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Our needs are a constant challenge, especially when it comes to bread because gluten-free and wholemeal bread are hard to find on the market: so here is my favourite recipe for a crispy gluten-free wholemeal bread that will win you over immediately.

One ingredient I can no longer do without is chia seeds, in my case Salbachia, a type of light-coloured chia, which you will barely be able to make out in the finished dough, but which will give the inside of the bread a nice, even texture and prevent it from crumbling, as often happens in gluten-free bread.

If you really want an extraordinary result, bake the bread in a cast iron casserole dish, I use my inseparable Le Creuset: the crunching of the crust of the bread will be music to your ears!

If you have time to spare, also try the low-yeast version of the Crispbread casserole.

Crispy wholemeal bread

52.49g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 2 loaves

  • 700g water
  • 600g flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 240g wholemeal flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 60g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 60g buckwheat flour*
  • 40g light-coloured chia seeds* (soaked in 100g water)
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 25g brewer’s yeast
  • 10g salt
  • rice flour for dusting
  • oil for brushing (only for oven baking, without casserole)

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Put the chia seeds in a bowl and cover them with 100g water; stir them occasionally and after about 15 minutes a thick mucilage will have formed.
  2. Place all the flours in the bowl of a planetary mixer.
  3. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the 700g water and gradually add it to the flours in the planetary mixer while mixing at medium speed. Also add the chia mucilage and continue stirring. After 5 minutes, add the oil and salt and stir for another 5 minutes.
  4. Place the dough on a cutting board lightly dusted with rice flour and, with the help of a dusting of flour, flatten it slightly to form a kind of rectangle. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough in half, wrap it lightly to form a kind of cylinder and place it to rise in a slightly elongated bamboo bread basket. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rise for at least 1.5 hours in a warm place. If you bake the bread directly in the oven and not in a casserole dish, I recommend dividing the dough into 4 loaves, which you can either let rise inside round leavening baskets or in a bowl lined with a lightly floured cloth napkin.
  6. If you bake the bread inside a casserole dish, place it in the oven and preheat to 230°C. When the oven has reached temperature, remove the casserole dish from the oven carefully, flip the bread into it, close it with the lid and bake for 45 minutes. After this time, remove the lid and leave in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
  7. If you bake the bread directly in the oven, preheat the convection oven to 200°C, turn the bread onto a baking tray covered with baking paper, brush the surface with extra virgin olive oil and bake for 45 minutes (the 4 loaves) or 1 hour (the 2 long loaves).
Le 4 pagnotte di pane integrale

The 4 wholemeal bread loaves

Version with gluten of Crispy wholemeal bread

Replace the Nutrifree bread flours with two wheat flours, and mix them with about 600g water.

Are you in the mood for something tasty, fragrant and irresistible? Try this bread loaf with sausage and asparagus, perfect for a snack or to bring cheers to a meal.

You can also replace the asparagus with another seasonal vegetable, making sure to cook it lightly before inserting it into the bread, as baking it inside the dough may not be enough to get it perfectly cooked.

Use this dough also to make delicious gluten-free wholemeal rolls: they will be perfect for stuffing later or for scooping up the sauce in a meat dish, such as Gulash.

Bread loaf with sausage and asparagus

34g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the dough

  • 420g flour mix for bread, brand Nutrifree**
  • 350g water
  • 60g buckwheat flour*
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil
  • 12g brewer’s yeast
  • flour for dusting
  • salt

Ingredients for stuffing

  • 250g sausage*
  • 200g fresh or frozen asparagus
  • 100g white wine
  • 70g caciotta-type cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • lemon rind
  • chili
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. Place the Nutrifree flour and buckwheat flour in a planetary mixer. Start mixing by pouring the water in which you have dissolved the brewer’s yeast. Mix for a few minutes, then add the extra virgin olive oil and continue mixing for at least 5 minutes at medium speed. Finally add salt, mix for another 2-3 minutes, then place the dough on a Teflon cutting board lightly dusted with rice flour and let it rest for the time needed to prepare the filling.
  2. Place the asparagus in a non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and cook.
  3. Crumble the sausage in a non-stick pan and brown it with the fennel seeds; deglaze with white wine and when it has evaporated, season with a grating of lemon zest and a pinch of chilli pepper; cook then remove from the heat.
  4. Roll out the bread dough to form a rectangle of approximately 45 x 25cm. Lay the asparagus in the centre of the rectangle forming a horizontal strip up to about 2cm from the side edges, cover with the sausage and top with the pieces of caciotta cheese. Fold the rectangle in a wallet shape over the filling and seal the ends.
  5. Brush the loaf with beaten egg, sprinkle with poppy seeds and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
  6. Bake in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for 50 minutes.

