Road Test Tuesday – Gluten Free Damper with Simply Wize

It amazes me the number of gluten free products that are now available including the number of bread mixes. I’ve tested many and some have been good and some have been absolutely dreadful, but I had only tested one product from Simply Wize, the prepared pizza bases when I was too ~~lazy~~ tired to make my own dough, and it was pretty good.

We can’t have an All Aussie Week without a traditional damper loaf. This bread is really easy to make from scratch but the Simply Wize mix was on sale for a song so I thought, why not? And while you will not catch me camping or toting a swag to go with this rustic loaf, I do appreciate the tradition and the taste of the classic damper loaf.

I prepared the dough according to the directions and then used additional rice flour to mould it into as much of a ball as possible. I didn’t use normal gluten free AP flour as I wanted that flour-y look in a traditional damper loaf, but also because sometimes AP flour can have a bit of a “bean-y” after taste.

Mix up the dough and shape into a ball as much as possible.

Generously spray or oil the inside of a dutch oven pan and pop the dough into the pan. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180° or 160° fan forced. Pop the dutch oven into the oven, uncovered and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven when the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove the bread from the pot and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with butter and vegemite for those who prefer (NOT I!)

Simply Wize Crusty Bread Mix verdict – 7.5/10 – The mix was incredibly easy and the taste was much better than some of the other mixes available but still not the best, in my opinion. I did like the texture and taste and think this mix would lend itself to other applications but would be best made in a traditional or French loaf next time. As a damper loaf, it was difficult to make into a ball and was too sticky to work with. Simply Wize Crusty Bread is still a very good product and value for money as far as the gluten free market goes.