I have been attempting to make the flax bread recipe for months, but it never turns out right. It will only rise to about a half inch below the pan and then it sinks a little on the top and bottom while it cools. I read the 17 page thread on this bread trying to fix the problem, but nothing works! I make a couple loaves per week trying to get it right!!!For my gluten free mix I usually use a 50/50 mix of amaranth flour and rice flour, but I have also tried the rice/potato starch/tapioca flour mix as well. My yeast is only a couple months old and is Red Star active dry yeast. I always let my yeast, eggs and milk come up to room temperature. I let the bread rise for hours before I give up. I have tried increasing the yeast by 25%. I have tried to decrease the liquid. I have let in rise in a warm oven and in a window sill. I make sure that I bake it for 40 min even if I have to give it a foil tent toward the end. I let it cool in the pan a bit before transferring it to a wire rack. After all that I have tried...I still have to serve my son 3 inch tall bread!!! I don't get it! What am I doing wrong?! My son hates store bought gluten-free bread. I just want to make him the best bread possible. Do others have this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions? Any help would be MUCH appreciated...I'm going crazy trying to get this right. Although, I do have quite the stock of gluten free bread crumbs.


Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.recipezaar.com/190906

Thank you!

Jenny,

I make 6-9 loaves of this bread a week and it always rises to the top of the bread pan.

I use (for 3 loaves) 2 3/4 rice flour, 1 sorghum and 3/4 c coconut flour. 6 eggs/6 tbsp oil and 4 cups water ( you need more water for the coconut flour). I only use 2 tsp salt (instead of 1 tbsp). I don't use vinegar but I don't think that would make a difference.

I have used amaranth before and it didn't rise very well. If you still want to use that I would suggest reducing that amount and adding sorghum. Sorghum helps lighten it up. Amaranth is a heavy flour.

I let it rise on top of the stove for the full 80 minutes and bake it for 44.

If I forgot anything or you have more questions.....ask.

I can't help you trouble shoot the bread making as I have the same problems. I was wondering if your son has tried Kinnicknick Frozen Sandwich bread. I have a 3 yr old also and he really likes that. I toast it until it is the right texture.
I don't know if that helps, but I thought I'd throw that out there.

The first loaf of bread I made was exactly as you described - 3 inches tall and drooping in the center. Then I read in one of the gluten-free cook books I bought that gluten-free bread bake much better in the gray non-stick loaf pans. I bought one and have been very happy with the results (I was cooking in pyrex glass pans before). The bread isn't like wheat bread by any means, but it does rise a bit in the center and that's better then before! Good luck! I know this is frustrating!

I had forgotten until I saw this that I had to ditch my Pyrex baking pans when I first started baking gluten-free. The folks at Namaste tipped me off that my glass baking dish was why their cake wasn't turning out right.

Thanks for the input. I do use a grey non-stick pan already. I will try the adjustments on the recipe given by AndreaB. If anyone has more ideas please keep them coming! (My son does not like the Kinnikinnick bread either.) All advice is greatly appreciated!

I bake in the glass pyrex for the bread and have no problems with it. I've used both and they've turned out similar or the same.

Hi JennyC,
How desperate are you, for good edible bread that you don't need to toast ?
.
That doesn't taste like re - constituted sawdust and
you can eat quite happily dry (that's right no butter no spread)
.
You will have to think differently about bread making (making it from scratch)
.
No flour blends ! No shorgum! no Flax (yes it can be really simple to do)
.
Using ground rice, tapioca flour (tapioca starch), brown rice flour, cornflour (cornstarch)
Ground almonds (Almond Meal).
.
If you can get these easy enough + a few regular ingredients (then you can do it?)
.
Brand names in brackets can be ignored, they are required by the Irish Coeliac Society
to show that the ingredients are vetted
and are 100% free from any possible cross-contamination
.
These are links to 2 bread recipes of mine.
.
Try them I don't think you will be disappointed!! (what have you got to loose)
.
Bread and roll recipe (includes a photo)
.
.
Crusty Artisan Breads (includes 2 Photos)
.
Good Luck with the bread, if you do make the bread, let me know what you think (good or bad)
.
Best Regards,
David
.
P.S. if you want to look at all my recipes scroll to the end,
it says jump to gluten free recipes and press go.
.
Hope it helps!
.

