Recipes

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

GF Bread

So now that I’ve posted my GF mix I can post the GF bread that we use.  Since I used to make all my own bread we surely do miss the homemade bread coming out of the oven and eating it still warm, melting in your mouth.  We will eat GF bread out of the oven, but it’s just not the same.

GF bread is always best the day it’s made.  While some GF breads need to be eaten right away I do find that this recipe will last 2-3 days before it’s dried out and needs to be toasted.  So in that way it’s a good thing.  Since we have a good wrap recipe we tend to gravitate to them and not eat bread that much, but we do use the GF bread more for toast, like eggs and toast, french toast, or grill cheese.  As far as GF breads go this one is delicious.  Every now and then I need to remind myself how excited I was when I found this recipe as we thought it was just delicious after trying various other not so delicious GF breads.  I guess the reality is that we haven’t stopped grieving the loss of real bread yet … but eventually we will get over it and just accept this as our new bread and our new way of life.

Gluten Free Sorghum Bread (makes 14-16 slices)

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 1/8 cups GF Mix
  • 3 tbsp sugar (this is a bit more then I’d like to see in bread, you can reduce it, but we find the bread is drier then)
  • 1 tbsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp white vinegar

Optional:

  • For raisin bread add cinnamon to the dry mix and after you have mixed the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients add 3/4 cup raisins (if tolerated).

 

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Stir well to make sure the xanthan gum has been well distributed.  Set aside.

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In another bowl with an electric mixer mix together the wet ingredients with a paddle and not a bread hook as you would with wheat bread.

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With the mixer on low slowly add in the flour mixture

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Continue to mix until it is well combined, if necessary scrap down the sides with a spatula.  It should be the consistency of a thick batter.

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Turn your mixer to medium speed and beat the batter for four minutes.

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After four minutes the batter should appear smoother and thinner.

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Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. ( I usually do a double batch since this bread freezes well.)

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Now the loaf needs to rise.  Place it uncovered in a draft-free place.  I usually put it in my oven.  I will turn my oven to 200F and let it start to preheat for 2 minutes and then turn it off.  This makes a nice warm place for the bread to rise.  (My mixer cannot do four loaves at a time, but I will do two batches of two loaves right after each other … I figure if I have all the stuff out I might as well make it worth the mess)

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Let the bread  rise for 30 minutes, or until it reaches the edge of the pan … if you do not use the oven this may take closer to 60-75 minutes.

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Since I let the bread rise in the oven this means that I need to remove it to preheat the oven.  This is why I usually check the bread after 30 minutes to see how it’s doing.  It can continue to rise on the counter (although at a slower pace) while I wait for the oven to preheat.  You will note that two loaves are larger, this is because they were the first batch I made.  If there is a noticeable different then I will start baking the first two loaves and place the second two in about 10 minutes later.    Since there is no gluten in this bread it can only rise slightly over the top of the loaf pan, if it rises to far it will flop over and start running down the sides as the xanthan gum is not strong enough to hold it together like gluten does.

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Preheat the oven to 350F and once it is heated place your bread in oven for 35-45 minutes (this fluctuates from one oven to the next).  Remove the bread from the bread pan as soon as possible.  I do find it does not always shake out right away after taken from the oven, but if I leave it in the pan for about 5-10 minutes it will gather some moisture and loosen up.  Otherwise, carefully scrap a knife along the edges to loosen it.  Cool completely on rack (or eat warm).

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You now have a nice moist loaf of gluten free bread.  Slice it up and enjoy it.

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We will also slice the loaf and put it in the freezer, that way we can take out slices as we need them.  We do find that bread that comes out of the freezer tastes is drier and better as toast … but since we use GF bread mostly for toast (and Crepes/Wraps instead of bread) this works fine for us.

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Or … you can slice it and put it in the oven to dry it out and make bread crumbs.  Usually I use the ends of the bread or “old” dried out bread for this, but sometimes I’m low on bread crumbs and need to just make a couple loaves into crumbs.

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Enjoy!

14 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your blog! I have been studying your old one for a year now and it has helped so much. This site is such a blessing!!

