Gluten Free Cooking School » gluten free bread recipe

Hot Homemade Gluten Free Bagels That Will Make You Groan With Pleasure

Mary Frances — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:00:32 +0000

I’ll give it to Udi’s. Their gluten free bagels are delicious. Spread with cream cheese, the Udi’s bagel was a wonderful breakfast treat.

That is, until I learned how to make homemade bagels at home. These were a revelation. Chewy, hot, yeasty goodness. That’s how we started our Sunday off (and have for several weeks now)

The options are endless. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Add cinnamon and raisins to the dough or chocolate chips. Indulge your whims.

Want some? The bagels will be part of the next course at the Cooking School. Now on to English Muffins!

Homemade Gluten Free Bagels

Gluten Free Bread – 30 Minute Flatbread

Mary Frances — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:20:16 +0000

Sometimes life does not leave time to bake a loaf of bread. Even with a bread machine there have been months during that past year in which I could not convince myself to bake a loaf of homemade gluten free bread. That’s pretty bad when you consider that the recipe is fairly simple and quick. I’m forgiving myself though, since I’ve technically had a “bun in the oven” for 14 of the last 17 months.

For more easy gluten free recipes like this one, make sure to check out my ebook, The Gluten Free Survival Guide. I put all of my favorite GF recipes in there, including sandwich bread, pancakes, waffles, tortillas, pizza and more. I know your family will enjoy the recipes as much as mine does!

Since our family cannot live without gluten free bread, we’ve been surviving on my gluten free flatbread recipe. We’ve been making this for years, but I hadn’t posted it before because it was based off of Kate’s gluten free wrap recipe. However, over the years my lack of willingness to buy tapioca flour, read cooking instructions, or buy $6 of yeast every week has made this recipe into something I consider my own. After finally stumbling on the secret to making this gluten free bread without yeast – I literally stumbled and spilled all of the yeast – this recipe is finally ready for public consumption.

When the bread has finished baking, cut each square into 4 pieces. Then use the the pieces to make sandwiches – we’ve had everything from grilled cheese, to vegan BLTs, to Reubens, to PBJ’s. It’s not as fast as grabbing gluten free bread out of the freezer, but it tastes SO MUCH BETTER!

Gluten Free Flatbread Recipe

1 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. corn starch
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. water
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. canola
2 eggs (or flax eggs)

1. Mix all dry ingredients in medium size bowl.
2. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Grease two 8 in. square baking pans and dust with brown rice flour.
4. Spread half of batter evenly into each pan. Use the back of a wet spoon if the dough is sticky.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes, or until bread pulls away from the sides of the pans.

Substitution Notes: Tapioca starch or potato starch can be substituted for the corn starch. Flax eggs are 1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp. water. I haven’t tried egg replacer since I generally have flax seed on hand.

Gluten Free Bread: Submarine Rolls

Mary Frances — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:44:22 +0000

Good gluten free bread is the holy grail of gluten free cooking. Unfortunately, it is rarely available outside of my own kitchen. Now there are a lot of foods that I miss on a gluten free diet, but it is just plain torture to watch my friends eat a submarine sandwich at lunch and know that I can’t join in. Since I subscribe to the belief that all foods can be recreated in a gluten free form, John and I recently set out to create our own gluten free bread recipe for a submarine sandwich roll.

We started with a package of my gluten free bread mix, (we had several bags of my sandwich bread mix in the freezer) which we mixed up and left to rise on the stove while we headed out to play at the park. When we arrived back home, the dough had reached the top of my large mixing bowl.

Since I was making this up as I went, I decided not to do anything else to the bread (the path of least resistance!) and simply spooned it into some forms that John and I quickly threw together using aluminum foil. The forms were approximately 12 inches long and 3 – 4 inches wide, and one batch of dough filled made two foot-long sandwiches. Once the bread dough was in the forms, I didn’t smooth it out because I wanted to make sure that all of those fragile air pockets stayed in the bread.

We then put the forms into a large baking dish, along with three ramekins that we filled with water. The ramekins kept the forms from sliding around in the baking dish, and the water increased the moisture in the oven , which helps the bread develop a good crust. We baked the bread at 350 for 40 minutes, and out came these wonderfully golden, crusty loaves.

Other Tips for Baking Gluten Free Bread:
1. Grease the aluminum forms with butter or shortening to make the removal of the forms easier.
2. Remove the forms immediately after baking so that the bread does not get soggy as it cools. But do let the bread cool on a baking rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
3. I like to slice my bread all the way through when I make my sandwich. John things that the V cut used by Subway is the way to go.
4. I usually mix my gluten free bread dough with a mixer for several minutes to develop the gluten xanthan gum, but we didn’t do that in our haste to get out the door and it turned out just fine.
5. We’ve also used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix to make these loaves and it worked well. The loaves were a bit more dense and wet (which is typical of that mix) but the flavor is great.

Have you made gluten free breads using forms? What worked well for you?

