Sinking Bread

[Forty320]

I've been trying for a couple of months now, and just can't seem to get a decent loaf of bread. I have no trouble getting my bread to stay moist and cohesive, but I just can't get it to last more than a couple hours out of the oven without sinking into itself. I don't want to buy bread mixes because, quite frankly, I can buy a perfectly good loaf of gluten-free bread at one of my local grocery stores for less than the mixes, and it's still a bit to pricey for me. I also don't want to use any more strange ingredients unless I can get them for a good deal at my grocery store. I stock:

rice flour,

sorico powder,

arriolet powder,

soy flour,

cornstarch,

potato starch,

xanthan gum,

baking powder,

baking soda,

salt,

tapioca flour,

soy milk,

eggs,

vege oil,

shortening,

butter,

lemon juice,

and a bunch of normal stuff like different kinds of sugar and stuff.

I've tried about 30 different gluten-free bread recipes, with and without yeast, with and without egg, with and without yogurt, etc., and they all sink. Some sink immediately after removing from the oven, and some wait until they cool more. The bread I get at the store isn't sunk! How do they manage that? I thought about baking it in cans, but I baked a cake for my sister's birthday a few weeks ago, and before it was even cool enough to frost, it had shrunk several inches on all sides! There must be a way to get these things to hold their size!

- Dan

[catfish]

I have the same problem, sometimes it collapses and sometimes it doesn't but I haven't yet figured out why. I am going to try cooling my bread and cake slowly in the oven to see if that makes a difference, otherwise I'm not sure what could be going on.

[kvogt]

Everything I've read indicates that its all about too much water at the end of the bake. The steam holds up the loaf. When it cools, the steam cools and the loaf collapses. The loaf has to "set", such that the bread holds itself up. Too much water and/or too little baking time is generally the problem.

[GFdoc]

I've posted this recipe before, but it's been modified a bit. I made many flops (usually collapsed loaves, like yours) before I came up with this one. You need to have enough structure to hold up the liquids. The only ingredients I think you'll need in addition to your list is almond meal (which you can grind yourself) and dry potato flakes (easily found in the instant potato section, or the health food area - I use Barbara's brand). This bread is consistantly soft and moist, mine stays at room temp for several days just fine. Great for sandwiches, toast, etc.

Challah (Egg Bread)

1 cup cornstarch

[Forty320]

Thanks, I'll give that a try if I can get my hands on the ingredients. I heard about one that uses buttermilk. Someone told me they'd send me the recipe, but I haven't gotten it yet. Any more recipes are sure welcome!

- Dan

[hapi2bgf]

I can't use the Almond meal. Is it fine to just leave it out, or should I replace it with something? Any suggestions?

[GFdoc]

The almond meal provides the protein for the structure of the bread - you could try substituting dry milk powder or perhaps some soy (tofu maybe?). Just watch out for the total liquid content versus the dry.