Basic gluten free bread, that actually tastes good

I did it!! I developed a recipe for some seriously yummy gluten free bread. It's not light, white and fluffy like bread made from wheat flour but I guess those of you who live gluten free have come to realise that there really is no such luxury with gf bread. As long as it's tasty and not too dry and heavy is all we can ask for really. The best thing about this bread is that both my big guys liked it. I have had so much trouble finding a bread that they will both eat. Even my parents, who pop in to see their grandsons every Thursday, enjoyed it and said they would eat it again (they're not gluten free so that's a pretty big call) and dad said it was delicious with just butter! Wow, I was chuffed :o)

I followed no recipe, just my own flour blend that I stumbled across by chance a few weeks back when making pastry. Admittedly I ended up making 2 loaves as the first was a little dry and doughy but all it needed was a little more water. Next time I think I will play around with it a some more too, see if I can get it a little lighter and fluffier.

1 quantity of savoury flour mix
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 1/3 cups of lukewarm water
4 1/2 tsps of dried yeast
2 tbsps of oil

Stir the yeast and maple syrup into the water and set aside for a few minutes until frothy on top. In a largish bowl, combine the flour mix, salt and baking powder and gently whisk to aerate. You could sieve it if you like but I'm a little lazy and find that whisking does the same job. Make a well in the centre. Once the yeast blend is ready, mix in the oil then pour into the dry ingredients. Using your hands, mix until a soft dough forms. You will find it very sticky and you may find it easier to turn it onto a lightly floured bench (I use rice flour for this) and knead it gently. Place into a lightly greased loaf tin or onto a lightly grease baking tray (it depends on whether you want a free form or uniform loaf). Cover loosely with cling film and set aside in a warm spot for about an hour to prove. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

The loaf on the left is the not so successful one

It looks like bread, it smells like bread and it even tastes like bread!