Frugal Gluten-Free Living: French Bread in Under an Hour

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It's hard to believe, but placing your dough in a cold oven and using the preheat time to allow the dough to rise makes for delicious, gluten-free, French bread in under an hour, from start to finish.

My husband and I have been on a mission to find the perfect French bread recipe ever since we discovered he was gluten-intolerant. I've been tweaking this one for awhile, but I've got it where the crust is crusty and the inside is nice and soft. I can tell when something's a hit in my house by how quickly it's gone; this recipe only lasts a couple hours. (See also: Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Homemade Gluten-Free Noodles)

Make a few loaves ahead of time and freeze the rest for mid-week sandwiches.

Gluten-Free French Bread

Makes two loaves.

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ¼ cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour mix
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• ¼ cup dry milk powder or soy powder
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon room temperature butter
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 egg white beaten until foamy for wash (optional)

1. Blend the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl and let it sit for five minutes, or until foamy.
    
2. Meanwhile, mix your flours, milk powder, xanthan gum, and salt on low speed.
    
3. Add the yeast mixture. On low speed, beat in the butter, 3 egg whites, and apple cider vinegar. Then, beat on high for 2 minutes. The dough will be slightly soft.
    
4. Spoon the dough onto a greased flat pan and shape into two loaves. (Here's a trick: If the dough is too sticky, try to shape it with your hands while they're wet. The water seems to make the dough more pliable. You can really smooth out the texture this way, if you want to get fancy.)
    
5. Place the bread on the center rack of a cold oven. Gloss with the egg white wash if a shinier crust is desired. Set the oven to 425 degrees and let them bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread has browned nicely. Cover with foil if the bread browns too quickly.
    
6. Remove the bread and allow to cool before slicing.

Enjoy! I dare you to not eat it all in one sitting.