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Stinky Gluten Free Bread


alwaysamazed

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alwaysamazed Newbie

Does anyone know why gluten free bread has a distinct weird smell to it? I bake homemade gluten free bread for my daughter and had tried several different recipes, but they all have that weird smell/taste. I am currently using Sorghum flour, rice flour, Tapioca starch/flour, and/or potato starch. I feel bad she has to eat this stinky stuff...

Any ideas would be appreciated!


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missmellie Newbie

Does anyone know why gluten free bread has a distinct weird smell to it? I bake homemade gluten free bread for my daughter and had tried several different recipes, but they all have that weird smell/taste. I am currently using Sorghum flour, rice flour, Tapioca starch/flour, and/or potato starch. I feel bad she has to eat this stinky stuff...

Any ideas would be appreciated!

I can't explain "stinky stuff". But, the ingredients you are using are not wheat flour. Nothing you make from them is going to smell like the aroma of wheat flour bread.

come dance with me Enthusiast

I make bread and it smells and tastes fine. I bought bread, and it was in the fridge for a few days. The first time I opened it when we first bought it there was no bad smell to it, but a few days later I opened it again and for some reason it had the smell of bad wine, or fermented grapes. No wine or grapes, so I don't know what caused the smell but it hasn't happened when I have baked bread.

ptkds Community Regular

It's probably the Sorghum. Try using rice flour instead. When I make bread, it doesn't smell or taste funny. It's not exactly like wheat bread, but the taste is good.

Hope this helps!!

  • 3 months later...
DoggieMama Newbie

I like you have a rank smell to the breads i have baked. i have tried all sorts of flours..and had no luck. I have used Oat bran, millet, brown rice, sorghum, buckwheat,almond, and coconut flours. all of them have the same smell...and darker in color when i know Brown rice flour isnt. i am thinking/wandering if it may be some ingredients causing it instead of the flour. but i dont know.. It tastes fine but it smells horrible. I have even added cinnamon just to mask the smell. its helped some but not enough for me. I love the smell of bread and this homemade stuff stinks.

I would love to know myself what the smell is.. I was googling about it and ended up at this comment...so i am new here.

Ginsou Explorer

I like you have a rank smell to the breads i have baked. i have tried all sorts of flours..and had no luck. I have used Oat bran, millet, brown rice, sorghum, buckwheat,almond, and coconut flours. all of them have the same smell...and darker in color when i know Brown rice flour isnt. i am thinking/wandering if it may be some ingredients causing it instead of the flour. but i dont know.. It tastes fine but it smells horrible. I have even added cinnamon just to mask the smell. its helped some but not enough for me. I love the smell of bread and this homemade stuff stinks.

I would love to know myself what the smell is.. I was googling about it and ended up at this comment...so i am new here.

Are you perhaps smelling yeast? When I make a homemade gluten free bread, I can smell the yeast in it...but when I purchase commercial gluten free bread I do not notice the yeast smell.

DoggieMama Newbie

Are you perhaps smelling yeast? When I make a homemade gluten free bread, I can smell the yeast in it...but when I purchase commercial gluten free bread I do not notice the yeast smell.

No, there isnt any yeast in this recipe. there is lemon juice, baking soda, xanthan gum, and some recipes have apple cider vinegar. both have had the same odor..with and without APV. i have changed up flours and everything. there are three things i have changed. i purchased a ceramic Paula Deen loaf pan flax seed flour and also I am letting the dough set..like the recipe calls for..for up to an hour..then stick into oven.

I cant imagine any of these affecting it. baffled..


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Pac Apprentice

No, there isnt any yeast in this recipe. there is lemon juice, baking soda, xanthan gum, and some recipes have apple cider vinegar. both have had the same odor..with and without APV. i have changed up flours and everything. there are three things i have changed. i purchased a ceramic Paula Deen loaf pan flax seed flour and also I am letting the dough set..like the recipe calls for..for up to an hour..then stick into oven.

I cant imagine any of these affecting it. baffled..

