Bake a fresh loaf of gluten-free chestnut flour bread
The simple pleasure of cracking open a fresh loaf of bread and devouring a warm slice smeared with butter can only be heightened when that doughy creation was crafted by your very own hands. Parisian master baker Éric Kayser is no stranger to this feeling, and now he’s sharing his secrets with English-speaking bread fiends via The Larousse Book of Bread, which is available in English for the first time. Brought to you by the publishers of the Larousse culinary encyclopaedia, the tome serves up 80 recipes with variations and step-by-step photography. Whether you’re pining for a traditional cob, a speciality rye, an organic sourdough or perhaps even a sweet brioche, The Larousse Book of Bread has you covered. This recipe for gluten-free chestnut flour bread can even be enjoyed by our gluten-intolerant friends.
INGREDIENTS
1–1/2 teaspoons fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled
400 g chestnut flour
100 g soy flour
1-2/3 cups water at 20°c
2 teaspoons salt
TO MAKE
As it doesn’t contain gluten, chestnut flour cannot rise without the addition of fresh baker’s yeast. Begin by measuring this out.
If you’re kneading the bread in a stand mixer, put the two flours, water, fresh yeast and salt in the bowl. Knead with the dough hook at low speed until it becomes a rather coarse, crumbly dough.
If you’re kneading by hand, put the two flours in a mixing bowl and make a large well in the centre. Pour in half the water and the fresh yeast. Mix well, then gradually add the rest of the water and the salt, and continue to mix until all the flour has been incorporated.
Dust a banneton with soy flour and put in the dough, which should fill it by two-thirds. Dust with chestnut flour and leave to rest for one hour.
Place a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat to 230°C. Carefully turn out the banneton onto another baking sheet lined with baking paper. Just before putting the loaf in the oven, pour a scant 1/4 cup of water onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the loaf in the oven for another ten minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Recipe and images from The Larousse Book of Bread by Éric Kayser. Published by Phaidon.
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