Bread Maker

[glutenfreegirl]

Hi there,

Do most of you suggest buying a bread maker? Most premade breadswe have bought well..YUCK..and my kids are really missing sandwiches, well at least the ones not wrapped in lettuce or on rice cakes...lol your opinion is appreciated..to buy or waste of money?? Thanks

[munchkinette]

Hi there,

Do most of you suggest buying a bread maker? Most premade breadswe have bought well..YUCK..and my kids are really missing sandwiches, well at least the ones not wrapped in lettuce or on rice cakes...lol your opinion is appreciated..to buy or waste of money?? Thanks

I used mine twice, then sold it. The benefit of a bread machine is that it does a lot of the kneading for you, but most gluten free bread mixes don't require kneading. I suggest trying a bunch of different bread mixes. I also make a lot of sandwiches with the thick homemade tortillas from the deli section at whole foods.

The only premade bread I think is good is Kinnickinnick.

[AlysounRI]

I LOVE my bread machine.

I have a replaced my old one with a new deluxe zojirushi with the dual paddles.

I never, ever buy gluten-free bread from a store now and make it every week.

I use the programmable setting and, aside from some ones that sank, they most always turn out the be a beautoful tasty loaf.

[RiceGuy]

I've never had a bread machine nor have I used one. Bread is easy to make IMO, and gluten-free bread takes less work and time I think. Especially because, as munchkinette stated, gluten-free breads don't require kneading. They also don't require rising twice.

[glutenfreegirl]

I used mine twice, then sold it. The benefit of a bread machine is that it does a lot of the kneading for you, but most gluten free bread mixes don't require kneading. I suggest trying a bunch of different bread mixes. I also make a lot of sandwiches with the thick homemade tortillas from the deli section at whole foods.

The only premade bread I think is good is Kinnickinnick.

Good idea what are the tortillas called that you buy at WF??

[glutenfreegirl]

Also thank you AlysounRI and RiceGuy, pros and cons I love it...i think I will try to mixes first and if a no good for us then I will ck into the machines....

[munchkinette]

Good idea what are the tortillas called that you buy at WF??

They are just the regular Whole Foods brand corn tortillas. They aren't the 365 ones from the factory, they are the ones made in house. They have them near the prepared foods section which is also the bakery section at my store. I suspect that cross contamination may be an issue for some people, but I have NEVER had a problem with the WF prepared stuff. (I'm sure some have.)

Honestly, if you live in a place with Mexican markets and delis, you can find better homemade corn tortillas there. Especially if the deli is southern Mexican or Yucatecan, because they really only use corn. (i.e. less risk for wheat contamination)

[glutenfreegirl]

They are just the regular Whole Foods brand corn tortillas. They aren't the 365 ones from the factory, they are the ones made in house. They have them near the prepared foods section which is also the bakery section at my store. I suspect that cross contamination may be an issue for some people, but I have NEVER had a problem with the WF prepared stuff. (I'm sure some have.)

Honestly, if you live in a place with Mexican markets and delis, you can find better homemade corn tortillas there. Especially if the deli is southern Mexican or Yucatecan, because they really only use corn. (i.e. less risk for wheat contamination)

great I will look thanks for posting...

[Korwyn]

Hi there,

Do most of you suggest buying a bread maker? Most premade breadswe have bought well..YUCK..and my kids are really missing sandwiches, well at least the ones not wrapped in lettuce or on rice cakes...lol your opinion is appreciated..to buy or waste of money?? Thanks

Yes. I got rid of our old bread machine and got a BreadMan Pro which has a gluten free setting. It makes some wonderful bread!

[Mack the Knife]

I was going to get one but it is so easy doing it by hand that I didn't think it was worth the cost.

Gluten free bread only needs to be mixed once and left to rise once. It isn't labour intensive. But you do need a good mixer with a strong motor.

The thing that takes time with gluten free bread is mixng the dry ingredients. Gluten free bread uses three or four different types of flour plus lots of other things. But this is the same whether you use a bread machine or not. I always mix several batches at once and keep them in the cupboard in ziplock bags (I put the yeast into the bag in its sachet so it stays fresh). Then you just take one out when you want bread, add the wet ingredients, mix, rise and bake. Easey peasey!

[RiceGuy]

Gluten free bread only needs to be mixed once and left to rise once. It isn't labour intensive. But you do need a good mixer with a strong motor.

I mix the dough by hand. Although I don't know of any reason why an electric mixer would make the bread better, I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried both ways to see if there's a difference. As long as the dough is mixed thoroughly, would there be any difference?

[sa1937]

I mix the dough by hand. Although I don't know of any reason why an electric mixer would make the bread better, I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried both ways to see if there's a difference. As long as the dough is mixed thoroughly, would there be any difference?

