This recipe works perfectly with our gluten-free flour blends & made specifically for our COMPLETE GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH STARTER KIT, which comes with enough wholemeal flour to make three small loaves of sourdough bread.
You may use other flour blends, however for best results, we recommend purchasing our GLUTEN-FREE BREAD FLOUR BLENDS.
We think we've got a close to perfect combination of flavour & texture, as well as making it one of the most nutritious gluten-free bread recipes going around (made from wholemeal: sorghum, buckwheat, linseed), which is great for your gut biome & gentle on your tummies!
We hope you enjoy it!
LET'S BEGIN
Active Starter
You must have an active starter before commencing this recipe. Please go back to Part 1 of the Gluten-Free Bread Kit Guide if you haven't completed this.
INGREDIENTS
Starter Build
30g of active starter
50g White Gluten-Free Bread Flour
50g water
To make a small loaf (approximately 750g dough)
Dough
80g active starter (from Starter Build)
330g Wholemeal Gluten-Free Bread Flour
360g water
3g salt
To make a larger loaf (approximately 950g dough)
100g active starter (from Starter Build)
400g Wholemeal Gluten-Free Bread Flour
440g water
4g salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Starter Build
If your starter has been sitting dormant in the fridge, we highly recommend doing a Starter Build before adding it to your bread mix to help make it as strong as it can be. Mix all the ingredients in the starter build and let it get bubbly, this should take 12-24 hours.
Note: If you have come straight from Part 1 of the Bread Kit Guide than use the active starter but make sure to leave about 20g to feed it equal parts flour & water to keep your starter alive for next time.
2. Make the Dough
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix well using a dough whisk, hand or electric mixer* for about 10 minutes or until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
*If using an electric mixer, use a flat beater as shown in the video) on medium until thoroughly combined (min. 5 minutes). The dough will tend to clump together into a ball & get trapped between the flat beater, you will need to scrape it down regularly (2-3 times) & continue mixing to ensure there are no more dry bits.
Once combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl with your bowl scraper & let the mixture rest in the bowl covered for 30 minutes to let the dough thicken.
3. Shape the Dough
Unlike gluten breads that require delicate handling & special fancy shaping techniques, shaping gluten-free dough is very simple. Its important to note that the dough should not be sticky at this point, if it is, than it may be too wet or a flour other than our bread blend was used. If you require more of our bread flour, you can purchase it here.
Pour/scrap the dough out on to a stone bench. No need to flour the bench. Pat out all the air bubbles & smooth out any wrinkles or cracks. Shape into either a smooth round/oval as seen in this video. Flour the top of the dough, continue to smooth it out.
Then flour your banneton with gluten-free flour (white/wholemeal) and pop the dough smooth side down (facing the basket linen). Press gently down on the dough to help fill the banneton. Take note of the height of the dough & where it sits below the banneton. This will allow you to make a growth comparison in the next step.
4. Rest & Final Prove
Allow the dough to rest & prove inside the banneton until it has almost doubled in size. This can take up to 12-16 hours (depending on the temperature in your kitchen: colder will be longer, warmer will be shorter).
Watch the video below to see how your finished dough should look when it is ready for the oven.
When is the proving dough ready for the oven?
It’s important this process is not rushed or forgotten about: both an under/over proved dough will be denser & not have the desired oven spring when baked. See our video below for what it should look like.
5. Pre-heat Oven
Towards the end of the rising time, place a Dutch oven with lid (or baking steel or stone) into the oven and preheat it to 250 degrees Celsius for 30-45 minutes.
We highly recommend using a Dutch oven with a lid as it creates the perfect steam environment to give the bread excellent oven spring.
6. Bake the Dough
When the dough has finished rising (should have almost double, see video above), carefully flip it out onto a pre-heated Dutch oven or baking stone & throw in some ice-cubes & close the lid/oven door.
If baking with a Dutch oven, bake with lid on for 30 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.
If baking without a Dutch oven, turn the oven down to 230 degrees Celsius & bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes take the lid off & bake for a further 25 minutes at 230 degrees Celsius or higher/longer if you prefer a golden brown crust.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool before slicing.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR GLUTEN-FREE BREAD JOURNEY?
We’ve also started an open group to help anyone wanting to learn, why not join today Gluten-Free Facebook Support Group & start enjoying freshly baked gluten-free sourdough bread at home?