Betty Hagmans True Yeast Bread Recipe

[TrillumHunter]

Hi all,

I've been baking this recipe and we like the taste of it very well. The only ingredient I'm leaving out is the small amount of egg replacer. It bakes up fine but when I take it out to cool, it falls down in the center. It comes out in an M shape--or bunny shaped my kids say.

Any ideas?

[purple]

Someone recently posted what to try. I think they said to bake it longer and cover it with foil or reduce the oven temp if it starts to get too brown. Possibly the bread is rising too fast, that happened to me once. Maybe some one else could help, I don't bake much bread. The Quickie Flax bread that is posted on here a couple of pages back is really easy. It makes 8 slices in a 1/2 hour.

[lpellegr]

What you're seeing is a recurring problem with gluten-free breads - you may need to just get used to it. Here are a few things you can try: reduce the water - save the last ounce or two until all the other ingredients are in, then see if you really need to add it. Try adding less yeast - I find a teaspoon will do where it calls for one package or 2-1/4 teaspoons. This only works if the yeast is good and not too old. It seems to keep the bubbles inside the loaf smaller and less likely to collapse. Don't let the bread rise any higher than the top of the pan before putting it in the oven - get your oven preheating early so it will be ready when the bread is, and check the rising bread frequently. Drape a clean dish towel over the bread while it rises, and watch for the bread to push it up in the middle. Put your bread pan in the oven with the short side facing the door - that way if it does rise to ridiculous heights at least it will be symmetrical.

This recipe calls for 3 cups of flour. I have had better luck with recipes that call for 2 cups of flour total. If you're getting this recipe from The Gluten-Free Gourmet, try the Four Flour Bean Bread, which only uses 2 cups of flour. Both of these recipes tend to crumble easily after the first day, though, and don't make good slices for keeping, but they make great bread crumbs or croutons. The Almost Pumpernickel bread in that same book lasts longer without getting crumbly - you can leave out the cocoa powder and caraway seeds and it will be lighter in color and less rye-like. These are decent recipes, but better ones have been developed over the years that don't crumble as much. Look up Lorka's flax bread on this site - much springier and stretchy inside, although I have had that one rise and fall as well. My breads are never consistent with the same recipe - sometimes great, sometimes not. It's the way of gluten-free, Grasshopper.

[Wonka]

Gluten free bread will fall in the middle if you let them rise above the bread pan. It is best to place the bread in the oven when the bread has risen to the top of the pan and no further.