How To Make Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
So many people would love a good gluten-free sandwich bread, right? I realize more and more that people are having celiac issues, so I’m working on several gluten-free recipes. As I enter this journey of gluten-free bread making I have learned many things. My SAF instant yeast is okay and my choice of Dough Enhancer is fine. Some bread must be stored in the refrigerator, others on your pantry shelf. They are also made with a lot of processed ingredients.
Two critical things I learned about making gluten-free food items
1. This flour is only for cakes, cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc. No yeast recipes. You can substitute cup for cup in ANY recipe you love. This means one cup of white flour for one cup of this gluten-free flour. Easy peasy. Bob’s Red Mill sells this type of flour, just watch for the wording one for one or measure for measure.
2. This all-purpose flour is for bread or rolls with yeast. King Arthur sells this type of flour as well.
I bought a 44-ounce bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour for $13.99 plus tax. The bag has just over 9 cups of flour. I need 3 cups to make one batch of bread with the recipe below. So, I’m estimating the cost of this bread would be approximately $5.00 for each loaf. Here’s the deal, I know you can purchase gluten-free sandwich bread at Costco that costs about $7.70 for two loaves. So, if you make it at home you will still save a little bit of money, plus the fact that if you store the flour in your freezer, it is one less trip to the grocery store. I also like fresh bread, that’s how I roll.
I used my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer to make this batch of bread. I wanted to buy the King Arthur brand locally, but they didn’t have it at the store. So, I picked up this brand of flour and xanthan gum. If you are wondering what the xanthan gum is let me tell you. Xanthan gum is an effective thickener and stabilizer to prevent ingredients from separating.
Keep in mind that this stuff is like glue if it gets wet. When I was measuring the stuff I sprinkled a little on the counter that overflowed from the bag. I used a wet paper towel to clean it up. Now, this stuff is STICKY I had to use a scrubber to get it off my fingers after wiping it up off the counter. It felt like glue, yes glue.
After you combine everything in the bowl mix it for three minutes. Cover the bowl with some greased plastic wrap for about an hour.
Then grease your bread pan with vegetable oil and scoop the bread dough into the pan and flatten it with your fingers or spatula. Cover with some greased plastic wrap for another hour.
The gluten-free sandwich bread dough will double in size. Next, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown.
This recipe has been modified from the King Arthur Flour website.
- Ingredients:
- 3 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free /Multi-Purpose Flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons SAF instant yeast
- 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 cup warm milk
- 4 tablespoons soft butter
- 3 eggs
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Instructions:
-
Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl except for the milk. Turn the mixer on low, the ingredients will look crumbly at first. Next, drizzle the milk over the ingredients and start mixing until it comes together. Beat for three minutes. Cover the dough with some greased plastic wrap for about an hour. Push the dough down to remove the air with a spatula. Grease a pan 8-1/2″ by 4-1/2 ” by 4″ or a larger pan 9″ by 4″ by 4″ with vegetable oil, and scoop the dough into selected pan size. Gently smooth the dough with your hand or a spatula. Cover with some greased plastic wrap for another hour. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 38 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Final Word
I hope you try this easy gluten-free sandwich bread recipe or share it with someone who could use it. I will be posting more recipes as I learn them. Be safe and prepare for the unexpected.
Going gluten free is only important to the 1 percent of people that have celiac disease. Anybody else doing it is simply being ‘trendy’. You have a few ‘know-nothing’ celebrities doing it, so it becomes trendy, just like last years designer purse.
Unhealthy? Let’s talk soy, particularly for males. Soy is heavy in estrogens and can cause major problems in men. My Registered Dietitian, who is also a Diabetes Dietitian and Educator, said males should not eat too much soy.
Hi Darrell, I’m not sure about the trendy part of gluten-free. I used to teach bread classes using natural yeast so people who had gluten issues wouldn’t have “gut” issues could learn to make bread. The ingredients I have listed in my recipe do not have soy. I too am concerned about the loaves of bread you can purchase at the stores. I can see all the processed ingredients that I would not eat. Thanks for the tip on soy, I am against all food with soy as it is genetically modified. Good to know about your tip from your Registered Dietician. Thanks again, Linda
Thank you so much, Linda for this new recipe. I will make it as soon as I can. Thanks for all you do to make us enjoy life and eat well.There is hope to get a good sandwich bread with your help. God Bless you, Cathy
Hi Cathy, I hope you like this recipe. I think if I could have purchased a smaller sandwich bread pan the bread would have been square. This is what I have learned. I doubt we will have a true fluffy bread recipe. I noticed all the loaves of bread that are gluten-free are like bricks at my local health food store. I will keep trying to make more gluten-free recipes until I find the one that is perfect. Thanks to Judy P. I just added the temperature to bake the bread. Have fun baking, Linda
at what temperature are you baking the bread ? I usually do mine at 350*. I will make this tomorrow. Thanks again for another awesome recipe.
Hi Judy, oh my goodness, thank you for letting me know!! I really appreciate you giving me the heads up my friend, thanks again, Linda
In the first part of the article it says the recipe only used 1 1/2 cups of the special gf flour, but the recipe states it needs 3 cups. I’m assuming the 3 cups is correct since I can’t imagine only 1 1/2 cups being enough to make a list of gf bread!
Hi Dorsie, oh my goodness, thanks for catching that error. I just corrected my 1-1/2 cups to 3 cups in the article. That would make it $5.00 for a loaf. That’s what I get for typing at 2:00 a.m. Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention. I really appreciate it!!! Linda
The best part of the article is when you say “I also like fresh bread, that how I roll”.
I had to re-read the line to see if you had typed “no pun intended”, but you didn’t and I found it even funnier not sure if you did it on purpose or not.
I wanted to say that nobody in my house has issues with gluten, but the recipe is easy enough (I copied it) that it’s good to have on hand in case one ever needs it. Some people are fearful and feel overwhelmed by the thought of adopting special diets, but the more one learns and knows, the easier it becomes. I see the issues (Inconvenience, limitations, etc.) caused by special dietary restrictions, but food also heals and empowers us with the ability to improve our health by how we consume it. It times of trouble such knowledge will be highly desired and appreciated.
Hi Frank, great comment! I should add “no pun intended”!! LOL! Thanks for stopping by, Frank! Linda
How would I adapt this recipe to use it in a bread machine?
Hi Judy, I wouldn’t adapt it to a bread machine because it’s such a small batch it’s easier to just use a mixer. It’s like making banana bread, so much different than regular bread. Linda