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During National Coeliac Disease Week, I couldn’t help but share a recipe for a wonderful gluten-free assortment of white bread, the food that is the main challenge in the daily lives of those who cannot eat gluten.

My choice went to a fibre-rich preparation, Preparato Universale per prodotti da forno Massimo Zero, because fibre is a valuable ally in controlling blood sugar levels when we consume gluten free bread, which is generally high in carbohydrates and low in fibre.

While the presence of fibre in the mixture is very useful from a nutritional point of view, it makes it slightly ‘harder’ to work with, so having a kneading machine or robot at hand makes the task easier and ensures really good results.

This is precisely why I thought that sharing a video recipe could be extremely useful to prepare a tasty bread without any difficulty. So enjoy viewing and cooking!

Assortment of white bread  

44.19g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 500g gluten free multi-purpose flour mix, brand Massimo Zero**
  • 240g water
  • 240g milk
  • 50g mixed seeds* (to be soaked in 50g water)
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil
  • 17g brewer’s yeast
  • 5g salt
  • brown rice flour* for dusting
  • extra virgin olive oil to brush the surface
  • water to soak the mixed seeds

Preparation

  1. Put the mixed seeds in a small bowl and barely cover them with water, then let them rest while you knead the bread so that they completely absorb the liquid.
  2. Shake the bag of mix well before pouring it into the jar of the planetary mixer, then run it for a few minutes at low speed with the flour mix alone.
  3. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in warm water, pour it into the planetary mixer and add the remaining water and milk. Mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes, then add salt and oil. Stop the planetary mixer to detach the dough from the sides of the pot and run it at high speed for a few seconds so that the oil is perfectly incorporated into the dough. When the dough is smooth and homogeneous, stop the planetary mixer and remove half the dough by placing it on a lightly floured cutting board.
  4. Add the seeds to the remaining dough in the planetary mixer and mix at high speed so that they are fully incorporated.
  5. Shape into loaves or braids of the desired size (I formed 4 loaves with the white dough and 5 braids with the dough with seeds), differentiating the shape according to the type of dough. Brush the surface with extra virgin olive oil and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or in the oven with the proving function for about 1 hour and fifteen minutes.

Shaping the dough

  1. Bring the oven to 200°C, brush the surface of the bread with oil again and bake. Let it bake for about 40 minutes, keeping an eye on the baking time, which varies slightly depending on the oven and, above all, the size of the bread.
  2. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool before cutting it.
  3. Portate il forno a 200°C, spennellate nuovamente la superficie del pane con olio e infornate. Lasciate cuocere per circa 40 minuti tenendo controllata la cottura che varia leggermente in base al forno e, soprattutto, alla pezzatura del pane.
  4. Togliete dal forno e lasciate intiepidire il pane prima di tagliarlo.
L'interno dei panini

The bread crumb

Today, Francesca Morandin gives us an idea to brighten up our day with a mouth-watering recipe that is perfect for sweetening certain moments of the day, such as breakfast, afternoon tea or coffee and, why not, even a tasty after-dinner drink: Coffee biscuits.

To enrich your table with more sweet temptations, try one of my favourite biscuits: gluten free Canestrelli.

Coffee biscuits

51.28g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 250g buckwheat flour mix, brand Petra 5**
  • 120g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 50g hazelnut flour* (or hazelnuts to be blended into flour)
  • 40g milk chocolate with no added sugar*
  • 10g sprouted buckwheat flour* (optional)
  • 10g ground coffee
  • 1 cup of espresso coffee
  • 1 egg yolk
  • a pinch of salt

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. In a planetary mixer, whip the butter left at room temperature with the sugar. When the mixture is well whipped, add the ground coffee, egg yolk and espresso; mix everything together and only at the end add the buckwheat, hazelnut flour and sprouted buckwheat flour. Mix well and place in the refrigerator for a few hours.
  2. Roll out the shortcrust pastry between two sheets of baking paper and cut the biscuits into the desired shape or, as in this case, form a ball and place it in a paper cup.
  3. Bake in a static oven preheated to 175°C for 20 minutes.
    Meanwhile, melt the milk chocolate in a bain-marie, or in the microwave, and decorate just the tip of the biscuits.

biscottini-al-caffe-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Coffee biscuits

Replace the Petra 5 flour with 280g cake wheat flour.

Whether it is for a hunger-breaking snack or a snack to take to school, attention to what children and young people eat during the day is very important. Needless to say, good, home-made things are always the best option, so Baked Panzerottini are just a great solution. If you want an idea for a sweet snack, try Mini apple strudels.

Of course, time is generally short and everyday commitments do not allow us to cook as much as we would like.

My recommendation is that you bake Panzerottini in a large amount then freeze them to have them ready whenever you want: the ideal problem solvers.

Baked Panzerottini

31.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the dough

  • 250g gluten free bread flour mix, brand Nutrifree**
  • 210g water
  • 40g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  •  7g brewer’s yeast
  • 8g salt
  • rice flour for dusting*

Ingredients for stuffing

  • 250g milk
  • 80g cooked ham*
  • 80g Scamorza cheese
  • 25g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 10g butter
  • salt, grated Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Knead all the ingredients together, form a dough ball and let it rest covered for at least 1 hour.
  2. Prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a pan, add the flour, stirring with a whisk so that no lumps form, then add the milk. Put the mixture on the heat until the béchamel forms.
  3. Season with salt and add grated Parmesan cheese to taste. Finally, let the béchamel sauce cool down.

Panzerotti-al-forno-gluten-free

4. Roll out the dough and cut 9cm diameter disks. Place a spoonful of béchamel sauce in the centre, ham pieces and two or three small cubes of Scamorza cheese.

panzerotti-al-forno-senza-glutine

5. Lightly moisten the edge of the filled disc with water and place a second disc on top, pressing the edge down so that it is perfectly sealed.

Ricetta-panzerotti-al-forno.gluten-free

  1. Brush the Panzerotti surface, put them on a baking tin covered with parchment paper and bake in a static oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Ricetta-panzerotti-gluten-free-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Baked Panzerottini

Prepare the dough with wheat flour and adjust the amount of water.