Bread Making Tips & Solutions

AGHHH!!! Bread or Did You Say Bricks?  Does every loaf of bread you make resemble those bricks you use to keep the doors ajar?  Then take a deep breath, & read on.  All breads, but especially those lacking gluten (& other proteins like milk or eggs) are very fragile & prone to failure.  This doesn’t mean you can’t create a great tasting home-style bread that rises high & doesn’t crumble when sliced.  You just need to figure out what is going wrong.   The most typical reasons that bread does not rise (or rises poorly) or falling as it cools is too little or too much moisture.   This excess moisture is the result of too little or too much added liquid or undercooking.  Proper raw dough texture (the gauge used to determine how much liquid must be added) & final success rely on precise amounts of liquid. Unless specified otherwise in the directions, Gluten free bread dough texture should be batter-like, like very thick cake batter.  You need to assess & possibly slightly modify the amount of liquid added each time the bread is prepared.  For best results, reserve 1/3-½ cup of the milk/substitute or water suggested in the directions, blending the remaining ingredients well with the proper equipment (the batter beater attachment (not dough hook) & a heavy-duty, stand-up mixer).  Assess the dough texture.  With bread machines, the time to assess &/or adjust the liquid is midway through the first “knead” cycle.   The paddle should move easily through the dough & circular lines will appear on top when the correct amount of liquid is added.  Using either method, if needed, add one Tbsp at a time of the reserved liquid to the dough, blending well (with the mixer or bread machine) in between, until the proper texture is achieved (even if more than suggested liquid is required).    If despite proper dough consistency, your bread does not perform as expected, try the following tips: If it collapses as it cools, it may need to just bake longer in the oven (cover top loosely with aluminum foil to keep from over browning).  Make sure your oven is preheated & hot, & the yeast & baking powder are still potent.  If you’re using egg substitutes, select appropriate ones that provide leavening/rise (e.g. not gelatin or flax seed) & use adequate amounts (we find 1 heaping Ener-G egg replacer powder per egg is needed for GF baking).  Some find 2 smaller loaves instead of one large one works better.  If all else fails, call us & let us try to help you resolve it.  J