Artisan Valentine’s Bread (gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)

*This is not a typical artisan bread recipe since it’s gluten-free and I add honey for sweetness & oil to soften the crust a tad.

Psyllium husk mixture

• 20g WHOLE psyllium husks

• 373g water

• 14g olive or avocado oil

Yeast mixture

• 6g yeast

• 100g warm water, (as if you were giving a baby a bath, too hot will kill the yeast)

Loaf ingredients

• 130g raw honey

• 11g himalayan salt

• 480-495g gluten-free all-purpose flour (or my blend of flours: 120g brown rice flour, 100g sorghum flour, 175g arrowroot flour, & 85-100g buckwheat flour)

Pink flour for dusting:

• Rice flour (brown or white)

• Dye-free red food coloring

1. In a Bosch or stand-up mixer with the dough hook attachment on, add psyllium husk, water, and oil. Mix for a second until combined and let the mixture sit to “gel” up. *Since there is no gluten in the flour, this mixture will sit and turn into a gel which will help bind the dough so you’re able to knead it.

2. While the psyllium husk mixture is "gelling up" in the bowl or Bosch, add yeast and water to a small bowl. Let the yeast and water mixture sit for 5-10 minutes making sure the yeast rises and expands.

3. When the yeast has risen, add the yeast mixture, honey, salt, and all the flour to the bowl/Bosch.

4. Turn on low and knead for 2 minutes or just until combined. The dough should pull away from the bowl and should be easy to work with. *You don’t need to over-knead since there is no gluten in the bread. If the dough is too sticky, add the extra 15g of flour. If it's too dry, add a little more water and knead.

5. Knead the bread on a work surface and shape it into a heart. *You don’t need to over-knead the dough.

6. Let the heart loaf rise on a pan lined with parchment paper and cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap for 2 hours.

7. During the last hour of the rise, set the oven to 425°F. Set the Dutch oven cast-iron pan with the lid on in the oven for 45 minutes while the oven is preheating.

8. When the loaf is done rising and the cast iron pan has been sitting in the oven for 45 minutes, the loaf is ready to bake. Score the loaf how you desire. Mix together some rice flour with pink food coloring to create a pink flour. Sprinkle the flour on top of the loaf.

9. Carefully pull the hot cast-iron pan out of the oven, and take off the lid. Carefully holding both ends of the parchment paper, lower the loaf into the cast-iron pan. Set the lid back on.

10. Bake for 55 min-1 hour with the lid on or until internal temperature reaches 195-210°F. If it has not yet reached that temperature, keep the lid off (unless crust it too brown) and bake longer. Every oven and pan is different, adjust baking timing accordingly.

11. Let the loaf cool COMPLETELY before cutting into it! If you don’t wait, it’ll result into a “gummy” loaf. Enjoy!