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How To Bake Gluten Free Bread

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What Is Sourdough Starter

How To Bake Gluten-Free Bread

Sourdough bread starter is an ingredient needed to create sourdough bread. Think of it as a naturally occurring yeast that replaces packaged yeast and creates the rise. It is a naturally fermented element that, because it releases gaseslike bubbles in beerit expands your bread and makes air pockets characteristic of sourdough. The tangy taste of sourdough is a result of the fermented sourdough starter.

Once you create the starter, you can add it to flour and other ingredients to make your own home baked gluten-free sourdough bread. It doesnt require anything other than gluten-free flour, water and salt. Other ingredients may be added to create a flavor you like.

To get started, youll need to spend a few minutes a day for seven days. Then youll be able to maintain it by feeding it more flour and water as necessary.

Add Everything From Cheese To Apples To Cinnamon Swirls

A go-to sandwich bread recipe is like the little black dress of baking: basic, reliable, and perhaps most importantly, versatile.

If youre a gluten-free baker, however, that staple recipe can be particularly hard to find. Many recipes yield loaves that turn out gummy, others flat and dense, and still more dry and crumbly.

Our Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread is none of those things. Its tender and high-rising, with an even crumb. Thats largely thanks to Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, a carefully tested blend of white rice flour, whole grain brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. Unlike many gluten-free flours, it doesnt have any grittiness, but rather yields a smooth dough and fluffy loaf.

Beyond the right gluten-free flour, the other key to this gluten-free sandwich bread is xanthan gum. A staple in gluten-free baking, this addition provides much-needed structure and elasticity to the bread, which is hard to achieve without any gluten. Theres only a small amount added , but its crucial for a lofty loaf that bends rather than crumbles.

Mix it up

Here are a few suggestions to get started:

Go savory: cheesy bread

A gluten-free grilled cheese that doubles up on the dairy? Its all possible when you add cheese straight into the bread itself, in addition to sandwiched between slices.

To make: Reduce the sugar in the recipe to 1 tablespoon stir 1 cup shredded cheese into the dough just before scooping it into the loaf pan.

The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Bread lovers, rejoice. This gluten free bread is the real deal with a soft, chewy open crumb and a deliciously crisp caramelised crust. Its also super easy to prepare, and it behaves similarly to regular wheat bread: it can be kneaded and shaped, and goes though two rounds of rising. And its vegan no eggs or dairy products needed!

This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you. For more info, check out the Disclosure Policy. Thank you for supporting The Loopy Whisk.

Before we get to the gluten free bread recipe, Ive got some news: I am writing a book.

Wait, lets put that in all-caps because this definitely feels like a shouting from the rooftops moment: I AM WRITING A BOOK.

I will have more details to share with you soon, but heres the short of it: its a gluten free baking book, covering everything from cakes and cupcakes, through brownies and cookies, all the way to pies and tarts and bread. In fact, there will be over 15 different bread recipes, from artisan loaves to enriched doughs like cinnamon rolls and babka.

To say that I am over-the-moon excited would be an understatement. And I cannot wait to share more book details with you over the coming weeks and months!

But for now: lets talk gluten free bread.

Before we get to the nitty gritty of how to make your own gluten free bread, heres a quick overview of the many reasons why its absolutely amazing.

Also Check: Noodles And Company Gluten Free Menu

Can I Freeze Gluten

Yes, you can freeze gluten-free pancakes. Always bring your gluten-free pancakes to room temperature first.

After they are at room temperature you can store them in an airtight container or a zip lock bag for up to three months.

Remember when measuring out flours for this gluten-free pancake recipe spoon your flour into your measuring cup, then level it.

Do not dip your measuring cup into the flour then level, it will be too much flour.

Did you make this gluten-free pancake recipe? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!

Tips For Making Gluten Free Bread In A Breadmaker:

15 Gluten

1- You dont have to have the most expensive breadmachine to have the best bread. I travel with my bread makers for many cooking classes, and I wont risk a big investment being in the hands of the TSA. So I tend to prefer mid-range bread makers for travel: Oster®, BreadMan® or Cuisinart® and Hamilton Beach®. These are all in the $50-$125 range.

