Did you know that the difference between an artisan baker and a regular baker is in the hands? Specifically, artisans touch and examine each product at various stages using their hands and use their bank of knowledge to judge whether a product is ready and the senses determine when bread is ready rather than an alarm or a machine. So explains Matt Brock, teacher, baker and trained chef at Brasserie Bread’s very first gluten free baking class.
Brasserie Bread don’t make gluten free breads for sale because it would be difficult to ensure that breads are entirely gluten free with all of that flour in the air. The owners aren’t 100% convinced that there is a market for them but from doing gluten free recipes I know that there is and that gluten free eaters miss baked goods a lot because these are the items that are forbidden to them. Here at Brasserie Bread, they use organic flour from Toowoomba and today we are using a special blend of flour for our gluten free baking.
Everyone else has brought aprons along and out of the seven in the class, one woman has been living gluten free for years while another woman’s daughter was diagnosed as celiac at age two. She is a former baker and has been talking to Matt for a while and he has been giving her recipes to try. When her daughter was given the official diagnosis at age two (after much pushing for tests with the doctors by mum) she was devastated that it was her own cooking that had caused it. “I felt like I had poisoned her” she says, so she threw all of her baking ingredients and tools away and hasn’t baked since. She is now hoping to have some tasty gluten free recipes to take home so that she can begin baking again for her daughter.
We start with biga, which is a batch of old fermented dough. This is a technique they use in the bakery here as the biga has already a developed maturity and flavour to it and adding it to the newly risen dough gives it an additional flavour. Bigas can last in the fridge for 4-5 days and every time you make a batch of dough and allow it to rise, you take out 200grams out of the dough and put it aside as the biga for the next dough.
The basic idea behind baking is that gluten forms strands that trap the gases that are produced when yeast comes into contact with water, sugar and flour and the strands become longer as the dough rises. In gluten free baking there is no gluten to form strands so they use xantham gum to get the right level of elasticity to the dough. The difficulty is getting the light texture in gluten free bread and as a fellow class participant says “gluten free bread is either cake or lead.” Today we will be learning how to make gluten free friands, a trio of frangipane fruit tarts with a sweet shortcrust pastry or pate brisee, a savoury tart with a savoury shortcrust pastry dough and a 450g loaf of bread.
We start with the breads which Matt slices up an example of. It is coated in sesame seeds and is a soft, light loaf and reminds us of a cornbread. The flour mixture is one that they developed through experimentation and the bread recipe was the most time consuming out of the four items to develop. The flour mixture is 75% rice flour, 12.5% buckwheat flour, 12.5% millet flour with some besan flour, more buckwheat flour and xantham gum. Without the xantham gum, the texture would be very wet and sloppy but he warns us to use it carefully as too much can result in a rock hard loaf of bread. Guar gum can also be used as a substitute.
We start with our own mixture, already measured out for us, and add the water to the sugar and fresh yeast-they don’t use a sourdough in gluten free baking and sourdough is just a wild yeast that has been cultivated instead of using a compressed yeast. And a tip, if you use dried yeast, that is more powerful stuff than compressed and you only need to use half as much. We mix the yeast up with the sugar and water with our fingers and then mix in the flour so that they are well combined.
We add the olive oil and milk mixture (you can use water or other types of milk instead of milk) and then the yeast mixture and biga and stir vigorously to combine. Then using the dough scraper we scrape down the sides and form it into a ball in the centre of the bowl and cover it with cling wrap and leave it to develop.
Matt tells us that if you are using grains you can add them in at the end as they can cut the gluten strands in bread as they are like little razorblades. Also, always soak the seeds in milk beforehand as they can draw moisture out of the dough otherwise. Bakers also use salt to control the activity of bread as yeast does not like salt and inhibits the growth of yeast and they use it if they want to stop dough rising.
