Bread Collapses

[VAGuy]

I need some advice - I'm not having much luck in baking breads. I can't eat commercial gluten-free bread and rolls due to fiber and guar gum. One loaf I made from a mix collapsed when I cut it warm (my mistake), and yesterday I tried French Bread from The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast And Healthy and it did too. It rose OK, kind of weird shaped when done but nice height, then my Mom brushed margarine on it (always did so on her breads), and it sank down to half its just out of the oven height. What am I doing wrong?

I really need to get bread back in my diet, I'm not eating enough and I'm really bored by what I eat.

Hungry Guy

[kejohe]

Not to worry, these are typical problems for the first time gluten-free baker, and even some of us who have baked many loaves still find that this happens now and again.

The easiest thing to try first is to decrease the cooking temperature (usually between 300 and 325) and increase the cooking time (by 30 minutes or more). gluten-free breads cook better at a lower temperature because they retain so much moisture, so by decreasing the temperature, you allow it to rise without cooking too fast and the extended cooking time will alow it to dry out a little more and help to set the structure. If you find it browning too quickly, cover the top with foil after it has finished rising.

Some people also think that adding a little bit of vinegar helps the texture come out better too, but I don't know that it has any effect on whether or not it falls.

Good luck and keep experimenting, that's the best way to learn with gluten-free baking.

[Guest aramgard]

I also had a lot of trouble with bread, oven and breadmaker. But when I started making buns and rolls, I had better luck. I use English muffin rings on a cookie sheet and also make rolls for hamburgers in a hamburger bun pan. This works out much better and I do not need to use the bread machine, which made my bread fall in the middle. Also, I like my bread a little crusty and this makes it a litt crusty, so I freeze the buns and take them out of the freezer as needed. Shirley

[VAGuy]

Thank you for your replies - I'll put info in my notebook. Think I'll try some rolls or buns next - have recipes for them - I guess I'm going to add "bake night" to the weekly schedule.

Phil

[GFdoc]

Phil - I also had alot of trouble with bread caving in immediately after coming out of the oven....they looked so tall and beautiful in the oven, then like a balloon popping - they deflated!

Anyway, i've just figured out my problem, I think ...I tried Kathleen's suggestion to lower the oven temp and bake for longer...but that didn't work...I tried altering the liquid content and the number of eggs, etc....I think i've thrown out 25 or 30 loaves of bread.... but my last two loaves were beautiful and didn't cave in...the difference was that I added more gluten-free flour to the loaf (3 cups of flour total instead of 2 cups) I think that maybe the loaf needed more help to stay up, and the eggs were too heavy.

I'll post my recipe in the section for "Kosher and gluten-free" - it's called Challah (Egg Bread)

Hope this helps!

[Kathe]

I also had a lot of trouble with bread, oven and breadmaker. But when I started making buns and rolls, I had better luck. I use English muffin rings on a cookie sheet and also make rolls for hamburgers in a hamburger bun pan. This works out much better and I do not need to use the bread machine, which made my bread fall in the middle. Also, I like my bread a little crusty and this makes it a litt crusty, so I freeze the buns and take them out of the freezer as needed. Shirley

I've had good luck with Carol Fenster's suggestions. Bake gluten-free bread at 400 degrees for one hour. Reduce temp to 350 and bake an additional 15 minutes. This gives the bread a great crust, but it cannot be cut into until it has cooled. Kathe

[dbmamaz]

I've made two loaves, and they both fell (and one was focaccia lol). I read another post somewhere that the most common reason is over-rising before baking. I know the focaccia I had overheated the oven where I was rising it, and the loaf directions said rise to top of pan, and it wouldnt, so i kept leaving it - the posters said only let it double, no more than that. I'm hoping that will help me next time I try. Personally, tho, i dont miss bread much, i never really liked it anyways. That focaccia was awesome, tho!

[mischka]

hi everyone! being a celiac is really a pain sometimes. its helpful that some groceries or restaurants carry gluten free items. its a little expensive, but if it does work with celiacs' diet it is fine. problem is when it doesn't and celiacs still suffer...you end up trying to make your own...i am not a celiac sufferer, yet I have heard that going on a gluten free lifestyle can be beneficial even for non celiac. i love breads...and have read most of your comments here regarding making your own, it came out flat, it doesn't taste good, etc.... I came across this site www.tasteslikerealfood.com. they sell celiac-safe baking products...has anyone tried this already? i've read that Jenny, who brought it in the US is a celiac sufferer herself and has had some success with the products so she brought it home to share with the celiacs...think its worth to try...

[JennyC]

I too had that problem, and I solved it by adding a more flour and decreasing the liquid. I think many gluten-free recipes call for too much liquid. I even find that when I convert cookie recipes I have to add lots more flour.

[imsohungry]

Hi there!

My response is almost always the same to this question (not that I'm a great chef or anything).

-Start small. Try mini loaves of bread, muffins, etc. They sell a mini loaf pan for bread in many stores. After you have a few successes, your bread self-esteem will improve.

-Add some clear gelatin (sold near Jello). (I add two teaspoons per cup of flour.)

-Let all bread cool before cutting it.

-If bread machines don't work for you, try the old fashion baking. I keep a mixer on my counter at all times, pour in the ingredients, mix, and put in the pan...many, many people have bread machine success. I am not one of them. So experiment.

-Flour mixture is very important. Make sure you're using multiple flour types. (i.e. Not just rice flour)

-Another idea is to whisk your flour (or sift it) before you measure it into cups. Whisking it in the container assures that your flour isn't packed down, which can make your bread "heavy."

Just my thoughts. Happy gluten-free baking! -Julie

[ruthla]

I'll post my recipe in the section for "Kosher and gluten-free" - it's called Challah (Egg Bread)

Hope this helps!

Where can I find this challah recipe?

I had good sucess with a pizza dough recipe last week- the kids liked it better than the wheat dough I used to make! I made some breadsticks with the pizza dough and my daughter commented "I thought gluten free breads weren't supposed to taste good?" She couldn't taste any difference between the gluten-free breadsticks and the wheat breadsticks I've made in the past!

I tried simply adding an egg to the recipe to make it into challah, but it didn't quite work. I probably had too much liquid for the amount of dry ingredients. If I could have a real recipe, I wouldn't need to experiement so much and possibly ruin more food!