Gluten Free Bread

[Alz]

Can anyone advise me on some "nice" tasting bread? I've got a breadmaker in the house and used several brands to make my own bread but they always come out very heavy and "wet". When I've bought the pre made bread its still "wet" but everything I've tried tastes horrible and Its becoming very expensive buying and I end up wasting it because I don't like it.

Also can you get hamburger/hotdog buns and french bread type loafs too?

I found out I had celiac about a year ago and I've been struggling ever since to find stuff that I like and to fit in around my friends and family who can all eat what they want.

Thanks

[RiceGuy]

There are just as many opinions on the best gluten-free breads as there are brands. But the general consensus is that homemade is always the best. One major factor is freshness, as gluten-free breads seem to get rather icky when refrigerated, even for a relatively short time.

The one you like best will depend on your definition of a good bread. For example, I don't like "white bread", but rather a hearty, whole-grain type. I also prefer some breads to be on the dense side, which seems to be the norm for gluten-free breads anyway. If you want bread to be a white, light, fluffy "sandwich" type, that appears to be somewhat more illusive. However, somewhere in between should be possible, maybe like French bread.

Homemade is also much less expensive, so if you can bake your own, that is what I'd suggest. My experience is that the lighter the texture, the greater the tendency to fall apart. I also find sorghum flour to be particularly well-suited for breads, and millet flour is right behind it. On the other hand, rice flour always seems a bit gritty compared to all the other flours I've used.

Some recipes are listed here:

https://www.celiac.com/categories/Gluten%252dFree-Recipes/

I do recall one popular recipe in particular:

Open Original Shared Link

HTH

[GlutenGalAZ]

I like the Gluten Free Pantry bread mix. I make mine in the oven -- takes about 30 minutes to rise and then 30 minutes in the oven. I get the white sandwich bread mix. I also have the french bread/pizza mix but have not tired it yet.

Store bread that is already made I tried a few could not find one that I liked so I was using Mission Corn tortillas till I found a bread I liked.

GOOD LUCK!

[dbmamaz]

I cant eat tapioca, either, but my son can. So far I've had my best luck making rolls, rather than loaves. My loaves also come out wet, they fall, and dont taste good.

The chebe mix has been the easiest thing so far. You have to use the eggs and add the baking powder, but they are easy to handle. The rolls come out flat for me, but he likes the taste. I make hot dog and hamburger buns out of these. I buy them at the health food store.

I also tried this potato bread with some success, but only as rolls. I made these in a muffin tin with great success, they fell in any container larger than that. Open Original Shared Link

I've read here that if bread falls, you either need to reduce the liquid or bake longer. I'm planning on picking up a instant read thermometer, which they say will help. I've also read to remove the bread from the pan as soon as it will hold its shape and put back in the oven or on a pizza stone, not sure i'm ready to try that.

But I made the gluten free flax recipe above, and had to throw the whole thing out, and same with the very popular french bread recipe here: Open Original Shared Link Both fell and tasted bad to us.

I honestly think part of the problem is that we are a family of overly-sensitive people - very very picky eaters, overly sensitive to temperature changes, to scents, etc . . . things that taste good to other people just dont to us. But chebe is our biggest success so far, at least for my son.

[GlutenGalAZ]

I cant eat tapioca, either, but my son can. So far I've had my best luck making rolls, rather than loaves. My loaves also come out wet, they fall, and dont taste good.

The chebe mix has been the easiest thing so far. You have to use the eggs and add the baking powder, but they are easy to handle. The rolls come out flat for me, but he likes the taste. I make hot dog and hamburger buns out of these. I buy them at the health food store.

dbmamaz -- watch out for the Chebe Mixes, a lot of them have tapioca flour or starch in them. I ordered 4 different mixes with other stuff (of course right before I figured out I had a problem with tapioca ). Made one packet had a reaction and started to connect the dots from foods I had problems with during the past year.

The Gluten Free Panty breads (white sandwich and french bread) do not have tapioca in them.

Alz -- I don't have too many stores near me that have gluten free labeled foods. I have seen online hamburger buns and hot dog buns that you can order. I am sure if you have some of the big health food stores around you, you can find them where you don't have to order. There was a post on here recently that talkes about making hamburger buns and hot dog buns.

Good luck

[Juliebove]

My daughter likes *some* of the Ener-G breads. In particular, the rice starch, tapioca and Seattle brown. We buy the 2 slice packets and also the hamburger and hot dog buns. She likes to take the rice starch slices in her lunch with a packet of almond butter and some jelly.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

There are 2 cookbooks worth buying just for their bread recipes. One is Roben Ryberg's The GLuten-Free Kitchen, and the other is ANnaliese Roberts' Gluten-Free Baking Classics.

The first one has a surprisingly good butttermilk bread recipe that calls for only potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and some other "normal" ingredients.

The second uses an interesting flour mix for most of the bread recipes (millet, sorghum, tapioca, potato starch and brown rice flour, I think), and the bread recipes are FANTASTIC.

Neither book uses a bread machine, though--you gotta use the oven. Apparently, gluten-free flours don't do as well in the bread machine because they don't need to rise before baking (makes sense, as there's no gluten to develop or rest, which is the purpose of the rising and resting cycles).

The recipezaar recipe posted above is terrific, too--tastes just like "normal" bread, nice and soft and sliceable without being wet or crumbly.