Our next task while the bread dough is resting is to make the tart shells. He has made two types of dough for us (we get the recipes for everything to take home with us) and today we will be rolling out the tart doughs and filling in cases to make sweet and savoury tarts-the latter for our dinner! Gluten free dough is said to be crumblier and therefore can be more difficult to work with than non gluten free dough although this is a pretty good batch of dough and works pretty much like a regular dough.
We press it down with our fingers and then roll it and place it gently inside the tart rings (no bases are needed). He then lines it with a commercial grade cling wrap (regular domestic cling wrap doesn’t work for this as it melts in the oven) and fills it with dried beans and then blind bakes it to give the bottom a crisp cooked through texture.
We do the same for the sweet tart dough which is actually a bit softer and easier to work with and this time instead of using a round cutter we gently ease it into the tart ring making sure to get it down into the bottom corners (Matt gives us a tip to use a piece of dough to push it down as it is cold and much easier than using fingers that may have long nails) and then we use the small, light rolling pin to cut the dough on top. The rolling pins were purchased in Chinatown and they are the same ones that dumpling makers use to roll dumpling skins with.
Our next task is to make the friands which are said to be even better than regular friands (and I must admit that I love cakes that have almond meal used in them because they are so moist).
You can make these using an electric mixer but we are doing these by hand so we beat softened butter with icing sugar with a wooden spoon and then a whisk until it is pale white (I enlist Mr NQN’s help). Then gently and slowly in batches of four, we add the whipped egg whites until they are completely emulsified. If these aren’t slowly added, the mixture turns liquid.
Back to our loaf of bread! It has risen so we take out 200grams of the dough and put it in the fridge.
We then take the small loaf tins and spray them with non stick spray (always do it up in the air or the floor will get very slippery!) and line them with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds. We then scrape the dough into the loaf tin in two lots ensuring that there aren’t any air pockets and using our fingers, smooth over the top and then give it an extra coat of sesame seeds on top.
Our par baked savoury tart shells are ready for our filling and good thing because I am getting hungry! We fill them with smoked salmon, Yarra Valley Cardi goat’s cheese and a egg mixture with cream and these are baked for about 10 minutes until set.
While these are baking, we fill our friand molds with the mixture. Matt shows us how to fill a piping bag and then demonstrates how to fill the friands.
We are making raspberry and chocolate friands using Callebaut white and milk chocolate. We fill it halfway and then sprinkle the chocolate on top and then top them up with batter and then finally place three frozen raspberries on top!
Our sweet tarts are next and these aren’t blind baked. The frangipane filling has already been made for us and it consists of almond meal, eggs and sugar. We pipe this into the tart case being careful not to overfill and we have a range of tinned apricot halves, stewed rhubarb and sour cherries that we can put on top to make three tarts each.
Croissant tower!
While our dinner is baking we get a quick tour of the working bakery which is enormous. They have 400 customers ranging from Qantas first and business class to restaurants all over Sydney and they have just launched in Melbourne. We watch workers as they make pane croccante, the award winning crackers that are baked in large leaf shapes. And the life of a baker here isn’t so bad as bakers here come in at 9am which is unlike the image where they rise at 3am!
The bread that they bake today will be for sale tomorrow. And it takes four days from start to finish to make their sourdough loaves so last minute orders aren’t able to be accommodated. Yudha tells is that there is very little waste and what waste there is is given to a pig farm.
Which brings us to the sourdough starter. Yudha shows us the starter which was born in May 1995 and is housed in a separate coolroom and fed twice a day with flour and water. I taste some (hey, they offered!) and it tastes a little like yogurt!
Dinner time! Our tarts are fresh out of the oven and still warm and Matt makes an sample salad with rocket, semi dried tomatoes and an Alto olive oil and Pukara Estate caramelised balsamic vinegar dressing. We sit down at a table in the cafe area to eat and talk.
Our last task for the evening is to glaze the friands and tarts. Here they use a commercial glaze which has a gelatine to set it but at home we can use an apricot jam mixed with water and then sieved to get rid of any lumps. We brush the tops of the fruit tarts with the glaze. Then we brush the friands with the glaze and sprinkle some crushed pistachios on top which give them a beautiful green shade.
