Bread is great, isn’t it? Whether you want to just butter a toasted slice of white bread, dip some sourdough into a warm bowl of soup, or build a great sandwich for lunch on rye bread, there is a lot to savour. If you have been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease and love bread, does this mean the end of your love affair? Luckily, it doesn’t, as there have been significant improvements in gluten free baking and a growth in gluten free bread options in recent years. When you consider that you might also qualify for a gluten free prescription to access bread alternatives and gluten free flour blends to bake your own bread at home, and there is a whole new bread world for you to explore, it’s exciting!
A guide to gluten free flour
Baking bread at home for a coeliac means finding the best blend of gluten free flour available. A blend of at least three flours is the best way to create a good texture to a loaf of gluten free bread, such as yellow cornflour, oat flour or brown rice flour, and white rice flour, as options to blend together. You must find a way to bind the dough together, as this elasticity is what is missing when you don’t have gluten in flour.
Gluten free bread baking tips
Some tips to help you bake gluten free bread include:
- It’s important to understand that gluten free dough does not look, feel, or act the same as regular dough, so treat it like a batter. You don’t need to knead it at all, just mix it well until the air pockets have disappeared and shape it
- You’ll require more liquid than regular flour, and extra yeast or bicarb, as you are not working with the same elasticity as with gluten. This extra liquid makes it challenging to hold its shape, so line a loaf tin with non-stick baking paper to help you remove it after baking
- It may take longer to rise, and it takes longer to brown, so do not panic and bring it out of the oven too early
- Cool the bread slowly after it has been baked. Leave it for around 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf tin
A simple gluten free bread recipe
The following BBC Good Food gluten free bread recipe is a good one to have in your back pocket. It’s a wheat-free bread that gives you a staple loaf to make sandwiches with or just to toast and butter for a quick and easy snack or lunch.
Ingredients
- 400g gluten free white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
- 284ml buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4
- Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and buttermilk together before combining the wet and dry ingredients together to form a sticky dough
- Grease a 900g loaf tin and with oiled hands shape the dough into a sausage shape and place in the tin. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for around an hour or until it has risen by about a third
- Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until it is well risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack for around 20 minutes before slicing
Gluten free flour on prescription
Have you recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease? Are you worried that you’ll really miss bread? Do not worry, there are plenty of options out there for you to either make your own gluten free bread using gluten free flour blends, or you can purchase gluten free bread from most supermarkets these days. When you are diagnosed with coeliac disease however, you may qualify for a gluten free prescription. This will give you access to a wide range of gluten free products including gluten free bread, gluten free rolls, and gluten free flour mixes. Baking is often therapeutic, but it is also a fantastic way for someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease and starting a gluten free diet to discover new recipes that will stand them in good stead for years to come. Check to see if you qualify for a gluten free prescription and you’ll soon have access to fantastic gluten free bread and other products direct to your local pharmacy.
