Wila Witch Bread (gluten free)
Ingredients:
- 1 c. (1/4 lb) brown rice flour
- 1 c. (1/4 lb) teff or sorghum flour
- 1 ¼ c. (¼ lb) oat flour
- 1 c. (1/4 lb.) tapioca starch
- 3 Tbs. (1 oz. black lichen flour)
- 1 Tbs. black cocoa powder, culinary charcoal, or regular cocoa powder
- 1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. xantham gum
- 2 Tsp. granulated yeast
- 2 Tsp. sea salt
- 2 (or 2 1/2 c.) lukewarm water (or brewed tea??)
- 2 Tbs. molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c. white rice flour, for dusting
- A star stencil optional
- Another 2 Tbs culinary charcoal
- Extra brown rice flour
- About 3/4 c. black sesame seeds
- Oil, to brush
Whisk together the brown rice flour, tefff or sorghum flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, black lichen flour, black cocoa powder, xantham gum, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
Add 2 cups water, the molasses, and eggs and mix well with a spoon or a stand mixer until everything is well combined. The dough should be fairly wet and sticky.
Cover loosely with a piece of saran wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 1/2 hours or until the dough rises slightly (unlike a normal wheat bread, this dough may not double in size)
Separate out ¼ of the dough and knead 2 Tbs. culinary charcoal into it, plus enough rice flour that you can easily roll it out (about 4 Tbs.) Cover and set aside.
On a piece of parchment paper on a pizza peel or a silicone baking mat, gently shape the main dough into a round loaf. Dampen your hands with water and use them to gently brush the outside to smooth it and make it sticky. Coat thoroughly with black sesame seeds.
Roll out your black dough into a large circle. Brush the back with oil, leaving 2” around the edges. Brush the edges with water. Gently set the black circle oil-side-down on top of the loaf. Tuck the ends in underneath. Place a star stencil over the loaf and dab with water, then sift white rice flour over the surface to leave a starry design. Cut an X in the top of the loaf, going through the charcoal layer only. (Kitchen scissors work well for this!) Then cut 4 more 2” slashes on the side of the loaf in the middle of each quarter, again being careful to just cut through the charcoal layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for half an hour.
Meanwhile, preheat a baking stone in the middle of your oven to 450F for half an hour. Place an empty metal pot or pan in the oven that won’t interfere with the rising bread and that is accessible to add water to.
Carefully slide the loaf onto the hot stone. Pour a cup of hot water into the other pan and quickly close the oven door. The resulting steam will help the crust develop nicely. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until firm.
When you remove the bread from the oven, brush the sesame-encrusted areas with a bit of vegetable oil to really make them sparkle!
Allow to completely cool before slicing. (This is a great time to bake the onion blossoms below!) *As tempting as it may be to dive right into a delicious-smelling loaf, it is really important with gluten-free breads to allow them to cool at room temperature first. Otherwise the interior has an unbaked texture and will then dry out very quickly.
Cover loosely with a piece of saran wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 1/2 hours or until the dough rises slightly (unlike a normal wheat bread, this dough may not double in size)
Separate out ¼ of the dough and knead 2 Tbs. culinary charcoal into it, plus enough rice flour that you can easily roll it out (about 4 Tbs.) Cover and set aside.
On a piece of parchment paper on a pizza peel or a silicone baking mat, gently shape the main dough into a round loaf. Dampen your hands with water and use them to gently brush the outside to smooth it and make it sticky. Coat thoroughly with black sesame seeds.
Roll out your black dough into a large circle. Brush the back with oil, leaving 2” around the edges. Brush the edges with water. Gently set the black circle oil-side-down on top of the loaf. Tuck the ends in underneath. Place a star stencil over the loaf and dab with water, then sift white rice flour over the surface to leave a starry design. Cut an X in the top of the loaf, going through the charcoal layer only. (Kitchen scissors work well for this!) Then cut 4 more 2” slashes on the side of the loaf in the middle of each quarter, again being careful to just cut through the charcoal layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for half an hour.
Meanwhile, preheat a baking stone in the middle of your oven to 450F for half an hour. Place an empty metal pot or pan in the oven that won’t interfere with the rising bread and that is accessible to add water to.
Carefully slide the loaf onto the hot stone. Pour a cup of hot water into the other pan and quickly close the oven door. The resulting steam will help the crust develop nicely. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until firm.
When you remove the bread from the oven, brush the sesame-encrusted areas with a bit of vegetable oil to really make them sparkle!
Allow to completely cool before slicing. (This is a great time to bake the onion blossoms below!) *As tempting as it may be to dive right into a delicious-smelling loaf, it is really important with gluten-free breads to allow them to cool at room temperature first. Otherwise the interior has an unbaked texture and will then dry out very quickly.
Sumac-Roasted Red Onions and Grapes:
- 5 small red onions, intact
- 3 c. red or purple grapes
- 7 Tbs. olive oil
- Sea salt
- Sumac, powdered and dried
- Thyme, dried
Preheat oven to 350F. Peel the papery layers off of the red onions.
Stand one onion up on its root end and use a sharp knife to cut 4 vertical cuts that reach almost to the bottom of the onion but do not cut through. You should have 8 wedges still attached to the root end. (Picture this as the flower blossom, as each layer will fall outwards in the heat, allowing it to bloom.)
Drizzle a little olive oil into a baking dish, then arrange the onions cut-side-up on the pan. Fill in the spaces with grapes. Drizzle everything with the remaining olive oil, then season to taste with the salt, dried sumac, and thyme.
Bake for 40 minutes, turning the pan and gently encouraging the petals to open after 30 minutes. After 40 minutes, drizzle some of the pan juices over the onions and cook until onions are tender and fully bloomed, about 20 minutes longer. Serve warm with fresh butter and Wila Witch Bread.
Recipe taken from misswondersmith.com