Gluten Free Olive & Thyme Soda Bread

All photos by Knoxy

Little else needs to be said of this bread except that you need to get in your kitchen right this moment and make some for yourself to see how delicious it is. Sure it’s gluten free but it’s so damn good no one will know the difference.

For it’s unveiling, I tested it with a handful of my foodie friends and a serious charcuterie and cheese board; let’s just say that hesitation wasn’t in our vocabulary. Slice after slice of it got smeared and spread with everything from pate, salted prairie butter, honey, rabbit rillette, homemade rosemary infused lard, triple cream brie, creamy cave aged goat cheese packed in volcanic ash, homemade fig preserves, prosciutto and stone ground mustard…really, it was insane and I can’t keep talking about it because it’s making me hungry. So go on! See for yourself!

Olive & Thyme Soda Bread

1 cup gluten free oat flour
½ cup + 1 teaspoon glutinous rice flour
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons sweet sorghum flour
3 tablespoons non-gmo cornstarch
2 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons potato starch
4 tablespoons castor sugar
1 ½ teaspoons guar gum
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup water

¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat oven to 400°F and place your baking stone into the oven to come to temperature at the same time.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients until well combined. Add the egg, buttermilk, and water and stir until very sticky. Allow the dough to rest for 3 minutes.

Stir in the chopped olives and dried thyme.

Lightly dust your counter with tapioca flour and knead the dough eight times. The dough will still be sticky, so use two pastry scrappers or bench knives. Smooth the top of the dough with bit more tapioca flour.

Remove your stone from the oven and line with parchment paper. Using two pastry scrappers, transfer the dough to your prepared baking stone.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the bread is a gorgeous golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the stone for an hour. Slice and serve.

Makes 1 loaf.