Often when people share they have adopted a gluten free lifestyle, I hear comments like, “Oh, in order to make the food taste good they add salt, sugar and additives, no nutrients and unhealthy”. This is simply not true. When you cook your own food, you control what actually goes in.
Have you ever purchased gluten free multigrain bread? It’s generally dry and virtually tasteless. When I make gluten free multigrain bread, the aroma permeates the kitchen with fresh baked goodness. I only use whole grains. Some I mill myself. For example, it’s hard to find organic sweet rice flour. So I buy the sweet organic rice and grind it in my Vitamix. Most of the flours I use are from Cuisine Soleil products. They produce a variety of whole grain, organic and gluten free products. To heighten the deliciousness, I incorporate seeds, Arayuma Organic spices, and aromatics like dried onion or garlic flakes.
Gluten free multigrain breads not only deliver big on flavour, but are also so easy to make. There’s essentially 3 stages to the recipes: prepare yeast mixture and proof, mix together wet ingredients, mix together dry ingredients and add to wet. There ya go!
The recipes can be modified to incorporate the flours you have on hand. Substitute or add ground nuts, seeds, dry fruit, chocolate chips, spices, whatever you are craving. The only thing you need to do, is make sure the science works. To champion making gluten free breads refer to my post Gluten Free Baking: Tips for Worry Free Masterpieces.
The recipes below are creative gluten free multigrain breads chocked full of vitamins, fibre, and wholesome goodness in two ways. The ancient gluten free multigrain is a light airy slightly chewy bread. Try the Seed Bread for a more dense texture. Either way, they are both perfect for sandwiches and scrumptious right out of the oven smeared with some maple butter or homemade jam. These breads both freeze nicely.
For an added bonus, I am sharing my dukkah recipe. Take the bread, dip into some fine organic first cold pressed olive oil, and then into the dukkah…then say ahhhhh.
Gluten Free Multigrain Bread Recipes
Gluten Free Ancient Multigrain Bread with Dukkah Crust 1 Large Loaf
1 1/4 cup hot water (between 110 – 115 degrees F) 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
3 eggs 3 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup quinoa or amaranth flour 1 cup tapioca starch 1/2 cup almond flour, grind almonds with skins to powder 1/2 cup brown teff flour (any whole grain flour works) 1/4 cup sorghum flour 1/4 cup flax meal 2 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum 1 teaspoon coarse salt or Himalayan sea salt
Topping
1 ½ teaspoons honey, microwave to liquefy Dukka (see recipe below) for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar and the hot water. Sprinkle in the yeast and give it a quick stir to combine. Allow to proof until frothy and bubbly. If no froth or bubbles, it means your yeast is not active. Buy some more and start again.
Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar.
When the yeast is done proofing, add to the wet ingredients.
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Then add to the wet in the electric mixer.
Mix both together on a low speed until combined. Then at medium speed mix until dough holds together. It will be a sticky thick mixture. Like cookie batter.
Pour dough into a parchment lined and well greased 9 x 5 metal loaf pan. Cover with a towel in a warm area or heat your oven to 200 degrees F. Shut off and when slightly cooled down, have the mixture sit in the warm oven for about 30 minutes. Then take the towel off and let sit for 15 minutes more. The dough will be about 1 inch about the loaf pan.
Take microwaved honey and dab all over the top of the gluten free multigrain bread loaf. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of the dukkah. If you don’t like dukkah, then just cover with any type of seeds you enjoy, poppy, sunflower, sesame, whatever you like.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove loaf from pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Allow the loaf to completely cool before slicing
Dukkah Makes: About 1 3/4 cups
1/4-cup almonds 1/4 cup pistachio nuts 3/4-cup white sesame seeds 5 tablespoons ground coriander 3 tablespoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons sumac, optional
In a dry skillet or low temperature oven, lightly toast 1/4 cup each almonds and pistachio nuts. Remove from the pan, cool, and chop finely. In the same pan, lightly toast 3/4-cup white sesame seeds until fragrant, nutty, and golden brown.
Cool, then combine with the nuts, 5 tablespoons ground coriander, 3 tablespoons ground cumin, salt and black pepper to taste.
Use as a seasoning or a dry dip with fine olive oil and fresh gluten free multigrain bread.
Gluten Free Multigrain Bread with Seeds
1 Large Loaf
1 1/4 cup warm water 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar 1 1/2 tablespoon active yeast
3 extra-large eggs 1/4 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 cup Cuisine Soleil Tapioca starch 1 cup Cuisine Soleil Brown Rice Flour, 1 cup Cuisine Soleil Quinoa flour, 1 cup Cuisine Soleil Sorghum flour 2/3 cup organic sweet rice flour or you can use instant dry milk 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
Topping:
Liquid honey for brushing – can be microwaved to liquefy Mix together 1 tablespoon each: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a loaf pan, preferably non-stick. Otherwise line with parchment or oil and flour with tapioca starch.
Place warm water, sugar, and yeast in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir until dissolved. Set aside in a warm draft free area to proof. When it’s all foamy and bubbly, it’s ready to use.
In a medium bowl, all the dry ingredients together.
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add eggs, honey or maple syrup, vinegar, and oil, beat slightly to combine.
Add yeast mixture, beat slightly to combine.
Add flour mixture, beat on low to combine and then beat on high for about 3 minutes.
Scrape into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.
In a warm area, let dough rise until double, about 45 minutes.
Brush top of gluten free multigrain bread with honey. Sprinkle seeds and onion flakes.
Bake for 10 minutes. Loosely tent with aluminum foil and bake another 30 minutes (40 minutes total).
Cool bread in pan for about 5 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack.