The very first bread that I baked in my life was gluten-free (and it wasn’t really good by the way). Before that I simply never had the urge to try baking bread. I only started to look into this because I was impressed by the home-made bread that a friend of mine would dish up whenever I was there for a visit.
I was just about to start baking my own bread when I realized that I’m sensitive to gluten. So I looked for gluten-free recipes, tried different things – with varied success. And after a while I learnt the basic principle of gluten-free bread-making. I was ready to start my own creations!
One thing I miss here in New Zealand is the fibre-rich, dense and moist whole meal bread that you can buy in Germany’s organic shops.
So this is my gluten-free substitute – loaded with yummy sunflower seeds and using whole meal only. After everything I’ve tried, nothing can top the unique qualities of teff flour 🙂
For one loaf of bread you’ll need:
1 1/2 (250g) cup teff flour
1 cup (140g) brown rice flour
3/4 cup (100g) chick pea flour
2 teaspoon xanthan gum OR guar gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon psyllium fibre husk
1 cup (140g) sunflower seeds
2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon FAIR-TRADE sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon sunflower seeds for bottom
1/4 cup (35g) sunflower seeds for top
Preparation:
1. Mix the first set of dry ingredients in a bowl. In a small bowl, dilute the yeast with the sugar and 1 cup water. Stir it well and let rest for 5-10 minutes til you can see foam and bubbles building on the surface.
2. Grease the bread pan with a little oil or margarine and sprinkle the 2 tablespoon of sunflower seeds evenly. Preheat the oven to 40°C
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mix, add the additional 1 1/4 cups water, the olive oil, and the vinegar. Stir the dough well and then scoop it into the bread pan. Use the spoon to spread it evenly.
4. After that pour the 1/4 cup sunflower seeds over the dough. Press the seeds gently into the dough (to avoid them from falling off after baking). Place the bread pan into the warm oven and let the dough rise for about 40 minutes.
5. Then increase the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 45-55 minutes (test with needle or sharp knife).
6. Let the bread cool down a little before you attempt to take it out of the pan. I’ve been impatient a few times and as a result I have torn the bread into two pieces…
…and then, enjoy! 🙂
