GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH BUCKWHEAT BREAD RECIPE

Gluten-free bread that tastes like wheat bread? I looked at several recipes online that made such a ridiculous promise, and did not like any of them. They required too many ingredients, included guar gum and xanthan gum, which I wished to avoid, or added sugar. The photos of the finished "breads" looked dried-out and withered. Not what I was going for. Therefore, I concocted my own gluten-free sourdough recipe, based upon my years of experience making wheat breads.

This was my second attempt at gluten-free bread baking, and it turned out better than the first. This gluten-free buckwheat bread tasted much like rye bread and had a similar texture, only a bit denser. It sliced surprisingly well.

I had a BLT with my bread and it was awesome! I used my bread to make croutons for my Thanksgiving stuffing, and it worked great!

The secret to getting the flavor of bread is in the fermentation process that takes time, but not effort. I used to make my wheat bread by first making a "starter," and thought it might work with the buckwheat flour, which is really not flour at all. Buckwheat is a seed and gluten-free.

I fermented the buckwheat flour, water and a bit of yeast for a couple of days. It smelled nutty and full-bodied just like wheat.

I altered how I made the final dough as well. Instead of rising the dough in the fridge for 12 hours, I immediately made the dough into a loaf and let it rise for 6 hours at room temperature (about 75 degrees.) Success!

GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH BUCKWHEAT BREAD RECIPE


DAYS 1and 2

Starter

1 ¼  cups Organic Buckwheat Flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1 ¼  cups filtered water
¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
 

Add the yeast to the room-temperature water. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the flour.

 
Stir all ingredients until smooth. Cover with towel and let sit 48 hours at room temperature. (About 74 degrees Fahrenheit.)

 

DAY 3

FEED  the Starter by adding:

½ cup filtered water
½ cup Brown Rice Flour (I used Arrowhead Mills Organic)

Recover and let ferment for another 24 hours.

Notice the spongy texture and air pockets

DAY 4

Add to the starter:

¼ cup water
½ teaspoon yeast
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 and ¼ cup Gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
2 Tablespoons Psyllium Husk
1 Tablespoon Arrow Root powder
 
Mix until dough is formed. I used the food processer fitted with the dough blade.
 

FORM the loaf into a log form.

PLACE the loaf into a buttered bread pan. Grease the top and cover pan with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for about 6 hours.

PREHEAT the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Create steam in the oven by pouring ½ cup of hot water in the bottom of the oven.

REDUCE the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic wrap and make 1/4 in cuts on top of loaf, if desired. Place loaf in oven, careful to mind the hot steam!

BAKE the loaf for 30 minutes.

REDUCE the oven temp to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake another 10 minutes or so.

REMOVE bread from oven and take out of pan. Cool on cooling rack.

Artisan Gluten-free Sourdough Buckwheat Bread