Baguette aux Céréales, Gluten-Free (French multigrain bread)

Directions

1. Making the Sponge
2. Combine the flours, teff grains, and yeast in a medium or large bowl. Stir in the water. Cover and set aside to ferment - this is the sponge, also known as a starter.
3. In a small bowl, place the millet grains and add just enough water to cover. Set aside to soak.
4. Let the sponge and the soaking millet grains rest for 12-16 hours.

1. Making the Bread
2. In a medium bowl, combine tapioca flour, sweet rice flour, psyllium, pectin, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix well.
3. Gradually add the tapioca flour mixture into the sponge, alternating with adding the water a little at a time, as needed - you may not need all 80 millilitres. When dough becomes too stiff to stir with a spatula, knead by hand until smooth. If it is very stiff and crumbly like cookie dough, knead in a little more water a teaspoonful at a time until it is smooth.
4. With the dough still in the bowl, by hand knead in all of the soaked millet seeds and about half of the oats, poppy seeds, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds. (Set aside the other half of the oats, poppy seeds, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds - these are for the crust.)
5. Knead in the 2 teaspoons of oil, cover the bowl, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
6. After 1 1/2 - 2 hours have passed, knead the 2 teaspoons of honey into the dough with it still in the bowl. It may seem crumbly at first; just keep kneading. If it stays crumbly and stiff, knead in water a teaspoonful at a time until it is smooth again.
7. Lay a piece of baking parchment on the counter and brush it lightly with oil. Tip out the dough onto the parchment paper and press it into a large, flat rectangle as if you were making cinnamon rolls.
8. Sprinkle the baking powder over the surface of the dough rectangle and lightly rub with your fingers to distribute it evenly. Starting with one of the long sides of the rectangle, gently but tightly roll it up - again, just like making cinnamon rolls. Make sure the seam is on the bottom of the loaf.
9. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with a little extra oil and honey. Sprinkle the extra seeds and oats you set aside over the loaf, very gently pressing to get them to stick.
10. Lift the loaf, still on the parchment, onto a baguette pan or flat baking sheet. Drape a piece of plastic wrap over the loaf to keep it from drying out. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF (if you have a baking stone, put it on the middle rack of the oven before you preheat).
11. When the bread has risen - at least 45 minutes - remove the plastic wrap and carefully cut a shallow slit all the way down the middle of the loaf, and place the baguette pan or baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven (if you are using the baking stone as mentioned in the previous step, set the baguette pan or baking sheet directly on the stone). Immediately turn down the temperature to 205ºC/400ºF.
12. Optional, but helpful for a crisp crust: put a baking dish with a few ice cubes on the bottom rack of the oven when you put the bread in, to create steam.
13. Bake for about an hour, until the loaf is well-browned and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Let cool for at least 3 hours before cutting.