I think I’ve written this sentence in every recipe I’ve published for the last month. I’ll say it again, however, for the people up the back: I’m on a gluten free sourdough bender. Today’s recipe is no exception – it’s for gluten free sourdough toasties with FODMAP friendly pesto.
In my totally biased opinion, toasties are the epitome of comfort food. Comfort food, needless to say, is the order of the day in these crazy times. Although this delicacy looks simple, there’s somewhat of an art to a good toastie.
I should mention here that I use the words toastie and grilled cheese interchangeably. I know there’s probably a semantic difference but the idea is the same. Bite me. Or just bite a toastie.
Tips for your gluten free sourdough toastie
The Guardian develops these dynamite ‘how to make the best’ articles, and the cheese toastie one recommends that you slice your bread in 1cm slices, no thicker. This is apparently optimal ratio for melty cheese to sufficient thickness for the bread in holding it’s own.
This gluten free sourdough is a lighter, fluffier and ‘whiter’ version than some of my other sourdoughs. I wanted the bread to be lofty and subtly flavoured so as not to overwhelm the toastie. You can find my original gluten free sourdough here.
Apparently day old bread is best here – it crisps up nicely on the outside, more so than fresh does. So essentially a cheese toastie is low waste. Do with that what you will. This article suggests that you should pre-toast the bread before starting the toastie, which makes sense to me.
Use at least 2 cheese varieties for optimal flavour, and ensure they’re a balanced bunch. In this instance, I’ve used a savoury parmesan (in a bitter rocket pesto) to balance out the beautiful creaminess of the Fromager D’affinois Campagnier.
Generally speaking, you need to weigh a toastie down lightly to promote meltiness. In this instance, because the cheese is so creamy and melty, there’s no need. The residual heat from the toast will melt the cheese on your behalf.
Eat your toastie as soon as practically possible. Nobody likes hardened cold cheese (alright I do but I’d prefer hot).
Cheese notes
The Fromager d’Affinois Campagnier is a washed rind, double cream cheese. It is vegetarian (using a microbiological coagulant as opposed to animal rennet). It is also very low in lactose, making it suitable for people with lactose concerns.
In terms of the taste, Campagnier is described as ‘an ooey-gooey wonder with a deep, amber colour coming from annatto, an indigenous plant. The center is velvety soft and has a mild and subtle aroma. The taste is slightly more pronounced than D’Affinois plain double cream.’
I decided to use taleggio in conjunction with the Campagnier. Taleggio is a melting cheese with a savoury bite than other melting cheeses like gruyere. Because the Fromager d’Affinois Campagnier is rich, beautiful and creamy, I wanted something a little more savoury to compliment it.
Recipe substitutions
I have used my loftier sourdough bread for this recipe. You can use whichever version you fancy.
I have used a nice Parmesan in conjunction with the Fromager d’Affinois Campagnier. This is because I wanted a savoury cheese that would complement the rich sweetness of the Campagnier. This Bon Appetit article is very helpful if you’re looking for a grilled cheese cheese.
In terms of fillings – use whatever you think is nice! Personally I am a bit of a grilled cheese purist – I want salt and little else. However, with richer cheeses, sometimes a hit of something sharp can offset it nicely. This is where the rocket pesto comes in.
I can also highly recommend the Fromager d’Affinois Bleu in a toastie, if you have some leftover from the pizzas.
Gluten free bread recipes without xanthan gum
- Gluten free sourdough white bread
- 100% buckwheat flour bread from my buckwheat recipe e-book
- Gluten free sandwich bread
- Yeast free gluten free flatbreads
- Gluten free sourdough without rice flour
Gluten free sourdough toasties with FODMAP friendly pesto
Ingredients
- 1 batch of gluten free white bread sourdough see notes for the recipe link
FOR THE LEMON AND ROCKET PESTO:
- 100 g parmesan make sure it’s vegetarian if it needs to be
- 100 g rocket
- Juice of 1 lemon or just shy of 1/3 cup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
FOR THE SOURDOUGH TOASTIES:
- 2 slices of gluten free sourdough per toastie
- 4 slices of Fromager D’affinois Campagnier per person I like to slice from the pointy end of the cheese so that the pieces will fit nicely in the toastie
- Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt flakes
- Fresh greens I used rocket and spinach
Instructions
- Make your bread. See the recipe notes section for a link to the recipe.
TO MAKE THE PESTO:
- Combine all your ingredients in a food processor and blend until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Adjust for lemon and seasoning. Keep in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
TO MAKE THE TOASTIES:
- Use your preferred method to toast 2 slices of gluten free sourdough at a time. I don’t have a toaster – I use a sandwich press for my toast. Whatever method you prefer, toast the bread until it is golden and crunchy.
- Slather the toast (both sides) in the rocket pesto, and top one side with extra greens, followed by the Fromager D’Affinois Campagnier slices. Finish with the seasoning, and pop the lid on.
- Leave the toastie for a minute or so until the residual heat from the toast starts to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
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