Gluten Development For Artisan Bread Recipes

ARTISAN BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the yeast, sugar and warm water to the bowl of your stand mixer, or to a large bowl. Leave for 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam.
• Add the flour, then the salt. Mix together using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, or mix together with your hands until fully combined.
• Using the dough hook, knead the dough on a medium setting for 10 minutes. If you want to do this with your hands, oil the work surface and your hands with a little olive or vegetable oil, and knead for 10 minutes. It will be a sticky dough - this is fine.
• Once kneaded, place the dough in an oiled bowl (wiped with a little olive or vegetable oil). Cover with clingfilm or a wax wrap and prove for 1 hour - until doubled in size.
• Sprinkle the work surface with 1/4 cup (30g) flour and tip the dough out onto the flour. You'll probably need to use your hands to tease it out of the bowl, as it will still be quite sticky. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of the flour.
• We DON'T want to knock the air out of the dough at this point. We simply want to shape the dough by grabbing a piece from the outside and pulling it into the middle.
• Continue this, pulling the dough in all the way around until the dough no longer wants to stick in place (see the video for a visual on this). You may need a little more flour to prevent it sticking.
• Then turn the dough over and use your hands just to finish off rounding it out.
• Place the dough in a well-floured proving basket or floured bowl - SEAM-SIDE-DOWN.
• Cover with clingfilm or a wax wrap and prove for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a dutch oven (approx 25cm/10" diameter) in the oven and preheat the oven to 230C/450F.
• When the dough has finished its second prove, remove the cover, take a long piece of parchment or greaseproof paper and place on top of the bowl.
• Gently tip the bowl upside-down the dough ends up on the paper.
• Very carefully take the hot Dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid (leave a tea-towel on top of the lid, so you don't forget it's hot and grab the lid without thinking).
• Use the edge of the baking parchment to carefully lower the bread into the Dutch oven. Place the lid on top and carefully place back in the oven.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing and serving.

PERFECT GLUTEN-FREE ARTISAN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Heat a Dutch oven with the lid on in the oven.
• Combine yeast and 1/3 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl; whisk until fully dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; mix well. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture; whisk until flour is absorbed.
• Whisk remaining 1/3 cup water, eggs, olive oil, and vinegar in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and whisk well until fully combined and a soft dough is formed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.
• Spoon dough into the center a large piece of parchment paper. Smooth out loaf with an offset spatula; sprinkle top with gluten-free flour.
• Place loaf with parchment paper inside the hot Dutch oven; cover with the lid and place in the oven.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 45 minutes. Remove bread with a spatula and transfer to a wire rack.

GLUTEN FREE ARTISAN BREAD - THE BOULE

Steps:

• Warm water to 100 F/38 C
• Bring eggs to room temperature and separate
• Prepare proofing basket or bowl (spray linen with water and then flour it)

GLUTEN FREE VEGAN BREAD (WHOLEMEAL) - WITH OAT FLOUR

Steps:

• Mix together all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the YEAST (flours, oat, flax, psyllium husk, salt and bicarbonate of soda) in an airtight container and shake vigorously to blend.
• Weigh the yeast into a separate small container (airtight if not making the bread immediately) and set to one side. Keep near the flour blend so that you don't forget to use it.
• Very lightly grease the inside of a 1 pound non-stick bread tin using either a little dairy-free spread or oil, base line the tin with a piece of baking paper (cut to size) and then gently coat the sides of the tin with a light dusting of brown rice flour/buckwheat flour/sorghum flour (put a teaspoon of flour in the tin and gently turn from side to side until coated. Tip out any excess).
• In a large bowl, lightly beat together the oil, maple/agave syrup and lemon juice to combine.
• Weigh and mix the milk with the boiling water in a jug. It should be hand hot (if you are unsure about temperature, use a cooking thermometer which should read about 40 C).
• Add the milk liquid to the bowl with the other wet ingredients and briefly whisk through to combine.
• Add the yeast to the flour blend and mix.
• Whilst the liquid is still warm, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and using either a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand with a silicone/wooden spoon, beat until well blended, thick and the dough holds its shape if moulded into a ball (this will require about 5 minutes of solid beating).
• Transfer the batter to the baking tin and push down so that it is evenly distributed.
• Use the back of a spoon (dipped in cold water) to smooth the top.
• Place the dough in a warm place to rise for about 40 to 60 minutes (or until about doubled in size) - I place the tin on a folded tea towel in the oven at 65 to 70C for a perfect prove (the bread should rise about 2 to 3 cm above the tin with a gently rounded top).
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4. Place a small pyrex bowl or tray with hot water (a couple of centimetres deep) at the bottom of the oven to create steam during the baking process. (This is more important when baking rolls or a moulded 'boule' shaped loaf). For 'boule' or loaf not baked in a tin, see NOTES below
• When the dough has risen, bake for about 20 to 25 minutes (1 pound loaf) until nicely browned (this will be increased to approx 35 to 40 mins for a 2 pound loaf).
• Remove from the oven and take out of the tin (you may need to gently release the sides using a spatula or flat knife). Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• As with all bread, this loaf is easiest to cut when left to cool completely. Can be eaten fresh and warm, but texture improves if not steaming hot.
• Wrap in clingfilm or put in a sealable bag to store and keep fresh. Store at room temperature.