filone di pane con salsiccia e asparagi

Version with gluten of Bread loaf with sausage and asparagus

Replace the Nutrifree flour with an equal amount of wheat flour and reduce the amount of water to obtain a firm dough.

Gluten-free dark bread is always a feast at our place, but every time I like to enrich it with different touches of flavour. One of my favourite additions is nuts, which also allow us to take care of diabetes. That’s why we love Walnut dark bread.

In fact, when we combine a source of complex carbohydrates, as is the case with flour, the fibre from wholegrains and the good fats contained in nuts (walnuts in today’s recipe), the body’s absorption of sugars slows down significantly, helping to avoid blood sugar peaks, which are to be avoided not only in people with diabetes, but in general in all people to prevent the onset of diseases as the years go by.

Therefore, let us get into the habit of eating wholemeal foods as often as we can and when we bake bread, let us always try to vary it by adding sources of fibre and small amounts of good fats as this will not only make it tastier to the palate, but also more friendly to our well-being.

Are you ready to knead? Also try the Mixed leavening bread: it is going to be another great experience.

Walnut dark bread

41.72g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 450g flour mix for dark bread, brand Massimo Zero**
  • 380g water
  • 50g shelled walnuts
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 10g brewer’s yeast
  • extra virgin olive oil for the surface, rice flour* to form the bread

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. This recipe is very similar to the one written on the mix packet, but includes the addition of walnuts and a few differences in the process.
  2. Place the water and the crumbled yeast in a bowl, or in a food processor, and stir for a few seconds to dissolve the yeast. Add flour, oil and walnuts and knead until the mixture is smooth and firm.
  3. Dust a chopping board with rice flour and place the dough on it; again with the help of some flour, shape the mixture into a large cylinder and place it to rise in an elongated bread basket, or in a container that can hold the dough while it rises and give it the desired shape. Let it rest for about 1.5 hours, or until doubled in volume.
  4. Cover a baking tin with parchment paper, place the loaf of bread on it and brush the surface with olive oil. Bake in a convection oven preheated to 200°C for about 40 minutes.

Pane-nero-alle-noci-senza-glutine-ph-chiara-marando

Walnut dark bread

Version with gluten of Walnut dark bread

Replace the 450g of Massimo Zero dark bread flour with 450g of standard wholemeal flour, reducing the amount of water until the right dough texture is achieved.

How pleasant is the smell of freshly baked Rustic loaves? For us freshly baked bread is truly irresistible, one of those treats that fills the house with goodness, warming it up and making it even cosier… especially when the first cold weather sets in.

Then there is the satisfaction of enjoying a fragrant loaf of bread made with one’s own hands.
Today we are going to make gluten-free Rustic loaves that you can use to accompany meals, snacks and breakfasts; and if you don’t have time to let bread rise, try Yoghurt flat bread.

Rustic loaves

45.73g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 780g water
  • 420g flour mix for bread, brand Revolution**
  • 300g flour mix for dark bread, brand Schär**
  • 120g buckwheat flour*
  • 100g flour mix for bread, brand Bene Sì Coop**
  • 50g extra virgin olive oil
  • 20g sprouted buckwheat flour* (optional)
  • 25g brewer’s yeast
  • 10g salt

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

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

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, or in a planetary mixer, mix all the ingredients together, setting aside only 10g of oil.
  2. When the dough is even and fairly firm, divide it into 4 pieces and form into large loaves; place them on 2 baking tins covered with parchment paper and leave them to rise for about 2 hours.
  3. Brush the surface with the oil set aside; bake for 30-40 minutes in a static oven preheated to 200°C.

filoni-di-pane-rustici-senza-glutine-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Rustic loaves

Replace the gluten-free flours with equal amounts of mixed wholemeal flours, reducing the water to 550g.