For the first month or so after going gluten free I didn’t really crave bread. At least, that is, after the first three days of withdrawal symptoms during which no matter how much I ate I never felt full. Instead of worrying about the lack of bread, I felt the need to convince myself that there could still be cakes, and pies, and cookies and muffins. Luckily, those types of recipes are actually quite easy to make gluten-free, and I soon had my family swearing that my lemon yogurt cake was about as delicious a cake as they had ever eaten. Then, the desire for bread asserted itself. Real bread, bread with good texture and great flavor. sandwich bread, French bread. I turned to mixes, to Bette Hagman’s books, to the internet, I played with flours and sourdough starters, but I still haven’t found the perfect bread. Some of my attempts have had good flavor, some actually rose enough to look like bread, but most have been too moist or too bland. The search continues.
This recipe, is my latest attempt. I believe the key to finding a gluten-free bread that I truly enjoy lies in some variation of the European method of making a sponge first and letting it sit for several hours before making the final dough. The longer yeast is allowed to work, the more flavor it imparts to bread, and some studies have shown that the slower rise also helps gluten-free flours create a better crumb. My intuition was already pointing me this direction, when I came across Naomi Poe’s post on exactly this topic. I decided to start with her recipe for ciabatta (changing only the flours – since I don’t own her mix).
But how does it taste? I honestly don’t know. It smells heavenly, with approximately 5 minutes left in the oven, but I magically developed lunch plans so the tasting will have to wait…
