This week, my kitchen, not forgetting the whole apartment, has truly smelt like a bakery. I was obsessed with producing the perfect sandwich bread and after several attempts, I am so excited to declare victory with this most amazing gluten-free white sandwich bread!
One of the first gluten-free items I bought at the start of my gluten-free diet switch was sandwich bread. There are quite a few brands selling good bread and they are great as a back-up for those days I don’t have time or energy to bake fresh bread. The only down-side to store-bought is the small quantity sold in each packet for double the price compared to gluten sandwich bread.
In my eyes, this is an important gluten-free item to have in your kitchen as it offers more than just a satisfying sandwich, but also stacks of toasts for breakfast or a cheese toast snack or how about a BLT sandwich?
If you’ve missed eating fresh sandwich bread, I encourage you to try this recipe. You will be pleasantly surprised!
This bread is best eaten fresh on the day of baking it, after that, I recommend making toast, breadcrumbs or croutons with the remaining slices.
How to make homemade breadcrumbs: Place four bread slices or more in a preheated 180 C/350 F oven for 10 minutes until toasted and golden. Allow to cool completely on a wire mesh rack. Cut the toasted bread slices into rough pieces and process them into breadcrumbs in a food processor or Thermomix ®. Refrigerate breadcrumbs in an airtight container for no more than 3 days, otherwise, store in the freezer. Use directly from frozen for countless recipes such as Gluten-Free Arancini di Riso Balls.
How to make homemade croutons: Remove the crusts from the sliced bread and cut the crustless bread into small squares – At this stage, you could freeze them in a zip lock bag or container for future use – Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and toss the bread cubes in the pan. Make sure all the sides catch some colour and fry evenly. Drain the croutons on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Use croutons in salads or soups.
This gluten-free white sandwich bread recipe is easy, but the catch is, you need to have a food stand mixer that has a whisk and a dough hook attachment. Unless, you are willing to work out your arms using a wooden spoon to mix, a stand mixer will make your life much easier.
There is very little mess making this bread as you only need to use the mixer and the Pullman loaf pan/bread tin. No kneading over the kitchen counter. The other bonus is that bread only needs a 30-minute rise.
What is a Pullman loaf pan?
Professional bakers like to use Pullman loaf pans to bake sandwich bread for its square loaf shape and minimised crust. This pan has straight sides and a lid that prevents the bread from “mushrooming” into a loaf. The bread will turn out more or less square. I bought my tin at Amazon, but I’m sure plenty of good kitchen supply shops sell them. Otherwise, using a bread tin or silicon loaf mould will do the trick. Just don’t forget to cover your tin or mould tightly with aluminium foil to prevent the bread from “mushrooming”.
Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread
Yeast mixture:
- 100ml warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 teaspoons dried yeast
Dry Ingredients:
- 320g gluten-free store-bought or homemade gluten-free bread flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 150ml water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 eggÂ
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Olive oil, to brush the Pullman loaf pan or bread tin
Step-by-Step Instructions
2. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 10 minutes.
4. Place the wet ingredients in a food stand mixer bowl.
6. Add the yeast mixture and whisk for 1 minute.
8. At a low speed, knead the mixture while gradually adding the dry ingredients.
9. Knead at a medium speed for 5 minutes.
11. Pour the bread mixture into the tin. Spread the mixture evenly in the tin. Don’t be put off if the mixture appears gluey and thick.
15. Bake the bread with the lid on or cover with aluminium foil (spray or brush the bottom side of the foil with oil before covering) for 40 minutes.
18. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.
Slice the entire loaf and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Toast the bread slice/s directly from frozen in the toaster.
