Great GF loaf
I have not been working on my GF skills lately and I had a little time today so I thought I would try to just throw together a loaf using what I have learned and trying to develop a "feel" for a more kneadable dough. The loaves I have made in the recent past have been more like a batter bread. I wanted to actually handle the dough and see how it felt.I did loosely track a "recipe" and I actually learned a lot from this loaf.
Here are some pics:
A close up of the crumb:
This was just cooled to room temp when it was sliced. It is not as moist as it looks but has a really pleasing texture that reminds me of a potato rye I have made in the past.
The crust browned beautifully. I attribute that to the fact that I shaped it with hands dipped in whey (I used kefir for the liquid and had some whey separated in a bowl.) After I shaped it, I lightly rubbed the surface smooth to encourage a closing of any holes. I wondered if that would help trap the bubbles. In the past, loaves developed holes as it rose. The dough shaped like a cookie dough but actually had a little oven spring! I'm not sure why I slashed-prob out of habit but I was pleased to see the separation after the bake.
What I learned is that GF flours take very little liquid but still need time to absorb and need to be "kneaded" so that the starchy gel develops. You can feel the difference. The hardest part is actually determining when the loaf is fully proofed. You can't do the "fingerpoke" test as there is no rebound. I think I will have to research how rye is proofed and hope MiniOven will jump in for that. I also baked this at 375F. I thought it would help to bake it longer/slower to release more moisture and it seemed to have worked.
Recipe-such as it is.
Mix together in bowl:
2 cups GF flour
1 1/2 tsp salt (needs a little more)
1 tbsp. sugar
Mix all wet ingredients together and then mix into dry ingredients. Make sure the psyllium is well combined so there are no gel lumps in dough:
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 c kefir (buttermilk or reg milk would prob be fine)
2 tbsp. psyllium + 1/4 c water-mixed and sit until gelled
2 tsp yeast+2 tbsp. water+pinch sugar-mixed and sit for 5-10 minutes
(I used SAF Gold for this recipe)
Mixed by hand-let rest 20 minutes-then "knead" with damp hand. I actually gave up trying to keep my hands clean and this dough does not change a lot but it gets a little smoother/more gelled feeling.
Shape on greased or parchmented pan. Lightly rub over surface to smooth it and dip hands in milk or whey. Apply sesame seeds generously.Slash lightly. Bake 375 until nicely browned.
Have fun! I would be happy to post my GF flour blend if interested.