A lot of people rave about Pamela's bread mix, which does very well in the bread machine. I like it a lot, too--it's just very expensive.

[Alz]

Thanks for the advice.

Back home (Im originally from the UK) I managed to find bread in the local store which I liked but over here there is only one place near me that sells pre made bread. I've tried loads of packet bread mixes but nothing turned out tasty so far. (btw my breadmaker has a gluten free setting on it) Ill try some of the suggestions, in particular the rolls. I found slicing bread is a nightmare (Im bad enough at cutting cheese straight!) so the rolls might be a good start.

Its rather disappointing over here tbh as I would have thought walmart would offer things like gluten free bread but the only thing I've ever found in there is rice spagetti. Their sister company in the UK stock more!

I really appreciate people's suggestions and advice, I'll have a look for those books that were suggested too. Thanks again.

[dionnek]

Alz - I agree we are pretty pathetic here as far as gluten free offerings go, but we are getting better

The only bread mix I've tried that actually tastes just like normal bread (I nver ate white bread though - just wheat) was Breads from Anna, but they are VERY expensive. I usually just use Pamela's wheat free bread mix (I use the oven, not a bread machine) and it passes for me. If you like white, dense bread (like sourdough), the Gluten Free Pantry french bread mix is good (I make it in a regular loaf pan b/c I don't have french bread pans) - even my husband, who is not gluten-free, raves about it. It makes great garlic bread.

The chebe mixes are good if you like dense, chewy bread/rolls (I don't think they have a bread mix - just rolls/breadsticks/pizza, etc.). I recently made tortillas with the chebe mix and they were the best tortillas I've had since going gluten-free! You have to roll them really flat though or they are too thick to roll. I just ate some of mine plain - they were that good!

[dbmamaz]

dbmamaz -- watch out for the Chebe Mixes, a lot of them have tapioca flour or starch in them.

I know, chebe rolls ARE tapioca. I buy them for my son, not for me. I'm not eating any bread at all right now. I started to feel like I was reacting to every bread, even tortillas (other than plain corn). I dont really miss bread at all. But its funny cuz i'm making EVERYTHING for my son out of tapioca - lunch desert cakes, cookies, and rolls. Even the potato bread i tried was primarily tapioca.

[dbmamaz]

There are 2 cookbooks worth buying just for their bread recipes. One is Roben Ryberg's The GLuten-Free Kitchen, and the other is ANnaliese Roberts' Gluten-Free Baking Classics.

Before I realized I couldnt eat bread at all (i am allergic to yeast, and seem to even have trouble w quick breads) i made the focaccia from baking classics . . . omg, I was in heaven! I had to go out and buy some salami to go with it! (then i realized i'm allergic to garlic . . .i really think that was the one causing the breathing problems after dinner )

[hez]

I have yet to find anything that remotely resembles "real" bread. I am to the point that I just do without. I use lettuce and corn tortias for "bread". I do think that Breads by Anna is the closest thing to bread. It does great in my bread machine.

I know in Europe they have gluten-free breads that taste different due to the fact that some use the gluten-free wheat starch (highly refined with low levels of gluten). For awhile there were ads on this website for a company from Europe that used this ingredient. I am not sure if I would use due to the fact that I seem to react to cc. Just not sure. I know others have with success.

Hope you find something you like!

Hez

[elonwy]

I recently tried Ener G Brown Rice bread cause that was all the store had and I was desperate (I had avoided it before due to the fact that it looks funny and I didn't like the Food for Life stuff at all, and they seemed similar).

I was surprised to find it delicious and that it holds up without needing to be toasted. I actually ate a sandwich without toasted bread for the first time in years. I tend to like grainy bread, but everything I get comes frozen and has to be toasted to be edible. This is more like your basic store bought sliced bread, and I'm digging it. Toasts really well too. I fed some to my non-gluten-free boyfriend and he didn't notice a difference.

I don't own a bread machine right now because my kitchen is the size of a shoe box, so I don't bake my own bread.

[Alz]

I know I could probably live without bread but I find it so hard. I never disliked any bread before but the gluten free ones I've tried just taste awful. I did make a pizza once from some mix and discovered the thinner it is the better it tastes!

Having a very depressing time with food at the moment because I dont seem to be able to eat or find anything I like.

I ordered those books from amazon so will have a look through them when I get them. I think my local Kroger have started stocking gluten free stuff so I'll see what they have to offer too.

[emie554]

Have you tried Bread of life... I like there bread and cookies and muffins . Open Original Shared Link

Emily

[ShayFL]

Is your bread maker gluten free? Never used for other bread. I just thought of this when I read the thread.

I have nothing to offer. I have just given up bread. I dont miss it. I love all of the other grains and I bake other stuff. I cant have yeast, so what is the point........

[Alz]

Is your bread maker gluten free? Never used for other bread. I just thought of this when I read the thread.

Its only me and my husband and if he wants bread he buys it rather than make it so yes the breadmaker is gluten free, we only bought it for me to make gluten free bread!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Wow, that looks good! It says free shipping on orders over $39!

Has anyone tried their cookies? Is it $2.49 PER COOKIE? That's kinda pricey, even with free shipping.

The bread looks really good, though.

[emie554]

It is very good... I just had had some of their bread with dinner.

Emily

PS no rice flour, no rice after taste.