    Carrie

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  2. Thanks for the vote of confidence Carrie :)

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  3. Making the GF bread for the first time. Is the quantity of flour mix (2 1/8 cups) correct? It doesn't seem very much. I usually use 450g for each loaf.

    Mike

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  4. Mike
    Yes that is correct. This makes a loaf 4.5"(11cm) by 8.5" (22cm). If you have a larger loaf you may want to adjust it a bit.

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  5. The bread looks beautiful. I look forward to trying it out. I'm always looking for a good bread recipe. One that doesn't break the bank or taste like cardboard...or have that funky taste so many GF breads have.


    (I have a suggestion about your site I can't read the gray words on the red. you might want to switch up your color scheme.)
    I found you through fructosemalabsorptiondiet.blogspot.com
    I also have a blog that has some lowFODMAPS recipes. I started the blog before I was diagnosed. it's all GF, but not all fructose friendly. http://wendycooks.wordpress.com

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    1. Thanks for the blog link Wendy. I read on your blog that you have not been feeling well and hope that you are getting better. All the best.

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  6. It's so nice to see another food blogger with fructmal! I have a food blog too (http://www.deliciousasitlooks.com/). I figured out a couple of years ago that I have fructmal (still figuring out what I can and can't eat). I knew I couldn't eat whole wheat, but thought I could tolerate refined wheat (such as white bread). While it didn't give me intestinal distress, I only found out recently that it was making me tired, bloated and achy. So I am delving into the world of gluten-free baking. I'm trying to perfect my own bread recipe using sorghum flour and your blog has been a big help! I do have a question: where did you get those long bags to store the bread in? Those would work so much better than the ziplock bags I'm using now. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Dianne
      I actually just use whatever bags happen to be handy, which usually means I either use no name brand (from Loblaws) or Glad brand. The ones in the picture are the Glad Freezer Bags - Medium Size (2L - 17.8cm x 33cm).

      Thanks for the blog link. I had a chance to look at it and it's always great to read ideas from others.

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  7. Does yeast bother you at all? I have had digestive issues for over 6 years.. have seen 7 doctors and have had over 13 procedures and still nothing. I was reading about bacteria overgrowth online and have started to reduce sugar, yeast foods and white flour. I noticed I am feeling a little better and some of my symptoms are not as frequent. I came across your site when I was further researching if it was the sugars or the white flour and yeast that was making me feel bad etc. Or is it both sort of thing. The more I research the fructose the more I want to get the breath test done. One test that was not done on my during the 13 others.

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    1. I do not have trouble with yeast. I did go through a stage where I took yeast out my diet as I thought that candida and/or leaky gut syndrome was my problem, but this did not end up to be the case. I myself am not very familiar with SIBO so I would not have adequate answers in that department, but I do know that one with SIBO follows a low FODMAPs diet in order to help symptoms and that it is tested by breath hydrogen test like FM. An elimination diet may help you to determine what is causing your problems.

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  8. I have made your GF bread twice now. Both times it rises beautifully (just like your pictures). During the baking process, the bread rises too much and then as it cools, it "falls" or sinks in on itself. Any suggestions? (It still tastes good.)

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    1. Yes the bread does "sink" after it cools. This is why I like it to have a good rise just above the edges of my pan, so that after it "sinks" it is still a decent size and density. The bread actually turns out more like a loaf cake. What we like most about this bread is that it is moist and holds it's moistness for several days, unlike store bought GF bread that is dry or dries out in a days time.

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  9. Staying where my hands areSeptember 1, 2012 at 5:04 PM

    I'm so excited to have found your blog(s)! Looking forward to more time to catch up too.

    For Lisa... we spoke with a local gluten free bakery and the owner told me to put a bread pan upside down on top of the bread pan with the loaf in it and it helps the bread rise and prevents the spill over (so making it look like an old lunch box if that makes sense). I haven't yet tried it but plan to very soon. Good luck!

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  10. Staying where my hands areSeptember 1, 2012 at 5:06 PM

    Wow, it took me 6 tries to post the above comment trying to get past the comment verification process. Not sure what blogger is thinking but I nearly gave up trying because it kept rejecting what I entered (so hard to read). Just wanted to post this in case it is preventing others from getting their comments through to you :)

    We'll see if I can get this one posted :o

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