As Matt has generously given Mr NQN his share of the tarts we have quite a bounty of sweets and knowing how much I like them I suggest that we take some of them to Mr NQN’s work that evening to share with his colleagues the next morning as he has a celiac colleague. The next morning he messages his colleague and tells him that there are some gluten free goodies but he deliberately doesn’t tell everyone else that they are gluten free as he wants to see whether they can tell the difference.
And while everyone else couldn’t actually tell that they were gluten free his celiac’s colleague’s response was the strongest and he said “OH MY GOD!!!! They are amazing… The best GF cakes I’ve had.” And if you are interested, the next gluten free class is scheduled for Friday, the 9th of December from 6:30pm-9:30pm.
So tell me Dear Reader, are you a celiac or know anyone that is? Do you have any food intolerances?
NQN and Mr NQN attended the class as guests of Brasserie Bread
Brasserie Bread Gluten Free Baking Class
1737 Botany Rd, Banksmeadow, NSW
1300 966 845
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52 Comments | Add your own
WAHHH i’m so so so jealous! Everyone’s talking about Brasserie Bread!
I still haven’t had the time to go check it out hehe! Hope you had lots of fun!
I know a lot of my friends are gluten intolerant
Thank god I don’t have any intolerants but i prefer not to eat some types of food hehe
The desserts look amazing. Thanks for the tip re the apricot jam and glaze:)
I’ve been tested for celiac disease and gluten intolerance and nothing showed up. Though I hear it can be difficult to diagnose. There’s something wrong with my digestive system (as you know), but I still eat the desserts:)
A marvelous bread! It looks really tempting.
That class must have been very interesting.
Cheers,
Rosa
I have what feels like a billion and five food intolerances, especially as they’re all conflicting. Being intolerant of gluten, soy and legumes means I’ve taken to baking my own bread as most GF breads use soy or bean flours.
Thankfully I’m getting used to it!
It is definitely a change from wheat bread, that’s for sure!
I only personally know 1 person who is gluten intolerant. She’s actually pretty happy with everything that is available to her and feels like she doesn’t miss out too much.
I fare pretty well, being able to eat pretty much anything. I actually think I’m sugar intolerant because it makes me fat!
Oh drat, having been told to give up gluten in the last year, I was hoping you’d been given permission by the bakery to post the recipe for the bread. Since I live on the other side of the earth, its a bit to far to attend your fantastic GF bread making classes.
My goodness, I cannot tell you how many GF bread recipes I’ve tried that ended up tasting like a word I’d rather not say, or how many GF breads I’ve paid a fortune for in the shops, that taste like sawdust.
I’ll not give up though. One day I’ll find the perfect loaf!
PS. I love your GF sweets photo, it could very well cause a person to drool!
Looks like you enjoyed your class. It’s wonderful to have products that allow people to make gluten free food, there is a lot of people that are intolerant to gluten right?. I’m not celiac but I have a disease called Ulcerative Colitis, and I have some restriction with milk products, but sometimes I “forget” it…ja,ja,ja…
Oooh yummy. Gluten free bread that doesn’t feel like lead or taste like cake. And goodies as well!
You really produced some nice-looking pastries in this class. Very interesting post. Gluten-free items are only now beginning to be available here in my part of Mexico–but it looks like there is a fairly big market based on all that I see. Luckily, I have no known food sensitivities, which is a good thing considering how much I love food! But it’s nice to know that everyone is being accommodated.
Great photos of the different stages. Smell of fresh warm bread in the morning, yum! The course looks fantastic, how many of the tips do feel are transferable to the home bread baker?
No intolerances but I met a fried recently whose son is a celiac I made the lasagna for him.
It’s good to see GF options becoming more readily available and better tasting. It must be so hard to avoid. I’m lactose intolerant so have to limit my dairy and I take lacteeze tablets to convert the lactose when I have a coffee.
