Today I present these tasty and crunchy freselline made without gluten, without milk or its derivatives and without animal fats. It’s an easy recipe with a very simple procedure to follow, which I will illustrate step by step. They are very versatile, tempting and customizable in shape. We can use the gluten-free freselline in place of bread, to make a delicious panzanella, a Neapolitan-style caponata, as croutons in soups and so on, according to our tastes and imagination.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 18 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 14
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients
- 1.8 oz Caputo gluten-free mix for bread and pizza (fioreglut)
- 1.7 fl oz water (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp fresh baker’s yeast (gluten-free)
- 3.6 cups Caputo gluten-free mix for bread and pizza (fioreglut)
- 1.17 cups water (warm)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3.4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
- Leavened preferment
Steps
The amounts of water in this recipe refer to the gluten-free mix I used. If you use different flours, you may need to add a little more or less water both in the preferment and in the dough, because flours, whether gluten-free or not, do not absorb the same amounts of liquid.
Prepare the preferment
In a bowl dissolve the fresh baker’s yeast in the indicated water.
Separately sift the 1.8 oz (50 g) of gluten-free mix and add it to the water and yeast. Mix very well, seal with food wrap and let it ferment for about two hours.
After two hours, transfer the preferment to the bowl of a stand mixer.
This is a very simple dough but because of its very sticky and almost creamy consistency, I recommend using a stand mixer to work the ingredients, for what I believe is a better result.
As you can see from the photo above, the preferment will not rise as it does with wheat flours. At first glance, in fact, it will appear little risen or not risen at all.
After transferring the preferment to the mixer (keep the bowl in which you prepared the preferment), first add 200 milliliters of warm water (it should not be boiling, just warm) and mix with the dough hook.
When the ingredients have roughly combined, add the sifted mix, the salt, the sugar, the remaining water and continue mixing to incorporate well.
At this point add the oil and knead until the oil is completely absorbed.
The dough should appear compact and firm.
Transfer the dough to the bowl in which you prepared the preferment. Seal it well with food wrap and place it in the refrigerator in the least cold area for 12 hours (in winter, otherwise in the coldest part, at the bottom).
After 12 hours, take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for one to two hours, depending on the ambient temperature.
After resting outside the fridge, gently remove the dough from the bowl. Shape it gently into a loaf by rolling it on itself. After rolling it, turn it “belly up” and seal the two edges of the dough with your fingertips.
Place the loaf with the seam facing up in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and let it rise for three to four hours at most, always taking into account the room temperature.
Cover it with a kitchen cloth free of detergent odors and keep it in a place without drafts or temperature fluctuations.
After the rising time, preheat the oven to 356°F and bake immediately, in the middle of the oven, for about 45-50 minutes. The baking times refer to my oven which is gas, conventional (static) and with heat only from the bottom.
When the loaf is evenly golden and cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before slicing, because it would literally crumble.
When it is cold, slice it. For my personal taste, I cut the slices with a thickness of about 3/8 inch (≈0.4 in).
Toasting (second bake)
Without overlapping, arrange the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and dry/toast them at 320°F for about one hour, turning them after 30 minutes. The slices should be very dry and dehydrated so they keep better and longer. It is likely that it may take more or less time depending on the oven. Do not toast the slices at a temperature higher than 320°F because they would brown quickly but remain soft inside. For a deeper browning, you can briefly pass them under the grill, turning them occasionally, for very few minutes until you reach the color shade you prefer.
To enjoy them at their best when using cold toppings (as in the case of the “Neapolitan caponata”, for example), moisten the freselline with a little water, either warm or cold, and then dress them with whatever you like.
Freselline keep well in a food bag or a well-sealed tin box.
