thank you, Brian, for this recipe. I made changes, including kneading and forming boules and baking them in preheated Dutch ovens. It could possible rise more, but is crusty and even TASTES GOOD.

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  10. Thank you for your recipes - it's like discovering a gold mine :)
    Do you (or anyone) have insight regarding storage of the dough or par-baked loaves? I would like to prepare a large amount to have ready in the freazer, but I'm not sure if gluten free baked goods translate well...
    Thanks again,
    robin

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  11. I can't wait to try this recipe! I don't have access to french bread pans--could I use a regular stainless steel baking sheet?

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  12. How do you modify this recipe to make it into pizza crust?---- dieing to know

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  13. What brand of gluten-free yeast do you use? Is the rapid rise gluten-free? I have a hard time finding it in my local stores, even the natural food store.

    Thanks, Vikki

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  15. I tried the french bread for the first time yesterday.Don't know what I did wrong but it didn't rise as I thought it should. I followed everything to a T with measueing, temperatures, etc. Don't know if I fussed too much with the batter trying to form a loaf-like product.
    I'm somewhat concerned about the yeast product. I used 2 packets of "quick rise" instead of the bottled type. I thought that the packets are equal to 1 TBSP each. Maybe that is not correct.
    Asking for some input on the possible problem. I also put the bread to bake on the center shelf in the oven.

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  16. I loved the french bread recipe. Is it possible to make on larger loaf instead of spliting the dough into 2 loaves? It isn't large enough to make french toast so would love that.

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  17. Just made this today. This is my first time making any type of french bread and it turned out awesome! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

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  18. This french bread really look pro. I like the color and shape. Maybe I should try it one day.

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