Brasserie Bread classes are such fun!
Omg Lorraine, what an amazing post! I couldn’t stop reading it was so interesting. Please leave me beside the Croissant tower and the freshly baked Tarts and Friands!
My niece’s eldest son who is 6 years old is on a gluten and dairy-free diet so I’m going to forward this post to her asap!:-)
I have a couple of friends who are gluten intolerant and take great pleasure in baking them things that are GF but tasty!
I recently held a baby shower they attended and the whole menu was gluten free- People wouldn’t have known if I didn’t mention it
Thank you for this wonderful post, Lorraine! A great read & lovely pictures
Fantastic post Lorraine! And good for all the gluten-intolerant and celiacs out there. Now you know where and how to get quality baked goods. Brasserie Bread are the best at what they do
OH and wouldn’t I love to have that breaad recipe!!!!!!!! I do not have a problem with wheat but bake for people who are gluten free. The cakes and tarts are just gorgeous also.
Good on the baker who came up with those. Thanks.
I am intolerant of tripe!
Oh oh oh can we have some of the recipes please???? It’s just sooo hard to get great gfree products, and I’m so excited that a great place like this is exploring these options. Plus I’ve never seen friands made that way before!
How lovely to share with Mr NQN’s workmate, and isn’t it interesting to see how much (good) gfree products are enjoyed if no-one knows what they are made of
I just found out that friend has been diagnosed so will def let her know about this class. Love Brasserie Bread! Michael is so fab
Thats such a lovely story about the mother baking for her daughter. Hopefully she will rekindle her love for it again now that she has the tools.
Altho’ I am lucky not to suffer from coeliac disease, or really any other food intolerances, I found this lesson very, very interesting. Loved the healthy flours used
! If time allowed, this is one type of baking which I would in all probability find very satisfying.
I have a friend who was diagnosed 2 weeks ago as coeliac and also dairy intolerant. She thinks it will be very hard as she’s no cook! Easy Xmas present – an appropriate cookbook!!
I am adjusting to life without a large bowel, so my diet is low fibre. Worst thing about it is missing granola!!
looks so fun.. i wouldnt mind going to a class!
What a great class! Gluten-free baking has come such a long way in the past few years. Before, you COULD really taste the difference, and it was not pleasant. Nowadays, though, they rival any wonderful baked good made with gluten.
Sounds like a great workshop – am I right in thinking you didn’t knead the bread – I have heard that gf bread batter is far softer than gluten dough? I wonder if as commercial bakers experiment with GF bread more that it will trickle down into household recipes – my mum just found a great GF bread in melbourne (Black Ruby) – via my blogging – that is the best my GF sister has tasted
My aunt is a (diagnosed) coeliac and I know bread is one thing she struggles with. It’s a shame this class is in Sydney and she’s in Melbourne.
I created some gluten free chocolate brownies for her (http://eatingadelaide.com/chocolate-brownies-2/) – they’re fab – like you say, the almonds make them lovely and moist.
It’s truly wonderful that classes like this exist
My mum and grandma don’t have celiac but are wheat intolerant, so I mightily enjoyed this. Sliiiightly skeeved out about the gelatine in the glaze, mostly just because I recently used plain gelatine and the smell made me feel nauseous :S
I am not a celiac but I am slightly intolerant to dairy. I say it’s because I’m Asian, but really I’m not sure. Never had it tested out but don’t really want to know anyway. O how sad I would be to find out I’m supposed to avoid butter
Great images and detailed write up NQN, we really do hope that this inspires people who deal with intolerances to gluten to get in there kitchen and start baking. You can still create wondefull sweet and savoury baked products and if your inclined to, experiment, as every loaf you bake is a lesson. There is no reason while you shouild miss out on the simple pleasure in life of eating bread.
I feel like I was right there in the class with you! Thanks for this great post. And the class sounds fantastic. I learned so much just reading your write-up, I can only imagine how great the class was.
