Gluten-free Breads and Pastry?

[Anna N]

Today I turned from breads to cookies. First up was chocolate chip cookies and I used the recipe from the Land O Lakes site. I suspect that baked goods other than breads are much less challenging. First of all there is no universal standard of chocolate chip cookies. Crispy, chewy, soft, thick, thin -- all of them have their fans. And there is much in the ingredient list to cover up any deficiencies in the flour blend. Of course if you are absolutely set on a chewy cookie then a crisp one is bound to disappoint. I just think it is much more fixable than poorly textured bread.

I overcooked the last batch (not shown) because I didn't hear the timer bing. They were quite dark but in my opinion quite delicious!

Of course I had to purchase Gluten-free Flour Power. It offers a gram for gram flour blend that can be directly replaced with all-purpose flour. This makes it possible to do a side-by-side comparison of wheat-based versus gluten-free - An exciting thought! Now I need another trip to stock up on supplies.

Edited to add

I am discovering major problems with the volume/weight conversions in the book. Anyone using the volume measurements Is going to run into serious trouble. 1 tablespoon of baking soda does not equate to 5 g and a whole tablespoon of baking soda will not lead to a very good end product. The confusion between teaspoons and tablespoons is fairly frequently throughout the book. Have my fingers crossed that the weight measurements are on target.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Anna N]

So today knowing I had a package of Bob's Red Mill All-purpose Baking Mix which had been in my cupboard for sometime, I thought I would try to use it to make a bread of some sort. I chose the "French" bread from their site. This gluten-free flour blend contains bean flours and while it is being mixed the smell is quite off putting. However the instructions were easy to follow and within half an hour it was in the oven baking. The baking time and temperature given were 400°F for one hour and then 15 minutes more with the oven temperature reduced. After just over 30 minutes in the oven it appeared quite brown so I tented it with foil and kept my fingers crossed. just under the hour I checked again and it had reached 207°F internally (my oven is quite accurate) so I pulled it out.

No idea how it came to be called French or indeed how it came to be called bread!

In appearance it would seem to belong somewhere in the MOMA rather than in the pantry. It was feather light no doubt from the beaten egg whites.

After it had cooled I tried a small bite from a slice. The crumb seems almost slimy, very much like touching cold, fresh yeast when you buy it in cake form. I call it the morguish feel.

Toasting did not improve it. First of all it brought out the bean flour odour and a bite of the toast seem to dissolve as soon as it mixed with saliva.

Only starvation would bring me to eat this version.

[Smithy]

Thanks for the appetizing report. Do you plan to inflict the leftovers on pigeons? :-D

[Anna N]

Thanks for the appetizing report. Do you plan to inflict the leftovers on pigeons? :-D

Smithy,

I thought I would spare the pigeons and feed it to the more morguish worms!

I am having a hard time understanding how anyone can compare these to good bread. So many of the reviews of gluten-free bread recipes describe them in such glowing terms that the Poilâne bakery ought to be fearing for its continued existence! I try hard to understand the desperation of those with conditions that deny them the pleasures of wheat bread but if they are settling for dreck like this how will anyone really strive for something better? Or are they making comparisons with supermarket bread and it's my expectations that are the problem? Is any "bread" really better that none? Perhaps so. Anyway once I can re-stock my pantry with other speciality ingredients I will try some more recipes.

[Katie Meadow]

I was on a wheat-free diet for almost two years. It didn't take long to give up on finding a wheat-free bread that wasn't awful. I found exactly no commercial products--and that includes artisanal bakery "bread"--that was worth eating, so I lived on rice, rice noodles, corn tortillas and granola. I found one recipe for wheat-free pancakes that was very good, but outside of that, all wheat-free stuff tasted slimy, some more, some less, but still. So I just made a life without sandwiches and, god help me, baguettes.

I now eat modest amounts of wheat and never take it for granted. Toast is golden.

[Franci]

Today I turned from breads to cookies. First up was chocolate chip cookies and I used the recipe from the Land O Lakes site. I suspect that baked goods other than breads are much less challenging. First of all there is no universal standard of chocolate chip cookies. Crispy, chewy, soft, thick, thin -- all of them have their fans. And there is much in the ingredient list to cover up any deficiencies in the flour blend. Of course if you are absolutely set on a chewy cookie then a crisp one is bound to disappoint.

.

Anna, if you are interested in more cookies, I tried this http://deliciouslyorganic.net/nut-free-grain-free-chocolate-chip-cookies-paleo/

If you scroll down in the comments you'll find me and I've already converted the recipe in weights. Depending on the fat you use, butter vs Palm shortening you'll get a different cookie.

[Anna N]

I was on a wheat-free diet for almost two years. It didn't take long to give up on finding a wheat-free bread that wasn't awful. I found exactly no commercial products--and that includes artisanal bakery "bread"--that was worth eating, so I lived on rice, rice noodles, corn tortillas and granola. I found one recipe for wheat-free pancakes that was very good, but outside of that, all wheat-free stuff tasted slimy, some more, some less, but still. So I just made a life without sandwiches and, god help me, baguettes.I now eat modest amounts of wheat and never take it for granted. Toast is golden.

Thank you so much, Katie, for chiming in. I was afraid I was being overly critical of the results I was getting or perhaps that I was screwing up the recipes! I keep my bread consumption to a minimum by choice as I can well do without the calories. But I cannot imagine life without good bread.

[Anna N]

Anna, if you are interested in more cookies, I tried this http://deliciouslyorganic.net/nut-free-grain-free-chocolate-chip-cookies-paleo/

If you scroll down in the comments you'll find me and I've already converted the recipe in weights. Depending on the fat you use, butter vs Palm shortening you'll get a different cookie.

Thank you so much for this. I particularly like it because it makes just a few cookies. The Land O Lakes chocolate chip cookies went over very well with the gluten-free and the gluten-eating crowd so more chocolate chip cookies will not be amiss. Today I have to prepare a very large batch of chicken tikka masala but if I still have the energy after that I am going to try some gluten-free "tortillas".

Edited to add

Oh and it's great that you have already done the conversion from volume to weight!

Edited May 16, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[CatPoet]

Old fashion  cornbread and old fashion corn cookies are by design glutenfree.

[Anna N]

Old fashion  cornbread and old fashion corn cookies are by design glutenfree.

This was my original post:

It's been a year since last posted on this topic. I suspect much has changed in that year. I have been asked to try and produce a gluten-free white sandwich bread. Cannot use corn in any form nor can I use buckwheat. Anyone? Please, please let's stick to baking and leave the medical science to others.

[CatPoet]

Anna I forgot. 

If buckwheat is out so is rhubarb so much I know.  Can you get hold of potato meal/ flour?  It basically  potato starch and very common to use here in gluten free cookies and breads,

[Anna N]

Anna I forgot. 

If buckwheat is out so is rhubarb so much I know.  Can you get hold of potato meal/ flour?  It basically  potato starch and very common to use here in gluten free cookies and breads,

Potato flour and potato starch are quite different products and cannot be used interchangeably. Potato flour is made from the whole potato whereas potato starch is exactly what it says-- the starch extracted from potatoes. Both are readily available here.

[Katie Meadow]

Thank you so much, Katie, for chiming in. I was afraid I was being overly critical of the results I was getting or perhaps that I was screwing up the recipes! I keep my bread consumption to a minimum by choice as I can well do without the calories. But I cannot imagine life without good bread.

From reading many of your posts over the last few years I have an inkling of your baking skills. If YOU can't make edible wheat-free bread no one can.

[andiesenji]

Potato flour and potato starch are quite different products and cannot be used interchangeably. Potato flour is made from the whole potato whereas potato starch is exactly what it says-- the starch extracted from potatoes. Both are readily available here.

On one of the blogs I follow the author "ground" instant potato flakes in the food processor till it was like fine cornmeal and then incorporated it in a GF recipe. 

I've been trying to find the particular recipe but have yet been successful.

[Anna N]

On one of the blogs I follow the author "ground" instant potato flakes in the food processor till it was like fine cornmeal and then incorporated it in a GF recipe.

I've been trying to find the particular recipe but have yet been successful.

Damn! I read that today! I will try to back track.

Edited to add

Andie,

I think this is the website where I ran across this idea today. But I just did a quick search and there are multiple websites where potato flakes are being ground into potato flour and even one that thinks they are creating potato starch this way! The dangers of web surfing.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[andiesenji]

Damn! I read that today! I will try to back track.

I think the recipe was for "gluten free bread that doesn't suck" but  my search parameters must be skewed because I can't find it.

[Anna N]

I think the recipe was for "gluten free bread that doesn't suck" but  my search parameters must be skewed because I can't find it.

I think the recipe was for "gluten free bread that doesn't suck" but  my search parameters must be skewed because I can't find it.

Yes it is right there but I cannot post the link to it for some reason. You can find gluten-free bread that doesn't suck and scroll down to brown rice flour blend it is right there. Says couldn't find potato flour so used blendtec blender to make it from potato flakes.

[Anna N]

I am nothing if not optimistic and stubborn so after completing all my other chores today I attempted to make gluten free flour tortillas. I chose the recipe from theartofglutenfreebaking.com site. If you read the comments you will be convinced as I was that these are even better than tortillas made from wheat flour. Oh man. They are close to inedible. I followed the recipe to a T in every respect. They are doughy, tough and harden up even as you're eating them.

My optimism was such that I even prepared a filling to make quesadillas with them -- roasted asparagus, roasted red onion and sharp cheddar.

They are way too thick and attempting to make them any thinner results in them falling apart before they even get to the cooking surface.

After a few bites I removed the filling and ate that but damn I'm hungry.

[andiesenji]

The GF "substitute" for flour tortillas that worked for me (although the prep was a bit time consuming) was  a recipe for injera that I made with half teff flour and half millet flour (didn't have enough of the teff flour). 

 

I used THIS recipe for "one day injera" and it didn't have the sour flavor of "real" injera but was a heck of a lot easier to make.

 

The stuff did not become hard or tough and worked great with fillings (carnitas pork and  steak adobo) and also with just cheese and chiles.

 

There are other flours that should work as well combined with the teff, such as amaranth, quinoa.  I've got both and some brown rice flour that I have used to make rice paper wraps. 

[cyalexa]

You may have visited this site already but, just in case:

 

http://www.glutenfreeandmore.com/issues/4_16/power_flour-2653-1.html

 

The Quinoa Sesame "Wonder Bread" recipe about 2/3 of the way down the page was given high praise by a someone whose knowledge I trust. 

[andiesenji]

I finally found the recipe I used to use for GF tortillas with great success.   The link is here

 

It has a lot of ingredients but it works much, much better than any of the commercial GF flour mixes.   The reason I made the injera recipe was because I couldn't find this one and I still can't find my text document  but this was still in my bookmarks in my  "recipe success!" folder.

 

I made it several times - I made the dough a day before I was going to cook them and stored it in the fridge in a Cambro container.

 

I do recall that I needed to use additional water - not unusual here when the humidity is very low (sometimes in single digits).

 

I always have the "Pixie dust" on hand - in a pint jar in the fridge - to add to hot cereals, muffins, pancakes, waffles and yeast breads.  The link is in the list of ingredients.

 

I originally ordered psyllum powder from Vitacost - now buy from Amazon - several years ago when I had a bit of a dietary problem. 

I note that America's Test Kitchen also includes it in their baking formula.

[CatPoet]

Anna: that where we have the problem with food,   over here  and in UK potato flour is  just starch  , hence I wrote  what it was.  But do you want potato starch recipes?

[Anna N]

Anna: that where we have the problem with food,   over here  and in UK potato flour is  just starch  , hence I wrote  what it was.  But do you want potato starch recipes?

Corn starch/cornflour, tapioca starch/flour BUT NOT potato starch/flour in any language. They are different ingredients. They are made differently, they look different, behave differently. I am not looking for recipes. There are thousands on the Internet and in books. Hoping for input from those people who have worked with gluten-free flours with some success.

[Mjx]

How do you feel about clafoutis? I've made these replacing the wheat flour with buckwheat/rice flour (also, rice starch; essentially, whatever non-wheat flour was lurking in the flour drawer, I know buckwheat is off the table for you), and the results have always been surprisingly like a traditional version, possibly because the amount of egg is what provides the structure. I've made this with the usual fruit, and (since my boyfriend loathes cooked fruit) also versions with chocolate pieces/various kinds of dried fruit.

[Anna N]

Franci, andie, cyalexa,

I am waiting on the good graces of family or friend for a ride to the local bulk barn where I can purchase more ingredients before I can take advantage of your suggestions. Experimenting with non-wheat flours is an expensive proposition!

Michaela,

My main focus is on finding bread/wrap type replacements but sweets are not out of the question.

I do find as I research more and talk to people who are gluten-free that what they miss the most are not sweets but an ordinary sandwich made with soft white bread. And when some of the well-known bakers (Lepard, Rinehart) are coming up empty, I suspect it will be the hardest to replace. And I have a few illusions that I can do any better.