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Gluten-Free Baguette Bread – hard to believe it’s gluten-free!
A French-style white baguette is an essential gluten-free bread to master and enjoy as a sandwich, garlic bread, with or in soups, on a cheese board or simply on its own fresh from the oven.
As with all homemade bread, it needs time to rise to develop some stretch and flavour, but your patience will be paid off when you are rewarded with the aroma and taste of freshly baked bread.
Variations
Once you have mastered the basics of making gluten-free baguettes start adding some interesting ingredients to the recipe before shaping and rising each baguette.
- Walnuts – head to this QUICK bread recipe for gluten-free walnut baguette
- Dried herbs such as rosemary, parsley, oregano or basil
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Caramelised onions
- Grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese
- Bacon bits
- Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Dried fruit – sultanas, apricots or cranberries
- Black or green olives
I bought my first baguette tray ten years ago after attending a breadmaking class (when I was eating gluten). Although you can get away with a baking tray after shaping the baguette dough into a log, I feel the baguette tray takes it to another level. The holes in the tray absorb the rising steam giving it that authentic baguette appearance and taste.
Gluten-Free Baguette
Ingredients
- 15 (4) g (tsp) dried yeast, or
- 20 g fresh yeast
- 4 tsp sugar
- 100 ml warm water
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 ml fizzy water or soda water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 570-600 g store-bought or homemade gluten-free bread flour
- 2 tsp xanthan gum, or Optional, as additional binding strength
- 4 tsp psyllium husk powder Optional, as additional binding strength
- Rice or tapioca flour, for rolling & dusting
Instructions
Preparing the baguette dough
- Activate the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and warm water in a glass measuring jug and allow it to rise for 10 minutes in a warm place. If using fresh yeast, be warned that the mixture will rise considerably.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, salt and oils to the bowl. Whisk lightly.
- Add the yeast mixture, whisk well.
- Change the whisk attachment to the dough hook and mix half of the bread flour into the whisked yeast mixture.
- Mix the fizzy water or soda water with the lemon juice in a separate jug.
- While the stand mixer is mixing at a low speed, gradually add half of the fizzy lemon water. Increase the speed as it starts to combine.
- Once well combined, add the remaining bread flour, followed by the fizzy lemon water.
- Knead the dough at low speed and then gradually increase the speed to medium-low for 5 minutes. If the dough appears and feels too sticky, add a few tablespoons of flour at a time and continue kneading until the dough feels soft but not sticky.
- On a lightly rice/tapioca flour-dusted surface, tip the dough out of the bowl and start dividing the dough into equal portions and shaping each piece into approx. 30cm long baguette shapes.
- Sprinkle some rice/tapioca flour on a baguette baking tray or regular baking tray. Place each baguette on the tray and sprinkle the baguettes lightly with rice flour. Cover the baguettes with oiled plastic wrap and a tea towel.
- Rise for 2 hours In a warm place.
Baking the baguettes
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F.
- Pour some boiling water in a roasting tray and position it on the bottom shelf of the oven. This will create a perfect steamy environment for the baguette to bake well in.
- Using a sharp knife or blade, score the top of the baguettes at an angle.
- Sprinkle the top of the baguette with some rice/tapioca flour.
- Place the baguettes on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes.
- The baguettes are ready when they appear slightly golden and sound hollow when tapped.
- Allow the baked baguettes to cool down on the baking tray for 30 minutes before slicing and serving the baguettes.
- To store the baguette, wrap each cooled baguette stick in foil or a tea towel to keep it from going hard.
Notes
- Best eaten on the same day as baking
- Suitable to freeze either whole or sliced
NOTE
The baguette bread is excellent to slice at an angle to make toasted bread or crostini. Removing the crusts, you could also make croutons to freeze and later fry up for salads and soups.
Refresh the baguette by sprinkling or spraying water on the baguette and reheating it in a moderate oven.
Slice the baguette on the day of baking and place them in a suitable freeze container. The baguette slices are perfect to toast or grill and serve as bruschetta or with dips.
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