How to Bake Gluten Free Bread

Many people cannot tolerate the gluten, or the protein, in wheat flours. These people are called celiac, or sometimes gluten-intolerant. This intolerance can be diagnosed in childhood, and those are usually the more severe cases that are called celiac. Sometimes this condition surfaces, or is recognized in adulthood and is referred to as gluten-intolerant.

Fortunately, there are many more products nowadays to be purchased that are gluten free and safe for celiacs to eat than there was twenty years ago. But as any person eating a gluten free diet knows, some essential component of bread is lost when it is made without wheat. The taste, texture, and composition of bread made with rice and other flours is very different, and takes some getting used to.

My husband eats a gluten free diet, and I wanted him to have a palatable bread that he could enjoy. Since many rice breads that we can buy tend to fall apart and disintegrate when moist, it is hard to make a sandwich with those breads. So I wanted him to also have a bread that he could take to work for lunch if he chose. I decided to learn how to make homemade gluten free bread.

There are several different flours that can be used in gluten free cooking and they are pretty easy to find at a local health food store. Most of the time, it is best to blend several flours for best results, since they each bring a component of taste or texture to the bread. Here is a list of the most common gluten free flours for baking.

White rice flour. This flour is bland, but is inexpensive and can be stored for long periods of time.

Brown rice flour is grainy in texture, but does add a bit more taste than white rice flour. I recommend blending the two rice flours.

Tapioca flour is bland but is good in a rice flour blend because it adds bulk and thickening.

Cornstarch may not sound like a flour, but when added to rice or other flours, it also adds heft and thickness.

Potato flour should be used sparingly, and never alone. This flour does add moistness if used in a blend.

Soy flour. I don't recommend it. It goes rancid quickly and has a bitter taste that is hard to overcome.