Homemade Bread And Bread Machine

[chrissyinnj]

I'm reading some gluten-free meals books and they say that homemade breads are much more economical than the store bought. Do you find that to be true? Are they also tastier? I've seen some recipes on here that people rave about.

So the book recommends buying a bread machine to make life easier. It also mentions that gluten free bread dough is harder on machines than regular dough, and the machines burnout. But it didn't recommend any brands of machines that will hold up. I've never used a bread machine, and I don't want to waste my money because they seem kind of pricey. What brands do you recommend?

Also- How long do the breads last in the freezer and/or refrigerator?

Thanks for your help!!

[GlutenFreeManna]

I'm reading some gluten-free meals books and they say that homemade breads are much more economical than the store bought. Do you find that to be true? Are they also tastier? I've seen some recipes on here that people rave about.

So the book recommends buying a bread machine to make life easier. It also mentions that gluten free bread dough is harder on machines than regular dough, and the machines burnout. But it didn't recommend any brands of machines that will hold up. I've never used a bread machine, and I don't want to waste my money because they seem kind of pricey. What brands do you recommend?

Also- How long do the breads last in the freezer and/or refrigerator?

Thanks for your help!!

I would try a few recipes in the oven first and see if you like having home baked bread. As far as the costs it seems to vary based on where you live. Some people can get the flours for less than loaves of gluten-free bread. For me it is about even (Rudi's gluten-free bread is 6.99 and box of gluten-free flour is 6.99). I make the homemade bread for a treat and keep premade gluten-free bread in my freezer for quick meals or when I feel too sick to cook. I don't eat gluten-free bread everyday. If you plan on eating it everyday then a bread machine might be a good investment. But I would try some recipes first and see if you like homemade bread better than store bought and so you can figure out how much it costs you to make a loaf.

[mamaw]

I think if you have time to bake then you don't actually need a bread machine . If you are employed then you maybe will not have the time for scratch bread making & a machine is so quick... I do both plus I keep purchased gluten-free bread in the freezer..I don't care to eat the same bread day in & day out. Some can take a bagel & make it their burger bun, then its their deli bun & so on,,not me.....

I love my zojirushi machine.. it is a workhorse... Some use the breadmen & a couple of others but for me I think the ZO is tops.. Just my opinion...

We love Anna's Bread mix( actually has protein & fiber) & it works so well in the machine..

Whether you use a machine or bake from scratch here is a good tip::::::::: slice your bread after it has cooled.Then put wax paper sheets in between the slices& wraP IN PLASTICWRAP &FOIL OR A BAGGIE TO FIT THE WHOLE LOAF.wHEN YOU NEED BREAD YOU CAN GET OUT AS MANY AS YOU NEED. iF YOU SLICE & FREEZE & DON'T SEPARATE THE SLICES YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE & THAW THE WHOLE LOAF...

Sorry my keyboard has a mind of its own & just starts putting everything in capitols& sometimes it will not skip the space ...I need a new keyboard!!

blessings

mamaw

[Takala]

"Bread" is usually home made around here, because I am using high protein ingredients and this way can customize it to what I can get along with better. Plus, it is fresh and tastes much better this way.

I tend to use smaller bread pans and the smaller loaves come out better. Also, I make a lot of quick breads instead of yeast, and use dedicated, small cast iron skillets a lot.

I use amaranth, sorghum, almond meal that I grind myself in a dedicated blender, buckwheat kasha that I grind in a coffeegrinder, potato starch, garbanzo bean flour, sometimes adding teff flour. I use egg and olive oil, and don't have to use gums much - mostly just add soaked chia seed gel. I've also gotten this to work in a mini loaf without egg. Amaranth is mold retardant. In the past, I started out with straight almond meal breads when I was doing low carb. Amaranth, buckwheat, and almond require less binding gums than crumbly ingredients like rice.

I have found out that this sort of bread is very good at keeping in the refrigerator without molding, if it is wrapped well or sealed in a plastic bag. It has gone a week or more, the record so far was two weeks.

"White" type gluten free breads tend to mold up quickly when kept on the countertop.

[Reba32]

I made a loaf of bread that was about half n half gluten-free white all purpose flour and flax meal. It lasted quite nicely about a week on the counter wrapped in a paper towel and sealed in a plastic zip lock bag.

I don't have a bread machine, I mixed in a stand mixer and baked in the oven.

[Vicki R]

I'm looking for a bread machine to make gluten free bread, but if a box mix costs as much as a store bought loaf, will it be any less expensive to make the recipe from scratch and use the bread machine?

[cyclinglady]

@Vicki R— 

These members might not respond, so I will.    You can make bread at home cheaper, but you would have to flour in bulk.  A bread machine is nice I suppose, but unlike gluten-containing bread, no kneading is necessary and just one rise time is all that is needed.  A bread machine can mix, rise, knead, rise and bake while you are asleep.  I used to use one years ago.  I make all my yeast, baked gluten-free goods now using just a mixer or a spoon.  Not using a bread machine definitely can offset the price of gluten-free homemade bread.  

[Ennis-TX]

15 hours ago, Vicki R said:

I'm looking for a bread machine to make gluten free bread, but if a box mix costs as much as a store bought loaf, will it be any less expensive to make the recipe from scratch and use the bread machine?

I do quick bread (yeast free) out of almond and coconut flour bases and use a mixer then pour into a parchment lined 2lb loaf pan. Bake 40-120 mins depending on the version. Been selling at farmers markets going on 6 years now.
PS trick with gluten-free quick bread is to use a good leavening agent and double down on baking powder/baking soda adding it last. Higher end ones intended for gluten-free brads will help. They are hard to get rise out of, and you need to sometimes up the binder to make them hold up better or adjust the texture to something chewier E 2-4x the binder for pizza dough or tough bread while the minimum will work for softer rolls, and white bread knock offs.
IF you miss flavors, caraway seeds can give a rye flavor, and oooflavors make gluten-free flavor drops to make it taste like wheat, sourdough, or rye. 

 

[TDZ]

A bit of advice I've figured out this week, after some initial spectacular failures: if you're at high altitude (7000 ft here), gluten-free bread needs some adjustments. Everything rises faster at high altitude, so I was having dough overflow the top of the bread machine pan, covering the element and burning, while the remainder of the dough fell like a rock and cooked into a flat loaf that was hard as a rock. I've never really had any trouble with regular bread, so it took a while to realize the altitude might be a problem for gluten-free.

I found some suggestions online, and got a great loaf at last. Less yeast, 2 tsp instead of the 2 1/4 that is one packet, and I also used regular "active dry" yeast instead of the recipe's recommended "rapid rise". A bit less sweetener, a bit less salt (not sure if that's necessary or not), and more water. Then I punched it back down when it got near the top (yeah, that ought to have been a no-brainer, actually) and let it rise again, and it didn't go too far before the bake cycle began. 

I should note that it's not really cheaper (for me) to bake bread than to buy it, but every store-bought bread I've found has either eggs or soy, and my husband is allergic to both right now (hoping the other allergies subside as he gets the gluten under control) and baking it is the only way to get a loaf that doesn't have any of those. I'm using Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs. Nice bread recipe at glutenfreegoddess.com, and many others I intend to try there as well. Oh, and it's a Breadman machine, with a gluten-free setting. Seems very nice so far.

[cyclinglady]

Nice to hear that your gluten-free bread turned out well!