Gluten-free Bread

The Cook and Kitchen Staff do not typically venture into the land of
specialty diets very often — we usually leave that to the experts!
However, we thought we’d be a bit irresponsible if we didn’t offer at least
one recipe from ‘Our Daily Bread’ collection that is gluten-free.

Thousands of people world-wide are allergic to gluten in food and have
found that their health and fitness improve dramatically when they avoid
foods containing gluten from wheat, oats, rye, and barley.

So what’s a gluten? It’s basically the stuff that makes bread sticky, and
it predominately comes from the grain chaff contained in most flours.
Specifically, it’s a generic term for the water-insoluble proteins found in
all cereal grains. Only glutens found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley are
known to damage the intestine of those with celiac disease, the most common
manifestation of a gluten-base allergy, and it tends to run in the family.

Pre-heat oven to 400-F degrees. Spray a standard loaf pan with non-stick
cooking spray and coat inside with cornmeal. Reserve.

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over top
and set aside to proof. Stir well.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and tapioca. Bring to a boil and
cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened and clear.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together bean flour, cornstarch, baking
powder, and salt. Whisk together the tapioca and raised yeast. Stir mixture
into dry ingredients. Beat until smooth and set aside for 10 minutes.

Knead until soft, about 10 minutes, and turn into prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for about 45 minutes or until the loaf
is golden and produces a hollow sound when tapped. Remove loaf from pan and
cool on a wire rack. May freeze in an air-tight container for 30 days.
Slice to serve.