Yummy Sandwich Bread (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

Mary Frances — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:30:18 +0000

Update 10/3/2011: Baking gluten free bread can be overwhemlming, frustrating, and scary. But it doesn’t have to be. Learn to bake good gluten free bread the first time and every time, by taking Gluten Free Bread 101, a virtual cooking class from Gluten Free Cooking School. An updated version of this recipe is featured in the class. ~Mary Frances

Now that I’ve given you my new all-purpose gluten free, soy free flour mix, you need a recipe to try it in. Based on the questions and comments I’ve received I decided to start with bread. Everyone who goes gluten free starts to miss bread pretty quickly, and a nice loaf of gluten free bread can go a long way to making you feel better about your new diet.

For more great gluten free recipes like this one, check out my ebook, The Gluten Free Survival Guide. I’ve packed it full of all of my favorite GF recipes, including bread, biscuits, waffles, scones and more. I know you’ll enjoy cooking them as much as I do!

I found a new sous chef for this experimental baking. Please let me introduce Sous Chef David. (Check the end of the post for more pictures!)

Experiments in Bread Baking:
For the baking session, I decided to make enough dough for two loaves and cook one in the bread machine and one in the oven. I recently posted “conventional oven” directions (in the comments) for my original gluten free bread post and I wanted to make sure that they were correct. And I thought it would be fun to compare the two loaves. You know me; I like experiments.

David and I made a double batch of the dough (see recipe below) and then scooped half of it into the bread machine. I’ve lost the paddle to my machine, so I just threw the dough in without it and set the bread to bake on the 80 minute “Express Bake” setting.The other half of the dough was scraped into a greased 10″ Calphalon loaf pan. The dough needed to rise in a warm place for 45 – 60 minutes and the only warm place that I could find was on the stovetop in front of the vent from the oven. I wasn’t sure if this would counteract the somewhat chilly temperatures of our house, but the bread was pushing at the top of the cloth within 45 minutes. After the bread rose I baked the loaf in a 375 degree oven for 60 minutes.

And here are the results:

The bread machine bread is on the left and the oven bread is on the right. These loaves turned out pretty much as expected. My oven loaves have always been on the short side, but I think this is primarily because my loaf pan is longer and wider than my bread machine pan. There’s just more room to spread. To confirm this theory I cut the end off of each, and you can see in the pictures below that both loaves have the same density.

Again, due to some recent reader comments I drug out my measuring tape to determine the exact height to which my loaves had risen. The bread machine loaf topped out a little shy of 3″, while the oven loaf came in right at 2″.

The 3″ loaf is typical for our bread machine. I’ve made higher loaves with store-bought mixes but they always collapsed as they cooled. Even though this loaf is only 3″, it’s always 3″ and I can count on having slices of bread that will hold together for a sandwich. In fact, this is the bread that we use for sandwiches, and along with soup or a salad it is the perfect amount for a meal.

The 2″ loaf of bread is a bit small, but we’ll be eating sandwiches from it too. We may just eat two!

Final Thoughts:
While I am definitely in love with my bread machine, I think that you can bake a good gluten free loaf in the oven if you have the right pan. My bread machine pan measures 7.5″ x 5″ x 5″. I did some quick research on Amazon and a my 10″ loaf pan is technically a 1 1/2 pound pan. A 1 Pound Loaf Pan measures 8.5″ x 4.5″ and, if my theory is correct, should result in a higher loaf.

If you have any insights from your bread-baking experiments that you’d like to share with everyone, please tell me about them in the comments.

Yummy Sandwich Bread (Gluten Free, Soy Free, Casein Free)

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)

2 ½ cups Gluten Free, Soy Free All Purpose Flour Mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt

2 eggs
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar

1. First combined the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, Add the water while gently whisking the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients. If your yeast is good then bubbles and foam should form on the top. (By the way, this step is what is commonly referred to as “proofing the yeast”)

2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir well. If you have a sifter, then by all means sift the flour. I don’t, so I whisk and stir it really 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. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed and then
(a) dump the dough into your bread machine and bake on the 80 minute setting.
(b) or following the remaining instructions for a convention oven.

5. Grease a loaf pan with shortening, butter, or the appropriately allergen-free substance. Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Cover the pan with a damp dishrag and place in warm area so that the dough can rise for the next 45 – 60 minutes. The dough should double in size or reach the top of the pan.

6. After the dough has risen, bake in in a 375 degree oven for 60 minutes. When the bread is done it will have a crisp brown crust and it will pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven, and the bread from the pan, and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Finally, Really Good Sandwich Bread: Our Favorite Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Mary Frances — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:18:07 +0000

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.

Updated: 3/10/2011 – Finally! An updated picture of FRGB. Look at that beautiful loaf of bread!!

Really Good Gluten Free 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 of my gluten free flour mix
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 loaf pan. 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 I’ve developed a corn free version of this recipe that uses tapioca starch, almond flour, and guar gum. The recipe is currently available as part of the Gluten Free Bread 101 class
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. Water is also a good option.
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.

Gluten Free Cooking School » gluten free bread recipe

Hot Homemade Gluten Free Bagels That Will Make You Groan With Pleasure

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Gluten Free Bread – 30 Minute Flatbread

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Gluten Free Bread: Submarine Rolls

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Yummy Sandwich Bread (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

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Finally, Really Good Sandwich Bread: Our Favorite Gluten Free Bread Recipe

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