Gluten-Free Cottage Loaf #GBBOGlutenFree

Indulge in this easy-to-make gluten-free bread that doubles as a pretty centrepiece for your dining table in this week's #GBBOGlutenFree bake along!

 

Yield: 1 cottage loaf
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 1 hour

Gluten-Free Cottage Loaf

There's a running joke amongst coeliacs and it's this: gluten-free bread. Okay, so maybe it's not that bad but gluten-free bread 9 times out of 10 leaves something (a lot of something, in fact) to be desired. Gluten is what makes normal bread lovely and stretchy and indulgent and nice to eat. Take that away you're mostly left with pale rocks masquerading as bread. Still, even with the general challenge gluten free breadmaking poses, I was excited for this week's technical challenge in the #GBBOGlutenFree bake along!

Ingredients:

For the cottage loaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon gluten-free quick yeast
1 tablespoon oil
1 large egg (optional)
300ml lukewarm water
500 grams gluten-free strong or bread flour
Need a conversion? Use this handy chart.

#GBBOGlutenFree Cottage Loaf

Last week, the Great British Bake Off contestants were told they had to make their cottage loaf without the use of mod cons, just the way a traditional cottage loaf would have been made--no dough hook attached mixer in sight. I loved this idea and it's the way I used to prefer to make bread BC (Before Coeliac). A lot of gluten free bread recipes like this gluten free loaded potato focaccia and my best ever gluten-free burger buns are prepared hands off purely because gluten-free dough can be so tricky to work with. But with this cottage loaf recipe, you can get in there and knead the dough--I just wouldn't do it on a counter top!

Instructions:

1. Put the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
2. Stir in the water and mix until the dough is lumpy then add in the oil.
3. Gather the dough with clean hands and then knead in the bowl for 100 presses (you can knead on a work surface or counter top but you'll likely need to add more flour, which you should avoid).
4. Oil a piece of plastic wrap and cover the dough in the bowl and leave it for an  hour to double in size.
5. Knead the dough in the bowl again for 100 presses.
6. Divide the dough unevenly (I split it 2/3 and 1/3). Shape the larger piece of dough into a ball and place on a baking tray lined with a silicone sheet or parchment paper.
7. Roll the smaller piece of dough into a ball and place directly on top of the larger piece of dough.
8. Use your finger or the clean handle of a wooden spoon and press down in the centre-ish of the dough until you can feel the baking tray beneath.
9. Preheat the oven to 200c/400f.
10. Loosely cover the dough on the tray with the same oiled cling film and let prove again for about 40 minutes.
11. Score the dough and brush on a bit of egg beaten (if using) and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes to an hour. 
12. Let cool on a wire rack.