The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Lets be clear... I am 100% against the Idea of gluten free bread.

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

Lets be clear... I am 100% against the Idea of gluten free bread.

That being said I need a formula for gluten free bread. I want to let my sons girlfriend know she is excepted. Smile...

David R's picture
David R

I honestly suggest that for best "acceptance" results you make your best usual bread only, but make very sure that anyone who's not eating any bread will still have an attractive balance of choices and not feel as if anything was wrong or defective about what they ate, compared with what everyone else ate. Misguidedly assuming that everyone will get to like bread somehow - it's easy for that to happen, when you really enjoy making bread.

But if you do go for the gluten-free, do yourself a favour if time permits: Whatever the recipe is, bake a practice loaf. You never know. ?

Stated differently: If you've become famous like "Seriously, you have to try his bread!!", then yes you're kind of obliged to pull out all the stops at least once. But if it's not quite like that, then... well, bread (even if it's gluten-free) is kind of about you, and acceptance has a considerable component of making it be about her instead.

 

Dare to be boring.

seasidejess's picture
seasidejess

Are delicious and go with lots of different things. You can add cheese and jalapenos, or honey, or just a little salt and buttermilk. I like to use a 50-50 mix of cornmeal and masa harina de maize to give them the fragrance of freshly-made tortillas. Depending if she is allergic or just sensitive (gets indigestion) you may or may not need to use special gluten-free ingredients that have been processed in a facility that doesn't process gluten-containing stuff.

Here is my favorite recipe:

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Buttermilk & Masa Cornbread / Muffin / Pancakes

This delicious cornbread batter uses masa harina de maiz as a portion of the fine-ground flour, which gives a lovely fragrance of fresh tortillas. To bake as sweet muffins or as a cake, add 2/3 cups more sugar. To bake as cornbread, use a preheated cast iron skillet to get a crisp crust on the bottom.

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup finely-ground corn flour or masa harina de maize
1 1/3 cups regular cornmeal
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp baking powder (or you can sub 1 heaping tsp baking soda only if you use buttermilk)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
4 TBSP grease, butter or oil for the batter
2 cups buttermilk or sweet milk.

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 F.

  1. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Beat the liquid shortening into the eggs. Beat the milk into the egg mixture.
  3. Place largest (11") cast iron skillet on burner on high heat. (Optional substitution: 13x9x2-inch cake pan, not preheated.)
  4. Stir or whisk the wet ingredients into dry mixture.
  5. Generously grease the hot skillet. Transfer batter into the skillet and even out the top a bit.
  6. Bake until edges are lightly browned and separating from sides and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
  7. Cool in skillet 5 minutes. Serve out of pan or if not eating immediately, to prevent soggy bottom, turn out onto rack. Best served still warm.

Note for cupcakes or muffins, bake at 425 F for  about 12 minutes.
Note for pancakes: the batter needs slightly more liquid. If it takes a long time to make all the batches of pancakes and the batter is getting flat, add a little more baking powder to the batter to give it a boost.

adapted from bonappetite.com

seasidejess's picture
seasidejess

If you want a serious GF baking challenge, which could also be fun, this looks good. I have not made it!

http://hilltopacres.ca/recipes/meals/bread/gluten-free-multigrain-sourdough-artisan-bread

old baker's picture
old baker

Gluten free bread is an oxymoron.  Like alcohol free ethanol.

David R's picture
David R

You have to take a pretty narrow definition of bread, for this to be true. Of course gluten-free wheat isn't happening, but not all bread has to be wheat.

However... Just because bread can be made with all kinds of different things, it doesn't guarantee that that bread is any good. I'd much rather have something that's really good but isn't bread, instead of having bad bread.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

Please make sure you understand her needs before baking for her and extend your kind thoughtfulness in non-food ways.If she is celiac, just making food for her in a kitchen where flour lives can cause problems.Ask her what would work and what would not. She will really appreciate that.

tracker914's picture
tracker914

try this, I've had good success and tastes good too.

170 grams water

7 grams active dry yeast

170 grams millet flour

150 grams tapioca starch

28 grams sugar

2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

150 grams eggs(3 or so)

15 grams vegetable oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Mix all the wet ingredients together and all the dry ingredients together separately. Combine both and mix, don't over do it, it just needs to all come together without lumps etc.. It will be the consistency of smooth cake batter.

spray a 5x9x2 and 1/2 inch pan with some non stick and let rise. It needs to just crest the top of the sides and have a bit of rounding on top. Dont place anything over it because if you break the surface tension it will basically deflate into a brick.

Bake in a 325-350 F oven until you can use a toothpick and it comes out clean, usually around 200 f or so.

 

happy baking.

 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

Thanks for the recipes.

 Calzar123,

 That is every sound advice and I will follow your suggestion. Thanks very much. My son sent me a photo of some pies at a local farmers market and mentioned they really like this stands GF bread. I am hoping she is only sensitive or even just following the fad! You see I love a challenge. Smile...

Kind regards,

 Will F.

David R's picture
David R

That's a good point. There's quite a bit of faulty reasoning from people who just follow the fad, and if the fad-subscribers eat gluten, nothing bad happens at all... BUT their imaginary condition inappropriately casts doubt on people who legitimately can't touch the stuff or else they get very sick. An unfair mess. I hope everything turns out very well.

bbeirnes's picture
bbeirnes

http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com/2012/11/gluten-free-honey-oat-bread.html

I made this all the time.  It was really good.   As someone else suggested, make a trial loaf or two first.  And don't expect it to rise the same or be as light as wheat bread.  It is, hands-down, much better than anything else I ever bought in the stores.