But I truly love the loaves my reliable, two-paddled Zojirushi® turns out I dont risk traveling with it because it is a costlier machine. You can read about the Zojirushi as well as my preferred mid-range and travel machines in my gluten free bread machine reviews.

The process of baking gluten free bread in a bread machine is the same, no matter which model you use: liquids first, then dry ingredients, then yeast. Heres a quick video showing you how:

2- You dont have to have a bread maker with a gluten free setting to bake gluten free bread. But it helps. If you have an older bread machine without a gluten free setting, make sure its totally clean from any gluten residue. If there are scratches on the pan or the paddle, buy new ones because they could house gluten left behind from the last loaf. If you are in the market for a new bread maker though, buy one with a gluten free setting.

3- Using bread makers without a gluten-free setting. Read your manual to find out how to override the pre-programmed settings.

Recommended Reading: Milk Bar Gluten Free Cake

Allergy Free Alaska Oatmeal & Millet Bread

For those of you based in the US, this recipe uses cups as measures so you may wish to give this a try should you not have time to convert the others.

I have not tried it personally but it was recommended by a follower and has good online reviews too.

Ingredients needed: sugar, water, yeast, eggs, olive oil, honey, cider vinegar, millet flour, tapioca starch, oat flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum and salt.

Can I Make This Recipe In A Bread Machine

Yes, you can! Even though I developed this gluten-free bread recipe to be an oven-baked recipe, I also tested it in my bread machine. Just swap out these ingredients for the ingredients in my gluten-free bread machine recipe and follow the recipes directions. I always recommend using a bread machine that has a gluten-free setting.

Recommended Reading: Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten

Why You Might Want To Avoid Wheat Breads

Unlike those loaves available to Juvenal, Omar Khayyam, and Matthew, modern bread isnt inherently wholesome. Commercial bread is typically made with refined white flour that owes its long shelf life to the process that removes all nutrients, including vitamins and fiber. Despite the low quality of that main ingredient, corporate food scientists and marketers also add large quantities of sugar, salt, and unhealthy vegetable oils, along with chemicals and dough conditioners, to make the product tastier.

Take, for example, Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Honey Wheat Bread. While honey wheat bread sounds wholesome enough, its ingredients include a bunch of unpronounceables, like calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, and datem, which is an abbreviation for diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides, also known internationally as additive E472. And flavorings include brown sugar, sugar, invert sugar, molasses, and honey, and a lot of salt. In fact, one serving of that bread contains more sodium than a serving of Lays Classic Potato Chips! Not exactly the staff of life more like the staff of disability.

What Is The Best Gluten Free Flour To Use For Bread

How to Bake Gluten-Free Bread

Once the recipe was perfected, it was tested with three different gluten free flours to make sure the results were consistent.

Using information from the best gluten free flour article, I eliminated using Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Flour because it had such disappointing results across the board.

I tested with Cup 4 Cup, which rates as the top gluten free flour, King Arthur Measure-for-Measure, and Pillsbury gluten free flour because some readers have been asking about its performance.

From an ease and baking standpoint, they all performed well. Pillsbury had the most solid structure, which turned out to be a not very good thing. Cup 4 Cup was the softest, with King Arthur in between.

As far as taste, Cup 4 Cup was the clear winner. There was nothing gluten free tasting about the bread. It was soft, squishy, and slightly sweet.

King Arthur still tasted good and had a favorable texture, but had a strong rustic taste to it. It reminded me more of wheat bread than white bread.

Sadly the bread made with GF Pillsbury flour went straight into the trash. It tasted like dry cardboard and was inedible. Pillsbury gluten free flour might work for other recipes, but definitely did not work well with this one!

Also Check: Are One Bars Gluten Free

Baking The Gluten Free Bread

Once proofed and doubled in volume:

  • turn the bread out onto a piece of baking/greaseproof paper ,
  • score the dough with a sharp knife or a bread lame,
  • transfer the dough into the hot skillet,
  • place the skillet/Dutch oven/combo cooker in the oven,
  • pour hot water into the bottom baking tray,
  • add 3 4 ice cubes around the bread , and
  • close the oven door.
  • Bake the dough with steam at 480 ºF for 20 minutes, then remove the tray with water, reduce the oven temperature to 450 ºF and bake for a further 40 50 minutes.

