Art of Gluten-Free Baking
(http://artofglutenfreebaking.com)
Sourdough Bread (Boule), Gluten-Free (updated 6/20)
Special Equipment Needed
-4 quart/3.8 liter Dutch oven w/a lid: Lodge, Le Creuset, Mario Batali, Martha Stewart, Dansk are all good brands
-a 4 quart/3.8 liter bowl (one the same size as your Dutch oven)
-heavy-duty stand mixer (this will work best, but a hand mixer will do in a pinch but it will be working very hard)
-parchment paper and plastic wrap
-spray bottle with water for spraying top of the crust
-instant read thermometer is nice to double-check the interior temperature of finished bread, but you can do without it (they are cheap–get one!)
Ingredients
850g to 890g (a bit less than 4 cups) sourdough leaven (200% BP) (use all of the leaven you made)
400ish g (3 cups) mix of gluten-free flours
–>equal parts sorghum, brown rice, and tapioca. I have found that the bread works best with a mixture of 2 cups whole grain flours (I use sorghum and brown rice) and 1 cup tapioca flour. It seems to work best if tapioca is one of the flours used–it’s a starch and it helps the bread be less dense than it already is. (100% BP). If you use different flours, please use volume measurements--the recipe will turn out much better
60g (1/4 cup) water (approximate–you may need more or less) (15% BP)
2 teaspoon salt (2% BP)
2 tablespoon granulated sugar (4% BP)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum (1% BP)
Pour the leaven into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1 cup each of your 3 flours (this will add up to a little under 140g). Add salt, xanthan gum, and granulated sugar.
Place bowl on mixer and fit with paddle attachment. Set the speed to low and mix for a few seconds–just until the dough comes together as a blob. The dough will now be extremely stiff and still fairly dry.
Add 1/4 cup (60 g) water and turn mixer on low to incorporate. The dough should gradually become like a stiff cake batter.
Your area and conditions may need more or less water. For me, I find 1/4 cup/60 grams to work well. You don’t want the dough to be too thin or soupy (like pancake batter), but you also don’t want it to be so stiff that it’s like Play Doh. Once you have added all of the water, beat on high for about 5 minutes. At the end of this time, your dough should be smooth.
While your dough is mixing, line your rising bowl with a good-sized piece of parchment paper. It will be a bit wrinkly–do your best to smooth it down and fully cover the interior of the bowl.
There should be some parchment paper hanging over the edges–you will use these edges later so don’t cut them off right now. The reason I have you use parchment paper instead of greasing the bowl is that you are going to transfer the risen dough to the Dutch oven for baking at a later point.
Carefully scrape your dough into the lined bowl. Smooth top. Cut a few slashes in the top of the dough with a lame (a bread slasher) or a very sharp knife. I like to cute a cross-hatch shape into the top of the dough.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap (I usually use a rubber band to keep it on the bowl) and place it in a warm-ish, draft-free place. Your oven with the light turned on in it is a nice place.
Let the dough rise for about 4 hours. I’ve let it rise all sorts of different time periods, and 4 hours seems to work well in a kitchen at moderate temperature (around 70 degrees F/21 degrees C). The dough should rise and be noticeably puffy. Don't let it rise so long that the yeast are starting to weaken and therefore won't contribute to the rise in the oven (oven spring)
When you are ready to bake your bread, remove the bowl of dough from the oven (if you’ve been letting it rise in there). Place your baking stone (if using) in the oven and place the Dutch oven with lid, on top of the baking stone. Pre-heat to 475 degrees F/245 degrees C for at least half and hour so the baking stone and Dutch oven get nice and hot. When you’re ready, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Remember: it will be extremely hot! Use your heavy-duty oven mitts!
Remove the plastic wrap from your rising dough. Grasp the edges of the parchment paper with your hands, making sure that you have got a firm hold on it, and carefully and gently transfer your dough to the Dutch oven–your dough will be risen and is in a fairly fragile state. Be very careful–it is easy to burn yourself at this step. Spray the top with a few sprays of water–this will help to create the crisp and chewy crust. Place (hot) lid back onto your Dutch oven, and return to the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes at 475 degrees F/245 degrees C. After 45 minutes, reduce heat to 450 degrees F/232 degrees C, remove lid, and bake another 15 minutes uncovered to further bake and to brown the top crust. After 15 minutes, check internal temperature of the bread with an instant-read thermometer if you have one. It should read at least 210+ degrees F. This indicates that the bread is thoroughly baked. Next, turn off the oven, crack the door with the bread inside, and let "cure" for 15 minutes before removing from oven.
After 15 minutes, remove Dutch oven from oven. Carefully grasp the parchment paper and transfer your bread to a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper now so the bread can cool. Please note that the bread is still cooking and the crumb is setting up at this point–let it cool completely before you slice it, at least 2 to 3 hours It’s hard to wait, but you will be happy you did!
This bread stores best on the counter, unwrapped at room temperature (not in the fridge). Do not wrap it in foil or plastic wrap–it will make the crust gummy. Once you cut it, store it unwrapped with the cut side down on the cutting board at room temperature. If you really want to wrap it, use a paper bag to let the bread breathe.