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. And I even 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!)
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 to one of my posts 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:
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
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.
Hi Mary Frances,
Thanks for the great site! I have learned so much but I’m ready to give up on finding a bread recipe that does not have gluten, oats, casein, egg white, yeast or vinegar in it. Like another subscriber, there are times I crave bread. So far, I’ve only learned to make a fairly good cornbread free of the above list. I’d appreciate having Sally’s address, too, to see if she has some ideas for me to try.
Many thanks!
I am just starting my son on the GFCF diet so today was my first trip to the grocery store. I bought a small loaf of bread for $5.75 and I am thinking that I better learn how to bake it. Could someone tell me where to find xantham gum? Is it in the grocery store? Is it a necessity for this recipe since regular bread recipes do not use it?
Thank you.
@Cindy: Xanthan gum or guar gum is essential to gluten free baking. They give the dough the structure that it needs to rise, which is what gluten does in regular bread recipes. Grocery stores that carry a wide selection of gluten free flours often carry xanthan gum too. However, I’ve found that it is cheaper to order it directly from the Bob’s Red Mill website.
Do you know how long your bread machine lets the loaf rise for and bake? I have a black and decker machine and it doesn’t have an 80 minute setting. It does break down the mixing, resting, rising, and baking times so if you could tell me yours I might be able to match it to one of the ones I have. Thanks!
@Anna: The first knead is 2 minutes, the second knead is 18 minutes, then a 12 minute rise, followed by a 48 minute bake. Since I don’t use the blade in my machine, I guess I’m getting a 32 minute rise, then a 48 minute bake.
Thanks, while I was making this bread the power went out in our area and it ended up a runny mess. I tried again his morning and it worked! Thanks again!
why do americans use sugar in breads?? and everything else for that matter????
“Hello, Has anyone had any success with a bread recipe that is gluten free, dairy free and yeast free. … Thanks for any help! Billie Jo”
Have you tried Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix? (pamelasproducts.com) It is not yeast bread of course, but Praise God, it is BREAD! If that is all the allergies you have, there are lots of recipes you can use with this mix. (Use dairy substitutes)
Also, I believe this one came from Mary Francis. I put it in the freezer and take out a piece as desired. It is different, but Praise God, it is BREAD!
I am acquiring a taste for it.
Multi-Grain Flat Bread
(Gluten Free, Soy Free, Yeast Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. teff flour
1/2 c. garfava flour (try sorghum flour)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. xanthan gum (try Potato Starch)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. water
5 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar
Instructions:
1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients (water, oil, flax seed) to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
3. Divide the dough into two parts and place each one in the middle of an 8″ x 8″ square cake pan that has been lightly greased and floured.
4. Wet the back of a large spoon and use that to spread the dough evenly across the pan.
5. Bake the bread at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
6. Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes and then slice each pan into fourths to serve.
(I cut in smaller pieces and it lasts longer! My pan was 7X11.)
@Denise – because the sugar helps the yeast grow and because we’re incredibly addicted to it =)
i tried this with Arrowhead Mills All Purpose Baking Mix tonight. It is sooo good!
@Christa: I made it with Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour this weekend and added a 3rd egg and it turned out wonderfully. I was away from home so I let the dough rise to the top of the loaf pan and then baked at 375.
Hi Sally,
It sounds like your bread recipe could really help our family, if you can email it to us we’d appreciate it (or Mary if you can send Sally’s contact info that would be great). My email is norby93@hotmail.com- please write something about this being gluten/soy/yeast free bread so i know that it is not a bogus email.
Thank you for such a great site, it has been very valuable in helping us through this transition of allergy free eating.
Stephanie
@Sally, please send me the recipe too. I have a baby that is sensitive to dairy, casein, gluten, soy, eggs, nuts, garlic, and pretty much most fruits. It is so hard. I am nursing so I cannot eat any of these things either.
Has anyone received the gluten/soy/yeast free bread recipe from Sally? I posted my e-mail address here as well as sending two e-mails to the address Mary Frances sent to me.
thank you so much for this site..I made the flour torillas and I love them..
I am new to cooking gluten free for my daughter and myself! I am just super happy about the tortilla recipie! I put GF refried beans on them and Taco Bell Sauce and froze them so that we will have an easy lunch to take with us..
Thank you!!!!!!!
Dear Mary Frances,
I have been baking of bread etc. for over 65 years, now just trying Gluten Free breads, did enjoy the Yummy Sandwich Bread, but isn’t 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast a lot for 1 loaf of bread. I usually make 4 loaves of bread at a time, I do use regular bread pans, and bake in the oven, as my oven holds 4 loaves of bread the amount of electricity spent is the same on 1 loaf as 4 loaves, but the rise in the dough is so great, have more air holes than I think there should be, so there is a small overflow of pans. So is that due to too much yeast or too much sugar, which is also 1 Tbsp. of sugar to a loaf of bread, or would the extra rise in air come from the mixture of flour and starch I use which is 3 1/4 C. white or Brown Rice Flour, 2 1/2 C. Sorghum Flour, 3 C. Cornstarch, 1 1/4 C. Potato Starch Flour mixture for 4 loaves of bread. Also used is 4 Tbsp. dry yeast, 4 Tbsp. sugar, 6 C. warm water, 8 tsp. Xanthan Gum, 4 tsp. salt, 8 eggs, 6 Tbsp. oil and 4 tsp. vinegar, which is mixed together in proper order.
Thank you! I LOVE your Yummy Sandwich Break Recipe and so does my GCFC 5 year old little guy. On a whim, I tried to see what would make it taste more sourdough-y and I think I’ve come up with a great and yummy solution.
I followed your recipe to a tee, except that I upped the flour mixture amount form 2 1/2 to 3 cups and then added 3 tsp of lemon juice and 1 cup of almond milk to the wet ingredients (I used Pacific Organic Low Fat Original Almond Milk). The result tastes a LOT like good ‘ol sourdough bread!
I baked it in my new breadmaker, a Cusinart, which interestingly enough has a Gluten Free baking mode. It turned out fantastic and I have sliced and frozen it so that we can enjoy it whenever. Thanks again for taking the time to share your terrific recipe. It’s a lifesaver!
I’m not having any luck making gluten free, egg free and dairy free bread at all! I have thrown out so much $. The bread either falls and/or is gummy. I’m very frustrated!!
What am I doing wrong?
I am a former bakery owner of traditional wheat baked goods that was asked to develop a class for gluten free baking. I have found a few differences concerning rising the loaf in the pan. Unlike traditional bread which you let rise above the rim of the pan, gluten free loaves do better if you let them rise to 1/2 inch below the rim. This will usually allow the loaf to dome like a traditional loaf. Best baking to you!
can i please have your recipe for gluten free soy free all purpose flour mix?thank you!
What is your favorite bread machine for GFCFSF? I am looking for one for the holidays. Thanks! Anne
In reply to your comment on the large 10″ pan compared to the 8″ pan, you are correct. A pan that is 8 x 4 inches will result in a higher loaf. Also, I use a spatula to taper each end of a loaf after I put the dough in the pan to rise. I also let it rise only to just about half an inch below the rim of the pan. These 2 steps cause the loaf to dome like a regular loaf of bread. Thanks Anne.
Thank you for posting and explaining this recipe. I’ve had to cook dairy free & soy free for several years. Now I have to be gluten free & it is really hard to find recipes that are dairy free, soy free & gluten free. So thanks for the help!