Tips for Baking Gluten-Free Bread in a Bread Machine

From Beth Hillson, Founder, Gluten-Free Pantry, President, American Celiac Disease Alliance

To Ensure A Great Loaf of Bread, Try These Tips:

Use only one cycle of kneading and rising. Any more than that will overwork the dough.
Warm liquids to 100 degrees.
Your g-f flour and eggs should be room temperature. (Warm eggs by setting them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.)
Add ingredients in the order recommended by the manufacturer of your bread machine.
Good gluten-free bread depends on a delicate balance of wet to dry ingredients. Success is determined in the kneading cycle where dough should be properly mixed and liquid or dry ingredients should be adjusted as needed.
Proper mixing and proportion of ingredients allow the yeast to be evenly dispersed.
Too much liquid produces a floppy, gummy loaf with large holes and a flat or sunken to.
Too little liquid produces a lumpy, crumbly, loaf.
A few minutes into the kneading cycle, lift the lid and use a rubber spatula to mix the dough, until smooth and moist in appearance. Don't be afraid to reach right down to the bottom of the pan.
If dry flour is sitting on the top or in the corners, the bread needs more liquid and/or better mixing. Add 1 tsp. warm water at a time, mixing after each addition, until dough is smooth and swirls in the bread pan.
For soupy batter, add 1 Tbs. rice or other g-f flour at a time, stirring after each incorporation, until dough is thick and pulls away from the sides.

If Your Bread Isn't Rising, Consider This:

Gluten-free bread dough rises best in a warm, draft-free room.
If the machine is programmable, increase the amount of time in the rise cycle. Make sure to begin with very warm (not hot) ingredients.
Add 1 tsp. cider vinegar to liquids or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ascorbic acid (powdered Vitamin C) to the dry ingredients in the recipe.
The yeast may be old or liquids may have been too hot. (Over 120 degrees will kill the yeast.) Next time, use fresh yeast and water that is not quite so warm.
Don't worry if your bread has not risen to the top of the pan when it begins to bake. It will rise more during baking.

General Suggestions:

Avoid using automatic cool down cycle. Cool on wire rack to prevent bread from becoming gummy.
Use butter and milk rather than oil and water to add moisture and create a chewy crust. Egg replacer may be used in place of eggs.
Adding a sweetener helps activate the yeast. Molasses and honey help produce a silky texture in gluten-free yeast dough. Be sure to count what you add as part of the liquid ingredients.
To store, allow loaf to cool completely. Slice and place in a zip-lock plastic bag.
If you are not using the entire loaf of bread in the next 24 hours, freeze the remainder and take out slices as needed. To revive, wrap slices in a paper towel and microwave 30-60 seconds. Toast, if desired, or just enjoy!

Beth’s Pick for Bread Machines:

People use nearly every model of bread machine to make their bread and most turn out an acceptable loaf. However, Beth’s favorite is the Zojirushi X-20 Bread Machine (item #959067). It’s equipped with a programmable cycle, horizontal loaf pan and dual kneading blades. These features make it ideally suited for gluten-free breads. If you find another brand of machine with similar features, it will also work well for gluten-free baking.