Breadmaker Advice

[UIDancer]

I am new to the gluten-free diet but have decided to go ahead and get the breadmaker early and go that route instead of paying $5 a loaf. Does anyone have advice on a good one to get for our special dough and where to get it? I was thinking about the Ultimate Breadman Bread Maker that goes for $100 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Thoughts?

Also, what are the best gluten-free bread recipe books out there?

Thanks!

Devon

[Canadian Karen]

Hi Devon!

I am quite happy with my Black & Decker "All in One" horizontal breadmaker. It was around $100.00 (Cdn.)

The best book for recipes? I get my recipes from the expert, Mirielle, over at delphi. Go to www.delphiforums.com and on the left hand side, click on "Health & Wellness". The very first forum to come up is the celiac support website. Mirielle is a lady who owns a gluten free restaurant and she is kind enough to post all her recipes on this site. It is called "The Best of Mirielle". It's alot cheaper than a book too! And, by the way, she is awesome. If you have any problems (like something flopping!), then post about it and she will help you out.

Karen

[lbsteenwyk]

You may want to try and find a bread machine that doesn't automatically "shape the loaf" during the second rising cycle. This occurs when the paddle makes a couple of spins after the second rising has begun. Many bread machines do this, but it is bad for gluten free breads because because the dough doesn't form a firm ball, and it just deflates the bread keeps it from proofing well. I don't know what brands do/don't have this feature, but it would be something to consider when you make a purchase.

[cdford]

I have used an older Regal (1lb) and a newer Toastmaster TBR15 (1.5 lb). Both work well. I actually prefer the older model with the smaller loaf since our breads have to be made more regularly as they lose their softness more quickly. I make a loaf every two or three days.

I have not found the second mixing to be a problem with either machine. Do remember to be sure that your ingredients are at room temp.

There are several good posts on different flours and machines to use. There is even one on milling your own grains to cut costs. Do a search and check them out.

[Wandering Hermit]

Let me add a follow-up question...

The only gluten-free bread I have ever had was the Enter-G or whatever it is called.. I thought it tasted like drywall. Is the homemade gluten-free bread superior, or is it similar in taste and consistency?

I am craving a good hot loaf of fresh french bread. Can a fresh gluten-free loaf approximate this? Can you make it with that great yeasty flavor and the melt-in-your-mouth texture?

I am willing to invest in the machine, but only if It can make something that actually tatses like *GOOD* bread - not the store-bought gluten-free or Wonder bread white.

[Canadian Karen]

gluten-free bread made in a bread machine is not even in the same league as store bought gluten-free bread. The good thing about having your own machine is you can experiment to get the proper taste and texture you want. Mirielle over at delphi is a goldmine of information for this. Her recipes are easy to follow and if you are having problems, post them and she helps you through it. As an example, I have found my favourite is to add crushed almonds to get the right taste and texture that I prefer....... Not to mention the fact that the possibilities are endless in what you can add..... (raisins, nuts, dried fruits etc. etc.....)

Karen

[celiac3270]

Wandering hermit, I agree that the Ener-G rice loaf tastes terrible. Did you try the tapioca loaf? A little thinner and less...drywall-ish. No bread is perfect, but that's the closest I've found. Also try lightly toasting it.

[cdford]

The homemade ones are definitely better than the store-bought (nice southern term...we used to use it to describe folks' clothes who couldn't sew).

It took a few tries, but I finally got a mixture that works for us. It is brown rice based but has just enough bean in it to give it a good texture but not the beany flavor. Be prepared to experiment a little. Our breads tend to dry out more quickly, so it is better to make a smaller loaf every two or three days than to try and make one big loaf once a week.

Making up a larger batch of your mix and just drawing out what you need for a single loaf works better than trying to mix everything together every time.

[UIDancer]

I've actually found that the Food For Life Brown Rice Bread is excellent. I just tried Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakery Sun Dried Tomato, but it was terribly dry. It completely fell apart while I was eating it just a couple days after I bought it. But the FFF bread stays moist. I'll admit it's a little chewy, but toasting helps and I'd take that any day over crumbles!

[Guest imsohungry]

Hi...

I've made several loaves of gluten-free bread that turned out good. (My first four attempts were flopps) ...not sure what I did wrong.

Unfortunately, I am not a talented cook. I tell you this so that you'll know that almost anybody can make gluten-free bread.

I am very uncomplicated in the kitchen. I just toss the ingredients in the breadmaker and press start. When the bell dings....like magic, there is bread!

I'm not sure the name brand of my breadmaker or how all of the "settings" work. Hee hee...I just hit start.

One of my goals after I graduate is to figure out all the buttons on my breadmaker. I figure, if I can't figure the breadmachine out after my Master's degree, it was not meant to be.

Good luck! -Julie

[cdford]

Jules, some of the least knowledgeable people I have ever come across were those I taught with in the university setting. Have you noticed where you are that the more education they get the dumber they seem to be about everyday things??? I promised myself when I went for post-graduate work that I would never get like that. After sitting through a few master's level math courses, I had to work really hard at maintaining a sense of normality. My family keeps telling me that I could use a few lessons in how to speak without those $50 words I am so acustomed to using. They just look at me and tell me to "try a cheaper word, hon".

[Guest imsohungry]

Heeheeee!

I do understand what you are talking about. My mother and I joke that the "higher the education, the lower the common sense" ...it's sad, but often true.

Oh, well...

just pushing "start" on the breadmaker has worked for me this long...

-Jules

[VydorScope]

My Mom just bought this one

Open Original Shared Link

for us. It is simular to the one she uses and likes alot. I made my fisrt batch with it last night, and it seem to work fine. It is on the only bread machine I have ever even seen (I know everyone laughs at me using weird things like an OVEN and a PAN to bake with...)

I made Bob's Mills ( Open Original Shared Link)mix since I have not yet had time to stock up on all these gluten-free ingredients to bake with (new ot gluten-free), and the mix worked perfectly in the machine, and came out looking like a loaf of bread. Not tried more then a little bit so far, but probably will at lunch to day.

HTH

[Guest imsohungry]

Good for you!!! That is excellent that it turned out. I use Bob's Red Mill products too for a lot of baking. Happy eating! -Julie