gluten-free Bread Question--New User

[LisaM7]

I am reading

[sa1937]

I am reading "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" (2nd ed.) after having the Enterolab anti-gliadin IgA test and finding that my antibody level is 71 (10 or less is normal). I'm still in shock since I have never felt bad when I eat gluten, but I have had low bone density for years with no explanation why (I'm 50 years old), and I've had autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto) for decades, which I now understand are linked to gluten sensitivity. (I did not have the test(s) for Celiac so don't know if I have that or not.)

My biggest challenge right now is to find a decent bread for sandwiches! I've tried two and they were hideous dry, crumbly and tasteless. The owner of my favorite gourmet sandwich shop/bakery, which makes its own bread, suggested that I try their homemade sourdough bread. He wrote: "There is a lot of research being done showing that pure sourdoughs leavened only with wild yeast and the symbiotic lactobacillus and Acetic acids break down the one group of amino acids that make up part of the gluten molecule you are sensitive to."

Does anyone here know if this is correct? His bakery makes this type of sourdough bread and I would love to be able to eat it!!! Short of that, I am going to have to try to find a decent recipe so that I can make my own gluten-free bread.

Thanks so much for any info!

Lisa

Welcome, Lisa! Living Gluten-Free for Dummies is a good book!

A lot of us are still searching for that *perfect* loaf of gluten-free bread. Have you tried Udi's or Rudi's? Those are pretty popular brands here.

Personally I wouldn't touch the homemade sourdough bread with a 10-foot pole.

[krystynycole]

I would agree with Sylvia on the sourdough bread sounds shady.

However, I do not eat bread...I kind of just given up on the fact that it's going to taste great. I have tried Udi's and Rudi's and I don't bother with them. I get creative and eat lettuce wraps and things instead.

[GFreeMO]

Udi's bread is pretty good. I like it toasted though. It makes really good grilled cheese sandwiches and french toast.

I wouldn't eat the sourdough bread if someone paid me!

Sometimes you need to think outside the box with celiac disease and try corn tortilla or lettuce leaf wraps in place of bread.

I hope that you find something that you like!

[bartfull]

To me, the Udi's tasted just like french bread. I loved it. The Canyon Bakehouse 7 grain bread tasted like all of those multi-grain breads from the grocery store - almost a little sweet, and it had all of those little nutty things in it. I liked that a lot. I can't eat either anymore because of my corn intolrence, and I haven't even attempted to make my own bread yet. (Maybe someday when I'm feeling brave and it cools off a little.) In the meantime, I am breadless.

[love2travel]

My preference is certainly homemade gluten-free bread. I love that I can slice it nice and thick and the pieces are much larger than Udi's, for example. Making your own also allows you to try many different varieties and control what goes into it which is fun. I do not want to settle for an ok bread but am eager to find excellent bread! I MUST!!

I find Udi's to be alright - have bought it three times and was initially excited about it but the recent bag is ho hum. It is just so darned small and thin and pretty crumbly. Better than alternatives out there, though, such as the despicable Ener-G "bread"! I confess I look forward to trying Glutino's "Genius" bread as I have read so much great things about it.

In response to OP's question I would not for a second consider having that sourdough, sadly... But you can make your own gluten-free!

[psawyer]

He wrote:

[lynnelise]

There was a lab experiment where they made sourdough that had almost no gluten but the article made it plainly clear that the level of fermentation was well beyond what would be capable in a bakery or what could be made in home. So in short no...I wouldn't tough the sourdough.

I like Udi's and Rudi's and so does my gluten eating husband. We had Rudi's pb&j's for dinner last night!

[LisaM7]

To love2travel --

Do you have a favorite recipe you can share? (I'm still very new to this forum so trying to figure out how it works -- so many buttons to click on and so many forums!) If you're willing to share your recipe please email it to me (if you can? not sure if you can see my email address). I'd be grateful.

I've made homemade bread many times (traditional with wheat flour), but from the few gluten-free bread recipes I've seen they're very different -- mixes of different flours, xanthan gum, etc. Not sure which mix of flours would work best and taste best.

I did try Udi's on a sandwich yesterday (toasted -- apparently that is the key to keep gluten-free bread from falling apart!), and I tried the Whole Foods brand of gluten-free bread today. They were ok, but I'm learning that I will probably never find a fantastic gluten-free bread like I was used to eating with wheat bread. But, I'd still like to make my own because the retail brands are so incredibly expensive, and as you said, tiny tiny slices! I want a sandwich that's bigger than a postage stamp!

[Kansas]

I have tried many recipes and the one I like best so far is one from Roben Ryberg. I printed it off the internet, (Buttermilk Loaf Recipe Food.com 40288) so I am sure you will be able to find it. It is not crumbly, it browns, and has good texture. The taste is pretty good as well. One thing I have found to make it better is to use a deeper narrow bread pan. (King Authur Catolog)I also make hamburger buns with the recipe, using large mouth jar rings on a cookie sheet, sprayed with Pam. The last time I made this recipe, I made a cinnamon/raisin loaf that was yummy.... It made three times as much as Udi's. I prefer to toast all of it, I also freeze it and thaw it as needed, I keep the bread in the fridge, slicing it as I use it. With all my baking, I find by nuking it a little in microwave, brings the moisture back. Part of my identity before becoming gluten intolerant was "bread maker" I do miss the old way of life

[psawyer]

We have a bread machine, and bake roughly once a week using the Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza mix. The loaf is roughly 5" square and 6" long. You can slice it however thick or thin you like. We slice it about 1/3" thick and toast it after cutting into two pieces 2.5"x5".

We also make pizza crusts from this mix. We use a recipe that was once included in the package, but no longer is. I posted it in the recipe forum long ago. I will see if I can find it and post a link.

[GottaSki]

When first diagnosed I tried a lot of the rice and tapioca gluten-free breads and they all tasted like drywall to me so I used lettuce and cabbage for wraps until we started making bread, first in the oven, then a bread maker. Eventually our kitchen went completely gluten free and trying to keep up with bread making for the whole family became too big a chore. We never did make bread that worked really well for sandwiches - most tasted delicious fresh. While in transition to gluten-free I'd suggest making some breads because it is such a treat to have hot fresh bread.

When we found Udi's it was a fantastic day - it may be because we had been living without all the wonderful breads we used to eat for such a long time, but Udi's tasted like heaven and worked so well with sandwiches and packed lunches. It does taste a bit better toasted. My husband (not celiac nor intolerant, just gluten-free support team) toasts his for all sandwiches, but the kids and I pack un-toasted sandwiches in our lunches.

We tried Rudi's and it's pretty good, but a bit more dense/dry for sandwiches - really like it for toast.

[psawyer]

We also make pizza crusts from this mix. We use a recipe that was once included in the package, but no longer is. I posted it in the recipe forum long ago. I will see if I can find it and post a link.

Here's the link.

[Bubba's Mom]

Thanks Peter!

I bought a mixer online and it's being shipped. I think this will be the first thing I try making.

[Ceara]

I love the Udi's bread, bagels, and buns