Pretty Good Sandwich Loaf

Fresh from the Chef Silly Test Kitchen; a “Pretty Good Sandwich Loaf.” This is the grill-cheese-able loaf that Erin requested. It is loosely based on my Italian Daily Bread which is loosely based on a couple of other recipes.

It is richer than the Italian Daily Bread, but goes together just as quickly. If you are organized, you can have it out of the oven in about an hour. It doesn’t crumble, although  it is not fully “bendable”- I am not willing to suffer through a hearty amount of xanthan gum to attain that quality. I added the cardamom to give it a little of that “something” that   sometimes is missing in gluten-free bread- you don’t want to have it stand out.

I baked this in a wide bottomed, glass loaf pan. It would rise a slightly higher in a narrow metal pan. The texture is good either way. I wrapped it tightly in film wrap, and kept it in the fridge. It was tasty with butter the first day, and toasted off beautifully for several days after that.

Pretty Good Gluten-Free Sandwich Loaf

Yield: Two Standard Loaves

 

Yeast, active dry - 2 Tablespoons

Sugar- 1 Teaspoons

Milk; 2%- 1 1/4 cups (about 110*F)

Honey 2 Tablespoons

Eggs, large- 2 each (room temperature)

Potato Starch- 1 1/2 cup

Chebe Flour Blend 1 1/2 cup (you may sub other xanthan-free gf blend of your choice)

Xanthan Gum- 1/2 Teaspoon

Guar Gum- 1/2 Teaspoon

Baking Powder (GF)- 1/2 Teaspoon

Salt- 1 1/2 Teaspoon

Butter (soft)- 1/3 cup

Cardamom- 1/8  Teaspoon

Cider Vinegar- 2 Teaspoon

Butter, melted- to brush on top, optional

This bread goes into a cold oven: no need to pre-heat. Spray the bottom of your loaf pans with a flourless pan-spray, avoiding the sides to give your bread more “traction”.

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk; set aside. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle; add the eggs, butter and cardamom and turn the mixer on low. Add the milk/ yeast mixture and mix on medium until ingredients are barely combined. 

Add the vinegar. Turn the mixer up to a medium speed and mix for about a minute, stopping once to scrape the bottom of the bowl.

Using a rubber spatula continually dipped in water, scrape the dough equally into the the two loaf pans. With the wet rubber spatula, or with a wet, small metal icing spatula, shape the top of the loaves with a slight mound on top, and put a shallow slit lengthwise in the top to give it that “butter top” look. You may brush with additional melted butter, if you wish.

Put immediately into the oven. Turn the oven on and bake at 425*F for 30-40 minutes until the center of the loaf reads 205*F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from pan and cool a bit before slicing.

Italian Daily Bread

Picky, picky, picky. That’s what my glutinoids are. Although I don’t eat a lot of bread myself, my family does. After about the forth time I was glutened by their snacks, I banned their bread (and their toaster) from the house. They were as nice about it as they could be. My mother-in-law hinted that perhaps, I was being unfair. Our smallest child requested toast, everyday, and scowled at my gluten-free options. The older kids are well versed on the finer points of which gluten-free waffles are edible.

Anyhow, it was time to try baking bread again.

I have been amazingly happy with my Carol Fenster book http://tinyurl.com/8s6ccu , and I started there. Cuban Bread had been a pre-gluten free favorite at my house. I spotted a French Bread recipe in Carol’s book, that like my old Cuban Bread recipe, used 2 tablespoons of yeast, and skipped the rise time. Instead of rising on the counter, it went into a cold oven. We loved this because the bread was ready, start to finish, in less than hour. My first try came out of the oven, looking like a bread superstar- crusty, brown, and seductive, in a bread sort of way.

My family dubbed it the Xanthan Gum special.

I think Xanthan Gum is an acquired taste. We have not acquired a taste for it.

After a little chef reworking, it passed muster with the gang, and even made a debut on Christmas Eve- with a few, “This is gluten-free?” comments.

Like all European-style and gluten free breads, this is best eaten the day it is made. If keeping it longer, wrap it tightly and refrigerate or freeze it.

This recipe uses a traditional method of misting the crust with steam to create a crunchy-crust. I use a 99-cent water bottle from the health and beauty section at the grocery store. Anything food grade that will create a fine spray works fine.

Italian Daily Bread
The final recipe turned out to be a combination of Carol’s recipe, and an Italian loaf that I used to make. If you mix up your dry ingredients the night before, this really can be a recipe that you have in the oven before breakfast.

There are several variations on “rustic” loaf pans. I have an open-ended pan for two loaves that is shaped like a “W” if you look at it from the side. It is made out of aluminum and cost less than $20 at a chef’s outlet store.

Makes 2 loaves- about 20 servings

Active dry yeast- 2 tablespoons
Sugar- 2 tablespoons, divided use
Warm water about 110* F- 1 cup
Egg whites or egg white liquid- ½ cup
Potato Starch- 1 ½ cups
Corn Starch ½ cup (if you are sensitive to corn, just use the potato starch)
 Chebe Flour Blend or your favorite GF flour blend-1 cup (preferably on with Tapioca flour in it)if it has xanthan gum, be sure to omit it from the recipe.
Guar Gum ½ teaspoon
Xanthan gum ½ teaspoon
Baking Powder ½ teaspoon
Salt- 1 ¼ teaspoon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- ¼ cup
Rice or cider vinegar- 2 teaspoons
Flourless pan spray
Water bottle to mist

Dissolve yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in the water, set aside

Spray the bread pan or line with parchment paper

Sift together all of the remaining dry ingredients

Combine egg whites, yeast water, olive oil and sifted dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer on low for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl, add vinegar and mix for another 30 seconds on medium.

Working with a rubber spatula dipped in a glass of water, divide dough in half onto each side of the bread pan. Shape the loaves into identical “logs” about 8-9 inches long. Keep the spatula wet as you do this. Square off the ends of the loaves. Make three shallow slashes in the top of the loaves, at an angle. Spray the top of the bread with the pan spray.

Place on the center rack of the oven. Turn the oven on to 425* F and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, open the door of the oven slightly, reach in and spray the top of the loaves several times with your water bottle. Close the oven up and set the time for an additional 20 minutes. If you want to repeat the spray 2-3 times, it will make your crust a little crunchier.

After the 20 minutes are up, use an instant read thermometer and check for an internal temperature of 205*. Cool completely before slicing, and wrap tightly once it is cool.