Two years...at least a dozen attempts at yeast bread, either barely edible or just plain thrown in the trash and finally, we have a winner! I think it was Plato who said, "necessity is the mother of invention" and how right he was.
Having grown just plain tired of never having a bun for my burger because the gluten free offerings at the store are absolutely awful, I decided to try again. We were going to a superbowl party with our small group and the host asked me if I could bring some gluten-free buns for pulled pork sandwiches, as we have several in our group with food allergies. So, to the "Ivaska test kitchen" I went, three different gluten free bread recipes in hand, none of which were very good, determined to invent the glorious and elusive gluten-free/dairy free sandwich bun. I am happy to report these are actually good! They actually have the texture of real bread. The real question was going to be how they were the next day, as gluten free products go stale very quickly. I stored them in the refrigerator and then microwaved them for about 45 seconds and they were soft and tasty just like the previous day. After the party, I froze the remaining buns and this past weekend, I microwaved a couple to go with our dinner and again, very soft and yummy.
This can easily be made into a sandwich loaf, buns or dinner rolls. The recipe will be the same, but baking times will differ. I hope to experiment with this base recipe a bit more in a couple of weeks when I am done traveling for work and see if I can develop a french bread equivalent...will report back, but in the mean time, have a bun with that burger this week!
Classic Bread
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup potato starch
2 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 eggs plus 2 egg whites
3/4 tsp canola oil
3/4 tsp dough enhancer
2 cups coconut milk (not light)
Warm coconut milk in microwave about 45 seconds or until temperature is approximately 100 degrees F. Place coconut milk in stand mixer bowl with the yeast and sugar. Give the mixture a quick stir and let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast mixture foams. Stir in canola oil, dough enhancer, unflavored gelatin, eggs and egg whites until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix on medium-high for about 3 minutes. Dough will be sticky and the consistency of thick cake batter.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. As soon as temperature is reached, turn oven off (all bread types).
Buns: Use a large scoop (size 20 or about 1/3 cup) to place mounds of batter on cookie sheet lined with
a silpat or parchment paper. Use a wet spreading knife to flatten mounds into bun shape, about 1 inch thick. Place cookie sheet in oven and let rise about 1 hour or until dough is almost doubled. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Buns should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove to cooling rack. Once cool, place in ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.
Sandwich loaf: Spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with g-free flour. Scrape dough into loaf pan and smooth top with wet spatula. Place loaf pan in oven and let rise for 50-70 minutes or until dough is almost doubled. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake an additional 30-45 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to cooling rack. Once cool, place in ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.
Dinner rolls: Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray. Using a large scoop, fill muffin tins 3/4 full with dough, smoothing tops with a wet spatula. Place muffin tin in oven and let rise about 1 hour or until dough is almost doubled. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove to cooling rack. Once cool, place in ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.
Sandwich loaf: Spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with g-free flour. Scrape dough into loaf pan and smooth top with wet spatula. Place loaf pan in oven and let rise for 50-70 minutes or until dough is almost doubled. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake an additional 30-45 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to cooling rack. Once cool, place in ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.
Dinner rolls: Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray. Using a large scoop, fill muffin tins 3/4 full with dough, smoothing tops with a wet spatula. Place muffin tin in oven and let rise about 1 hour or until dough is almost doubled. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove to cooling rack. Once cool, place in ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.
