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REDUCED WHEAT BREAD
You will need to source a wheat and gluten
free flour. The one used here was Doves Farm Wheat and Gluten Free Plain White
Bread Flour
which you can buy in Tesco or other supermarkets and health
food stores in the UK. If you live in France, go to your local Bio-Coop (I
know there's one
in Chateauroux and Montlucon) and find a flour mix that includes a blend
of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize, and Sarrasin, or indeed try making your
own blend from individual flours and experiment.
You will need:
225g (8oz) Chestnut flour (or
chestnut/Hazelnut/Fig flour mix - this contains 65% wheat flour)
225g (8oz) bread flour mix (Rice,
potato and Tapioca flours with Xanthan gum)
150ml prepared (water activated) yeast
- I used Allinson Dried Active Yeast - haven't used a French variety
yet, but will update when I have sourced a similar brand.
2 tbsp cane sugar
100ml warm milk
2 Eggs
6 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
Optional: Add some Xanthan Gum (Gomme
Xanthane) to help make the bread more "elastic".
The loaf pictured above did not have this.
It was lovely toasted and it kept for at least 3 days (the loaf ran out!).
It got a bit crumbly on the third day. I will be experimenting with this
recipe and will add options if I get any better results, but this is a
really good loaf.
Method:
Oven to 220 oC / Fan 200oC/425oF/Gas
7
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Mix the two flours together with the salt
and sugar in a food processor.
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In a separate bowl, beat the two eggs with
the milk and oil. Pour in the activated yeast mixture and hand whisk
till blended.
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Gently add the liquid ingredients to the
flour mix. You may not need to add ALL the liquid ingredients. You need
to achieve a sticky dough. This is not like a normal (wheat) dough, it
needs to be slightly stickier - it does not require "needing".
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Once ingredients are mixed turn out into a
greased 1kg / 2lb loaf tin (Or even better, get one of those floppy
Tefal ones that do not require any greasing and the bread comes out
really easily!). You may need to add a little additional flour to
your hands and the mix, in order to get it out of the food processor!
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Leave to rise in a warm place for about an
hour. TIP: Support a dampened tea-towel to cover the bread but
not touching it - I use two tumblers, one at each end of the loaf tin
and drape the damp tea-towel over like a tent).
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When the bread has doubled in size, gently
place in the middle of the pre-heated oven and bake for around 40
minutes (check it at 30 minutes).
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When it looks cooked, turn it out and tap
the bottom - if it sounds relatively hollow, it's cooked. Leave to cool
on a wire rack.
OTHER RECIPES
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us about anything to do with the subject of Central France.
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