Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

1St Attempt At Baking Gluten-Free Bread Failed

Chattyaholic

Recommended Posts

Chattyaholic Rookie
Chattyaholic
Posted

I recently bought a Breadman bread machine after doing some research. Yesterday I went to the local health food store and bought the different flours, xanthan gum, etc. that I needed. I was so excited to bake my first loaf of gluten-free bread this morning. I carefully followed the directions, and double-checked my amounts, etc. It was awful!! It was way too dry and would not even form a ball. My husband decided to add a bit of warm water, it didn't help. It baked, the edges touching the pan were nice and brown but the middle was a heavy, doughy mess. :( The ONLY thing I can think of that might have went wrong was the recipe (in the booklet that came with the machine) stated "potato starch flour" and the woman at the health food store said she'd never heard of that, only potato starch OR potato flour. I bought potato flour, maybe THAT was the problem. So, I'll head back to the store tomorrow and buy potato starch and give it another try. It was so disappointing to have it turn out bad though. :( Hopefully I'll have better luck next time.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


bbuster Explorer
bbuster
Posted

I recently bought a Breadman bread machine after doing some research. Yesterday I went to the local health food store and bought the different flours, xanthan gum, etc. that I needed. I was so excited to bake my first loaf of gluten-free bread this morning. I carefully followed the directions, and double-checked my amounts, etc. It was awful!! It was way too dry and would not even form a ball. My husband decided to add a bit of warm water, it didn't help. It baked, the edges touching the pan were nice and brown but the middle was a heavy, doughy mess. :( The ONLY thing I can think of that might have went wrong was the recipe (in the booklet that came with the machine) stated "potato starch flour" and the woman at the health food store said she'd never heard of that, only potato starch OR potato flour. I bought potato flour, maybe THAT was the problem. So, I'll head back to the store tomorrow and buy potato starch and give it another try. It was so disappointing to have it turn out bad though. :( Hopefully I'll have better luck next time.

Definitely should have used potato starch. Potato flour is very heavy and normally used as a thickener for sauces, etc, or in small amounts in things like bread (like 1 tablespoon potato flour to 1 cup other flour/starches). Not many recipes I have seen actually use potato flour, so if it has the word starch, it is potato starch.

I don't use a bread machine, but when I make bread it never rolls into a ball - it is very wet, more the consistency of a thick cake batter.

Chattyaholic Rookie
Chattyaholic
Posted
  • Author

Definitely should have used potato starch. Potato flour is very heavy and normally used as a thickener for sauces, etc, or in small amounts in things like bread (like 1 tablespoon potato flour to 1 cup other flour/starches). Not many recipes I have seen actually use potato flour, so if it has the word starch, it is potato starch.

I don't use a bread machine, but when I make bread it never rolls into a ball - it is very wet, more the consistency of a thick cake batter.

Thanks for the quick reply. I will try it with potato starch and see how it goes. :)

gary'sgirl Explorer
gary'sgirl
Posted

The potato flour was definitely the cause of the problem. It will absorb moisture and cause a very dry dough if there is too much in the dough. If a recipe calls for potato flour it usually only uses a tablespoon or less, which can help with the texture. I'm sure the recipe meant starch and not flour, but I agree that the way it was worded made it sound confusing.

Don't give up! There is a lot of trial and error with learning how to bake gluten free, but you will get a feel for it after a while.

Hope the next attempt is delicious!!!

brendab Contributor
brendab
Posted

Oh don't give up! I was you just a few short weeks ago and I wanted to cry at each attempt but I think I have it now! (((HUGS)))

AlysounRI Contributor
AlysounRI
Posted

gluten-free bread dough will never form a ball - it's always the consistency of thick cake batter :)

Did you bread rise in machine?

Chattyaholic Rookie
Chattyaholic
Posted
  • Author

gluten-free bread dough will never form a ball - it's always the consistency of thick cake batter :)

Did you bread rise in machine?

I guess I just expected the gluten-free bread dough to form a well-kneaded ball like regular bread does. Shows you how much I know about gluten-free bread making and baking, ha ha! :) I knew it didn't have to rise, because of the gluten-free setting on the machine, but I just expected the bread to be smooth and uniform.

I'm glad to hear others say it was the potato flour that caused the flopped bread. I will try again with the starch instead.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mack the Knife Explorer
Mack the Knife
Posted

Don't be discouraged. Stick with it. It is quite possible to make really good gluten free bread at home and, once you know how, it is quite easy too. I had a few hiccups at the start too.

You may also need to try a few different recipes until you find one that you like. Everyone has different tastes.

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

The only gluten-free bread I ever got to work every time is the zucchini bread recipe that is here on this website in the recipes section.

Bread in the bread machine? Forget it! Of course I avoid using egg and dairy so that makes it harder. Daughter can have eggs only once a week and dairy twice a week. So just better to leave those things out.

I did once get a loaf that came out well from a mix, but the next time I made it? Forget it.

I didn't feel so bad though when I bought an expensive loaf of bread from a well known gluten-free bakery here only to find that it had one huge hole in the middle and a huge section of it was also totally raw.

AlysounRI Contributor
AlysounRI
Posted

I guess I just expected the gluten-free bread dough to form a well-kneaded ball like regular bread does. Shows you how much I know about gluten-free bread making and baking, ha ha! :) I knew it didn't have to rise, because of the gluten-free setting on the machine, but I just expected the bread to be smooth and uniform.

Gluten makes the best binding agent for baked goods - holds everything together.

Without it, well, you just get cake batter ...

Just remember cooking is throwing stuff into a pot and a pan and tasting it.