I don't have a food scale, so I can't really do the measurements. I've been wanting to get one though. DO you happen to know the measurements in cups or tablespoons?

Thank you. I will be trying lots of new things. Hopefully I will not continue to go mad!

Hi JennyC,
Just buy a kitchen scales (digital with ounces and grammes) they are not expensive
Gluten Free baking is very unforgiving when it comes to measuring flours.
.
Tablespoons, Cups can be different sizes a cup of Corn Starch does not weigh
the same as a cup of sugar, I found Cup measures very inaccurate.
.
I'm not being flippant, but keep the cups for liquids only, Tablespoons and teaspoons are ok
for measuring salt, xanthan, sugar, etc.
.
When I started to try and bake Gluten Free I used the Cups and Tablespoons etc
and it nearly always turned out a disaster!! A chef told me to buy a digital scales
and I did, and never regretted it .
.
How do you accurately measure 2 cups of butter ???
.
butter will always be left in the cup so the recipe is short !
.
whereas if you measure by weight, put a piece of butter paper on the scales add
butter to the required weight and when your adding it just scrape the butter paper,
I think it's more accurate.
.
Best Regards,
David

Hi Jenny,

Sorry you're having a tough time with this bread. I too have had trouble with it sinking in the middle and have found that reducing the amount of liquid in it has helped me.

That said, when I first started baking gluten free just over a year ago, my initial try was Carol Fenster's bread. Her sandwich bread recipe can be found at:

http://www.savorypalate.com/recipes.aspx

I used the sorghum flour blend with almond flour in it and corn flour. Her "bread 101" section of the page above gave me some valuable information because cooking gluten-free bread is so different from regular wheat-based bread. When you put it in the pan it's more like a thick cake batter for one thing and I was very surprised at that when I started out.

I added a tsp of cinnamon and a handful of raisins to the loaf, and also made the fennel option loaf - these were our favourites (the kids liked the raisin cinnamon and I liked the fennel) and it was the first gluten-free bread that I tasted that actually had a bread-like texture... when toasted.

Laurie's bread (the one with the 17-page thread that I started as a matter of fact!) is the first and only one I've tried that tasted good untoasted.

But when I'm lazy, we all enjoy two store-bought breads (toasted) in sandwiches and with various spreads. These are the Glutino cheese bread and the flax seed bread (the latter of which is very high in fibre). The cheese bread my girls (ages 6 and 8) will eat most readily toasted with butter and garlic salt sprinkled on it - so what if my kids go to school with garlic breath!!! The flax seed bread is a fave when made into a BLT and even my Gluten-defiant husband will eat it (and that's saying something).

I truly hope you can have some success... and some peace! Hope this helps.

mamatide

I'm just curious but why don't you like sorghum or flax? I love sorghum in my baked goods.

Have you tried a bread machine. My bread started coming out much better with a bread machine. I love baking regular bread, but leave gluten-free to my machine.

Have you tried a bread machine. My bread started coming out much better with a bread machine. I love baking regular bread, but leave gluten-free to my machine.

Hi Felidae,
I think you misunderstood me, I don't use sorghum or flax in my recipies, anything I quote
as an ingredient on The Irish Coeliac Society website must comply with their criteria
of
Naturally Gluten Free Codex level not greater than 20ppm (parts per million)
.
De -Glutened Wheat Starch not greater than 200ppm.
.
All the Ingredients must be vetted and proven (by lab tests) to have no possible
cross - contamination.
.
They are VERY STRICT about what is and is not OK..
Best Regards,
David