1. Gluten Free bread will not be the same consistency as "regular" bread. A common mistake when making GF bread is trying to get it to the kneading consistency. Gluten Free bread dough should be about the consistency of thick cake mix. "Regular" bread is kneaded in order to make it stick together. The kneading changes the gluten protein, making the bread dough firm and smooth. Gluten free bread, on the other hand, uses xanthan gum to make it stick together. Kneading is therefore unnecessary. To "knead" GF bread simply turn on your heavy duty mixer. 2. When adding yeast to your bread, it is easiest to simply mix up the dry ingredients, place them in a large mixing bowl and pour the yeast on top. Do Not Mix It In!! Pour the warm water on top of the yeast/dry mix and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients. 3. GF bread dough needs to be well mixed. We suggest beating it on high for around 5 minutes. This changes the protein structure of the eggs, giving a better texture to the finished product. So set your timer, turn it on, and grease your pans while you wait. 4. Be careful not to over-proof your bread. If you let it rise too long before baking, too much air will get into your bread dough. This makes it more likely to fall once it is removed from the oven. We suggest letting our bread dough rise for 20 minutes. It probably won't look doubled in size, but put it in your preheated oven anyway. It will finish rising as it cooks and when it comes out will not fall as easily. 5. Make sure to cook the bread at the right temperature. If you cook it at a temperature that is too low, the bread will need to cook longer and will turn out dry and gritty, because it was over baked. If your temperature is too high, the top and bottom of your bread will cook, but the middle will still be gooey. We generally recommend a temperature of 375 degrees for yeast breads. 6. Cook your bread for the right amount of time. We have discovered that, using our bread recipe, large loaves only need to cook for 35 minutes rather than the 45-50 we originally suggested. Small loaves take about 25 minutes and English muffins around 20 minutes. Baking it too long will result in dry bread. 7. Once you pull your bread out of the oven, let it sit for about 5 minutes, then turn it upside down in its pan for 5 minutes. This will make the top and sides of your bread softer. It also helps your bread to stay light and fluffy, instead of compacting. If you leave it in the pan, the condensed steam from the bread will make the sides of the bread wet and cause the sides to fall. 8. GF bread keeps best in the fridge or freezer. Slice your bread while it is still slightly warm and then put it in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze it. Then pull individual slices out and reheat them in the microwave for 15 - 30 seconds. It will taste just like it did when it first came out of the oven. 9. Don't eat GF bread cold. If possible always warm up your bread before making a sandwich or eating it for dinner. This makes it more pliable and less crumbly. It also gives it that freshly baked taste! 10. When you make pizza crust, don't let the dough rise at all. Use a spatula to spread the dough thinly on a well-greased cookie sheet. Stick it straight into a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. When it is done, remove it from the pan, let it cool, and then either freeze or top it. To use a frozen pizza crust, defrost it in the microwave for 40 seconds or so. Then top with sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
