Crusty Sandwich Bread

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1 tablespoon granulated active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (heated to 110°F)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
olive oil
coarse sea salt

Mixing the flours. Mix together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, yeast, salt, and xanthan gum in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl, if you are doing this by hand).

Making the dough. Add the water, eggs, oil, and honey to the dry ingredients. Mix with the paddle attachment (or with a large spoon if you are mixing by hand) for a few moments until the dough has fully come together. It will be soft. It will sort of slump off the paddle. Don’t worry. That’s the right texture.

Letting the dough rise. Put the dough in a large, clean bowl and cover it with a clean towel. Put the dough in a warm place in your kitchen, then leave it alone to rise about 2 hours.
You can now use the dough. Or, you can refrigerate it in a large container with a lid. The dough stays good for a week. Refrigeration overnight does seem to improve the flavor, as well.

Baking the bread. Shape 1 pound of the dough into a squat oval shape or small ball. Sometimes, wetting your hands helps if the dough feels too sticky. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes. (If you are pulling the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours before baking it.)

Half an hour before you will put the bread into the oven to bake, turn on the oven to 450° and slide a Dutch oven in to heat up.

Before baking, make 1/4-inch-deep cuts with a serrated knife to the top of the dough. Pour on a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Also, to add in forming a golden crust, place a large sauce pan filled with ice cubes on the rack below the one that will hold the baking bread. The steam produced will give that perfect crust:)

Put the dough into the Dutch oven, cover, and return it to the hot oven.  Close the oven door and bake the bread until the top has lightly browned and the bread feels firm, about 35 minutes.

Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.

 Makes 2, 1-pound loaves.

This recipe was originally made with Kalamata olives and fresh rosemary, you could add anything you truly love!  Try Jalapeño and Asiago,  or even go sweet with a cherry and grapefruit.  Be Creative!!! Your sandwiches will never be boring again!