Delicious Gluten-Free Bread

From Karina's Kitchen:

Most gluten-free bread recipes rely on eggs for texture and rise. Not this one. Not only is this tender crusty bread dairy-free and rice-free, it's egg-free, too. I baked it in my Breadman bread machine.

First- whisk together your dry ingredients and set aside:

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast- or rapid yeast

You'll need sesame seeds for the top- or hemp seeds; set aside for later.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the bread machine pan:

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cup warm water (at 110 degrees F)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg whisked with hemp milk

Gently pour the mixed dry ingredients on top of the liquid.

Set your bread machine program for 1.5 loaf medium crust. I used the gluten-free cycle on the Breadman; if you don't have a gluten-free cycle, I believe a rapid rise cycle will also work.

Here's a few tips and notes on how I made this new recipe.

• Having all ingredients at room temperature helps.

• Water should be 110 degrees F.

• Yeast should be fresh- check expiration date.

• After a minute or two of mixing, open the machine and scrape down the sides of the pan with a spatula to help incorporate he flour; I had to do this twice.

• After the mixing/kneading cycle was finished I checked the dough and with wet fingers pressed the top down to even out the shape.

• I sprinkled a generous tablespoon of sesame seeds all over the top.

• When the machine beeped "done". I immediately removed the pan from the hot machine, and within a minute released the bread from the pan (if you don't do this, it steams and gets a wee bit soggy) and placed it on a wire rack to do the thump test. The thump test reveals if it's done. It should sound hollow when tapped.

• I thought the sides were a tad soft so I placed the naked loaf directly into the oven- on the center rack- and turned on the temp to 350 degrees. I baked it for another 12 to 15 minutes, keeping an eye on it. When I tapped the bread it sounded hollow. Done.

• Cool the loaf on a wire rack. Slice with a sharp serrated knife.

• This bread would make fabulous burger buns.

• A note regarding altitude. I bake at high altitude- so I used only one egg's worth of egg replacer; you may need two.

• Readers sometimes ask if they can lessen either the oil or the sweetener in a recipe- in this case, I'd suggest, no. What really makes this bread tender and not crumbly is the give it gets from the honey and oil. When you don't use eggs or butter, you need to boost the stickiness factor- and flavor. That's why I use good tasting olive oil and honey (agave would work).
  

This yummy bread was not only the most successful egg-free yeasted bread to date- the taste, texture and tenderness make it one of my all-time top faves in gluten-free bread land. It didn't crumble. And it didn't taste ricey (well, there's no rice!). The combination of sorghum and millet with potato starch imparts a springy bread texture that reminded us both of our favorite ciabatta bread recipe from our pre-gluten-free days.

Next- I'll be making other flavor versions of this basic recipe, so stay tuned.

If you don't have a bread machine:

Follow the instructions for whisking together the dry ingredients.

Proof the yeast in the warm water (110 to 115 degrees F) and a teaspoon of the honey/agave (add the yeast to the water and honey stir; allow it to get poofy).

Add the proofed yeast to the dry ingredients; add the olive oil, remaining honey/agave, cider vinegar and mixed egg replacer (or egg); beat until a smooth batter forms. I use the word batter because gluten-free bread dough is more like batter than dough.

Scrape the dough into a 1.5 pound loaf pan (or 7 to 8-inch round cake pan for ciabatta style) and smooth evenly (I use wet fingers). Top with sesame seeds. Loosely cover the pan and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When the oven comes to temperature bake the bread until it sounds hollow when thumped. This might be anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes, and even up to 60 minutes if you're at higher altitude. Lower style round pan loaves will bake at 30 to 40 minutes, usually.

If you like a crusty loaf, remove the bread from the pan and return it naked to the oven for an additional 10 minutes- keep an eye on it and don't let it get too brown. It should be a light golden color.

Cool on a wire rack.