FEW PEOPLE, INCLUDING ME, get terribly excited when someone mentions white bread. On one end of the spectrum it is spongy, and at the other end of the scale are breads with good texture but little inherent flavor. But here’s the loaf you’re looking for to toast in the morning or fill with some tasty salad and a few crisp lettuce leaves for your sandwich lunch. It’s rich from both eggs and butter, but it’s also sturdy enough for these tasks. The bread certainly takes a backseat position to the other foods with which it’s joined, but it’s pleasing in every way.
MAKES 1 LOAF
2¼ teaspoons/7 g active dry yeast
3 tablespoons/40 g firmly packed light brown sugar
1½ cups/355 ml water, heated to 110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C, divided
½ cup/62.5 g tapioca flour
¾ cup/90 g garbanzo bean flour
1 cup/170 g potato starch
1¼ cups/197.5 g white rice flour
½ cup/34 g nonfat dried milk powder
¾ teaspoon/6.75 g xanthan gum
½ teaspoon/3 g fine salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (½ stick)/56 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Spray the inside of an 8½ × 4½-inch/21.25 × 9.25 cm loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
Combine the yeast, brown sugar, and ½ cup/118 ml of the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix well. Set aside for about 10 minutes while the yeast proofs. Combine the tapioca flour, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, rice flour, milk powder, xanthan gum, and salt in a deep mixing bowl and whisk well.
When the yeast looks frothy add the remaining 1 cup/237 ml of warm water and the eggs and melted butter and mix well. Mix in the dry ingredients and beat at medium speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the dough has the consistency of a thick but still pourable cake batter.
Scrape the dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula dipped in water, and cover the pan with a sheet of oiled plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Allow the bread to rise in a warm place for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it reaches ½ inch/1.25 cm from the top of the pan.
Place the oven racks in the middle and lowest positions. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack and place a pizza stone on the upper rack. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C toward the end of the rising time, bring a kettle of water to a boil, and have a spray bottle of water handy.
Pour 1 cup/237 ml of boiling water into the heated sheet pan and slide the loaf pan on top of the heated pizza stone. Spray the walls of the oven with the spray bottle, close the oven door, and wait 30 seconds, then spray the oven walls again. Covering the loaf loosely with aluminum foil after 25 minutes, bake the bread for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown, the top is firm, and it has reached an internal temperature of 190°F/87°C on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Remove it from the loaf pan by running a spatula around the rim and invert it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
NOTE:
The bread is best the day it is baked, but it can be stored refrigerated, lightly covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.
Gluten-free hors d’oeuvres frequently present a problem because so many of them involve crackers or bread. Here is my favorite predinner nibble. It’s an updated version of something my mother served fifty years ago, and they virtually disappear as soon as they’re put out at a party.
MAKES 2 DOZEN ROUNDS
2 tablespoons/27 g unsalted butter
2 large shallots, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices White Sandwich Bread (page 114)
¼ cup/59 ml Dijon mustard
¾ cup/178 ml mayonnaise
¾ cup/60 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven broiler and cover a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the shallots soften and are lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper and scrape the shallots into a mixing bowl.
Cut 2 rounds out of each slice of bread, using a 2-inch/5 cm round cutter. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet. Broil the bread 8 inches/20 cm from the broiler element for 1 minute, or until toasted. Remove the bread from the oven.
Turn over the bread slices and spread mustard on the untoasted side. Add the mayonnaise and Parmesan to the mixing bowl with the shallots, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir well.
Spread 1½ teaspoons/7 g of the mixture on top of the mustard on each bread round. Broil the rounds for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the tops are brown and bubbly. Watch them carefully as they broil. Serve immediately.
NOTE:
The rounds can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered; they can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat chilled rounds in a preheated 350°F/175°C oven for 5 to 7 minutes, and frozen rounds for 10 to 12 minutes.
VARIATIONS:
• Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or rosemary to the shallot mixture, or add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves to the pan along with the shallots.
• Substitute black olive tapenade or tomato paste for the mustard.
• Substitute sharp Cheddar or Gruyère for the Parmesan.
• Sprinkle the tops of the rounds with crumbled cooked bacon before broiling them.