This Gluten-Free Rice Bread is crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly soft and doughy! It's also no-knead, yeast-free, oil-free, free from sugar and super easy to make!
3heaped teaspoons baking powder(ensure gluten-free if necessary)
¼teaspoonbicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1tablespoonapple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
375ml(1 ½cups)water
To decorate (optional):
Poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds etc
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl.
Transfer the mixture to a loaf tin (I used a one-pound loaf tin) lined with greased baking paper.
Scatter over mixed seeds to decorate, if desired.
Fill a baking dish up to halfway with boiling water.
Place the bread on a higher rack in the oven and place the baking dish of water on the lower rack.
Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes, until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Be VERY CAREFUL when opening the oven door to remove the bread, because a lot of HOT STEAM will escape from the oven and you might burn yourself. To prevent this from happening, open the oven door first, then step back until all the hot steam has escaped from the oven before putting your hands inside to remove the bread. Also, make sure to wear oven gloves and a long-sleeved shirt.
Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and before putting away to store (it's much easier to slice the day after it's made).
Tastes best eaten freshly made, but keeps well covered in the fridge for a good few days - if not eaten on the day it's made, it's best toasted before eating.
Video
Notes
This recipe is made using a special method, which I discovered would work well for yeast-free breads while I was testing a gluten-free vegan baguette recipe: oven steaming.How do you steam this bread in the oven?Steaming bread in the oven might sound complicated, but it's super easy! All you need to do is bake it in the oven with a baking dish filled with water. The water from the baking dish will release steam in the hot oven and create a humid environment for the bread to bake.What is the point of oven steaming?Baking bread in a steamy, humid environment creates a doughy texture, meaning it doesn't fall apart when slicing, and a super crispy crust. It also creates a better flavour! Tips for steaming bread in the oven:
Make sure to add boiling water to the baking dish.
If the water in the baking dish all runs out during the baking process, make sure to refill it.
Be VERY CAREFUL when opening the oven door to remove the bread, because a lot of HOT STEAM will escape from the oven and you might burn yourself.
To prevent this from happening, open the oven door first, then step back until all the hot steam has escaped from the oven before putting your hands inside to remove the bread. Also, make sure to wear oven gloves and a long-sleeved shirt.