gluten-free Bread Nutritional Values

[Voix]

I am trying to determine how gluten-free breads compare nutritionally to whole wheat bread.

I finally figured out what the full panel is for ww bread: about 30% rda manganese, 20% selenium, under 10% for all the vits and minerals, 3 grams protein, fiber.

The first question that I have is that no prepared gluten-free product says "whole [grain]." It always says just the grain. Should we assume that the outer bran layer of grains are processed away, like white bread? Do all grains have the same structure like wheat with the outer bran layer?

Secondly, how do some of these prepared gluten-free breads compare nutritionally?

Thanks. Also would be happy with information to look up myself. (I see the label panels but that is not the full nutritional information.)

[debmidge]

I am trying to determine how gluten-free breads compare nutritionally to whole wheat bread.

I finally figured out what the full panel is for ww bread: about 30% rda manganese, 20% selenium, under 10% for all the vits and minerals, 3 grams protein, fiber.

The first question that I have is that no prepared gluten-free product says "whole [grain]." It always says just the grain. Should we assume that the outer bran layer of grains are processed away, like white bread? Do all grains have the same structure like wheat with the outer bran layer?

Secondly, how do some of these prepared gluten-free breads compare nutritionally?

Thanks. Also would be happy with information to look up myself. (I see the label panels but that is not the full nutritional information.)

Our issue is the amount and type of fiber - A lot of gluten-free breads do not have the same fiber amount as regular whole wheat breads and some of the fiber which gluten-free baking companies is tougher to digest than others and may not be suitable.....

Most commercial gluten breads utilize "enriched" flour and that's why they tend to show

higher levels of vitamins and minerals.

Grains such as rice and corn have a layer of fiber; but tapoica flour and potato flour have only the fiber

which is usual to their species. Rice and corn can be milled with or without the outer hull. I bake gluten-free

bread and use rice bran for the fiber that the bread mixes seem to omit. My husband cannot

tolerate rougher types of bran (seeds, nuts, etc.).

[Voix]

thanks for the information. i didn't realize that fiber was an issue. i recently bought glutino's fiber bread. I really enjoyed it. It is not sweet at all, tastes most like Ezeikel bread.

I also am concerned about nutritional content. If the bran and germ layers are removed of processed grains, the majority of the nutrition is taken away. Enriching it later only addresses about one fifth of the nutritional components.

Some sandwich breads that I have tried have to be like wonder bread. tapioca and potato starches can't be very nutritional.

[MNBeth]

Voix,

I think you're right in guessing that most commercially available gluten-free breads fall more in the category of empty carbs than nutritious food. They certainly can vary, though, and the Glutino Fiber bread sounds promising, at least. I've never actually looked at it.

Before I went gluten-free, I was milling my own wheat at home and making all of our bread products precisely because I was concerned with nutrition. Since I had that whole grain mindset, it was alarming to me to start digging through gluten-free recipes and see that the vast majority of them relied heavily, if not solely, on white rice flour and starches.

I kept digging, though, and learned that it doesn't have to be that way. I'm back to baking virtually all of our bread products, and use whole grains like brown rice, sorghum and millet. I do use some starch, but try to keep it to 25% or less of the total flour in the recipe. I'm sure that bean flours would add greatly to the nutritional profile, and I think would also benefit in terms of texture. But so far we haven't liked the flavor. I need to play around some more with those.

I'm sorry I don't know the specific nutritional breakdowns. I'd love to get that sorted out, but haven't had the time so far. But I have a 16 yo boy to keep fed, and at least I feel like he's getting something worthwhile in his bread products.

[Voix]

Where did you find the bread recipes that you use? I never baked much before recognizing gluten as a problem. I am daunted at the idea of experimenting with bread recipes.

I find that I like the taste of teff. (Outside the Bread Box makes a multi grain cracker that has teff in it with other grains, which I find delicious.)

I like millet, as well. There is a prepared millet bread that I buy frozen that is great. It is sort of sweet, however, and I don't like it with lunch meats.

I would like a recipe for a hearty, but not sweet, nutritious whole grain bread for sandwiches. Like Ezekiel bread, or European artisan bread. Any suggestions as to where to look for a recipe?

Feeding a 16 yr old! You must be baking nonstop!

[MNBeth]

I'm pretty much using my own recipe for bread after several months of playing around with it. I like Annalise Roberts, and my recipe is probably closer to her sandwich bread (from Baking Classics) than anything, though not quite the same. Eventually I'll probably start trying to tweak it some more, but, having found something that works, I'm taking a break for a while. Actually, what I'd really like to try is sourdough, but I just haven't been motivated enough to dig in.

I also make a lot of muffins for the family, and for those I use my favorite pre-gluten-free recipes, subbing a mix of 3 parts whole flour (mostly sorghum, sometimes some millet, too) and one part starch - potato and tapioca, usually. Works out great, but we have to freeze any that don't get eaten w/in 24 hours. The sorghum seems to go funny at room temp - at least in the summer it did. Don't know about now. The same flour mix also works great for pancakes.

I'll have to try teff in my bread. I've used it to make injera to go with an Ethiopian-type stew, but I haven't really tried it in anything else.

Sorry I'm not more help!

[Voix]

Well look at this recipe. Open Original Shared Link complete with photo.

Looks like a lot of ingredients, but the rolls look great. This has teff, but looks really good.

When a recipe like this calls for milk, can I substitute something like Almond Milk, or is the milk protein what is important?

[MNBeth]

Well look at this recipe. Open Original Shared Link complete with photo.

Looks like a lot of ingredients, but the rolls look great. This has teff, but looks really good.

When a recipe like this calls for milk, can I substitute something like Almond Milk, or is the milk protein what is important?

Those rolls look beautiful; I'll probably try them myself. My first choice for a milk sub would be soy, but you could use almond or maybe DariFree. In my own breadmaking trials, almond milk and DariFree didn't seem to do anything more than water did. I think Cook's Illustrated did a trial with subs for buttermilk, and the soured soy milk was the only one that made a good sub. Don't know to what degree that would apply to a fresh milk sub.

Be sure to post if you try them!