First Try At Bob's Potato Quick Bread

[home-based-mom]

I printed out the Potato Quick Bread recipe from the Bob's Red Mill site and followed directions. It is supposed to make 2 loaves. Neither rose higher than 2-2

[imsohungry]

I printed out the Potato Quick Bread recipe from the Bob's Red Mill site and followed directions. It is supposed to make 2 loaves. Neither rose higher than 2-2

[home-based-mom]

Oh Sandi, that stinks! So sorry your bread fell flat. I've never tried to make Potato bread. However, one time I made a loaf of regular gluten-free bread that did exactly what you described; I'm still not sure what happened, but the next time I made it, the bread turned out fine. Go figure.

Maybe humidity? I kneaded it too long? I'll never know.

It's just been "one of those days" in the kitchen for you Sandi....

hugs. -Julie

This was a quick bread so there wasn't any kneading. I swear it is so flat you could make one big sandwich using one loaf on the top and the other loaf on the bottom! I was planning on making a sandwich with this bread to eat during the missions committee meeting tomorrow but I think I won't.

And it is so dry! It feels like sawdust in your mouth. I made gluten-free corn bread once that did that, too. Setting a bad pattern here.

Bob's Red Mill has a customer service page so I sent a message asking what I did wrong. Hopefully they'll answer.

[RiceGuy]

There are a few things that could account for it falling, but the single best thing I've found to help breads rise is to use Bob's baking powder. Without going into too much detail, most baking powders basically do all their fizzing before you get the thing in the oven. Bob's is based on a different formula, needing heat to activate it.

Perhaps if the bread rises enough, the inside will cook thoroughly, and prevent it from falling.

[home-based-mom]

There are a few things that could account for it falling, but the single best thing I've found to help breads rise is to use Bob's baking powder. Without going into too much detail, most baking powders basically do all their fizzing before you get the thing in the oven. Bob's is based on a different formula, needing heat to activate it.

Perhaps if the bread rises enough, the inside will cook thoroughly, and prevent it from falling.

HMMMMMMMMMM. That's an interesting idea. I will look for the Bob's brand next time I am at Henry's. I used Wal-Mart's Great Value, but maybe in this case it wasn't such a "great value" at all!

I really need to get this down because I have to travel to a short missions conference at the end of the month where we will be staying with host families and eating what the host church provides meaning I will have *NO* say in what is available. I was hoping to take some of this bread along with tuna, PB, and whatever else I think of just in case. I will only be gone for 2

[cruelshoes]

Is Open Original Shared Link? A couple things could be at play here. Was your buttermilk old? This recipe needs the acidity of the buttermilk to activate the baking powder. You used potato starch, not potato flour, right? (OK - I'm grasping at straws on that last one.)

[imsohungry]

You used potato starch, not potato flour, right? (OK - I'm grasping at straws on that last one.)

Ah Colleen, but some of the most obvious things are the easiest slip-ups!

Riceguy, good point.

I usually place my bread in a microwave with a cup of very hot water.

It rises faster this way due to the air-tight seal and mild heat circulating.

Come on Sandi, you can do it!

-Julie

[home-based-mom]

Is Open Original Shared Link? A couple things could be at play here. Was your buttermilk old? This recipe needs the acidity of the buttermilk to activate the baking powder. You used potato starch, not potato flour, right? (OK - I'm grasping at straws on that last one.)

I just bought the buttermilk - it has a "best used by July 8" date on it. I guess now I know why you can't buy less than a quart of it - the rest is to use the second time you try to get the recipe right!

Not only did I use Potato Starch, it was Bob's Potato Starch!

[home-based-mom]

UPDATE

After several e-mail exchanges with a CSR from Bob's, it was suggested that perhaps I might have done too much mixing before the baking. That is possible as the egg whites did not want to be folded in! It was also suggested that I not try this recipe again as it was such a miserable failure. Bob's Baking Powder does not appear to be available locally and would cost about $12 to order online, so that is definitely out.

They sent me another recipe to try which I had initially rejected because of the brown rice flour, which I cannot tolerate. However I substituted white rice flour and tried it anyway. It looked good going in and looked good coming out, but fell as flat as the other one. Not only that, but the dough walked up the beaters and destroyed (burned out the motor?) the $10 WalMart mixer I had bought to replace the 40 or so year old mixer whose beaters rusted out and no one carries replacement beaters .

So I am "0 for 2"

[Cheri A]

((Hugs)) There is a definite learning curve to gluten-free bread baking. I can't tell you how many bricks, and flat bread I have make in the last few years. I have finally figured it out, and found a recipe that works.

The basic recipe I use is from www.twinvalleymills.com It is a modified Bette Hagman recipe. I also have to subsitute for the eggs and the milk powder, and I put 2 T. of ground flaxseed to the dry mix.

The best way that I have found to get the bread to rise is to preheat my oven to 200 degrees, place the bread pan into the oven and let it rise for 20-minutes, and turn the oven off. Then, without touching the pan or opening the door, kick the oven back on to 400 degrees when it has risen to just below the rim of the pan. Bake for 20-minutes. After that, I take it out and lay the pan sideways on a potholder to cool.

[GRUMP 1]

I am not sure if this would be the same for Potato Quick Bread, but when I make Bobs gluten-free bread mix I cut down the rise time by 10 minutes. Then I increase the cook time by 5 minutes. I also let it rise in a warm oven. This works very well for me and it stops the loaf's from falling once taken out of the oven. I also am using a Kitchen-aid stand mixer with the dough hook.

Hope this will help you,

Grump

[home-based-mom]

Thanks for the reponses.

These breads were both yeast free, so there is no real "rise time." This last one I may have mixed too long as well even though it seemed like much less than 2 minutes before the mixer died. I may not have baked it long enough, either, even though it was at the long end of the range.

Tomorrow is another day! As I will now be doing the mixing by hand I doubt it will be overmixed again!

Cheri, whatever made you think of cooling the bread on its side?

[Cheri A]

Cheri, whatever made you think of cooling the bread on its side?

I don't know. I guess I was trying to see if it would keep it from sinking. Since I have made those modifications above, my bread has been turning out. I have to make her another loaf today.

I hope your next loaf comes out for you!!

[Ginsou]

I've had excellent success with Bob's "Our Favorite White Bread For Bread Machines" recipe that is on the back of the Potato Starch package. For some reason, don't know why...just experimenting..I sifted the flours twice and the bread was excellent....rose to within 1" of the pan top.

I also learned the hard way when making gluten free bread...the $10 mixers can't be used.....you need to use dough hooks.

I purchased a bread pan that makes a smaller, higher loaf than your "regular" bread pan. Laying the bread pan on the side while cooking relieves the pressure which causes the bread to fall from top to bottom. The pan was pricey, well worth it, very well made. I purchased the smaller one. www.gfbakingpans (dot)com. I'll check and make sure the website is still up and running after I post this.

Oh my....on sale today. Also read the tips section for laying the pan on the side.