My sourdough starter “Sophie” is in good form, and I’ve been feeding her for a couple of days in anticipation of another bake. Instead of my usual round or oval loaf though, I decided to step out of my comfort zone with this beautiful Gluten Free Pain d’Epi, also known as Wheat Stalk Bread (ah, the irony).
Ever since I got my gluten free sourdough starter established (read about it here), I’ve had a few bucket list recipes that I wanted to make. This is one of them.
For the flour, I used the Artisan Flour Blend from Better Batter and as usual it did not disappoint. The flavor was fantastic, and the bread was perfect for dipping. This was my first time making a gluten free version of this style loaf and it was SO good.
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Ingredients:
- 200g Better Batter Artisan Flour Blend, about 1-1/2 cups
- 4g salt, about 1 tsp.
- 235g warm water, about 1-1/8 cups
- 70g active GF sourdough starter, about 1/4 cup
- 8g olive oil, about 1 tbsp.
- 10g honey, about 1 tbsp.
- more olive oil for brushing
- coarse salt, for topping
Preparation:
Combine the flour and salt and whisk well. Add the starter, honey and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the warm water. Note: Use all of the water, the Artisan Blend flour needs more liquid than usual to fully hydrate. Increase the speed and knead for 5 minutes to form a soft, supple dough.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm place for 4 hours. I used my proofing box.
Here is the risen dough. Place it in the refrigerator overnight to really develop that sour flavor.
The next morning, bring to room temperature. You can see how nicely the dough has puffed up, and there are lots of happy air bubbles!
It smells so good already! Now transfer the dough onto an oiled cutting board and divide it in half. You can use a scale or just eyeball it.
With oiled fingers, gently press each section into an oval shape. Don’t use a rolling pin, you don’t want to deflate the air bubbles.
Use a bench knife to do a letter fold with each section.
Next, with oiled hands, roll each piece onto a log. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with cornmeal where you will lay out the loaves.
Once the dough has rested, you should easily (again, with oiled hands) be able to shape each log into a long thin baguette, about 15″ x 2″. Lay them on the baking sheet, leaving space in between.
To create the wheat stalk pattern, use scissors to snip the loaves every few inches (don’t cut all the way through), and as you snip each section, pull it over to one side, alternating left and right.
Now brush the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. I infused my olive oil with garlic and rosemary, and the aroma as it baked was wonderful.
Bake for 30 minutes on the middle rack. The internal temperature should read 210º. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
I was really pleased with how the loaves came out, especially with this being a first attempt. The smell of freshly baked bread (REAL BREAD!) filled the entire house.
I recommend you allow the bread to cool for at least 4 hours before slicing, so the center won’t be gummy. Trust me, you will have a hard time waiting!
And now for all my bread friends who have been patiently waiting, check out that crumb! I made up some dipping oil with Tuscan seasoning, fresh garlic and rosemary. My sister came over and we had a pasta dinner. She said she couldn’t tell the bread was gluten free!
So, have you got your sourdough starter going yet? It will take your gluten free baking to the next level with results you never dreamed possible. Read about my sourdough starter Sophie here.
Notes ♪♫ This bread is best eaten the day it is baked. Leftovers can be refreshed in the microwave or toasted. Store at room temperature up to 2 days.
