Life is busy, hectic, crazy, but life is wonderful!
This last week or so has been just as crazy as ever and I thought I would share a little of the goings on…
My friend Maggie wanted to learn how to make gluten free baguette, the one that I had shared with her on earlier occasions. So we set a time for another cooking lesson, this time in my kitchen. I made everything ready, typed up the recipe and had it duly checked by my live-in-editor, Gary, and with all the ingredients and equipment set out on the bench – we were ready…
Maggie arrived and we got to work, or should I say, she got to work… When I teach someone to make something, I always let them do the work, that way they get to know what needs to happen, and how things feel as they work through the recipe. That being said, I guide them along the way.
- 280 g rice flour
- 110 g tapioca flour
- 3 tsp xanthan gum
- 1½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tsp dry yeast
- 340 ml lukewarm water
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vinegar
- Canola spray, to grease the pans
- Extra olive oil, to finish
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Line the baguette pans with baking paper, folding the ends to enclose and prevent spillage.
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Using a stand mixer, blend the rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, yeast, xanthan gum and salt on low speed to combine
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Add the water, olive oil, egg whites and vinegar to the dry ingredients.
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With the mixer on high (Kenwood speed 4-5), beat the mixture for 3 minutes. (The mixture will resemble whipped cream in appearance.)
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Using a wetted spoon, spoon the dough/batter into the lined French baguette pans. Smooth the top with a wet spatula.
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Drizzle over a little olive and, using a flexible spatula, carefully coat the top of the baguette with the oil.
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Preheat oven to 200˚C.
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Set the baguettes to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
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Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven.
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Remove the baguettes from the trays and place directly onto the oven rack and continue to bake for an additional 7 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- The mixture is quite sticky, and I find that the best way to get it into your baking pans is to use a wetted spoon or plastic plastic spatula. I have a jug of warm water on the side and dip the spoon into the water each time, this stops the dough from sticking to the spoon. The dough rises quite fast and will at least double in size.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting. In fact, if you can wait, it's best cut the following day. If you can't wait, when it is at room temp, refrigerate the loaf for an hour or so, It makes it much easier to slice.
- Remember, the mixture for this bread is not so much a dough, as a batter.
- If you don't have a good stand mixer, don't be tempted to use a hand held mixer, it is best to hand mix the batter using a large spoon. While it won't give such a smooth batter, the baked result is just the same.
- I also use this batter to make a gluten free style focaccia. I just spread the batter onto a baking paper lined baking tray, oil the top of the batter, and once it has risen, poke in sprigs of rosemary, pieces of Queso Blanco (you could use ricotta, feta or such), and sprinkle with pure salt flakes.
- Last updated: 20 January 2024
With the dough made, we sat down for a cuppa, some cake and a chat while the yeast did it’s thing and the loaves puffed up. The oven was turned on and heated up, and then the bread went in… Maggie was very excited. I had made some baguettes earlier, so while the bread cooked, I took out some home-made hunter sausage, my home-made camembert, and homemade chilli jam and we stood around slicing up the baguette, spreading it with butter and chilli jam and then topping it with pieces of sausage and cheese – a wonderful, simple and delicious lunch, as we waited for Maggie’s bread to cook. Excited with how easy the bread was to make and how delicious it was, Maggie could not wait to show it to, and share it with her husband.
Later in the week, I was sitting down after a busy day, and when I picked up my phone, I noticed a missed call and message – Coltish Pork had a couple of pieces of loin and wanted to know if I would like it – herein lies a story for another blog. But from the conversations that ensued, it was decided that I should meet Maggie at the Sale Farmer’s Market early the following morning. This is where I met Jan, a friend of Maggie’s, from Alloway Olives.
Maggie and Jan at the Alloway Olive Oil Stall – Sale Farmer’s Market
I quickly decided to buy a bottle of her wonderful olive oil with an idea of how I was going to use it – A freshly baked baguette, some of this deliciously fresh olive oil, and some of my home cured olives would make for a wonderful relaxing end to the day with my husband, Gary, as we enjoyed a nice glass of wine.
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
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Lovely day spent with a good friend cooking – perfect! I read that you cure your own olives? Would you mind posting a recipe for that? Is it complicated? I have olive trees dripping with over 1000s of olives but they all go to waste! I also noticed that you spread a homemade chili jam on your homemade bread – do you mind sharing that recipe as well? All your homemade goods sound amazing!! Thanks!
Thank you for your kind words and for following my blog. I will share the recipes with pleasure. The brining of the olives takes time, but is well worth it. If you have that many olives, it can be fun to have a day where you invite family and friends and have an olive party. Many hands make light work and the chatter as you are sitting preparing the olives makes it a fun activity for all… I will also share some marinade recipes for the finished product. I will get the recipes posted this week and will let you know when it is done.
I have just added the recipe for the Chilli Jam https://sbaskitchen.com/preserves/jam-3/chilli-jam/ Please let me know if you have any questions.