Best Gluten Free Breads

Gluten is a protein compound found in some kinds of grains - including wheat, rye and barley. So, for the best gluten-free breads, it's necessary to cook with flours that don't contain gluten, right? The problem is - gluten is the compound that makes dough stretchy and elastic. Have you ever made pizza from fresh dough? Notice how when you try to stretch it out over the pizza pan, it has a tendency to draw back on itself? That's gluten at work! It's what makes pizza dough and bagels so yummy and chewy. Gluten also allows yeast to do its job - yeast produces gas, and the gas is caught in the stretchy layers of gluten molecules - and that's what causes bread dough to rise.

So - if we're cooking gluten free breads, there are some things we need to compensate for.

Without gluten bread can fall apart and not hold its shape. That's why combinations of different flours work better than a single gluten free flour for making bread - each flour adds it's own special properties to make a better flour for baking. Also, gluten free breads come out better when baked in a bread pan, to help them hold their shape. Adding xanthan gum or guar gum to your gluten free flour can compensate for the absence of gluten, too. And finally, since gluten is a protein compound, it helps to add a little protein to your dough - egg whites can replace part of the liquid.

For more on gluten free eating, visit the Gluten Free Handbook
Photo provided courtesy of ElanasPantry.com

Now that we know what gluten does, let's check out some great gluten free flours!

Here are some combinations that work great for baking. If you've switched to a gluten free lifestyle, try these - experiment - figure out what works best for you, and gives you bread the way you like it!

Flour Combination 1
2 cups rice or millet flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1-2 tsp. of xanthan gum

Flour Combination 2
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup potato starch
½ cup sweet rice flour
1 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin

Flour Combination 3
2 cups garbanzo-bean flour
1 cup sorghum flour
2 ¼ cups tapioca flour
2 ¼ cups arrowroot flour (starch)
1 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon potato starch
2 tablespoons potato flour
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 packages gelatin (unflavored)
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt

If you'd rather buy a ready made gluten free flour, visit the Amazon.com, they have a wide variety of gluten free flours - and much more.

Photo provided courtesy of ElanasPantry.com

Even if you haven't got time to make your own gluten free bread, there are some good ready-made options available. Ener-G Foods Light Brown Rice Loaf is a great choice - made from rice flour, tapioca starch and yeast, it's good toasted or used for sandwiches.