FreeFrom Baking Convert!

I have always hated baking! Even before I got involved in freefrom food and food allergy I hated baking. Foodie friends would witter on about the delights of plunging elbow deep into heaving bowls of dough, the smell of yeast, the satisfaction of a loaf well baked… I just couldn’t see it. And since I lived in leafy and north London where fine food abounds, I could get away with it, as nutty, crunchy and delicately aroma-ed craft-baked loaves abounded.

When we went gluten/wheat free I made a few desultory efforts but then effectively abandoned bread in favour of oatcakes, rice cakes and the myriad of other delicious hummus-bearing alternatives. Then, last year, Genius arrived on the scene, hotly pursued by a whole clutch of other fresh gluten-free breads (for details see our bread tasting table) so that even if I did need to eat ‘proper’ bread I could go back to buying it.

But, a few weeks ago, we were asked to develop some gluten-free recipes for Tesco’s new Real Food site – including some breads using the Doves Farm gluten-free bread flours which Tesco stock. Horrors… I was going to have to bake…

Knowing that Doves Farm are extremely diligent about testing the recipes that they give on the back of their flour packs, and knowing that gluten-free flours can be temperamental and handle quite differently from ‘normal’ what flour (you must never knead gluten-free flours, for example) we decided to use the Doves Farm recipes as a basis and then adapt as inspiration moved us.

And inspiration did move us! Not only were the recipes a doddle to make but there was none of that messing around with spongy, yeasty mounds of dough and they tasted really good! Even better, you could make them in a bread-maker! Not that I am usually up for cheaty gadgets which let you off doing it the hard way (I have been known to make a cookery class grind almonds in a pestle and mortar just to prove that you can do it…) but if it gets me out of ‘making’ bread bring it on…

If you would like to try out our excellent loaves the recipes are in the baking section of the Foods Matter  recipe site along with Katherine’s delicious freefrom coconut and chocolate slices!