Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

I was so nervous to try baking gluten free bread.  Every blog I read warned me that it was tricky and finicky and took many many tries.  Talk about discouraging!  I buy both Udi's and Kinnickinnick's sandwich bread and both are good, but I wanted warm, fresh out of the oven, homemade bread!  After I succeeded with the garlic parmesan pull-apart bread I mustered up the courage to try a real loaf.  I searched and searched until I found a recipe that sounded reasonable, had yummy looking pictures to prove it, and didn't use a flour mix.  If bread was as finicky as everyone said, why on earth would I use an AP mix?!  


The first recipe I tried came out okay.  It didn't rise as much as I would have liked, so it was little heavy and dense.  I tried a different recipe from the same website, let it rise longer than indicated, and BAM!  Delicious, moist sandwich bread!  I saved a few fresh slices to enjoy, let the rest cool down, sliced it and froze it right away.  That's one of the problems with Gluten Free baking - it just doesn't last out of the freezer.  But this bread freezes very nicely, and isn't any too crumbly when thawed out.  Thank you Baking Beauties!  I urge you, check out her blog!  She has recipes for everything!  

I did not modify this recipe at all, I followed it to the letter!  The pictures are mine, but full credit for the recipe goes to Jeanine Friesen from the Baking Beauties. 

Don't be thrown off by the texture of the dough.  It will NOT look like regular bread dough, more like a cake batter consistency.  Do NOT add more flour.  Just trust that it is going to turn out!  Once baked, the bread may fall a little.  Letting it cool on it's side can help with some of that.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup skim milk powder
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine warm, yeast & sugar in a glass bowl. Stir & let sit 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to proof & shortens rising time.
2. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine dry ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using a heavy-duty mixer with paddle attachment or dough hook, combine remaining ingredients until well blended. Add water/yeast mixture & combine.
4. With mixer on lowest speed, slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer on medium speed, beat for 4 minutes.
5. Spoon into prepared bread pan or mini-loaf pans. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 30-40 minutes, or until dough has risen to the top of the pan.  (I heated my oven to 200 degrees and let the bread rise there)
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of single loaf.
7. Remove from bread pan and let cool.  Slice and freeze to maintain freshness!  (But do enjoy a piece warm and fresh out of the oven!)