This is the stuff that gluten free dreams are made of. This loaf just blew me away and it was so hard to wait for it to cool down so that I could slice it! Well worth it though when I had my first sandwich with this amazing bread. It is hands down the best white bread that I have made since my gluten free life began seven years ago. It is soft, supple and doesn’t fall apart in your hands! And guess what else? It doesn’t need toasting!
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Note ♪ You will need a fully active sourdough starter for this recipe. If you don’t have one yet, jump over to this post where I show you how to make a gluten free sourdough starter.
Ingredients:
- 350g. Better Batter bread flour
- 1-1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. instant yeast
- 250g. fully active sourdough starter* see notes
- 350g. warm water
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Have you ordered the new Bread Flour from Better Batter yet?
Preparation:
Whisk together the flour, salt and instant yeast.
Hint: That scant 1/8 tsp. of instant yeast will give your sourdough starter a little boost without affecting the flavor!
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sourdough starter, water and oil. Add the flour mixture and beat with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes.
Gather the dough together, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a lightly floured cutting board.
Using a bench knife, turn the dough over on itself about 2 dozen times as you rotate the cutting board so that everything is well incorporated.
Use a spatula to smooth the dough into a round.
Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for 12 hours.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 475º with baking stone. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and invert it onto a sheet of parchment.
Use a spatula to smooth it into a round shape.
Use a lame or sharp knife to score 2 circles around the dough and sprinkle a little flour over the top.
Transfer the dough, with parchment to the oven. Throw a few ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the door. After the first 5 minutes throw in a few more ice cubes.
After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350º, and continue baking for another 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 210º.
Cool completely on a rack then store in a plastic bag at room temperature. Wait 24 hours to slice.
Once the bread is sliced, serve immediately and freeze any leftovers.
If you’re wondering if you can make this bread in a loaf pan, the answer is yes! Follow the directions through overnight proofing. The next morning, roll the loaf out to a rectangle and do a letter fold.
Repeat rolling and letter fold from the opposite direction, then pat the dough into a loaf shape. Place it seam side down in a 1 lb. loaf pan lined with parchment. Smooth the top with a spatula, lightly flour and score the top.
Throw a few ice cubes into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes at 475º. Then, carefully remove the loaf from the pan, lower the heat to 350º and finish baking directly on the stone for another half hour or until the internal temperature reaches 210º. Wait 24 hours to slice!
Which way is best? I actually prefer the loaf shape for everyday sandwiches, but the round boule is quite a nice presentation. You should probably make one of each, just to be sure 😉
Notes ♪♫ I took my starter out of the fridge about 5 hours before I made the dough, fed it and waited until it had a full head of foam on top. Your starter may require more time to fully activate, depending on how often you feed.
Questions? Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to troubleshoot or offer advice!
