Monday, April 23, 2012

Our Favorite Gluten Free Bread Recipe

        When I first started eating Gluten Free, the thing I missed most was bread – soft, warm from the oven bread that tasted like bread and not Styrofoam or white glue. I tried several recipes, but I ended up frustrated with the amount I’d spent on ingredients and the dismal results. A few years ago, a gluten free bakery opened locally, and sometimes I treated my GF kids and myself to an $8 loaf of bread, but not without great pangs of guilt for spending so much on something so simple. Udi’s bread was a nice option when it became available, but more food restrictions took all of these off of my menu – it was impossible to find a gluten, dairy and corn free bread ready-made.
          Finally, my friend Debbie came to the rescue with a recipe her family uses and loves. The original recipe called for sorghum flour, which you may like (and it may be more nutritious), but it doesn’t agree with me. I’ve replaced it with rice flour in my recipe, and made a few other small adjustments. She makes it in a bread maker, for a 1.5 sized loaf; I make it the old fashioned way, in my Kitchenaid stand mixer. We are so happy with how it turns out.  Perhaps you will like it too?

Our Favorite Gluten Free Bread
1 1/2 cups rice flour (white, brown or a mixture)
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca STARCH
1/2 cup potato STARCH
2 1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 1/4 tsp sea salt

1 packet rapid rise yeast OR 2 1/4 tsp
1 1/4 cup very warm water
½ tsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey (or agave nectar)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 eggs, beaten

Combine yeast, warm water, and sugar, to let the yeast start working.  Mix all other dry ingredients while you wait. When you’ve got a bubbly cup of yeasty water, add to it the oil, honey, vinegar and eggs, and then mix it all into your dry ingredients. Beat for several minutes, until it’s all well blended, and then turn it all out into a well-greased loaf pan. Cover it loosely (I use foil) and set it in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes or so.

Bake in a 350 oven for 45-60 minutes – it slips easily out of my pan, and I check by tapping on the bottom for a hollow sound. It can be tricky to tell when it’s done, but do try not to under bake. The loaf will brown on the outside before the inside is ready, so I tent it with foil after 30 minutes of baking. When it’s done, slip it out of the pan onto a cooling rack, and try to wait until it’s cooled a bit to eat it – bread is always gummy when you cut it too soon.

Wishing you a blessed day, and

Trusting in Him,
Aimee

3 comments:

  1. Hi, I made this bread & my family LOVED it!! I even got a, "Wow, that bread is BEAUTIFUL!" comment :0). I do have a question though... as far as the sugar... is that 1/2 tsp or 1/2 tbsp??

    Thank you!

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  2. I also wanted to add that when I make a very similar recipe to this (probably the sorghum version you referred to because it is basically the same recipe, but using sorghum flour) I use a bread machine & the bread just falls apart...I can get a few whole slices out of it, but the rest just crumbles...& the slices have to be an inch think or else they crumble too... we still devour it, but it just isn't as fun as this way of baking bread... and it looks NOTHING like the BEAUTIFUL loaf that looks as good as BAKERY bread.. yes, it is THAT pretty :0)!

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  3. I'm so glad this worked well for you! I made it quite a few times before sharing it, just to be sure - I'm always afraid to pass on a flop to others. It does look beautiful, but even better to me is the smell of fresh baked bread in my home once more! I can't tell you how many years and how many wasted ingredients we went through before finding this recipe, but it sounds like you've been through the same thing. I edited the recipe to be clear, but it was a half teaspoon it called for, thanks for asking.
    - Aimee

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