Spectacular Gluten Free Bread in the Bread Machine! xanthan free option

This is the first gluten-free loaf in 2 years that came out just like "real bread". What a thrill it is to have soft, moist, tender Gluten Free bread from my bread machine! 

It smells and tastes amazing, with a thin crisp crust and a tender holey texture.  The flavor is great, but it still had a tiny bit of yeasty tangy flavor ( I guess that happens when some yeasts react to the Gluten Free flours) so  I ordered a new yeast called SAF Instant Yeast ( check it out by clicking the link) SAF is much cheaper than what I was spending on Fleischmann's and now my bread tastes spectacular!



The dry milk powder and the Gluten Free Sorghum Flour that I added to my recipe enriches the flavor too, but if you can't have dairy see the options below.

For a dairy-free option, try warm Almond milk, Coconut milk, or Soy milk instead of the water in the recipe, delete the dry milk and lower the total amount of liquids a little to compensate for the loss of the dry milk.  I haven't tried it yet so please let me know how it works for you.

I've also heard that finely ground almond meal is a good cup-for-cup replacement for dry milk.  Use the same amount of liquids if you try this option, but again I haven't tried it so please let me know if it works!

See that crust?  That's the olive oil that makes it so flaky, so don't skimp on it and you will be thrilled with the results.  

I wanted to test it again today, so I baked another loaf and it came out even better this time and I'm so tickled with it!!  Hope you try it and enjoy

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Spectacular Gluten-Free Bread in the Bread Machine

Put the ingredients into your bread machine in this order or follow your machines instructions

Important!  All ingredients must be at room temperature


Wet Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 cups warm (110 degrees) water or dairy-free alternative  (I start with 1 cup and add more if needed after 5 minutes of mixing in the bread machine) If you live in a humid area like I do you will want to start with less and add more slowly as needed to get a thick banana bread consistency
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 eggs (I warm them under hot water), beaten (or you can try egg substitute if needed)
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a bowl whisk the wet ingredients thoroughly and pour them into machine pan

Dry Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 cups of room temp Gluten Free Flour Mix-for best results, see the flour recipe below.
• 1 Tablespoon Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum.  (with guar gum, a combination of both gums works best)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup dry milk powder
• 2 Tablespoons sugar  ( yeast needs sugar but you can try agave or honey if you prefer)

Mix well or Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl and pour into your pan slowly completely covering the wet

Top layer Ingredient:
2-1/4 tsp (or 1 pkg) dry active rapid rise yeast Bread Machine Yeast  or 1 Tablespoon SAF instant yeast  (make sure your yeast is fresh)

Update:  lately I have been using SAF yeast and increased the amount to 1 Tablespoon.  Many readers have had great results with the original amount too, so feel free to experiment. 

Make a small well in the dry ingredients and add your yeast.  The yeast should not touch the wet until  the machine starts to mix

Instructions:

My settings on my very old machine are:  (Read farther down for new machines instructions)

I got mine at the thrift store for $5.00!
I'm sure you could find one too, but make sure your buttons work, it has a paddle and can handle a large loaf

Press Select until you get to the Basic Light Cycle

Press Start

Knead for apx 25-30 minutes

the dough will be very thick . 

I open the top and scrape down the sides once or twice at this stage.  Your dough should be very thick but wet.  It will not look like traditional bread dough.  More like thick banana bread. If it's too runny and wet- add a little flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until it's slightly firmer. Too wet, the bread will fall.  Too dry and it will be too heavy.  Try to keep to the recipe.  Scraping will help blend out all the lumps

When the machine stops kneading gently smooth the top over with wet fingers.

I leave the paddle in.  I don't like to disturb the dough  


Now my machine warms for rising.  I leave the pan in and let it warm for a few minutes.  Then I turn the machine off or unplug it.  If you don't shut it down it will rise and then knead again.  Gluten-Free bread cannot be knocked down.  It won't rise again very much if you do.  

Rise for apx 50 minutes.  I should be about 3/4 of the way to the top of the pan but results will vary

Remove the pan very carefully and set it aside with a towel over it in a warm location.  Don't bang it or it will fall!

Restart your machine and select the Quick Bread cycle.  Mine has one that only has Knead and Bake. 
Let it go thru the Knead cycle empty ( I know this is a pain but it works!) until it gets to Bake.  It should only be 10 minutes or so

Now set your pan gently back in.  No need to lock down or wiggle

Bake!  Don't open it.  Apx 1-1 1/2 hours or until it turns off.  All machines are different, so what you want to look for is a firm brown top.  I use a thermometer just before it goes off to check temp.  It should read about 190-200 degrees and come out dry. 
If necessary you can take it out of the pan and pop it in the oven at 350 to finish up but I've never had to do this. 

 Take the pan out of the machine immediately or your crust will get soggy. Update: readers have left the bread in the pan with good results too!

I let the bread cool in the pan on it's side for 3-5 minutes before shaking/tapping it out from the pan.  I then cool it completely on a rack before I cut into it and to keep it fresh longer, I store in a large Tupperware container with a paper towel liner to absorb the moisture, in the fridge.

Baking in the Oven:
My machine is going down!  So another option I have tried is to let the machine do the mixing and kneading only. You could also do this in your large mixer with a dough hook.
Turn your dough into a large greased loaf pan to rise. Remember you cannot knock down gluten free bread dough. It will not rise a second time.
Cover with a towel and put in a warm oven (I turn it on for a minute and turn it off) or other warm location to rise.  Some people use a heating pad to help their bread rise.  Some put their bread in a warm bathroom (I don't know about that one!)
Let rise for about an hour or until just to the top of the pan and then remove from oven.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for apx 30 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow and feels firm when tapped.  Instant read thermometer should read 190-200 and come out dry.

Best Results Flour Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour
1 1/4 cup Gluten Free White Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
1/2 cup Gluten Free Sweet Rice Flour (also known as Mochiko)
1/2 cup Gluten Free Sorghum Flour


For a newer machine the settings are:  or use your machines instructions for the Gluten Free cycle. I don't have a newer machine so please refer to your manual!   This Cuisinart is $100.00 off!!!

This is what I have been told should work in newer machines that can be programmed:

10 min. preheat? I'm not sure why this is recommended. Too much heat can kill the yeast. Perhaps this is before the dough goes in and it's a very low heat setting to help with the rise.
18 min. knead  (remember to start with less water and add as needed)
40 min-1 hr. rise, do not let the dough rise higher than the pan
1 hr. 10 min bake or until bread interior temp reaches 200 degrees
0 min. keep warm.

 

Here's a link if you want to buy a bread slicer similar to mine!  Westbend Bread Slicer. Wishing you happy bread-making!

xoxo