    Use A Digital Thermometer

    If you are going to be baking bread often, you probably want to buy one of these priceless, yet inexpensive gadgets. A digital or “instant-read” thermometer will save you lots of frustration because it lets you easily measure the internal temperature of your bread. When the internal temperature is approximately 206 F it’s done. No more gooey or dried out loaves.

    Recommended Reading: Is Better Than Bouillon Gluten Free

    What Is The Best Type Of Yeast To Use In This Gluten

    This recipe uses instant yeast or rapid rise yeast. I use Fleshmans Rapid Rise Yeast. It is important to use the rapid yeast and to make sure it is at room temperature.

    Rapid rise yeast does not need to be proofed and can be added directly to the flour. It is still important to use warm water because yeast is a live organism and thrives in a warm environment.

    Heat the water just until it feels warm to the touch. Or use a thermometer to check the waters temperature. The ideal temperature for instant yeast is 100°110°F. If the water is any hotter than that, it could kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.

    If you want to make sure that your instant yeast is still active, you can proof the yeast before adding it to the flour mixture. Add the honey to the warm water and stir until it dissolves.

    Then add the yeast to the water mixture and allow to sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. This is not a necessary step. This is only needed if your yeast is not new or fresh.

    I have not tried active dried yeast in this recipe. Active dried yeast requires a proofing step. Active dried yeast also requires a longer rising time.

    Why Was My Gluten Free Bread Dense

    Fresh Baked Gluten Free Bread

    For your bread machine, does it have a gluten free setting? This setting is important because it only does one mix cycle, not two mix cycles like you get with other settings.

    If you don’t have the gluten free setting option, use a quick program that features one mixing cycle, rather than two. Mixing it twice will always cause the bread to be denser.

    Are you scooping your measuring cup into the flour? Or spooning the flours into the cups then leveling? You should always spoon then level.

    Otherwise you’ll end up with more flour then you want which causes the bread to be dense.

    Are you storing your flours in the freezer or refrigerator? If flours are stored that way they loose moisture and when they are mixed with other ingredients they tend to absorb more of the moisture and the bread is denser.

    I don’t have a recipe for bagels but you might like these Gluten-Free Bagels from Salted Plains. My newest recipe – Gluten Free Rolls!

    I hope I’ve set you up for success with making the best gluten-free bread you’ve ever had. If you have any questions about this gluten-free bread recipe, leave a comment. Also, if you make it I want to know what you thought! Please come back and share your experience.

    Don’t Miss: Lactose And Gluten Intolerance Test

    What About Psyllium Husk

    Psyllium husk is a form of fiber that has become relatively popular in gluten free bread baking as a replacement for xanthan gum. Ive tried it, and I simply havent found a way to use it that produces a bread product that I like to eat.

    Psyllium husk makes gluten free bread that looks great, and is easy to handle. But I find it has a strange taste and a strange aftertaste. Since breads highest and best use is eating, those are deal-breakers for me.

    When Americas Test Kitchen came out with their first gluten free bread recipes, they asked me to endorse them. I worked my way through some of their basics, which included a heavy reliance on psyllium husk.

    It does behave similarly to xanthan gum, and is even more effective for breads because its even more hydrophilic . And yes, I used the brand of psyllium husk that they recommend.

    I promise youll be the first to know if I change my opinion of baking bread with ground psyllium husk. I wonder if I might prefer it used in smaller amounts, and with whey protein isolate, which I use in my gluten free bread flour.

    More Gluten Free Bread Recipes Youll Enjoy

    We need delicious gluten free bread for all occasions! If you are looking for something besides sandwich bread, here are more of my most popular gluten free recipes.

    Plus, for an ultimate guide, find more of the best gluten free bread recipes all in one resource!

    Can I make it in a bread machine?
    Do I have to use a stand mixer?
    Can I substitute any ingredients?
    What kind of bread pan should I use?
    How do I know when the bread is done baking?

    highly If you pull the bread too soon it will be gummy, instead of soft and fluffy.

    important note about serving

    Please note, if pulling from the freezer and serving at room temp, thoroughly defrost the bread first.

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