Making allergen-free whole grain bread: Part 2

For my second bread trial I approached the issue of allergens from another angle, by choosing a recipe free of any ingredients needing to be replaced, other than gluten.

Chef Ben suggested trying this recipe shared by Rebecca at Foodie with Family.

Once again I made one batch of bread using the original recipe (the “control”), and another one using a substitute for the allergen (gluten) (the “treatment”). I was lucky to be working in the kitchen at Trocaire, where I could use a good, solid stand mixer instead of burning up my handheld!

My “control” loaf was quite sticky and required additional flour, and the resulting loaves were much flatter than the beautiful photo on Foodie with Family, but the crust was nicely browned and the interior looked like artisanal bread with perfect-sized air pockets. It was considered a success by Chef Ben, who was lucky enough to be able to eat it.

I wish I could say the same of the “treatment” loaf. It was, to be blunt, a dud. The dough didn’t appear to rise, and the loaves, while nicely rounded, were heavy and doughy and tasted as if they hadn’t been baked.

They would make excellent door-stoppers, but other than that, I can’t recommend them for any use.