Gluten-free sourdough

(from greenfood’s recipe box)

Ingredients

  • Sourdough Bread (Boule), Gluten-Free
  • 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)
  • -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 (measurements are in weight ounces, not fluid ounces)
  • 30 oz/850 g (a bit less than 4 cups) sourdough starter (200% BP)
  • (If your starter has been dormant–e.g., in the fridge and not being fed/watered every day–you need to wake up the yeast before you use it in the bread dough. Feed and water the yeast the day before you make the bread to give the yeast time to wake up and
  • 15 oz/425 g (about 3 cups) mix of gluten-free flours
  • –>I like a combo of 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 like sorghum and brown rice) and 1 cup tapioca flour. It seems to work best if tapioca is one of the fl
  • 6 oz/170 g (3/4 cup) water (approximate–you may need more or less) (40% BP)
  • 2 teaspoon salt (2% BP)
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (1% BP)
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (4% BP)
  • Place the mixing bowl from your stand mixer on the scale and set it to zero. Add the starter. Add 5 oz/140 g (about 1 cup) each of your 3 flours. 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.

Directions

  1. Add your water, a bit at a time (about 1/4 cup at a time), mixing for a several seconds after each addition. The dough should gradually become like a stiff cake batter.

  2. ou need to run the mixer for several seconds after each addition to be able to judge how the water is being absorbed. For me, in Seattle this fall, it’s routinely taken 6 oz/170 (3/4 cup) of water to make the appropriate dough consistency. Your area and conditions may need more or less water. 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 3 minutes. At the end of this time, your dough should be smooth.

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