Barbara asked me last week, “What do you do to make good bread?”. Bread is probably the hardest thing to make gluten free and still taste good. I have yet to find a good store bought loaf. Most of it tastes like cardboard or a dried out sponge. 🙁
Barbara also asked if I’d be willing to share a recipe. So I decided that I would share a bread recipe from my new gluten free cookbook, A Gluten Free Holiday, that will be available within the next month.
A Gluten Free Holiday E-book Cookbook is filled with recipes and tips for getting together with family and friends. It has the kind of food that you will be able to serve your guests or take with you to pot luck dinners and no one will guess that they are eating gluten free.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe.
Better Than Store Bought Gluten Free Bread
- 3 Extra Large Eggs, beaten
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
- 1 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
- 1 Cup Rice Bran
- 1 1/2 Cups Brown Rice Flour
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Xanthan Gum
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 Cup Powdered Milk
- 2 1/4 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift all dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix all wet ingredients until well blended. (I use my electric stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time while mixer is mixing and beat well, until dough is thick but not too stiff. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.
Cover and set aside in a warm location for one hour to rise.* Once dough rises, bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until edges are well browned. Remove immediately from pan and brush butter or margarine on top of bread.
Yield: 1 loaf (about 12 – 16 slices)
*I heat a cup of water in my microwave oven for about 1 – 2 minutes and then place my bread dough in the warm microwave to rise.
This bread is more like a whole wheat loaf of bread, rather than a loaf of white bread.
If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think of it.
I forgot to say that you want to keep your gluten free flours in the refridgerator or freezer. Then bring to room temperature before using.
Actually, gluten free baking works best with all ingredients at room temperature before using.
Just asking, could one use a hand held electric mixer to do the mixing instead.(I fully realize that I could just try it, but am wondering if it might be a bit too much for a portable mixer)
Robert,
You could probably use your hand mixer to mix up the wet ingredients and some of the dry ingredients, but by the time you would put all the dry ingredients in it would be too much for your hand held mixer.
I would use the mixer until it seems to be starting to strain and then just go to hand kneading.
I have a sensitivity to xantham gum. Should I just leave it out? What do you suggest I substitute for it? I used to make fantastic whole wheat bread and have been hugely disappointed by the store options that are gluten-free, so I am excited to try your recipe. 🙂
Holly,
You could try guar gum instead of the xanthan gum. I know that some bakeries use them interchangably, but I’ve never used guar gum.
You could also just leave out the xanthan gum, but that is basically the binder that holds the bread together. I know from experience that without the xanthan gum gluten free bread just falls apart.
I know what you mean about the store bought gluten free breads, most of them are horrible. Ihave found that you need to toast all of them to be even remotely edible.
That being said, I have found one that is really delicious. It is made by Whole Foods, and it’s called Prairie Bread. It has flax seed, pumpkin seeds and I’m not sure what other seeds right off the top of my head, but if I recall correctly, I think it may have xanthan gum in it also.
Let me know how the bread turns out for you if you try it.
I can’t seem to find rice bran in any of the stores around me, including the health food stores. The bigger supermarkets around here are carrying somme of the better brands of gluten free breads (Udi’s is my favourite) but the slices are so small. I’d like a “real” loaf of bread, so I can enjoy a sandwich and actually feel like I’ve eaten. Your recipe looks interesting; what can I substitute for the rice bran?
Carol,
I use Ener-G brand Rice Bran. I buy it in bulk from Amazon.
Bob’s Red Mill also makes a Rice Bran also, but they’re a little pricier, (Is that a word)? More expensive.
You also used to be able to get Ener-G brand at GNC nutrition stores, but that was back in the day so I’m not sure if they still carry it.
Hope that helps.
Hi, mary! I was just wondering if this would work in a bread machine? I’m trying to find a good gluten-free bread machine recipe. My son has been diagnosed as gluten-free this summer and now that we have tackled the switch successfully, I want to try and be more economical about it. So far we have been eating Udi’s brand of bread and actually enjoying it!! I would reccommend it to anyone! I am also gluten free now, (as of a few weeks), and it’s getting expensive! Soooo, I am looking for an easy, tasty substitute that I can make myself. Would your “G-F Sandwich Bread,” work in a bread maker?
Thanks, Melody
Hi Melody,
I don’t have a bread machine so I don’t even know how they work, lol. So I don’t know if this recipe would work or not, but if you try it in your machine, could you come back and leave a comment and let us know how it turned out?
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful on that.
Can I use oat bran instead of rice bran. I have some gf oat bran.
Yes as long as it is gluten-free.