Hey there! I just have to share my excitement with you! As a member of the Reverse Inflammation Program, I cannot believe the incredible progress and achievements my fellow group members have made. It's truly inspiring! (Find out more about this program here).
But you know what? One of the unexpected joys I've discovered along this journey is a newfound passion for baking gluten-free bread. It's been such a delightful experience experimenting with different recipes and creating delicious loaves that are good for my body.
Growing up with a Portuguese background, bread has always been an integral part of my diet. In fact, in Portugal, it’s believed that a meal isn’t complete without some type of bread accompaniment.
I'm no stranger to baking, but this is a completely new experience for me. The challenge of creating something delicious that is also healthy and free from gluten has pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was initially intimidated by the idea of making bread without wheat flour, but after doing some research and experimenting with different recipes I found that it's much easier than it looks!
Gluten-free bread has been gaining prominence in the culinary world for some time now, and after seeing a few friends making it successfully, I decided to give it a try myself.
Unfortunately, when I first tried my hand at making bread myself, the results weren’t all that great. The texture was off and, let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly a baker’s delight! I quickly realized that this wasn't something that could be achieved overnight and it would take some research and experimentation before I could make decent bread. After doing some research, I discovered that gluten-free bread can be quite tricky to make as it uses different ingredients and requires unique baking techniques.
So I dove into the world of baking with gusto. I read books, studied techniques and experimented with different ingredients to try to perfect the recipe. After quite a few attempts, I finally had something close to the Portuguese bread - soft on the inside but still with a golden crispy crust on the outside. Today I'm sharing a recipe for a delicious, aromatic bread inspired by Michaela Vais's. This bread is egg-free, dairy-free and yeast-free. The texture is amazing, very similar to our Portuguese bread - Pão Saloio and I hope you like it.
Ingredients:
50 gr buckwheat flour
50 gr Flaxseed meal
100 gr Coconut flour
100 gr Sweet Potato flour
40 gr Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt
30 gr psyllium
2 Tbsp honey
450 ml water
Optional: add your favourite seeds or herbs to the dough
Instructions:
1- Combine Psyllium, honey and water, whisk well and set aside until it gets a gel-like texture, around 15-20 minutes.
2- Pre-heat oven 390º(200ºC)
3- In a large bowl, bring all the dry ingredients together.
4- Add the psyllium gel to the bowl and knead the ingredients with a mixer or with your hands, until it dough becomes even and together.
5- If the dough is too wet, sprinkle it with 1-2 tbsp tapioca flour. If it's too dry, add a little water.
6- Shape the dough as you like, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
8- Let it cool completely before slicing.
Enjoy!
