Gluten Free Challah Bread

Mothers are marvelous and will do anything for their children.  Amanda's mom Nancy is absolutely no different and goes above and beyond to accomodate Amanda's gluten free needs.  She scours books for gluten free recipes and is always trying out something new at our weekly Friday night Shabbat dinners.

This week she tried out what was close to a gluten free Challah type bread (picture) that she found in a magazine called Living Without.  Living Without is a magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities.

This gluten free recipe is called Champion Sandwich Bread.  The following is cited from the October/November 2009 Edition of the magazine:

Champion Sandwich Bread
Makes 2 Loaves

Light in texture, this is the perfect everyday bread for breakfast and sandwiches.  This recipe takes only a few minutes to put together in a stand mixer.  For maximum yeast rise, have all ingredients at room temperature.

Ingredients:
4 cups Brown Rice Flour Blend
1 table spoon xantham gum
1 tablespoon gluten-free egg replacer
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered milk or nondairy milk powder substitute
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, margarine or Spectrum organic shortening
2 teasspoons cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

Brown Rice Flour Blend:
Makes 4 cups

1 1/3 cups brown rice flour, preferably super-fine grind
1 1/3 cups tapioca fllour/starch
1 1/3 cups cornstarch
1 tablespoon potato flour (not potato starch)

Blend ingredients together.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Allow flour blend to warm to room temperature before using

Directions:

1. Grease and flour two 8-inch bread pans
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl.  Set aside.
3. Place eggs, butter, vinegar and honey in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  With the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together for about 30 seconds.  The butter will be chunky.
4. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Mix just until blended.  Add remaining dry ingredients and mix for approximately 30 seconds, until blended.
5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add warm water until well absorbed.  Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 4 minutes.  Bread dough shoudl resemble cake batter
6. Spoon the dough into prepared pans.  Set aside in a warm place to rise, about 50 to 60 minutes.  While dough rises, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
7. Place pans in preheated oven on middle rack and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until bread's internal temperature reaches 200 degrees with an instant-read thermometer
8. Let bread cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Then remove loaves from pans and place on rack to cool.

Gluten-free egg replacer is available from Ener-G Foods (ener-g.com)

Tip:  If you are not eating the whole loaf right away it is okay to freeze the loaf for later use.  However we have found it easier to pre-slice the bread before freezing so you can easily take a slice at a time from the freezer.

Let us know how this recipe turned out for you!