Dough
Pat down and make smooth
Ready to rise
Baked, cooled and slicing for freezing
Tom's Notes:
I have been making gluten free products for about 6 months. I have
regularly been making regular wheat bread for about 6 years. In the
beginning, I tried to equate gluten free bread with wheat bread. I had
to frame my brain to think "flour" -
hence; gluten free bread is a bread made with ingredients that produce a
bread product that does not have gluten in it - it is that simple.
Other authors on the subject will also add that the gluten free flours come with challenges from supplier to supplier. Personally, to find flours that are substitutes for wheat grains (without gluten) that can produce a stable product that taste good is basically the quest. I believe science hasn't caught up with the desire to make alternate products and the challenges will always remain - in other words, you may always see ups and downs in making the breads; however, you will find that if baked through, no matter how the bread turns out, it will be edible and even pretty tasty.
The old stand by wheat is easy, has good texture, tastes good, is repeatable and predictable. Wheat based products come with previously unknown health issues that only recently have been understood - ref: see YouTube videos titled "Wheat Belly" to get the idea why. Hence, the desire for an alternate to wheat based products.
For those practicing Arbonne's 30 Days to Fit (see Kathe for more information), much of the program includes cutting out certain foods and replacing them with others. The health results are dramatic. The challenges that most experience with the 30 Days to Fit program is replacement foods mainly in the bread area. Most alternative store bought gluten free breads are rare, expensive and lack taste.
The following bread recipe was acquired from a gluten free bread class I took and the recipe was modeled from New York chefs who were challenged to come up with a recipe - I think the recipe is good but to me, gluten free baking is not about a recipe, I think it it is mainly about a selection of ingredients and the process used to get the best results:
___________________________________________________________________________
Gluten Free White Bread Recipe - yields 1 loaf
___________________________________________________________________________
Recommended Equipment:
Weight Scale
Standup mixer with a dough hook
Spatula
___________________________________________________________________________
Ingredients:
Water (warm; 90-100 degrees F) - 3/4 cup +3 Tbsp.
Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tsp.
Eggs (room temperature) - 2 each
Honey - 1/4 cup
Instant Yeast - 1 Tbsp.
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour - 2-3/4 cups (.75 lbs)
Sea Salt - 1-1/2 tsp.
Xanthan Gum - 1 Tbsp.
___________________________________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 350 F
___________________________________________________________________________
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the warm water, olive oil, cider vinegar, eggs, and honey. Stir in the instant yeast.
2. In separate bowl or container combine the gluten free flour, salt, and ax than gum.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir vigorously (or use the standup mixer) for a minute or so, until all the dry ingredients have blended well and the mixture is smooth.
4. Immediately scrape out the bowl into a bread pan that is sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth the top of the batter with wet fingers or a wet spatula.
5. Let the dough ferment for 30-40 minutes, until it has risen significantly and reaches the top of the bread pan.
6. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, until it is fully baked. A digital thermometer should read 190 degrees F. when the bread is baked through. It should be very dark brown crust.
7. Once the bread is baked, gently remove it from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
(End of recipe)
___________________________________________________________________________
Tom's Additional Notes:
1. I use a mixer because this batter does not stir like normal batter and it doesn't knead like normal bread dough. Gluten free dough is very mastic and sticks to everything. It stiffens up when mixed and is hard to stir. I also let the mixer work for 5 minutes scraping the sides often. I do notice a change in state between beginning mix and ending mix.
2. I do not use my fingers to smooth out the batter in the baking pan - a wet spatula works much better.
3. I let the loaf rise until it about doubles in a warm oven (115-125 degrees), then I turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Once the oven reaches 400 degrees temperature, I turn the oven down to 350 degrees and start a timer. At 60 minutes, I remove.
4. The loaf does not pop out of the baking pan like a wheat loaf does. Take a table knife and slide it around the sides to insure the loaf doesn't stick. When you are sure the loaf is ready to come out of the pan, slide it out sideways onto the cooling rack. You may need to adjust the loaf to cool upside down; the loaf may collapse as it cools.
NOTE: I did some research on collapsing loaves - it is understood that it is caused by too much water in the loaf either by not baking it long enough or too much water to start or not enough flour. I make 4 loaves at a time and had this problem. I solved it by adding 1/4 cup more flour per loaf. The collapsing still may occur but not as drastic.
5. Wait until the bread completely cools to slice. I use a serrated knife to score the top of each slice and a razor sharp carving knife to finish the slice. I find that I can slice this bread petty thin. Slice all the slices in full.
