Gluten-Free Naturally Leavened Bread with beans and potato flakes. In my quest for good-tasting gluten-free bread, I decided to experiment with natural leavening. Natural leavening usually extends preparation time, but not for this naturally leavened gluten-free bread; 2 hours of rising time will suffice.

I am satisfied with the result because it is a very soft bread with a fragrant crust. The crumb is as soft as that of classic milk buns, while the crust is as crunchy as a loaf—a perfect match 🙂.

The presence of beans in the dough also makes it more protein-rich than regular bread. For gluten-free bread lovers, I also suggest these recipes.

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Inexpensive
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 10 rolls
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

459.18 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 459.18 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 82.09 (g) of which sugars 3.76 (g)
Proteins 24.34 (g)
Fat 1.68 (g) of which saturated 0.43 (g)of which unsaturated 0.65 (g)
Fibers 14.60 (g)
Sodium 602.06 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 5 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

2 cans beans (400g can)
1.04 cups potato flakes
0.55 cup potato starch
1.32 lbs sourdough (gluten-free)
to taste salt

Tools

For kneading the bread, I always recommend using a stand mixer for this type of soft dough with a flat beater. A blender is also useful for this bread.

1 Stand Mixer howork
1 Blender Moulinex

PREPARATION

The preparation of the dough is simple and quick, and although it’s a natural leavening, it only requires 2 hours of rising.

The process is very simple: reduce the beans with their cooking water to a puree using a blender, directly in the mixer bowl. Add the sourdough, potato flakes, and salt, and start mixing with the flat beater at medium speed. Once combined, add the potato starch to obtain a dough that is soft but not too sticky.
There was no need to add water as I used the beans’ cooking water, and my sourdough is quite liquid, similar to a levain. Now cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and start creating your rolls by rolling a heaping tablespoon of dough between your hands. This operation will be easy even if the dough seems mushy; if you want to ease the process, occasionally grease your hands with extra virgin olive oil.
Place the rolls on the sheet not too close together as they will rise in the oven. I kneaded at 6:30 PM and baked at 8:30 PM. Yes, you understood correctly, only two hours later, and for the first time, I saw my naturally leavened gluten-free bread rise in the oven. Normally, the leavening occurs outside before baking, but for this very soft dough, having a good amount of active sourdough, the leavening also occurred after just a few hours, directly in the oven.
I baked my rolls using a different method. I put them in the oven just as it was turned on and brought it to a temperature of 428°F (220°C) directly with the bread inside. The total time my rolls baked was 35 minutes; however, check for surface browning. Since this is a very soft bread, once it reached baking, I turned off the oven and left the rolls inside for another 10 minutes with the door completely open to avoid condensation.