Gluten Free Breads: How Do You Get Good Rise?

[luv2cook]

Hi, new to the boards this week, and DH and I've just been taken off all the gluten, dairy and eggs. I am frustrated. I've made SEVEN heavy loaves of gluten-free bread in less than a week. I am so upset. Gluten baking was simple, this gluten-free bread making is new to me, and, I am not getting the kind of bread rises I am used to. Instead, I am ending up with compact loaves--hockey pucks!

I have a large container of SAF instant yeast--is it ok to use this, or MUST I use active dry?

Do I use room temperature water, or heat the water slightly?

Do I rise it in a slightly warmed oven?

Help! I am at my wit's end!

jerseygrl was good enough to help me with how to program my Zo bread machine for baking breads, but DH wants to know why I am not getting tall loaves, wants me to try the oven method, with which I have had failed attempts. I have cried several times this week, with the stress of learning a new way to eat, bake, etc.

What am I doing wrong? How do I fix this?

[missy'smom]

Instant yeast is OK but check the instructions for your bread machine and check the expiration date on the yeast. After a certain time period it will no longer work. If you buy the yeast in a jar, refrigerate it after opening.

Warm the liquid- 120 to 130 degrees is the standard temp. over that and you will kill the yeast. If you don't have an instantread thermometer you can pick one up at the supermarket very cheaply. Or go with warm to the touch but not hot.

It can also help to have the other ingredients at room temp.

If you use the oven, set it to the lowest possible temp while you are mixing the dough and turn it off when it comes to temp. A very short time-a couple of minutes is all you really need. When you're done mixing the dough, put a light tea towel, I use woven cotton glass cleaning towels(this will not make or break your success, It's just what I was taught to do by grandma) over the pan and set it in the oven to rise. If your oven is warm you can also set the pan on top in a place where the pan will come in contact with the warm top surface. My back burner vents into the oven so the warm air rises out there and that's where I put my pan.

Also don't mess with the sugar salt ratio-the sugar helps the yeast grow, while the salt inhibits it. If you cut back on one, cut back on the other too.

Gluten-free bread, in my experience doesn't rise as high as reg loaves. I cut mine(made in a 9x5 loaf pan) in half and then cut each 1/2 loaf horizontally to get larger square slices. I usually get 4 or 5 slices per 1/2 loaf. I also cut off all but the side crusts and save the crusts for breadcrumbs.

Good luck.

[DILIROTH]

I always use fresh yeast but I have to make sure I add the water at just the right temperature or it doesnt rise properly. I purchased an inexpensive cooking thermometer at IKEA that works wonders.

I also cook mine in the oven and sometimes I get lucky and sometimes I just cant seem to get anything to come out as it should. I am not very consistent at making bread and rolls but I keep trying - at least the dog eats anything even if it looks and tastes like a brick.

Good Luck,

Theresa

[luv2cook]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am enjoying the learning I am doing here--it has been quite an adjustment for us--an all-out lifestyle change that we know will make us healthier. We've been getting some mixed reactions from friends and family, and I am sure it's probably from lack of knowledge, some from perfect strangers. I was in the market, buying rice milk, and realized that the one I had been buying for a week--Rice Dream, says on the side panel of BOTH the refridge and the boxed shelf one, that it "Contains .002% gluten from barley." I was talking with the woman in the dept. about it, just wanting to know if she knew which rice milks DIDN'T contain gluten, and she looked at the label, looked and me and replied, "Well, it's ONLY .002%, which is basically nothing."

I replied, "Well, my husband has a disease and we both have food allergies, and I just can't take that chance."

I did find Pacific brand rice milk--not refridge--that has NO GLUTEN. Their almond milk is also very good, also gluten-free.

I told DH I am going to try making Carol Fenster's bagels this weekend, and I will follow the mamatide's advice on rising.

THANK YOU ALL so much for the advice!

[DebbieInCanada]

What recipe are you using? I have a Zo, and get great results with a white rice-tapioca scratch recipe (I posted it in the recent donut thread Open Original Shared Link).

One thing I really find with that recipe is to add the tapioca starch to the wet first, and let it mix in, then add the brown rice flour and yeast together, then the eggs, and finally to add the white rice flour with the guar gum well blended in it.

It seems strange, but if I add the flours all at once, all mixed together (feeling lazy, or in a hurry ), it DOES NOT rise as well. So with the bread machine, first I measure out all my ingredients, then I put the sugar, salt, vinegar, and soy lecithin in the pan, add the warmed liquids, add the tapioca starch, and then push the start button. I add the other ingredients one at a time while it is mixing, and generally have everything added before it kicks into high speed.

Hope that helps some.

Debbie

[Cheri A]

I had many failed hockey pucks at the beginning. For awhile, while getting the hang of it all, I just made banana muffins. I found a recipe that she liked and began making them as muffins, then in mini -loaf pans. Finally I stumbled on the advice to mix the liquid first and add the dry ingredients to it. When it's almost together, I kick it to high and beat on a high speed for 3 mins 30 secs. I preheat the oven to 200 and then turn it off for rising. It takes about 20 mins and then I turn the oven back on to 400 without opening or touching the bread pan. It takes another 20 mins to bake. Oh, I also found some smaller bread pans - 8x4s.

I usually use Red Starr Quick Rise packet yeasts.

Try everyone's advice and I'm sure that you will figure this out in no time.

Oh, my favorite egg substitute is 1 1/2 T oil, 1 1/2 T water, 1 tsp. baking powder = 1 egg This works well for 1-2 eggs.

[RiceGuy]

Since there's only one mention of a gum on this thread thus far, I figure it might be a good idea to bring it up. So just in case you haven't been using any guar gum or xanthan gum, you NEED one of those to get the dough to rise. I'm guessing you are working with recipes from books or online, thus probably are using a gum, but just in case, there.

[luv2cook]

Cheri, what's your bread recipe? I am interested... PLEASE SHARE, love your bread photo, is that your bread recipe? Share, oh please, oh please!

Debbie, how do I use your recipe to make bread? I am soooooo excited!

Thanks guys for all the advice, will definately try ALL of that, especially the gum and the egg!

[DebbieInCanada]

...

Debbie, how do I use your recipe to make bread? I am soooooo excited!

Thanks guys for all the advice, will definately try ALL of that, especially the gum and the egg!

The recipe I posted makes 1 loaf of bread (breadmaker or in a pan in the oven), or divides up for 10 burger buns or a dozen donuts.

Debbie

[sixtytwo]

I use Bob's Red Mill Bread Mix. Instead of making one very large loaf, I make four little loaves. They rise nicely and bake in less time. I use my Kitchen Aid and mix it up for the full three minutes it suggests. It has always come out nice and the flavor is great, like other homemade bread. The only drawback is that it is really expensive.........and takes lots of eggs. I go for it because of the convenience, though. Barbara