Farmhouse Seed Bread

There's something about fall that makes you want to fill the kitchen with the aroma of comforting food.  What could be more comforting than the smell of home-made bread?  Here's a moist, delicious gluten-free bread you actually have to knead!  It's made of whole grain flours and it's also free of xanthan gum, starches, nuts, eggs, and dairy!
I found this recipe on my favorite healthy recipe website:  www.nourishingmeals.com.  

I was already using ground chia seeds in all my gluten-free baking, as it helps to hold moisture and bind everything together. It's THE secret to gluten-free bread that isn't dry and crumbly (I guess the secret is out now!)  However, the combination of psyllium husk and ground chia works wonders!  Psyllium is a fibre that helps to cleanse the colon.  It also binds the bad cholesterol and escorts it out of your body.  

So here's the recipe.  I like to make an olive-rosemary version of this bread by adding 1 cup pitted, thinly sliced kalamata olives and 2 tbsp chopped, fresh rosemary.

Wet Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 pkg)
1 tsp maple syrup or organic cane sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup ground chia seeds
1/3 cup whole phyllium husks

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup teff flour*
1 cup sorguum flour*
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Topping:
extra virgin olive oil
poppy seeds
seame seeds

*You can find teff flour and sorgum flour at most health food stores.  I buy teff more inexpensively at an African store.

Place the warm water in a bowl or a 4-cup liquid glass measuring cup.  Add the yeast and the teaspoon of maple syrup.  Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes to activate the yeast.  The mixture should get foamy or bubbly.  If not, your yeast is too old.  Dump it out, get some fresh yeast and start again.

While the yeast is activating, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
After the yeast is activated, whisk the olive oil, maple syrup, ground chia seeds, and psyllium husks into the water-yeast mixture.  Let this stand for 2 - 3 minutes (no longer) to let the chia and psyllium become gelatinous. Whisk again.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a large wooden spoon until thick. Then knead the dough on a floured wooden board to incorporate the flour.  If you're adding olives & rosemary, this is when you would add these.  Add more teff and sorghum flours, a little at a time, until the dough holds together and isn't too sticky (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup in total) Don't add too much flour or the dough will become very dense; it should be slightly sticky.  Form the dough into a ball, place it back into the large bowl and cover with a damp towel.  Place it in a warm spot to rise. I like to warm up my oven, turn it off and put it in there with a pan of steaming water under it.  Let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.  

After the dough has risen, place a pizza stone (I use my Pampered Chef clay pan) in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven under the pizza stone.  

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured wooden board.  Knead it for about a minute, then form it into a round ball.  Please it on a square of parchment paper and, using a sharp knife, cut a shallow "tic-tac-toe" pattern into the top.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds.  Let the loaf rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place while the oven and stone are preheating.

Carefully lift the parchment paper with the risen loaf and place it onto the stone pan in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it cool for 30 - 60 minutes before cutting into it.  This is important because the bread will be very "gummy" when it's hot, but once cooled, the texture is perfect.  

Enjoy!