Baking is a true science!!

When you come to grips with it, then and only then make pizza dough.

You have to **prebake** the crust to get it solid and then you can actually add the toppings and put it back in the oven.

Just keep slogging along, and stock up on tapioca starch and potato starch cause it ends up in everything you bake gluten free, it seems.

Good luck :)

~Allison

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Jay Heying
      - Jay Heying replied to Jay Heying's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      6

      Celiac friendly probiotics

      Thank you so much for the advice!! I will try to make a batch this weekend. Have a great weekend,
    2. Florence Lillian
      - Florence Lillian replied to Jay Heying's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      6

      Celiac friendly probiotics

      In response to your questions regarding probiotics. I have had Celiac for 40 years. Stomach issues: digestion, IBS to chronic constipation, bloat after eating anything. I was unable to eat a healthy variety of foods, tried probiotics supplements - some made me worse, others made no difference. After reading about people with Crones, IBS, etc, who made...
    3. slkrav
      - slkrav posted a topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      0

      Gluten free beer ?

      Help me out here. Lauren Dam gluten-free beer from Spain is listed as gluten free. Yet its made from Barley Malt. I thought barley and any form had gluten. Anybody have any more information about it?
    4. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Colleen H's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      16

      Ibuprofen

      Ferritin levels. And see what your hemoglobin looks like too, that will tell you if you are anemic? You can have 'low normal' levels that will not be flagged by blood tests. I had 'low normal' levels, my lab reading was. c12, just over what was considered normal, but I had small benign lesion on my tongue, and sometimes a sore mouth, and a consultant maxillofacial...
    5. Mari
      - Mari replied to KathyR37's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      5

      New here

      Hi Katht - I sympathize with your struggles in following a gluten-free diet and lifestyle. I found out that I had Celiac Disease a few months before I turned 70. I just turned 89 and it has taken me almost 20 years to attain a fairly normal intestinal function. I also lost a lot of weight, down to 100 lb. down from about 140 lb. What Trents wrote you was...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,883
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jrgrimes914
    Newest Member
    Jrgrimes914
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jay Heying
      Celiac friendly probiotics

      By Jay Heying · Posted

      Thank you so much for the advice!! I will try to make a batch this weekend. Have a great weekend,
    • Florence Lillian
      Celiac friendly probiotics

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      In response to your questions regarding probiotics.  I have had Celiac for 40 years.  Stomach issues: digestion, IBS to chronic constipation, bloat after eating anything.  I was unable to eat a healthy variety of foods, tried probiotics supplements - some made me worse, others made no difference.  After reading about people with Crones, IBS, etc, who made their own probiotics I started making Milk Kefir: not water Kefir. There are 10 probiotics in milk KEFIR. After 3 weeks I was able to eat more, no gas, no IBS.  If you have a computer just ask for videos on making milk Kefir. I branched out and make my own Kombucha for even more probiotics. I do not make my yogurt because there are only about four probiotics in that. I started this when I was 82 and I still make my own Kefir and Kombucha. My stomach issues were fixed with the Milk Kefir alone. If you decide to try making it, make certain you order MILK GRAINS. The finished product tastes a bit like Buttermilk. I hope this helps in your journey to good health.
    • slkrav
      Gluten free beer ?

      By slkrav · Posted

      Help me out here. Lauren Dam gluten-free beer from Spain is listed as gluten free. Yet its made from Barley Malt. I thought barley and any form had gluten. Anybody have any more information about it?
    • cristiana
      Ibuprofen

      By cristiana · Posted

      Ferritin levels.  And see what your hemoglobin looks like too, that will tell you if you are anemic?  You can have 'low normal' levels that will not be flagged by blood tests.  I had 'low normal' levels, my lab reading was. c12, just over what was considered normal, but I had small benign lesion on my tongue, and sometimes a sore mouth, and a consultant maxillofacial ordered an iron infusion for me as he felt my levels were too low and if he  raised them to 40, it would help.   Because you are not feeling 100% it might be worth looking at your levels, then discussing with your doctor if they are low normal.  But I stress, don't supplement iron without your levels being monitored, too much is dangerous.
    • Mari
      New here

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Katht -  I sympathize with your struggles in following a gluten-free diet and lifestyle. I found out that I had Celiac Disease a few months before I turned 70. I just turned 89 and it has taken me almost 20 years to attain a fairly normal intestinal  function. I also lost a lot of weight, down to 100 lb. down from about 140 lb. What Trents wrote you was very true for me. I am still elimination foods from my diet. One person suggested you keep a food diary and that is a good idea but it is probably best just to do an elimination diet. There are several ne and maybe one for celiacs. I used one for a while and started with plain rice and zucchini and then added back other foods to see if I reacted or not. That helped a great deal but what I did not realise that it would only very small amounts of some foods to cause inflammation in my intestine. Within the last few years I have stopped eating any trace amounts of hot peppers, corn and soy(mostly in supplements) and nuts, (the corn in Tylenol was giving me stomach aches and the nuts were causing foot pains). Starting an elimination diet with white rice is better than brown rice that has some natural toxins. In addition it is very important to drink sufficient plain water. You can find out how much to drink for your height and weight online. I do have difficulty drinking 48 ounces of water but just recently have found an electrolyte supplement that helps me stay well hydrated, Adding the water and electrolytes may reduce muscle cramps and gag spams you wrote about. . Also buy some anti-gluten enzyme capsules to take with meals. I use GliadinX advertised here. These are a lot of things to do at one time as they reflect my 20 years of experience. I hope you do what you can manage to do over time. Good luck and take care.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.