This past year or two I have made very little bread, even fewer cakes. Or at least ones that I could safely eat. Food intolerances. There's a list; a long one. Yesterday, though, I experienced the sheer joy of cutting a slice from a home made loaf, and savouring that rich texture, fresh from the oven. And I did so safe from any adverse consequences.
I read a book, bought new ingredients, used a recipe. And that's all down to the Gift of the Year, from one who cares, deeply. Yes there are good gluten free loaves in the larger supermarkets, I Promise you that. But when the lunchtime bagel comes in at close to £1, before adding a slice or two of ham, something has to change.
And that's where Katarina Cermelj comes in. The Elements of Baking is a comprehensive guide to producing life's essentials, and treats - these terms are not mutually exclusive - by adjusting each and every recipe for each and every intolerance. She adds the science. And it works.
New flours had to be found. My basic loaf started with a blend of tapioca starch, millet flour and sorghum flour. Then we add psyllium husk to the carefully weighed jug of water. With a few other bits and pieces, we have what is recognisably dough.
Previous attempts at gf bread have been disastrous; sloppy batters, the produce of which ends up on the bird table. That all changed. With the right ingredients; the right measurements.
There was kneading, that rhythm, and elasticity. Oh how I've missed that regular pounding on a floury surface of a Sunday morning. Therapy. There was proving, and then baking. And then the taste test. What joy, such a relief. Such a treat.
I think I'll be putting in regular orders to Shipton Mill. And I'll be keeping Katarina Cermelj very handy. For there's so much more to explore in her lab than just a basic loaf. But what a great start that was.
If I made one mistake with this one it was in a dusting with rice flour. Eggy wash next time methinks.
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