No Knead Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

I have been struggling to find a bread recipe that is vegan, gluten free, and actually works. I figured I had enough experience making bread at this point that I could give it a go myself, and surprisingly it worked??? I was shocked to be honest. I was expecting a brick instead of the fluffy yet crispy loaf I got. In the past, the thing I struggled with was getting the airy-ness you experience in normal sandwich bread – the trick was aquafaba! I used it as if it were egg whites and it worked spectacularly, allowing maximum expansion of the dough. The aquafaba has to be reduced by heating it on the stove before it can be whipped into a meringue of sorts – it’s really magical to watch so be prepared!

Other crucial components of the dough were the chickpea flour (crispy crust), brown rice flour (proper texture) and flax seeds (keeping the loaf together). The baking powder + ACV also helps to give it a bit of a lift! These components really cannot be swapped out, nothing else can really fill their shoes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups gf baking flour with xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Aquafaba from 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1 cup plant milk
• 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp flax seeds

Instructions

1. Bring aquafaba to a boil in a small sauce pan – lower heat and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup (2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside
2. Meanwhile combine flours, salt, baking powder, and flax seeds into a large mixing bowl
3. Place warm water, yeast, and 1 tbsp. sugar in a small bowl – stir and set aside until it blooms (foam forms on the top – about 5 minutes)
4. Transfer aquafaba to a clean medium sized mixing bowl – beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until very frothy
5. Add 1 tbsp. of sugar to aquafaba and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until it stiffens up like a meringue (see picture below) – set aside
6. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the yeast mixture, plant milk, oil, and ACV – mix just until combined
7. Carefully fold in whipped aquafaba – you don’t want to beat out the air so just fold until it is mixed in
8. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm draft free area for an hour to rise, transfer to a greased bread pan and allow to rest for another 30 minutes
9. Preheat oven to 350 F
10. Cover loaf with foil and 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 40 minutes – check and rotate about half way
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool. To store I slice the loaf and place it in the freezer. When I want a slice I pop it in the toaster to warm it!

Enjoy!