- Serves: 1 loaf
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour rising
- Cooking Time: 45 minutes
- Difficulty: easy
I like bread with a bit of crunch and texture and I really like the flavour of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Admittedly, it doesn’t look like a perfect shop-bought bread, but it tastes far better than any bread you can buy and it has the added bonus of making your home smell wonderful too.
A couple of years ago I suddenly started to suffer from some rather uncomfortable stomach pains which I couldn’t explain. I thought it might disappear after a while, but it didn’t. So, off I went to see a GP only to be told it was stress related. Something told me that the diagnosis wasn’t right. I simply knew. So, I embarked on some self-diagnosis by looking at my food choices. I had heard of lactose and gluten intolerance and thought I’d start with those. I cut out wheat and it seemed to have an immediate effect with the stomach pains disappearing within a couple of days.
Very happy and pleased with myself (less so with the GP) I decided that I would bake my own gluten free bread and add something I really like: seeds. I like bread with a bit of crunch and texture and I really like the flavour of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Admittedly, it doesn’t look like a perfect shop-bought bread, but it tastes far better than any bread you can buy and it has the added bonus of making your home smell wonderful too.
Now, baking is a pretty precise science. When cooking we can quite often get away with getting the measurements slightly wrong or forgetting the small addition of half a teaspoon of salt. Not so when baking bread. I am not a professional baker and not presumptuous enough to present you with my very own bread recipe, I’ve therefore used the basic one from Doves Farm as they know what they’re talking about. I’ve added sunflower and pumpkin seeds for flavour and texture and to make this recipe my own. So, if you fancy a freshly baked loaf of bread, why not give this one a try?
here's what you'll need...
- A 1kg bread tin
- 450 g Doves Farm Gluten Free Brown Bread Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp quick yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 350 ml warm milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 6 tbsp oil
- 70g sunflower seeds
- 70g pumpkin seeds
- Oil to grease the tin
set oven temp: 200C/gas mark 6
here's how it's done...
-
1
Preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan). Mix together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar, then add the seeds and mix again.
-
2
In a separate, large bowl whisk the milk, vinegar and eggs together.
-
3
Add the flour mixture (I used a large serving spoon whilst continuing to mix) until you have a sticky dough.
-
4
Now add the oil while continuing to mix.
-
5
Grease the tin and place the dough in it.
Cover up and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.
-
6
Bake the bread for 40 – 45 minutes.
Enjoy with cheese and ham or with butter and jam. The nutty taste and crunchiness work well with both.
Bon appétit!
When I first went gluten free, I think the most important and difficult food item for me to replicate was a loaf of really good gluten free bread. I tried many, many recipes, but with each one the texture was different, the taste was different, it wouldnt last past a day etc. I was beyond frustrated and tired of wasting expensive ingredients. All I wanted was a loaf of fresh bread I didnt have to toast and would stay fresh out on the counter for at least 3 days. Is that too much to ask?
Hi Josefina. Thanks for your comment. I know how difficult it can be to find good gluten free products or even bake them yourself. I think it’s a bit in the nature of home baking that they will come out a little different every time, but I’ve baked this one many times and it generally comes out quite well – though not as huge and “pumped up” as industrial breads. This one lasts for around 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container and the seeds give it a really lovely taste and seem to also prevent it from drying out too quickly. If you do give this a try, please let us know what you think :-)
I am just devouring my first slice of toast made with this bread and loving it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, it is the first GF loaf I have really enjoyed. It’s great to know that cutting out on gluten does not mean missing bread.