One of my best friends is a coeliac and I’m always thinking of things to make so she can still enjoy the baked goods that I do. This looks like a wonderful class – hopefully at some point they’ll be able to certify some breads gluten free and actually start selling them to the public.
The friends look good, but I’m not entirely convinced about the bread. I have coeliac disease and the only decent bread and treats I have ever come across is Schar. It has changed my life! The main problems with having coeliac disease is the incredible cost of gluten free products and eating tonnes of something (like the lemon meringue pies @ Healthy Feast) just because it’s gluten free. On the plus side, Zumbarons are mostly GF, but can’t be proclaimed so because of the kitchen they are produced in. If anyone wants a good book with GF deserts, I recommend “Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free” but it can be difficult and expensive to source some of the flours.
Damn you auto correct! I meant *friands
Thanks for this story Lorraine. I’m a coeliac and those goodies look dangerous.
I loved your comment “all that flour in the air”! So true.
Gluten-free baking has yet to catch on in this part of the world, but I have to admit that it’s an intriguing concept. And the bread and pastries look really scrumptious!
Dear Lorraine,
This is a great insight into gluten free baking which I believe would help people understand and appreciate the difficulty confronting those who are gluten intolerant. The croissants look truly delicious too.
Learned quite a lot in this post, the baked goods look fabulous!
I am not and I would be so sad if I was. I know quite a few people with gluten intolerances though.
I think it’s a bit easier now than it was about 5 years ago when there weren’t many gluten free products available.
Looks like u had a blast there! I would for sure. I am not into gluten free food since I dont have any troubel with it but for sure I can understand how difficult it is to live with Gluten intolerance. I d go nut without croissant! The picture I loved the most are the croissant tower! I think so I am going to dream about it tonight, it left a nice warmth in my heart. O.O
I’m lucky to have no food allergies, but I’m picky about plenty of things.
Everything from the class looks amazing. Love the savory tart. I want to try those for brunch this weekend!
Sounds like a fantastic course- and a great present to give to people too. thanks for the heads up!
My best friend is gluten intolerant, so I am always on the lookout for GF recipes. GF baking is entirely different than baking with gluten flour. I made bread once and was surprised at how wet the dough was, but in the end it did have a nice bread texture. When my best friend and her husband come for a meal, I only make GF food so everyone can enjoy it.
Such a great practical resource for me, thank you! So interesting, I really want to learn more about this topic (due to clients!!)
Heidi xo
Wow, wow, wow Lorraine…what a perfect class…as you know I’m gluten intolerant and I’m drooling here…and it’s breakfast time. Just saw your omellette too….love all the gf goodies xo
We live in Perth so hopping in the the car to drive to a class is a bit out of the question. My brother is gluten intolerant. Can you publish the recipes to go with this pictorial story?
Your pictures of the finished product looks awesome. I’m missing Sydney so much right now..
I have a friend who can’t eat seafood but she will eat it anyway and then head straight to the doctors for a jab of adrenalin to counter the allergic reaction!
i didn’t realize i was an artisan baker until just now–awesome! this would’ve been a marvelous and informative class to attend.
I am so jealous right now… I love bread and I want to take a bread making lesson (probalby more than photography…well it might be tie)! I can eat those croissants every meal…
Your photos are beautiful. Do you know where in toowoomba the flour comes from.
The class sounded amazing. Thank you for the information
Making a decent gluten free bread is really hard. I agree that they’re often cakey, and almost always turn to lead on day two even if they were soft on day one. I’d be interested to try the Brasserie version, but so far I’ve found the rice flour ones aren’t great. I’m really impressed with the quinoa based loaves from Deeks in Canberra.
What a great cookery class!
I lived gf for 6 months & now, I can eat normal again but love to bake gf from time to time. What lovely gf goodies you all made!
Everything looks amazing & ooh so appetizing too!
And isn’t it great that the collegues of your hubby didn’t taste the difference between the gf dishes??
Thanks for sharing with us!
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