Do you always use xanthan gum? I don't like the smell and taste of xanthan gum at all so that might be what you are smelling. When I use comercial gluten free mixes, they always have xanthan gum and they always have this weird smell and taste. Bread I make from plain flours smells good. If you use tapioca flour, I don't think you need the xanthan gum at all.

mamaw Community Regular

Some gluten-free flours can become rancid & stink if not kept in fridge...

SensitiveMe Rookie

Can you list every ingredient you are putting into the bread...maybe this will help those here figure out the problem. And I am wondering what oil you are using.

I have been making bread (in a bread machine) for 2 years and never did it smell stinky. I don't use sorghum though but brown rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. I don't keep them in the fridge...but I do keep the safflower oil I use to make the bread in the fridge because oils can get rancid.

I have changed from using xanthan gum to using guar gum and I will say I like guar gum better not only for taste but smell also. I changed because I couldn't get a straight answer as to what xanthan gum was made from other than from some rotting vegetable such as cabbage or corn. And since I found out I am also allergic (or sensitive) to corn I have stuck to using the guar gum.

psawyer Proficient

I changed because I couldn't get a straight answer as to what xanthan gum was made from other than from some rotting vegetable such as cabbage or corn.

If by the term "rotting vegetable" you mean that the process involves fermentation, you are correct.

But, to me, the term "rotting" in this context is rather inflammatory. By your usage, cider would be "rotting apples;" wine would be "rotting grapes;" and beer would be "rotting barley." I doubt many here would agree with those labels.

SensitiveMe Rookie

I am sorry if someone may take my usage of the words "rotting vegetables" as inflammatory. Actually I was quoting the exact words that were used on the packages of Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum where they were explaining how Xanthum was made as a myobacterium and they used the term "rotting vegetables such as cabbage" etc.

But that was 2 years ago and I have since noticed that there is no such wording now on the packages. I would agree that the term of rotting vegetables is not very pleasant and neither was the term myobacterium...and it's no wonder to me that they have now changed the packages to no longer say that. But I am sure their original intent was to explain in simple terms how xanthan gum was made. And sorry again if someone may have thought I was using inflammatory terms or criticizing xanthan gum.

Jestgar Rising Star

I am sorry if someone may take my usage of the words "rotting vegetables" as inflammatory. Actually I was quoting the exact words that were used on the packages of Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum where they were explaining how Xanthum was made as a myobacterium and they used the term "rotting vegetables such as cabbage" etc.

Seriously?? Wonder how long it took them to fire THAT marketing genius.

  • 1 month later...
BPW in TO Newbie

No, there isnt any yeast in this recipe. there is lemon juice, baking soda, xanthan gum, and some recipes have apple cider vinegar. both have had the same odor..with and without APV. i have changed up flours and everything. there are three things i have changed. i purchased a ceramic Paula Deen loaf pan flax seed flour and also I am letting the dough set..like the recipe calls for..for up to an hour..then stick into oven.

I cant imagine any of these affecting it. baffled..

My family is relatively new with the whole gluten free thing. We have recently started trying to bake bread. I also have a problem with the smell. Fortunately, my daughter doesn't notice it (She is the confirmed Celiac - my wife and I are awaiting blood tests). I find the smell to be mild when buying store bought bread, but severe when baking it myself. I recently made a loaf with new ingredients that was much worse. I was assuming that it was the corn flour, but you don't seem to be using that. (I based that on the fact that the last loaf seemed to have a higher corn percentage, including Masa Harina)

My next guess was the Apple Cider vinegar, but I guess that can't be right if you don't have that in all your recipes. The rest of your ingredients seem different, and the only common ingredient seems to be the xanthan gum. So, I think that's what I will try and change next time. I have had Guar gum, soghum flour and gelatin suggested - anyone have any comments?

I wish I could describe the smell. To me, it is extraordinarily foul and chemical like. I know I have a sensitive nose, but it is interesting that neither my wife nor my daughter seem to notice it.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

Seriously?? Wonder how long it took them to fire THAT marketing genius.

I know, right? HAHAHAH!!!!!

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