Artisan bread. The crusty artful loaves that you see displayed in the finest French bakeries. Or in the bakery section of your local specialty food market. You could never imagine that one of those amazing loaves of bread could be gluten-free. Well, I’m here to reassure you that it can happen. Thanks to the genius of Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, you can easily achieve this at home with this delicious Gluten-Free Artisan Bread. It’s all outlined in their book, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.

I will confess that my first attempt at this didn’t turn out so well. It had nothing to do with technique. It had everything to do with my not reading the instructions carefully. As a result, I substituted a few of the ingredients with what was more readily available to me at my local store. I found out the hard way that you cannot substitute sweet rice flour for stone ground rice flour. And that potato starch and potato flour are two very different things. If you have trouble finding any of the ingredients listed for the all-purpose flour mixture, don’t worry. They are all available on Amazon here and here. They are also available online directly from Bob’s Red Mill.

(Since this post was originally published, I’m happy to say that every ingredient is now carried in my local supermarket …a sure sign that times are changing. So many gluten-intolerant folks out there, unfortunately.)

This may seem like a lot to go through to make a loaf of bread but, really, if you have a serious issue with gluten or someone close to you does …you’ll find that it’s worth the effort. And the best part is that once you mix up your customized gluten-free all-purpose flour, you’ll store it in a large container and have it handy for all of your baking needs. The key is to measure each ingredient carefully …I found that measuring in grams on my food scale by keeping a running total worked out well.

Update April 3, 2020…

Since this article was first published in July of 2017, it has become my most popular post. By far. The one issue that seems to be of concern, though, is the large volume of products required to make the Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mixture. I do realize that to get started, you may need to purchase every one of these specific flours and/or starches. There is one way to minimize your cost at first, not by much but every little bit helps, right? The average bag of Stone-Ground White Rice Flour weighs in at 680 grams. So that you would need just one package of that item, you can alter the amount of each ingredient in the flour mixture by using 2/3 of the original measure.

By making that adjustment, you should still have enough of the flour mixture that is required to make the dough for your Artisan Bread. If you don’t think you’ll have the need for enough dough to make four loaves within a ten-day period, simply scale down that part of the recipe by half. You can customize any part of this to suit your personal needs. ~ Rosemary

As the authors state …“The ingredients must be very well mixed, otherwise, the xanthan gum or psyllium will not be evenly distributed and your loaves will be inconsistent. Whisk and mix the ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart lidded container. Finish by picking up the container and vigorously shaking until the flours are completely blended.”

The yeast is sprinkled in with the flour mixture. Once the dry ingredients are well combined, the lukewarm water is added. It is recommended that it be exactly 100°. I know this all may seem to be a bit much but please don’t give up on it. After all, it’s like a science project. And the final product is so superior …it’s worth the effort. You just can’t buy this at your local bakery. Well, maybe you can if you live in a large metropolitan area. But, for the rest of us …we’re on our own.

Pull out that stand mixer…

If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix up the dough for about one minute. If not, give it a good stir for about two minutes until the mixture is very smooth. And the best part is …no kneading necessary!

Ready to bake it up…

After a two hour rest, your dough is ready for the fridge. This is where the “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day” comes into play. This recipe makes enough dough for four one-pound loaves. Over the next ten days, grab about a pound of dough, shape it into a round loaf, let it rest for about an hour and bake. Just five minutes of your hectic schedule. The rest of the time it takes care of itself. And the longer it hangs out in the fridge, the more developed the flavor is. Simply genius.

When you dust the prepared dough with flour, use a bit of your gluten-free all-purpose mix. Or, better yet, just use white rice flour.

Just before baking, you’ll score the top of the round of dough in a scallop or cross pattern. Don’t cut too deep, just a quarter inch to a half inch. If you would like to achieve a less dramatic look, barely cut into the dough as I’ve done here.

Choose your method…

Our baking specialists recommend that you bake this bread on a preheated baking stone or baking metal, using the steam method. Thanks to fellow blogger and cookbook author, Alexandra Stafford, we now know that you can bake it right in your preheated, lidded dutch oven. That’s the method I’ve chosen here. It’s actually the method I use every single time. It couldn’t be easier. I use my Le Creuset 5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven.

Just lift the dough round, including the parchment paper, right into the dutch oven, cover it and bake. For additional insight on what to expect with this unstructured dough, check out this video.

