Black Rice Flour Loaf
using ingredients from
the source
BULK FOODS
https://thesourcebulkfoods.com.au/
I recently bought a gluten-free bread at a market stall in Sydney for $15. It was small, very small. And I thought, if it is really extremely delicious it may be worth the money, but, I was disappointed. It didn't inspire me in terms of flavour and I decided to try something... No bread loaf should cost $15, ever! So the idea was to buy every ingredient needed for one of my loaves in one shop and calculate how much a loaf costs when I make it myself from the best ingredients available in Australia.
What better shop than the source bulk foods!
Us Germans like "Mischbrot" (mixed bread) or "Schwarzbrot" (black bread). The mixed loaf is usually made by mixing wheat flour with rye flour and the black bread often is 100% rye flour. Being gluten intolerant, we don't use wheat or rye, which usually leaves us with very white or beige loaves and I find them quite boring and bland tasting. A little bit like cardboard-
This loaf however is the closest to tasting like gluten-bread in my recipe book. And the best thing is that the ingredients are pure, organic, free of chemicals and fillers. These chemicals and fillers are another big issue I have with store bought gluten-free bread: the fine print of the ingredients is almost not readable on the packaging of the major brands in Sydney's supermarkets. I recently borrowed my son's eyes and wrote down every single ingredient he read out to me and then googled the unknown ones.
I came across items that apparently have been carcinogenic when fed to rats. I also find I put on weight as soon as I eat super market loaves, may be there is some saw dust amongst the unknown ingredients?
I stopped buying processed bread in super markets that day!
This loaf is made entirely of ingredients purchased at the source in Balmain. Some of the ingredients are milled right in front of your eyes: I used organic black and brown rice and the staff poured the rice into a grain mill for me. Out comes beautiful black and brown rice flour, which gives the bread the stunning colour and taste!
The grain mill in action at
the source Balmain
Shopping done for exactly 1 loaf
The Size of the Tin is Important
-
I use this tin by mastercraft:
-
crusty bake non stick loaf pan
-
16.5 X 10.5 X 7CM
-
this tin looks tiny but it is perfect for this loaf
-
if you want to use the next size up, you have to double the recipe and bake the loaf longer
-
in my oven the small tin bakes 70 minutes and the large tin 95 minutes
-
I always use baking paper no matter how non stick they think it is...
Shopping List for The Source
-
1/2 cup (approx. 90 grams) black organic rice, milled to flour at the source
-
1/2 cup (approx. 65 grams) brown rice, fragrant, bio dynamic & rain fed, milled to flour at the source
-
1 cup (approx. 60 grams) tapioca starch
-
3/4 cup (approx. 110 grams) potato starch
-
1/2 cup organic omega seed mix (approx. 75 grams)
-
1 teaspoon pink salt
-
2 teaspoons guar guar
-
2 teaspoons aluminium free baking powder
-
1 tablespoon (approx. 4 grams) nutritional yeast flakes
-
1 tablespoon (approx. 0.004grams) organic psyllium husks
-
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup (RMS)
-
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ACV)
-
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
-
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from your local super market, I used Lowan instant dried yeast
Click on images below to start enlarged slideshow
Prepare the Yeast Mix
Amounts needed
-
2 tsp (teaspoons) of dry yeast
-
1/4 cup of very hot water
-
1/2 cup of water, room temperature
-
1 TB (tablespoon) rice malt syrup (RMS)
Process
Boil some water, you need a 1/4 cup recently boiled water. Add hot water to mixing bowl and add the rice malt syrup. Stir until combined.
Add room temperature water, stir to combine. Now drizzle in the yeast, give it a gentle stir and let the bowl rest in a warm, wind free spot for 20 minutes. Click on the images to enlarge them and you can see how the yeast is rising. Photos were taken 10 minutes apart.
I have tried this recipe a few times with dried stevia powder, and the yeast does not rise with stevia. To activate the yeast, rice malt syrup is needed- The RMS will be completely eaten up by the yeast and the bread will not taste sweet at all!
