I Miss Sunday Afternoons And My Bread Machine

[JaneWhoLovesRain]

I used to bake up a fresh batch of bread every Sunday, it would smell so good and taste so good  but those days are over . . . I think.  Has anyone had luck with bread machines and yeast bread?  I know there is one brand of machine that is recommended for gluten-free and it's kind of pricey but I don't remember the brand.  I'm about ready to splurge though, if it will do the job.  I'd love to know what kind of luck you have or haven't had with bread machines and eating gluten-free.

 

Jane

[notme]

i tried to use my (pre gluten free) breadmaker in the beginning of switching my diet and messed myself all up    but -  i know what you mean.  it sits in my kitchen, still....  i am giving it to my daughter, finally, lolz - sooner or later i'm getting another.  it's just me and the hubs (and i get him gluten bread) i'm making small batches, mostly.  but, yes, ma'am i do miss that breadmaker.  free entertainment for the easily distracted AND yummy bread.  if you find one you like, let me know.   it will give me an excuse to go shopping lolz 

[SensitiveMe]

I only use a bread machine for my bread and have done so for a few years now. I think the pricey brand you may be referring to is Zojirushi. I use the same one I had for over 10 years when I had to switch to glutenfree but I program in the settings for the rise and bake times as glutenfree bread does not need as much rise time and needs more bake time. I also don't use their recipe and instead use 3 1/4 cups  King Arthur all purpose glutenfree flour and 3/4 sorghum flour plus I use guar gum instead of xanthan gum and use agave nectar instead of honey because of a corn intolerance.

 

There is a fairly new Zojirushi Model called Virtuoso which has a glutenfree setting on it. I have seen it in my Chef's catalog listed for $279.95. Chef's catalog usually always does free shipping but just recently are having to add state taxes to what they sell and ship.

I think there are other brands of bread machines out there with glutenfree settings on them but I really don't know how they work out for people. But I would really recommend a machine with a glutenfree setting or one in which you could program in rise and bake times.

[Gemini]

I gave my Zojirushi bread machine to my sister, who makes gluten-free bread for herself and her daughter.  She is more of a bread machine user than I am.  My husband makes gluten-free bread fom scratch that is fantastic but he likes doing it that way.  I think the Zojirushi makes good bread and it was one of the older machines but designed for gluten-free bread making.

 

Just because you are now gluten-free does not mean you cannot make bread on a Sunday afternoon. There isn't much we have to give up and we go on to live normal lives.  Buy yourself a bread machine and you'll soon be making good gluten-free bread again! 

[GottaSki]

We didn't use our breadmaker....well much....until we went gluten-free.....we had some luck with from scratch recipes...but really Pamela's mix works great and you can add things to make it special....it is fantastic fresh, but does not keep well -- we have reverted back to many loaves of glutino, udi and canyon bakehouse per week, but this post makes me think I'll pull the bread machine out once again.  

 

I also make small french bread loaves for dinner occasionally...but simply bake those in the oven.

 

Gluten free is not the end of baking....far, far from it.

 

Rumor has it someone else around here has the ultimate bread recipe....

 

edited to add...those many loaves of bread are because I have teens and their pals hanging about regularly

[SensitiveMe]

I would like to add that bread machines are not as forgiving as making your own bread from scratch. Be very careful with using the exact measurements of things. You also should get a machine that has 2 paddles in it as glutenfree bread mixture doesn't mix together that easy, and a few minutes after the machine starts mixing you should open the top and push down the sides of the mixture to help it mix together more easily. The dough will be very sticky though and I use a silicon spatula to push down the dry sides of the flour mixture then use a butter knife to scrape back in anything that has stuck to the spatula.

 

And be sure to use either xanthan gum or guar gum. I made the mistake once of using someone's advice of using chia instead of gums and spent the evening cleaning out the big mess it made in the machine as it rose so high it was all over the place. Maybe glutenfree bread can be made from scratch using chia but either xanthan or guar gum are needed in a bread machine for structure and texture of  yeast breads. I cannot use xanthan gum because of corn intolerance and when I substitute guar gum instead of it in the bread machine I add another 1/2 teaspoon as I found in most things that a bit more guar gum is needed than substituting it on a one to one basis for xanthan gum. I have never attempted making glutenfree bread from scratch as I am used to using bread machines for years as they are convenient for me who has many interruptions and cannot be in attendance for the rising part of making you own bread from scratch. I imagine making your own from scratch would turn out better but I just don't have the time for that.

 

And I forgot to say that I add one tablespoon of a glutenfree product called Cake Enhancer that I get from King Arthur flour company. It makes the bread a bit softer and moister and help keeps it longer. But I only use 1 tablespoon of it at the most and not their recommended amount of much more.

[Gemini]

The Zojirushi breadmakers and those which cater to gluten-free bread making come with 2 paddles for the more difficult to mix gluten-free bread doughs.  I think that is their selling point.  Either machine made or from scratch, you can make some awesome gluten-free bread but there is a little learning curve.....like everything else gluten-free.