gluten-free Bread Bakers

[Worriedtodeath]

HI!

Well I finally produced a bun that looks like a hamburger bun. I used a bun recipe out of Carol Fenster's Gluten free 101. The mix I used was 1.5 cup sorghum, 1.5 c potato starch, 1 cup cornstarch (out of tapioca starch), 1/2 cup almond flour . THe recipe was easy, the directions clear and precise and it tastes good.

HOWEVER! The bun rose a little and then when I started cooking it, rose quite a bit like POOF! ( I proof in a warm oven and proof the yeast in warm liquid before adding to the mix) And it looked perfect!!!!! After taking it out, they all fell! Very slowly but when I came home they are nowhere near as big when they came out. THey still look good, still taste good. They are kinda gummy feeling in the middle after I split them open but they are baked. They are not as airy as a gluten-free bread would be in the middle so I thought perhaps they didn't proof as much as they should have?? I have made that great loaf bread on this board and had no problems with it at all but these buns need something.

So here's what I thought Please see if you agree that I am on the right track since I will be making these again in a couple of days.

I have replaced my yeast since it might have been getting old and didn't proof fast enough.

I think for the gummy uncooked (though it is cooked) perhaps I need to cut the moisture some. The recipe called for 1 cup water, 2 tbs melted butter -- OOHHHHHH I didn't measure the butter after melting it. I put two big ole globs in the bowl and melted it in the microwave and then forgot to measure it to get 2 tbs!!!! Would that do it??

What do ya'll think?? Even if this is as good as they will ever get, I will make them over and over. They are really nice looking, the dough felt right even if it was a soft almost pourable mix (never thought something like cake batter would produce a bun!!!) And the taste is right on for us. But I would like a little less gummy and a better rise/proof. Nothing like asking for perfection!!

Thanks

Stacie

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Sometimes my bread falls, too. I don't know how to fix it, though! Good luck!

[holiday16]

HI!

Well I finally produced a bun that looks like a hamburger bun. I used a bun recipe out of Carol Fenster's Gluten free 101. The mix I used was 1.5 cup sorghum, 1.5 c potato starch, 1 cup cornstarch (out of tapioca starch), 1/2 cup almond flour . THe recipe was easy, the directions clear and precise and it tastes good.

HOWEVER! The bun rose a little and then when I started cooking it, rose quite a bit like POOF! ( I proof in a warm oven and proof the yeast in warm liquid before adding to the mix) And it looked perfect!!!!! After taking it out, they all fell! Very slowly but when I came home they are nowhere near as big when they came out. THey still look good, still taste good. They are kinda gummy feeling in the middle after I split them open but they are baked. They are not as airy as a gluten-free bread would be in the middle so I thought perhaps they didn't proof as much as they should have?? I have made that great loaf bread on this board and had no problems with it at all but these buns need something.

So here's what I thought Please see if you agree that I am on the right track since I will be making these again in a couple of days.

I have replaced my yeast since it might have been getting old and didn't proof fast enough.

I think for the gummy uncooked (though it is cooked) perhaps I need to cut the moisture some. The recipe called for 1 cup water, 2 tbs melted butter -- OOHHHHHH I didn't measure the butter after melting it. I put two big ole globs in the bowl and melted it in the microwave and then forgot to measure it to get 2 tbs!!!! Would that do it??

What do ya'll think?? Even if this is as good as they will ever get, I will make them over and over. They are really nice looking, the dough felt right even if it was a soft almost pourable mix (never thought something like cake batter would produce a bun!!!) And the taste is right on for us. But I would like a little less gummy and a better rise/proof. Nothing like asking for perfection!!

Thanks

Stacie

The same thing kept happening to me with her sandwich bread recipe. I was proofing the yeast and I stopped doing that and instead just add it to the dry ingredients and it comes out fine now. The gumminess could be from the falling. When my bread would fall it got more moist and dense and the more if fell the worse it was, but now that it no longer falls it's nice and light.

[larry mac]

I don't claim to be an expert gluten-free bread baker, far from it. I do however, claim to make good muffins. But, i'ts my opinion that when following gluten-free baking recipes, one may need to make an adjustment to the "batter" to ensure it is neither too wet nor too dry. I make this determination by lifting the paddle beater up and watching how fast or slow the batter falls off. If it seems too "thin", I add a little more flour. If it seems too thick, I add a little water or milk.

The gluten-free batters are not as forgiving as wheat gluten batters/doughs because they lack the physical properties wheat flour/gluten provides. Our recipies may contain numerous flours, starches, gums, and other ingredients. Due to that fact, there's almost no way every recipe is going to be "right on" every time, simply by using the exact amounts of dry and liquid ingredients.

If the batter is too wet, it may or may not (depends on a lot of factors), rise and fall. If it's too dense, it may not rise enough. Even if you get everything perfect, and the batter is just right, it may still fall some, just not too much hopefully.

I'd love to hear some other opinions about this.

best regards, lm

[Worriedtodeath]

Well I tried it again with new yeast and pretty little bowls to bake them in instead of little strips of foil. They rose much better this time and when cooked had more and larger bubble holes so that was part of the problem. THEN I read a tip in Gluten Free 101 that said that bread is done when you can thump the top of them and have a resouding thump. I never would have thought to "thump" my bread like a watermelon but I did. THey actually cooked way longer and got much browner than I ever would have cooked gluten bread but they fell only slightly after cooking. They had small gummy ring when split open so I will try to cut the liquid and the trick about testing the batter "drip". The better yeast and longer cooking time made them acutally look like buns and quick glance no different than the gluten buns my guests brought. YEA!

Taste and texture was very gluteny and the only complaint was from the seven year old who said I needed to work on the bread being too "mushy" (he meant fluffy) because it was too big for him to bite.

So I believe they were a success.

Thanks Everybody

Stacie

[JNBunnie1]

Well I tried it again with new yeast and pretty little bowls to bake them in instead of little strips of foil. They rose much better this time and when cooked had more and larger bubble holes so that was part of the problem. THEN I read a tip in Gluten Free 101 that said that bread is done when you can thump the top of them and have a resouding thump. I never would have thought to "thump" my bread like a watermelon but I did. THey actually cooked way longer and got much browner than I ever would have cooked gluten bread but they fell only slightly after cooking. They had small gummy ring when split open so I will try to cut the liquid and the trick about testing the batter "drip". The better yeast and longer cooking time made them acutally look like buns and quick glance no different than the gluten buns my guests brought. YEA!

Taste and texture was very gluteny and the only complaint was from the seven year old who said I needed to work on the bread being too "mushy" (he meant fluffy) because it was too big for him to bite.

So I believe they were a success.

Thanks Everybody

Stacie

Good for you! A reminder for when you're evaluating the batter to see if its too wet or too dry: gluten-free batter does not act like gluten batter. As you mentioned, the dough for these buns was almost pourable. If it were a gluten batter, it would be almost stiff, right? You can't expect gluten-free batters and dough to act like gluten ones, so the evaluation techniques you're used to aren't valid anymore. The best thing to do is make a recipe the way it says exactly ONCE, then see what, if anything, is wrong with the finished product. Eventually you'll be able to figure out what kind of adjustments to make to batters and doughs.