Whole Grain and Seeded Sandwich Loaf, Gluten Free

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the oats and seeds

   Put the gluten-free oats, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir once and let them sit at least 30 minutes, until thick and no warmer than your hand. Gluten-free starches are already thirsty, so sending dry seeds into this batter would leave you with a dry, crumbly loaf.

2. 2

   Make the psyllium gel

   Whisk the psyllium husk powder into the warm water in a small bowl and set it aside for 5 minutes. It will thicken into a loose, slippery gel. This is the backbone of the loaf — it's doing the stretching and trapping of gas that gluten would normally handle, so don't skip or reduce it.

3. 3

   Mix the dough

   Whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the psyllium gel, the cooled soaker, the eggs, honey, olive oil, and vinegar. Beat with a stand mixer on medium for 4 to 5 minutes, or vigorously by hand for about 3 minutes. Unlike wheat dough, you cannot overwork this — the long beat is what makes the batter cohesive. It should look like a very thick, sticky batter that holds a spoon upright, not a kneadable dough.

4. 4

   Rest to hydrate

   Cover the bowl and let the batter sit at room temperature for 25 minutes. The starches and psyllium need this time to fully absorb the liquid, and the batter will visibly firm up and lose its gritty look. Skipping this rest is the single most common cause of a gummy gluten-free crumb.

5. 5

   Fill the pan

   Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan well. Scrape the batter in and press it into the corners with a wet spatula, then smooth and dome the top with wet fingers. There's no shaping or rolling here — gluten-free dough has no structure to build, and the surface you create now is the surface you'll bake, so take a minute to make it smooth.

6. 6

   Single rise and top

   Cover loosely and let it rise somewhere warm until the dough crests about 1/2 inch above the pan rim, 45 to 60 minutes. Don't let it go past that: with no gluten to hold it, an over-risen loaf will collapse in the oven. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower third. Brush the risen loaf gently with the beaten egg and water, then scatter over the dry mixed seeds.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is deep brown and firm and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 208°F. Gluten-free loaves need both a longer bake and a higher finished temperature than wheat loaves — a pale, underbaked one will sink as it cools. Tent with foil after 35 minutes if the top is getting dark.

8. 8

   Cool completely

   Turn the loaf out onto a rack immediately and let it cool for a full 3 hours, or overnight, before slicing. The crumb genuinely finishes setting as it cools, and a gluten-free loaf cut warm will feel wet and sticky inside even when it's perfectly baked.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Toast the topping seeds in a dry skillet for a few minutes before using them if you want a deeper, nuttier flavor — just cool them first so they don't melt the egg wash.

• 2.

  The soaker can be made the night before and left covered on the counter. It actually improves the flavor and makes the morning bake much quicker.

• 3.

  If your kitchen runs cold, set the rising bowl inside your oven with just the light on. Whole grain doughs are noticeably slower below about 68°F.

• 4.

  Swap the seeds freely as long as you keep the total weight close to the same. Pumpkin, poppy, chia, and hemp all work well in the soaker.

• 5.

  Don't be tempted to go all whole wheat. The bread flour is doing the structural work that keeps this loaf tall and soft enough for sandwiches.