Gluten Free Bread

I have been completely gluten-free for a couple of months now. Prior to that, I was eating mostly gluten-free items, but making periodic exceptions. I did this as an experiment to see if I would start feeling better. So far, I am feeling much better and I hope to see more positive results as I continue. When I first started, I bought the pre-made loafs of bread at a whopping 5.00 per loaf (they are in the freezer section for those who are interested.) The bread was pretty good, but lacked the softness of regular (wheat-based) bread. Then I got a little more adventuresome and bought the bread mixes that come with their own yeast packet and pretty simple directions. Those are about 4.00 per mix. With either of these options, you have to keep the bread in the refrigerator or freezer in order to keep it from completely drying out or just crumbling away. Today I got brave enough to try making a loaf from scratch. I figure it cost me about 1.50 to make plus a little extra time. The recipe I used is below, for anyone who is interested. It is vegetarian (no milk) and I have included a tip for vegans to substitute for the egg. I will let you know how it turns out.

I first started by making an all-purpose flour mix. This batch made a little more than 3 cups, so I just measured out what was needed for the bread.

Gluten-Free All Purpose Mix:

1 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Cup Cornstarch
1 Cup Tapioca Starch Flour
1 Tbsp Potato Flour
1 Tbsp Xanthan Gum

Bread:

1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast (approx 1.5 packs)
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 Cups warm water (about 105 degrees)

2 1/2 Cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Mix (see above)
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Sea Salt

2 Eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp. Distilled White Vinegar

1) Combine Yeast, Sugar, and Water (it works well to mix it all in a 2 cup pour-measuring cup). Mix lightly and then leave it alone! It should get bubbly and "grow" a little. Let it set while getting everything else mixed.

2) In a large bowl, combine Flour Mix, Xanthan Gum, and Sea Salt. Mix well, making sure that all ingredients are evenly dispersed.

3) In a separate bowl mix Eggs, Oil, and Vinegar. Mix until everything is well mixed and egg looks a little foamy.

4) The yeast mixture should be foamy (it needs to have set between 5 and 10 minutes - no longer). Pour the Egg mixture and Yeast mixture into the Flour mixture; mix well.

5) Spray or lightly oil a bread tin and lightly coat with Amaranth Flour (you could also use a gluten-free corn meal flour). Scrape dough into the tin and lightly cover with a towel. Set in a warm spot to proof for about 1 hour (until the dough has grown to the top of the pan).

6) Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. You may need to cover the top with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking to keep it from getting too brown.

7) Let it set for about 5 minutes in the tin after removing from the oven. Dump out onto a cooling rack and let it cool. Slice bread and store well-wrapped in the freezer or refrigerator.

Note: If you are vegan you can substitute the following for the egg:
6 Tbsp Water
2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed (Flax Seed Oil does not work as well for egg substitute in baked goods)

As I said, this is the first loaf of gluten-free sandwich bread I have made from scratch. I will let you know how it turns out. I have also almost perfected my pancake recipe. Maybe I will post it soon.