Hello!  I am new here on the Fresh Loaf as a member, but I have been using this site as a resource for quite a while.  When I search for esoteric breadmaking techniques a forum post on this site often comes up.  I do only gluten-free baking since I am gluten intolerant.  I started out with quick breads and started playing with my own flour blends.  It took me several years going without decent bread before I started baking my own gluten-free bread but now after working on some recipes and flour blends for a couple of years I feel I'm getting somewhere.  From some really inedible beginnings I have developed a flour blend and process that allows me things I never thought I'd get with GF baking, like laminated pastry dough, baguettes, and oven spring!  Here are a few pictures:

I've started to sell my flour mixes commercially under the name Gluten-free Gourmand [1].  I feel like I've come a really long way with my baking, but gluten-free is a really new field and I have a lot to learn still.  Here are some things that I'll be working on in the coming months:

- Gluten-free sourdough starter.  I have had some success with this but I want to perfect it and figure out the correct ratios for everything.  This site has already been very helpful in getting started.

- Getting better and longer rises out of gluten-free bread.  Most of my loaves have maxed out at a 30-minute rise, and most recipes don't do well with a second rise.  I'm trying to combat that.

- A crisper, thicker crust.  I've tried so many of the conventional things!  The only thing that works for nice browning is encasing the bread in a hot dutch oven to trap the steam as I cook.  I should be able to get that crust crunchier, though.

Basically I feel like I have a good foundation of quick, easy bread recipes but I want to get deeper into making more artisan-style loaves.  The flour blend and binder I use allow me to knead the dough and give me good rise, so I think I can go somewhere with that.

Well, that's an intro about me to start.  Happy New Year everyone!  I'm looking forward to a lot of good baking and sharing in 2013!

Gina (aka the Gluten-free Gourmand)