Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Revisited

It’s been over three years since I first discovered the Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Recipe I shared (December 31, 2010), and as with any recipe over time, I’ve adjusted the basic ingredients and added some steps I use in the preparations.

I recently read  Grain Brain by David Perlmutter. He makes the point that many of the current gluten free recipes rely on starches – such as corn or tapioca – which have a high glycemic index and can contribute to type II diabetes.  That led me to start looking at alternatives that might be used in the mix to alleviate some of that impact.  By a happy accident (didn’t think that at the time though) I discovered glutinous rice flour has some interesting properties. Glutinous rice is a flour made from sticky rice.   Although it has roughly the same GI as cornstarch, it has some properties that add to the final bread texture.  Tapioca starch has a slightly lower GI. 

While making pancakes, I used glutinous rice in the batter, with the result of creating some of the best crepes I’ve ever made.  However, it will never work for pancakes.  By replacing the cornstarch – or some part of it – with the glutinous rice added a bit of that elastic property found in wheat gluten.  The resulting loaves are more flexible and hold up in sandwiches better.  No more crumbling onto the plate at that first bite!  I am varying the ingredients and ratios too.  My last batch of flour had a 2:1 of cornstarch and glutinous rice.  (My next batch I replaced the cornstarch with tapioca starch in the same ratio.  I'll let you know how that turned out!)
Another approach to expanding my food options is sprouting.  My first trial was with lentils.  I added the sprouts to the bread, and loved it!  It improved the texture again, added flavor, and increased the amount of protein.

Flour mixture:
3 cup brown rice
2 cup cornstarch
1 cup glutinous rice
1 cup garfava flour
1 cup fava bean flour
1 cup masa harina

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour mixture*
2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 ½ Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ½ cups warm water (not hot)
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar

Preparation:
I’ve tried many treatments for the bread pan, as well as having changed types of pans and oven temperatures.  I find the only thing that works is parchment paper.  I cut it the length of the pan and leave enough to wrap up both sides of the pan.  I set the oven to 250° to allow the bread to rise where it’s really warm – my house is pretty drafty in that corner.

The original recipe suggested using three bowls – one for the dry ingredients, one for the water/yeast/sugar mixture, and one for the oil/eggs/vinegar mixture.  I still do that but with some added steps:
1. I take the eggs out beforehand and let them come to room temperature.  If in a rush, you can warm them up in water too.
2. I mx the yeast mixture first.  I make the water just a bit warmer than usual, then  add the sugar.  I had trouble with the yeast mixing into the water – it would clump up – so I use a fork to break it apart and dissolve into the water, as well as mix the sugar thoroughly.  I wait a few minutes and do the same thing, then leave it sit in a warm place for AT LEAST 5 minutes, sometimes more.  I wait until the top is completely covered with foam.
3. I measure the dry ingredients into a second bowl and then whisk well.
4. Using the third bowl I add the oil, then the eggs, and whisk together.  I hold the vinegar (cider really works better) until the yeast is ready.  When it is, I add the vinegar, whisk again, and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir just a bit.
5. I then pour the yeast mixture into the egg bowl using a spatula to scrap the sides, getting all the sugar and yeast.  I use the same spatula stirring the yeast mixture and scraping the sides of the egg bowl, and then transfer all of it into the dry ingredient/egg mixture.  Scrape the sides well of the bowl.

6. I mix everything together with the whisk, wait a few minutes, and insert the parchment.  If you want to add anything extra – sprouts, spices, raisins, cranberries, caraway seeds – do it now. Whisk again, and then pour into the pan.  Level the surface and smooth into all the corners – the batter is usually about an inch below the top of the pan and a thick cake batter consistency.  Set in a warm place, cover if you wish, and let raise.  Usually takes about 40 minutes.  When the bread is about an inch over the top of the pan, it is done.  It will raise a bit more while baking.  Bake at 375° (350° if using Pyrex or glass pan) 50 – 60 minutes.  Remove from oven, loosen ends, and remove from pan.  Carefully tear off the parchment and let cool on one side and then the other.  It needs to be watched a bit to keep it from condensing moisture.

I usually can't resist and have to cut a slice off at this point, but don’t leave the bread on its bottom afterwards; it really needs to cool a good while before that.

HAPPY EATING!

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Recipe

I got this from http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/, and using her table modified the GF flour to adjust for my allergies to soy and corn in addition to the gluten. It was great! And really simple. Since I am visiting family with my bread machine packed away I chose the convential oven method.

The original recipe calls for:

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts brown rice flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
3 parts corn starch
2 parts soy flour
1 part masa harina

Her suggestions:

The masa harina in the flour mix for this recipe is usually available in the Hispanic sections of most grocery stores. Due to the way it is processed, masa harina is very absorbent and you cannot substitute corn meal or corn flour. You can purchase masa harina on Amazon.com if it is not available locally.
If you are allergic to corn then you can make the following substitutions in the flour mix: use tapioca starch instead of corn starch and almond flour instead of masa harina.
If you are allergic to soy, then you can substitute any of the following flours for the soy flour in the flour mix: sorghum flour, garfava flour, or quinoa flour.
If you are on a dairy-free diet, then you may use soy milk or rice milk. Just make sure that they are gluten free.If you are allergic to eggs, use the flax substitute listed in the recipe, or follow the instructions on your favorite egg replacement powder. When I use the flax eggs, the bread is usually slightly wetter than otherwise.
Always substituting, I used the following GF mixture:

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts white rice flour (I also use Bob’s Red Mill)
3 parts tapioca starch
2 parts garbanzo flour
1 part almond flour


Really Good Gluten Free Sandwich Bread1 Tbsp. bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)
2 ½ cups of my gluten free flour mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt
3 eggs (or 9 Tbsp. water and 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar

1. Start by combining the yeast and sugar in a small bowl (I use the smallest in my set of three nested mixing bowls). Add the water while gently stirring the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients – bubbles and foam should form if the yeast is happy.
2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in the largest mixing bowl and stir well.
3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.
4. By this point the yeast mixture should be foamy, so you can pour the two liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Blend the dough with a mixer for 4 minutes.

Bread Machine Directions:Scoop your dough into the bread machine and smooth the top of the dough. I bake my bread using an 80 minute setting that allows for 20 minutes of kneading, 18 minutes of rise, and 42 minutes of baking. However, since I don’t use the paddle in by bread machine, I’m effectively doing a 38 minute rise and a 42 minute bake. (The advantage of not using the paddle is that you don’t end up with a hole in the bottom of your bread.)
Conventional Oven Directions:Scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until is is about 1 inch from the top of the pan. Then bake at 375 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.

The bread browned quickly, and the crust was quite dark when done, but REALLY good!
Plan on making more at first, the magic that makes fresh cooked bread disappear works the same for this as any gluten bread!