I know that baking season is over.  It has been HOT for a few days in NYC already.  However, I feel like I am finally hitting my stride with my sourdough project and so I am going to share one more gluten-free sourdough bread recipe before putting my starter to sleep for the summer in the freezer.  I’ve added some information about freezing a starter to the Saga of My Gluten-Free Starter post.  It is useful to freeze small portions so that you are only ripening exactly the amount that you need for a recipe.  Also, most of us cannot stay home all year long to care for our sourdough starters, no matter how much we love them, and freezing allows you to neglect your pet for a little while by slowing down the rate at which it eats.

This is the best sourdough bread recipe I have come up with.  It is quick because it does require any rising time and it produces bread that keeps for a full week.  My husband and I do not eat all that much bread, so a loaf that can be consumed slowly over the course of a full week is a big deal.  Also, this bread has a nutty flavour and a terrific chewy texture.  You can slice it very thin and heap it with open face sandwich toppings without it crumbling into a pile of dry gluten-free bread crumbs.  Like most gluten-free bread, it is better toasted.  However, for the first day after it comes out of the oven it is even quite delicious without toasting.

I like to eat this bread toasted, with a spread made from lox and cream cheese (buy the cheaper lox chunks and blend it yourself!) or with a smear of pesto,  topped with slices of tomato, radish, cucumber or avocado, and sprinkled with chives and/or capers.  This is good for breakfast with a poached egg or lunch with a small green salad.  It is also good toasted and served with salted butter and jam.  It is also great for making Asparagus, Avocado and Goat Cheese sandwiches.

GLUTEN-FREE BROWN BREAD MIX

This combinations of flours is borrowed from a recipe in Jennifer Katzinger’s book  Gluten-Free & Vegan Bread

• 2 cups teff flour
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 1 cup quinoa flour
•  1 cup millet flour
• 1 cup arrowroot flour
• 1/2 cup flax meal
• 4 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients to make 7 and 1/2 cups.  This makes enough for 3 loaves of bread.

EVERYDAY GLUTEN-FREE  BROWN SOURDOUGH BREAD

•  2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
• 1 cup room temperature water divided in half
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 23 ounces ripe gluten-free sourdough starter (about 2 and 1/3 cups)
• 12 and 1/2 ounces (2 and 1/2 cups) gluten-free  brown bread flour mix (recipe above) OR
  • 2/3 cup teff flour
  • 2/3 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/3 cup millet flour
  • 1/3 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
  • 3 Tablespoons flax meal
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum