Making Tasty Gluten Free Bread

Published on 15th January 2013

By Leila El-Dean

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One of the key benefits of having your own breadmaker is the variety of products it can make and for those on a special diet, flexibility can be invaluable.

Gluten free bread made to order! (image source: sanfranannie)

Whether you are gluten intolerant or just want to reduce the amount of gluten you consume within your diet, making gluten free bread in a breadmaker is a cheaper and healthier alternative than the products you can buy. The end result is far tastier too!

What is Gluten?

Gluten is the protein content of wheat which makes dough stretchy and flexible. Though the vast majority of people have no reaction to gluten, if you are wheat intolerant, suffer from Autism or ADHD or are a known Coeliac then it is wise to avoid gluten altogether.

Differences between Baking Traditional and Gluten Free Bread

Preparing a gluten free bread mix is entirely different. Even the consistency of the dough is dramatically different and the order the ingredients are put into the plan also changes.

Gluten free dough (image source: andrea_nguyen)

In traditional bread making, all dried ingredients are placed into the pan before the water which is always the last ingredient. However, when making gluten free bread, the water is placed in with the salt and the fat before the remaining dry ingredients are added and the dry yeast goes in last.

As the elasticity which binds the bread is nonexistent in gluten free recipes, an alternative such as Xanthum Gum can be used. Once you have your recipe set then spending some time tailoring the mix to your own specific tastes can provide outstanding results.

Avoid Cross Contamination

Take care, if you are using a bread maker for both gluten free bread and traditional bread to avoid cross contamination.

Particular attention should be made when cleaning the pan and the kneading blade. All parts should be completely free from traditional flour before the machine is used again for a gluten free recipe.

If this is of significant concern, it may be wise to purchase a separate pan and blade to keep the two mixes entirely distinct.

Choosing Your Breadmaker

Choosing a bread maker with a gluten free setting will make bread making easier, but you will still need to use a pre packed gluten free bread mix or use a special recipe that will enable the bread to rise.

It is possible to make some gluten free recipes using a traditional bread making setting but it is always wise to buy a breadmaker with this option if you can.

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