The Best Gluten-free Bread in the World.

Bread, a good, solid, yeasty loaf, has often been called the 'staff of life'. It's hard to explain, perhaps it's only tradition, but there is a certain something about a loaf of bread that gives such a feeling of comfort. As a non-confirmed Celiac, for years I have tried to find the perfect loaf: Not too crusty, but firm; Soft, but not fluffy; and with a versatile enough dough that it could be made into everything I used my old standby bread recipe for back in 'the old days'. I've been experimenting a lot lately, and, though I never quite felt it to be a hopeless cause, I just didn't think that it would be so easy as to just follow the recipe in a cookbook. I suppose that I've become a little gun-shy of gluten-free cookbooks, having been disapointed so many times. Well, a month ago, I was trying to put together a list of reputable gluten-free cookbooks that I could recommend to people new to the gluten-free way of life, when I stumbled across 'the recipe' in Carol Fenster's new 1000 Gluten-free Recipes cookbook. So, without further ado, I present, 'The Recipe'.


Dr. Carol Fenster's
Brioche French Yeast Bread
makes three large loaves, or about 40 rolls

2 Tbs. active dry yeast
3 cup warm water or milk or nut milk
2 1/4 cups sourgum flour
5 1/4 cups potato starch
1 1/2 cups tapioca starch flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. xanthan gum
1 Tbs. guar gum
9 large eggs
1 Tb. salt
3/4 cup coconut oil, or butter
2 Tbs lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Herbs (optional)

1. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Grease bread pans and then combine potato starch, tapioca starch, sourgum flour, xanthan gum, guar gum, and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs on high speed for 1 minute. Add salt, coconut oil or butter, yeast mixture and lemon juice. Stir in the flour mixture, and beat on high speed for 30 seconds, or until the dough thickens slightly. (it will be rather soft).

4. Place in prepared pans, and slash diagonally three times. Place immediately on the middle rack of a COLD oven, and turn to 425. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the exterior is a rich brown, and the bread reads 205 inside when checked with an instant read thermometer.

Place on a cooling rack for at least ten minutes. Slice, enjoy!

This bread also makes a beautiful artisan loaf, by forming it in the hand and putting it on a baking sheet sprinkled with coarse cornmeal. And don't forget dinner rolls! I have also found that this bread freezes beautifully.




Happy Baking!
Cassie