Light, fluffy, crusty..... everything you could want in a gluten-free baguette.
My first real, gluten-free white bread baking and this was a hit. The house smells amazing and this recipe
is easy. (I've made honey-oat bread, but that's not a typical sandwich bread, yet still delicious.)
A french bread pan is key for this to come out as glorious as they can be. It's worth the small expense. #trust
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ½ cups water 70 – 80 F
2 Tbsp. quick rise yeast
3 cups Cup 4 Cup gf flour blend
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 egg whites
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (rice wine vinegar works, too)
Cornmeal for dusting the pan (*optional - this works great without it, too)
Let's Bake!: Prepare a French Bread pan: Spray lightly with cooking spray and dust with cornmeal. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and water. Add in the yeast and stir to combine.
Set aside. Let it get get groovy, as it does its thing.
In a large bowl, add the flour, and salt.
Stir with a spoon or mix to combine. (I used a Danish whisk)
Add melted butter, egg whites and vinegar to the dry ingredients. Add in the yeast mixture.
Blend to mix. Stop to scrape the sides down. Beat the mixture on high for 3 minutes.
(*I used a hand held mixer with a dough hook. Use what you like. It's the timing that's key to get the texture we're looking for.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the tops. It'll bake into whatever shape you create. It'll be delicious no matter how smooth or bumpy. This is an aesthetic thing. (It's very sticky. Use wet fingers or a wet basting brush....fingers worked best for me)
Using a sharp knife, cut four, 2-inch diagonal cuts in the top of each loaf.
Cover the pan with a light towel and let rise for 30 minutes. (riiiiiiiise!)
Preheat the oven to 400 F Bake the loaves for 45 minutes. (You might need to tent them with foil after 30 minutes)
Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once it's cooled completely, slice on a diagonal for appetizers, or small bites, or really go to town and slice in half for po-boys, pressed sandwich loaves, garlic bread, or subs. The possibilities! Bon appetite!