6. Once sliced, place in a plastic bread bag and put in the freezer. The slices will freeze together. When you want a slice or two, use a table knife to separate a slice. Put in the toaster to bring the slices to life. It takes about double the time to toast a slice of this bread.
Any questions about Arbonne's 30 Days to Fit or this bread recipe, just ask.
Other authors on the subject will also add that the gluten free flours come with challenges from supplier to supplier. Personally, to find flours that are substitutes for wheat grains (without gluten) that can produce a stable product that taste good is basically the quest. I believe science hasn't caught up with the desire to make alternate products and the challenges will always remain - in other words, you may always see ups and downs in making the breads; however, you will find that if baked through, no matter how the bread turns out, it will be edible and even pretty tasty.
The old stand by wheat is easy, has good texture, tastes good, is repeatable and predictable. Wheat based products come with previously unknown health issues that only recently have been understood - ref: see YouTube videos titled "Wheat Belly" to get the idea why. Hence, the desire for an alternate to wheat based products.
For those practicing Arbonne's 30 Days to Fit (see Kathe for more information), much of the program includes cutting out certain foods and replacing them with others. The health results are dramatic. The challenges that most experience with the 30 Days to Fit program is replacement foods mainly in the bread area. Most alternative store bought gluten free breads are rare, expensive and lack taste.
The following bread recipe was acquired from a gluten free bread class I took and the recipe was modeled from New York chefs who were challenged to come up with a recipe - I think the recipe is good but to me, gluten free baking is not about a recipe, I think it it is mainly about a selection of ingredients and the process used to get the best results:
___________________________________________________________________________
Gluten Free White Bread Recipe - yields 1 loaf
___________________________________________________________________________
Recommended Equipment:
Weight Scale
Standup mixer with a dough hook
Spatula
___________________________________________________________________________
Ingredients:
Water (warm; 90-100 degrees F) - 3/4 cup +3 Tbsp.
Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tsp.
Eggs (room temperature) - 2 each
Honey - 1/4 cup
Instant Yeast - 1 Tbsp.
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour - 2-3/4 cups (.75 lbs)
Sea Salt - 1-1/2 tsp.
Xanthan Gum - 1 Tbsp.
___________________________________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 350 F
___________________________________________________________________________
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the warm water, olive oil, cider vinegar, eggs, and honey. Stir in the instant yeast.
2. In separate bowl or container combine the gluten free flour, salt, and ax than gum.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir vigorously (or use the standup mixer) for a minute or so, until all the dry ingredients have blended well and the mixture is smooth.
4. Immediately scrape out the bowl into a bread pan that is sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth the top of the batter with wet fingers or a wet spatula.
5. Let the dough ferment for 30-40 minutes, until it has risen significantly and reaches the top of the bread pan.
6. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, until it is fully baked. A digital thermometer should read 190 degrees F. when the bread is baked through. It should be very dark brown crust.
7. Once the bread is baked, gently remove it from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
(End of recipe)
___________________________________________________________________________
Tom's Additional Notes:
1. I use a mixer because this batter does not stir like normal batter and it doesn't knead like normal bread dough. Gluten free dough is very mastic and sticks to everything. It stiffens up when mixed and is hard to stir. I also let the mixer work for 5 minutes scraping the sides often. I do notice a change in state between beginning mix and ending mix.
2. I do not use my fingers to smooth out the batter in the baking pan - a wet spatula works much better.
3. I let the loaf rise until it about doubles in a warm oven (115-125 degrees), then I turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Once the oven reaches 400 degrees temperature, I turn the oven down to 350 degrees and start a timer. At 60 minutes, I remove.
4. The loaf does not pop out of the baking pan like a wheat loaf does. Take a table knife and slide it around the sides to insure the loaf doesn't stick. When you are sure the loaf is ready to come out of the pan, slide it out sideways onto the cooling rack. You may need to adjust the loaf to cool upside down; the loaf may collapse as it cools.
NOTE: I did some research on collapsing loaves - it is understood that it is caused by too much water in the loaf either by not baking it long enough or too much water to start or not enough flour. I make 4 loaves at a time and had this problem. I solved it by adding 1/4 cup more flour per loaf. The collapsing still may occur but not as drastic.
5. Wait until the bread completely cools to slice. I use a serrated knife to score the top of each slice and a razor sharp carving knife to finish the slice. I find that I can slice this bread petty thin. Slice all the slices in full.
6. Once sliced, place in a plastic bread bag and put in the freezer. The slices will freeze together. When you want a slice or two, use a table knife to separate a slice. Put in the toaster to bring the slices to life. It takes about double the time to toast a slice of this bread.
Any questions about Arbonne's 30 Days to Fit or this bread recipe, just ask.
