The dough for the crostini must be prepared and baked a day in advance because to slice them thin and without issues, the loaf needs to be completely cold.

To make our very tasty gluten-free appetizer crostini, let’s start with preparing the starter or pre-ferment.

In a small bowl, pour the water and add the yeast. Stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast, then add the sifted gluten-free flour mix for bread and pizza.

Stir just enough to obtain a soft dough (photo 1 starting from left), which we will seal perfectly with cling film and let double in volume (photo 2) (depends on the room temperature).

When the pre-ferment is nice and puffy, gently transfer it into a large bowl. Add the water and mix a little to dissolve the pre-ferment. Then add the sifted mix, fine salt, oil, and knead by hand, just enough until a firm dough is obtained (not hard, but firm, stable, not mushy) where all ingredients are evenly mixed (third photo above).

Shape the obtained dough into a cylinder (fourth photo above) and let it rise in a 22 cm loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Cover without touching the dough and let it rise until the loaf almost reaches the top edge of the pan.

At that point, preheat the oven to 356°F.

Bake the loaf in the hot oven, in the middle rack, until it appears cooked (about 40/45 minutes depending on the type of oven).

When the loaf is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely before slicing, as it might break.

When it’s cold, place it on a cutting board and with a long, sharp knife (very important), cut it into thin slices or as needed.

Now we just have to choose whether to toast the crostini in the oven or on a cast iron griddle.

If you decide to toast them in the oven, place them on the lowest level, on parchment paper or in a baking sheet with parchment paper, and then turn on the grill; be careful not to burn them (especially if they are very thin). It will take a few minutes to toast them; please make sure to remove them from the oven immediately to prevent the excessive heat from the grill from affecting their shape or color.

For the cast iron griddle: heat it very well and grill the crostini on both sides; even in this case, if the heat is too high, the crostini may tend to warp.

Store them in a food bag as soon as they have cooled. They can be kept for two days without losing crunchiness.

An extra idea. The basic version of these delicious crostini has a neutral flavor, neither sweet nor salty, just to be paired with everything we like. If we want, the dough can be flavored by adding, for example, a teaspoon of tomato paste, olive paste, finely chopped herbs (basil, oregano, chili pepper, and so on).

Bon appetit