Meatloaf Help

[Goof]

Hey gang,

My mom was so excited to make a meatloaf for me earlier this week. It is her signature dinner fiod! Until she started to actually make it ... apparantely she used half a bag of glutino bread crumbs, and was still having problems shaping the meatloaf. It tasted just fine, but definitely fell apart fairly easily. Any tips on how to hold a gluten free meatloaf together?

Thanks guys! And everyone have a safe and happy Christmas!

[love2travel]

I always let the bread cubes sit out overnight to dry (not fine crumbs) then soak in milk to absorb it, then add this mixture with an egg or two as a binder. Plain old dried crumbs without milk do not work nearly as well. I grate an onion on a microplane and use the onion juice in the meat. My meatloaf holds together beautifully and slices easily. Oh, and it is also important to freeform it on a cookie sheet rather than put it into a container so it cooks more evenly and the fat drains away. I also slather mine with homemade sauce which adheres well to the meat on all sides (except the bottom, of course). By placing it on a sheet you can do that kind of thing.

For seasoning in addition to grated onion I caramelize minced red pepper, carrot and garlic; then use generous amounts of salt, pepper, fresh thyme (thyme and pork love each other) and freshly-grated nutmeg. My favourite ground meat blend is about 2/3 beef (chuck is the best cut) and 1/3 pork. I used to use veal but it is not so easy to find. People tell me mine is the best meatloaf they have ever tried and I would have to agree. It is amazing.

[fantasticalice]

rice

[birdie22]

In a meatloaf recipe I have that calls for seasoned breadcrumbs I have successfully used a mix of corn and rice chex finely pulverized in a food processor. The meatloaf held together well.

[Lisa]

Maybe too many bread crumbs?

[ScarlettsMommy]

I made meatballs the other day and used corn chex... maybe if you just substituted the crumbs for the mashed up corn chex it would work.

[Marilyn R]

I usually add a bit more binder to gluten-free crumbs (like 2 jumbo eggs vs 2 eggs) or add some groumd pork depending on how lean the beef is.

Most of the gluten-free purchsed products seam to have a mealy consistency, so I add extra fat or binding ingredients. but reducing the amount of bread crumbs makes great sense too.

[Darn210]

I use both egg and milk in my meatloaf and I have noticed that I use more milk now that I use gluten free crumbs. Crumb-quantity-wise, I'm probably also using a little less. I also use a higher fat ground beef for meatloaf than I would for something like spaghetti sauce.

[domesticactivist]

We don't use breadcrumbs at all. There is a recipe on the blog linked from my profile.

[love2travel]

What I described above is called panade (a stiff mixture of bread crumbs and milk) and it is used by chefs as it makes the moistest meatloaf ever, yet it holds together incredibly well. The following is a description from one of my culinary books:

"The motivation is mostly textural. The major motivation for using bread crumbs is if they are soaked in milk, making what is called a "panade". Since meatballs and meatloaf are often cooked to well-done, they tend to be tough and dense. The panade does act as a binding agent, but, more importantly, the milk activates the starch in the bread to form a gel. This gel acts much like a fat, lubricating the meat's protein fibers and discouraging them from forming a tough matrix. Enzymes in the milk can also help tenderize tough cuts of meat, however, that would likely take longer than the average meatball recipe allows. Finally, if the meatballs are fried, breadcrumbs can help crisp the outside of the balls (especially if the balls are rolled in breadcrumbs on the outside)."

[IrishHeart]

For binding agents in meatballs and meatloaf, I use the one egg and the same amount of breadcrumbs I have used in my recipes for 25 years, only they are made from gluten-free bread that I grind up in my small grinder and season them.

Still holds together just fine and I use a meatloaf pan because I like to let it sit after it has cooked and absorb the juices--yup, fatty juices and all.

I do add a splash of milk for the meatloaf.

No milk in the meatballs-- because I also use grated parm/reggiano in mine-- and that binds them together nicely.

The meat is always a beef/pork/veal combo for me. But just beef works just as well.

Tell your Mom to try less crumbs and see how it goes!

Cheers, IH

[knittingmonkey]

Add certified gluten-free oats in lieu of bread, and use less of them.

[IrishHeart]

Add certified gluten-free oats in lieu of bread, and use less of them.

My Mom always used oats in her meatloaf when we were kids.!

[Duhlina]

My mom was so excited to make a meatloaf for me earlier this week. It is her signature dinner fiod! Until she started to actually make it ... apparantely she used half a bag of glutino bread crumbs, and was still having problems shaping the meatloaf. It tasted just fine, but definitely fell apart fairly easily. Any tips on how to hold a gluten free meatloaf together?

I recently found this recipe and I swear it's the best meatloaf I've EVER made....gluten free or not! I did it the first time in the muffin tins, but every time after that I just shaped it like a regular meatloaf and baked it. Even hubby thinks it's the best!

Open Original Shared Link

[BakingQueen]

I use an egg and some leftover mashed potatoes. Works great!