Gluten-Free Bread Machine Tips

Pamela's bread mix baked in a Breadman bread machine.

I have good news. Especially for those of you living gluten-free. Help has arrived. Breadman now makes a very space-agey retro Jetsons-looking bread machine with- you guessed it- a gluten-free cycle. Fellow bloggers Kalyn and Alanna first alerted me to it, and as soon as I read about it, it went on my Amazon.com Wish List. Soon after it arrived at my door...courtesy of my mother.

First impressions? Gotta love the whole stainless and black look. Very cocina chic. But the big question is: Can this baby bake a decent loaf of bread? Long time readers know I like simplicity (well, that, and I simply have no room in my tiny kitchen for storing eighteen different bags of alternative flours) so I decided to try Pamela's new Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix for the Breadman's virgin voyage. It features sorghum and millet flour (and- best of all- it has no bean or soy flours- which I loathe).

First, I'd like to point out a minor complaint- the loaf sports an indent in the bottom from removal of the dough paddle. This gives the center three slices an uneven bottom edge. Solution? I cut these three pieces into triangles and will use them as crouton-toasts for soup- schmeared with pesto. Edit: My new solution is I reach in immediately after the mixing cycle (but before the rising cycle) and pull out the the paddle; then smooth over the top with wet fingers. Beyond the paddle issue- which is shared by many a bread machine- I have no real quibble. The machine delivered.

The attributes I like?

It's fast. The bread was baked in less than 90 minutes. I liked the crust option- you get to choose your crust preference- light, medium, or dark. I chose medium and the crust was delightfully crusty when toasted- something I've missed with gluten-free breads. I love a golden crust.

I sliced ten perfect slices (when the loaf cooled- you must wait, Babycakes, as hard as it is). It's not a huge loaf, obviously. But it is cute and chubby; and the ten square slices will make five perfect sandwiches.

The ends? We cut them up and dipped them into some fruity Napa Valley organic extra virgin olive oil. We licked our lips.

The bread mix.

I ordered a case of six from Amazon. I'm planning on making one mix into a pumpernickel by adding cocoa powder and caraway and molasses. And then, Dear Reader, I'm going to try my hand at cinnamon raisin bread. I've missed cinnamon raisin toast.

New Note: Don't need a bread mix? Want to bake your bread from scratch?

I've been experimenting with my own gluten-free bread recipes lately and have come up with my own recipes based on Pamela's mix of sorghum and millet flours.

Try my new favorite Gluten-Free Bread Recipe- works perfectly in this machine on 1.5 pound gluten-free setting.

Try my new ryeless Gluten-Free "Rye" Bread recipe.

Karina's Notes:

Some Readers have had trouble baking 2 lb. baking mixes (like Pamela's) in this Breadman bread machine (though it worked fine for me). So I experimented and found a solution, thanks to those who shared their tips below in Readers Comments. (Some readers have mentioned that the Zojirushi Bread Machine works fine with this mix.)

This machine's Gluten-Free cycle works best with a 1.5 pound loaf. If you make your own flour mix- this is perfect for you. Use recipes for a 1.5 pound loaf and choose the Gluten-Free cycle.

Some bread mixes- such as Pamela's- are a 2 pound loaf size. If you'd like to use a mix like this in this machine, here's what works:

Customize the cycle:

a.) Follow instructions for adding dry and liquid ingredients to the bread pan, assemble your dough ingredients, and snap the pan into place.

b.) Set your loaf size to 2 pounds and choose the Dough cycle.

c.) When the dough has mixed, let it rise for half an hour then choose the Bake cycle.

That's it. It worked beautifully for me.

As with all gluten-free baked goods and breads- remove the loaf from the pan as SOON AS possible. The longer a gluten-free baked good remains in a hot pan, the soggier it gets. It steams.

Please read through the bread discussion below for more tips and ideas- and don't miss the thorough commentary below posted by GF Dad- he's done his bread baking homework and was generous enough to share notes! Thank you, GF Dad!

Other notes- I've used Pamela's Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix to make pizza crusts and focaccia style round breads in cake pans, adding a little extra sea salt and Italian herbs, garlic and minced onion to the mix. Delicious!