Click on images below to start enlarged slideshow
Prepare the Wet Mix
-
1 TB (tablespoon) extra virgin olive oil
-
1 TB psyllium husks (powder)
-
1 tea (teaspoon) organic apple cider vinegar (acv), with the mother
-
3 TB + 1/2 cup of water
-
get your amounts organised, as the psyllium husks thicken up quickly and you don't want uneven blobs in the mix-
-
whisk the ACV and the oil into the water
-
add the psyllium husks and whisk quickly to combine. Make sure it is lump free
-
let this mix rest for about 5-10 minutes
-
it will turn into a thick liquid
I am using this mix as an egg replacement
Roast or Fry the Nut Mix
-
It is definitely worth the effort to roast or fry your seeds, they develop a more intense flavour
-
I often fry them in a dry pan, stirring constantly until they start browning a little
-
if you have time, do a whole bunch in the oven and save the rest for the next loaf
-
I line 2 baking trays with baking paper and spread the seeds on it
-
pre heat the oven to 180 Celsius
-
bake them approximately 10-12 minutes
-
every oven is different, and some are not evenly hot, so keep a close look at them and stir them up every few minutes
-
make sure you do not burn them
-
I roast 2 trays and store the left-overs in a lidded glass jar
Mix Dry Ingredients
-
Add flours, starches and nut mix to the bowl and mix really well
-
add yeast flakes, baking powder, guar gum and sea salt and mix well again
click on images below to enlarge
Add Yeast and Wet Mix
-
add yeast and wet mix and mix well with a strong spoon until it is combined well
click on images below to enlarge
Prepare to Bake
-
add baking paper to your tin, I cut 2 rectangles to size
-
fill a bowl with cold water and use a spoon
-
dip spoon in water and flatten the dough by pushing it evenly into the tin with the back of a wet spoon
-
if the spoon gets sticky, dip it into water again
-
drizzle a few drop of olive oil over the top
-
with the back of the spoon, spread the oil evenly over the top
-
the dough will be slightly higher than the tin
click on images below to enlarge
Prepare to Bake
-
pre heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius on fan forced setting
-
the dough needs to rise for 20 minutes
-
if it is not warm enough on your bench top, get a ceramic bowl filled with water, add it to the microwave, and heat the microwave for 2-3 minutes, then remove the bowl
-
now add your bread tin, shut the door, but do not turn the microwave (MW) on
-
this works for me every time
-
after 20 minutes, remove from MW and cut a slit in the center with a sharp knife, about 5 mm deep
-
start baking your loaf in the pre-heated oven
-
I bake mine in the centre of the oven
Baking is Done
-
after 1 hour and 10 minutes remove the loaf from oven
-
rest for 3-5 minutes in the tin, then lift bread out of tin
-
rest on a wooden board
Rest the loaf until cool
-
Wrap the loaf in a tea towel and rest the bread until cool to the touch
-
I do sneak in a slice of warm bread as soon as possible because it is sooo good....
-
slice by hand or best results are achieved with a bread machine
-
if it is too sticky to cut by hand, you need to rest it a bit longer
Bon Apetit!
-
freeze the slices straight after cutting
-
I love this bread as is when fresh out of the oven, toasted or in a sandwich press
-
it does behave like a normal bread, and is not crumbly or sticky
click on arrows to see enlarged photos
Ingredients Costing
-
the total cost for all ingredients for 1 loaf came to AUD $ 7.94 at thesourcebulkfoods
-
this is of course a guide only. I worked out how much every item on the shopping list costs, per teaspoon, tablespoon or cup etc.
-
when you go shopping you will not be able to just buy 1 tablespoon of oil for example, so your first bill will be higher due to buying bulk
-
the only item I bought at the local supermarket was yeast, due the source not selling bulk instant yeast
-
yeast cost AUD $ 0.075, per 5 grams needed here
-
you can see how the calculation is a guide only
-
I am thrilled with the taste and quality of this loaf, worth every cent! You get the highest quality ingredients and no extra nasties in the loaf!