Many people have chosen to follow a gluten free diet even if they don’t suffer from celiac disease or have a gluten intolerance. Whether it’s for health reasons or for weight loss, the number of people who seek out gluten free bread recipes has grown significantly in recent years.
While the jury is still out on whether eliminating gluten, which is found in rye, wheat and barley, is beneficial for people who don’t need to, it appears that trend is here to stay. So, with that in mind, here’s how to make gluten free bread at home.
Gluten Free Bread Requires the Right Ingredients
Whether you plan to use a gluten free bread machine recipe or make homemade gluten free bread in the oven, you’ve got to have the right ingredients if you want it to turn out right. First, you’ll need a gluten free flour. There are many options, including rice flour, oat flour and tapioca flour.
Because these kinds of flours don’t have a binder like wheat flour, you’ll need to use one. The most common binder is xanthan gum. You’ll also need yeast.
You can also choose an all-purpose gluten free flour, which often has the binder already added. Depending on the recipe, you may also need eggs, milk, salt or butter.
Directions for the Best Gluten Free Bread
Because there are so many options, in terms of ingredients and size of loaf made, you can try various recipes until you find one that suits. Mix and match different flours until you achieve a flavor and consistency you like. Essentially, though, all recipes will follow the same steps, which are:
1. Mix the yeast with water and sugar. Allow time for the yeast to be activated (5 to 10 minutes).
2. Add any eggs, milk, butter, remaining sugar, and oil that the gluten free bread recipe calls for.
3. Add dry ingredients and blend well to form a dough.
4. Leave to prove/rise if the recipe calls for it.
5. Bake according to the recipe’s directions, be it in the bread machine or the oven.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Bread Ever
One of the best tips for getting a great loaf of gluten free bread every time is to keep it simple. You may see recipes with tons of ingredients, but the more you put in, the more difficult the process becomes.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you use a large enough pan as gluten free bread tends to rise quite a bit and a pan that’s too small can result in quite a mess. Gluten free bread dough can be quite sticky so be sure to grease your pans well before cooking.
You also want to make sure you beat the batter well enough before baking to ensure that it rises properly. Check out a recipe from this expert for a quick and simple bread you’ll turn to time and time again.
Ready, Set, Dough
Breadmaking is more simple than many people realize. It will take a bit of practice and experimentation to find a suitable gluten free bread recipe but once you succeed with your first loaf, you’ll be enjoying fresh bread whenever you like.
If you want to live your best life, gluten free or otherwise, you’ll find plenty of interesting and great advice on the Stayful blog.