Give your Gluten-Free Artisan Bread a time out…

When the bread is done, place it on a cooling rack for a full two hours. That’s the hard part. It smells so good, you’ll want to cut into it immediately. After all, who doesn’t love warm bread straight from the oven? But don’t give in to the temptation. Gluten-free bread needs a full two hours of cooling to set completely.

4.91 from 11 votes Print gluten-free artisan bread Adapted from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day Keep a supply of this gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture in the pantry. With a batch of this master boule dough in the fridge, you can enjoy fresh bread every day. Just takes five minutes of your time. Servings 4 one pound loaves Author Rosemary Stelmach Ingredients GLUTEN-FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR MIXTURE 6 cups stone ground white rice flour * (36 ounces / 1,020 grams)

3 1/4 cups sorghum flour (16 ounces / 455 grams)

1 3/4 cups tapioca flour or starch (8 ounces / 225 grams)

1 1/4 cups potato starch ** (8 ounces / 225 grams)

1/4 cup xanthan gum or psyllium husk powder (1.4 ounces / 40 grams) GLUTEN-FREE ARTISAN BREAD 6 1/2 cups GLUTEN-FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR MIXTURE (990 grams)

1 tablespoon instant yeast (or dry active yeast) (10 grams)

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt (10 to 15 grams)

2 tablespoons sugar (30 grams)

3 3/4 cups lukewarm water (850 grams)

parchment paper or cornmeal Instructions GLUTEN-FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR MIXTURE Whisk and mix the ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart lidded container. Finish by picking up the container and vigorously shaking until the flours are completely blended. The ingredients must be very well mixed, otherwise the xanthan gum or psyllium will not be evenly distributed and your loaves will be inconsistent.

Store the flour mixture in an airtight container in a cool dark area until needed. * Do not substitute with sweet white rice flour. ** Do not substitute with potato flour. If you’re measuring by U.S. cup-measures, be sure to pack the flour tightly into the cup, as if you were measuring brown sugar. GLUTEN-FREE ARTISAN BREAD In a 5 to 6-quart bowl or stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar.

Add the lukewarm water — lukewarm water (100ºF) will allow the dough to rise to the right point for storage in about 2 hours. Mix with the paddle attachment of mixer until mixture is very smooth, for about one minute. Alternatively, using a spoon or spatula, mix well by hand for one to two minutes. Kneading is not necessary. Transfer mixture to lidded (not airtight) food container. Cover with a lid that fits well to the container but can be cracked open so it’s not completely airtight. Plastic wrap is fine, too. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature about 2 hours; then refrigerate it and use over the next 10 days. You can use a portion of the dough any time after the 2-hour rise. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature, but whatever you do, do not punch down the dough — this is unnecessary with gluten-free bread baking. On baking day: pull off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, then place it on a pizza peel prepared with plenty of cornmeal or parchment paper. Gently press the dough into a ball and use wet fingers to smooth the surface. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 60 minutes loosely covered with plastic wrap or under a roomy overturned bowl. The dough will not look as though it has risen much after the 60 minutes — this is normal. While the dough is resting, preheat a baking stone or baking steel near the middle of your oven set at 450ºF for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, preheat a lidded Dutch oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF. If you are using the stone or steel, place an empty metal broiler tray for holding water on the shelf below the stone or steel. Dust the top of the dough liberally with gluten-free flour. Slash a 1/4-inch to a 1/2-inch deep cross or scallop(s) across the top using a wet serrated bread knife. Shimmy the loaf onto the preheated stone. Quickly and carefully pour 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the metal broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. If you are using parchment paper on the steel or stone, remove it after 20 minutes. Bake loaf for a total of 45 minutes. Alternatively, use the piece of parchment paper as handles and carefully lower the dough-topped parchment paper into the preheated pot. Cover and place in the oven. No need for a steam bath with the dutch oven. If you are using the preheated vessel, remove the lid after 30 minutes, and bake for 15 minutes longer uncovered or until the crust is richly browned. Allow bread to cool completely, about 2 hours, on a wire rack. Store remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded or loosely plastic-wrapped container and use it over the next 10 days. If your container isn't vented, allow gasses to escape by leaving the cover open a crack for the first couple of days in the fridge. After that, it can be closed.

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