Sandwiches are a staple of our diet. When John first started a gluten free diet we searched through grocery store after grocery store hunting the elusive frozen rice bread that our internet searches indicated should be there. We finally found some and, upon trying it, promptly spit it out. It was horrible! John kept eating it though, because what else is one to do when you don’t know how to cook and your girlfriend is away at grad school.
By the time we married the following year, we had a bread machine and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix. Thus started the four year saga of baking gluten-free bread that was either dense, wet, full of air holes, or incredibly misshapen. At last count we’ve been through three different recipes plus innumerable variations of each when I just couldn’t keep my hands off the recipe (which would be at least 95% of the time). But do not be disheartened – Finally, after four years, I have worked out a recipe that consistently turns out really good sandwich bread.
One of the reasons that I really like this bread recipe is that the flours in it are relatively inexpensive. And, at least in Birmingham, they are widely available. I can get all of the different flours at our local Wal-mart. The bread is also very easy to make, especially once you have the recipe memorized from making it frequently. I even do shortcuts now and often mix everything up in one bowl. However, if you’re trying this recipe for the first time, I do recommend that you follow the recipe as closely as possible.
Really Good Sandwich Bread
1 Tbsp. bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)
2 ½ cups "Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix Recipe"
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt
3 eggs (or 9 Tbsp. water and 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1. Start by combining the yeast and sugar in a small bowl (I use the smallest in my set of three nested mixing bowls). Add the water while gently stirring the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients – bubbles and foam should form if the yeast is happy.
2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in the largest mixing bowl and stir well.
3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.
4. By this point the yeast mixture should be foamy, so you can pour the two liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Blend the dough with a mixer for 4 minutes.
Bread Machine Directions:
Scoop your dough into the bread machine and smooth the top of the dough. I bake my bread using an 80 minute setting that allows for 20 minutes of kneading, 18 minutes of rise, and 42 minutes of baking. However, since I don’t use the paddle in by bread machine, I’m effectively doing a 38 minute rise and a 42 minute bake. (The advantage of not using the paddle is that you don’t end up with a hole in the bottom of your bread.)
Conventional Oven Directions:
Scoop the dough into a greased loafpan. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until is is about 1 inch from the top of the pan. Then bake at 375 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.
Other Notes:
- The masa harina in the flour mix for this recipe is usually available in the Hispanic sections of most grocery stores. Due to the way it is processed, masa harina is very absorbent and you cannot substitute corn meal or corn flour. You can purchase masa harina on Amazon.com if it is not available locally.
- If you are allergic to corn then you can make the following substitutions in the flour mix: use tapioca starch instead of corn starch and almond flour instead of masa harina
- If you are allergic to soy, then you can substitute any of the following flours for the soy flour in the flour mix: sorghum flour, garfava flour, or quinoa flour.
- If you are on a dairy-free diet, then you may use soy milk or rice milk. Just make sure that they are gluten free.
- If you are allergic to eggs, use the flax substitute listed in the recipe, or follow the instructions on your favorite egg replacement powder. When I use the flax eggs, the bread is usually slightly wetter than otherwise.
If anyone has had problems with the bread falling a little after you take it out of the oven, I have found a solution for this. Immediately after you take the bread out place it upside-down, resting the ends on two pots that are the same height. It’s worked great for me.
yep!! my favorite of all the bread recipes i’ve tried so far!!! thanks, mary!!!
I tried this recipe yesterday using the flax seed substitute for eggs and the flour mix you supplied. Bread fell (think it rose too long), nice moistness but not gooey, and the taste was good, but just not quite what I like. I think it was the soy flour. Going to try to sub tapioca or potato starch and see how it works.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! It’s a blessing for those of us just beginning to learn GF baking.
I need to find out the temperature and baking time for this recipe. It sounds really good but I don’t have a bread machine. Any suggestions?
hey scratch that last comment….I totally overlooked the conventional oven directions. another question though, how much regular instant yeast do I use in place of bread machine yeast?
The notes say you can sub tapioca starch for corn starch. On another site I read that tapioca is not substituted 1 for 1 in place of corn starch. Did you mean for it to be substituted 1 for 1? Can it be substituted 1 for 1? Anyone tried it?
this looks delish, i will pass this along to all of my gluten free friends
Well, I am trying my second batch of this bread today. Last week was my first try and it tasted wonderful, but didn’t raise at all. I got my yeast from the local natural food store so thought is would be fresh. I confess I am new to bread baking and using a bread machine. I left the kneading paddle in last week, this week I will leave it out and see if that is indeed the trick!
[...] I made with sorghum flour, rice flour, corn flour, and some other stuff. I got the recipe here at The Gluten Free Cooking School. She’s got lots of recipes I haven’t tried yet but the bread was good though no one [...]
I use tapioca starch in my recipe, which is a version of this with different flours and a little more sugar. The kids LOVE it – even my son who doesn’t usually like GF bread. I’m sure you can just substitute 1:1 for it. Every site is different and depending on what you are making, the ratios will be as well.
Has anyone ever used a food processor to mix GF dough??
I have used the blendtec to mix my dough. Just remember to let it sit and rise before you bake it. It’s turned out the same, but without the pockets of flour I tend to get when I hand mix with a whisk.
I use my Kitchen Aide mixer, with the paddle attachment. Turns out perfectly, every time.