Rana’s Artisan Bread – Bold Buckwheat Review

Last month, I was selected to be a brand representative for Rana’s Artisan Bakery which I was super excited about! Based in London, they provide a great range of gluten free mixes for sourdough breads, crackers and pizza bases. The mixes are described as being as good as gluten containing bread, if not better! With The Great British Bake Off back on again this week, what better time for me to share my baking experience of the Bold Buckwheat bread mix! I made mine on a weekend when family were coming over. Gluten free mixes can be enjoyed by everyone, not just Coeliacs!

The mix came well packaged to keep it safe. I received a 240g bag of Bold Buckwheat Mix and a sheet with instructions on how to make the bread. I couldn’t have asked for clearer instructions, they showed you exactly what to do! The bag also contained a baking sheet and parchment bag. So, all I actually needed was a bowl, mixing spoon and an oven! I really liked the design of the packaging. It shows you what you are getting. Most mixes don’t tend to do that. Preheat your oven to 210° with the fan off before getting started.

It is free from gluten, dairy, egg, nuts and soya.
The ingredients are: Potato starch*, rice flour, buckwheat flour*, tapioca flour, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, dry yeast emulsifier (sorbitan monostearate), sourdough starter (3%), salt, stabiliser: xanthan gum, pineapple juice powder*Organic

Step 1: Firstly, I poured the mixture into a bowl. I used a glass one but you could use any type of bowl as long as you have room for pouring the water in. Save a tablespoon of the mixture to use it for the topping if you do not have any rice flour.

Step 2: Pour 215ml of warm water into the bowl with the mixture and stir. I used cooled boiled water to make sure it was bacteria free.

Step 3: Place the dough onto the parchment paper provided. Smooth and shape it using a wet spatula. You could also use an ice cream scooper to make individual rolls which are perfect for picnics and packed lunches.

Step 4: Sprinkle rice flour over the top and score the dough. As I saved a teaspoon of the mixture at the beginning, I used this.

Step 5: Slide the dough and parchment paper inside the parchment bag. It is recommended that you leave the dough aside for an hour, but with the buckwheat mix, you can put it in the oven straight away. Put in the oven with the fan off for 90 minutes at 210°. I did not have the setting for turning the fan off, so I turned the oven down to 200° and made sure I checked on it (without opening the oven) to make sure it was okay. After 90 minutes, it was cooked!

Once you have taken it out of the oven, remove the bag and be sure to let it cool on a rack if you have one. I was impressed by the appearance of this loaf! It smelt absolutely amazing. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. Some mixes are such a faff, but this was no trouble at all. I hardly had to do any work but wait for it to cook.

I decided to cut the loaf in half to see what it looked like inside. You could see the vast array of seeds bursting with nutritional goodness. I then cut it into slices which was pretty easy to do considering that I am terrible at slicing bread! I couldn’t resist trying a piece after making it. The flavour was lovely. It had a rich, nutty, wholesome flavour. It was bread, but like no bread I had experienced before. The outside was crisp but the centre was doughy and delicious.

I froze half of the loaf as I do not eat bread on a daily basis and bread usually lasts for a few days. It can be consumed for up to 3 months after freezing which is very convenient. My aunt and her granddaughter enjoyed the bread too. We liked eating it as toast or as a sandwich with cheese & tomato, ham and houmous. It was even delicious with just spread. I love that it is so versatile. With some of the frozen bread (which was quick to defrost when left out), I tried it with coconut jam and peanut butter which made a lovely sweet treat. I would be happy to purchase this mix again.

You can get your pack at Rana’s Artisan Bakery. Check out the other mixes, plus recipes and tips on offer. The Bold Buckwheat Mix costs only £3.99. The website is really easy to use and definitely worth looking at. You can even call them with any queries and the friendly staff will be happy to help.