The recipes I've tried all suggest mixing the bread for "x" number of minutes using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Before I bought my KitchenAid, I tried my hand mixer and the bread ended up like a brick...you know, the kind you could kill someone with.

So are you saying that you just mix up the ingredients (like stir them together), let rise, bake and have the bread turn out without jumping through hoops?

I'm still looking for a recipe that tastes wonderful, not only on the day it's baked but after I've frozen slices in sandwich bags. I'm getting sick of toast. While I have quite a few different flours, I know I don't have all the types of flour you use. I'm almost at the point that I don't know if I want to invest more in flours. Any suggestions?

[RiceGuy]

So are you saying that you just mix up the ingredients (like stir them together), let rise, bake and have the bread turn out without jumping through hoops?

I'm still looking for a recipe that tastes wonderful, not only on the day it's baked but after I've frozen slices in sandwich bags. I'm getting sick of toast. While I have quite a few different flours, I know I don't have all the types of flour you use. I'm almost at the point that I don't know if I want to invest more in flours. Any suggestions?

Yes, that's all there is to it. I just make sure to mix thoroughly enough, which is basically a matter of continuing long enough. No special utensils, just a spoon. Though if the metal is flimsy it can bend when trying to mix a large amount of stiff dough.

As for a recipe, I can only suggest trying the method I posted recently. Fresh is always best, which is one reason why I like baking breads in a small dish most of the time. It's the right size for sandwich rolls, burger buns, etc. Plus it enables more experimentation without wasting a lot of ingredients in case it flops. You may be able to get away with using the flours you already have, but I can't be certain since it's been a long time since I've used most of the typically called for ones. Ivory teff imparts a nice flavor IMO.

To avoid taking this thread off-topic, feel free to post the flours you have in the Uprisings thread, and perhaps I can suggest a blend. But I think it'll be tough to match the performance of sweet potato flour. I read it was used during WWII to extend wheat flour while there was a shortage.

Incidentally, lecithin can help extend shelf-life of breads.

[Mack the Knife]

I mix the dough by hand. Although I don't know of any reason why an electric mixer would make the bread better, I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried both ways to see if there's a difference. As long as the dough is mixed thoroughly, would there be any difference?

Lots of recipes tell you to mix it for anywhere from 3-10 minutes. I'm not keen to stand there stirring by hand for 10 minutes. I don't know why the length of mixing time always seems to be so long for gluten free bread.

My mixer is a good one and it gets a pretty good work out with my baking activities. Also, quite often you need to add more water than the recipe states depending on the brand of flour you use. Sometimes my mixer really struggles as it begins mixing and I have to add more liquid. A cheaper mixer might break.

[RiceGuy]

Lots of recipes tell you to mix it for anywhere from 3-10 minutes. I'm not keen to stand there stirring by hand for 10 minutes. I don't know why the length of mixing time always seems to be so long for gluten free bread.

My mixer is a good one and it gets a pretty good work out with my baking activities. Also, quite often you need to add more water than the recipe states depending on the brand of flour you use. Sometimes my mixer really struggles as it begins mixing and I have to add more liquid. A cheaper mixer might break.

I don't think I've ever mixed for 10 minutes. Binders like guar and xanthan generally take about 5 minutes to gel more or less completely, so I think this is the reason for the suggested mix time. There are some brands of guar gum which are courser, which extends the gelling time, so I suspect this may account for the ten minutes.

I have noticed too, that some flours, bean flours in particular, seem to develop a more stretchy consistency over time. However, I still think 5 minutes should be enough, especially for yeast breads, which will have plenty of time before the yeast causes a noticeable expansion.

[Friend Of Celiac]

I LOVE my bread machine.

I have a replaced my old one with a new deluxe zojirushi with the dual paddles.

I never, ever buy gluten-free bread from a store now and make it every week.

I use the programmable setting and, aside from some ones that sank, they most always turn out the be a beautoful tasty loaf.

Hello

A friend of mine is a celiac and we have been making initial forays with the breadmaker. The Mark 1 was OK, but a bit sticky, though it tasted OK. It didn't rise all that well either.

So on to Mark 2. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to tell me what your recipe is, in the hope we can improve on the Mark 1?

Preferably we'd like to achieve egg-free as well, but one step at a time

[Juliebove]

I bought a cheap one and gave it a lot of use at first. I had one loaf come out. The rest did not. Also found that the loaves were shaped oddly. Not so good for sandwiches. Mine is in the garage now, gathering dust.

[kckilpat]

Yes. I got rid of our old bread machine and got a BreadMan Pro which has a gluten free setting. It makes some wonderful bread!

Are you still happy with your BreadMan Pro? I've been trying to decide between that one and the Zojirushi brand. Thanks!