Bread Making with Alternative Flours

Celiac.com 11/19/2022 - Gluten-free bread making the first few times is an incredibly frustrating experience that begs the question—is it really worth it? After my many trials I must say—yes it is definitely worth it! We are now able to make excellent bread that we can all enjoy. Being able to make bread allows my kids to take a sandwich to school, the fact that the bread is good (and looks good) is equally important to them. Since they cannot eat the hot lunch at school due to its “gluten in every bite” nature, it is important to have the option of sending a sandwich the children like (and will eat). Other kids taste the bread and like it, and say hey this gluten-free diet is pretty good! The benefits to these exchanges are priceless.

It took awhile to get to this point but one day I was lucky enough to meet Lee Tobin. He gave me a recipe (originally developed by Barbara Emch) and I had success! I then began to shape this recipe to accommodate the various alternative flours stocked in my pantry. The recipe is fool-proof and it tastes great—especially with teff, amaranth, or buckwheat flour. In this class you will learn how to make a perfect loaf of bread. I will review alternative flours and why I use them. You will learn the tricks for successful gluten-free bread making, and how to change the template recipe for your own specific needs.

Why Use Alternative Flours?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
My experience has been that these flours simply make superior gluten-free bread. Additionally, many celiacs struggle with weight gain after diagnosis and find their diet may lack important nutrients. As you adjust to the gluten-free diet it is a good time to understand how your body uses the food you eat.

Simple carbohydrates are quickly digested and are broken down into simple sugar glucose. When the cells in your body need fuel they use this glucose. Extra glucose is converted into glycogen. If your body already has enough glycogen stored up, the glucose is turned into fat. The typical American diet is overloaded with simple carbohydrates and the celiac diet is no exception.

Complex carbohydrates not only take longer to digest but they provide slow consistent energy. You feel full longer and your body doesn’t feel the wide fluctuations of blood sugar swings. Beans, whole grains, nut butters, oatmeal, soy, sweet potatoes, and vegetables are complex carbohydrates. They provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and consistent energy. Many celiacs lack B vitamins, calcium, iron, and other nutrients—why not get them from your baked goods and reap the benefits of complex carbohydrates?

We try to incorporate the alternative flours in most of our baking. When making sweet breads, cookies, bread, pizza crust, biscuits, and bread sticks I try to substitute about 1⁄2 of the flour called for in a recipe with a healthier alternative flour. Our favorites are teff, amaranth, brown rice, and buckwheat. Quinoa and millet flours can be substituted in the same fashion. Be sure you buy from manufacturers who provide pure, gluten-free flour— from the field all the way to the package.

In our family we treat corn, carrots, potatoes, and white rice as if they were sweets (i.e. sugar = excess weight gain). They are all simple carbohydrates as are most of the products made from them (chips, cereal, snacks).

Here is a quick overview of the various healthy gluten-free flours and their attributes:

• Amaranth contains more calcium, folic acid, Vitamin A, C, and E than most grains. The flavor is similar to that of graham crackers without the sweetness.
• Bean Flour is a light flour made from garbanzo and broad beans.
• Brown Rice Flour is milled from unpolished brown rice, and has a higher nutrient value than white rice flour. Much higher than white rice in protein, fiber, zinc, folic acid, B vitamins, calcium and vitamin E (15 times the vitamin E as white rice).
• Buckwheat is the seed of a plant related to rhubarb. It is high in fiber, iron, and B vitamins, and is great in many baked goods including pancakes and waffles.
• Millet is a small round grain that is a major food source in Asia, North Africa, and India, and is a rich source of B vitamins.
• Nut Flours are high in protein and, used in small portions, enhance the taste of many baked goods. Finely ground nuts added to a recipe increases the protein content and allows for a better rise. It is a great substitute for non-fat dry milk powder in gluten-free recipes.
• Quinoa (keen-wah), a staple food of the Incas, is a complete protein containing all 8 amino acids as well as a fair amount of calcium and iron. It is high in some B vitamins and folic acid.
• Soy Flour has a nutty flavor, and is high in protein and fat.
• Teff is always manufactured as a whole-grain flour, since it is difficult to sift or separate. It is a good source of protein, calcium, iron, fiber, and B vitamins.

The changeable elements in the recipe are:

• Eggs: If you cannot tolerate eggs use Egg Replacer from Ener-G Foods (see also: flax seed egg replacer in section below) and be sure to use the almond flour instead of the non-fat, dry milk powder. The almond flour adds a great deal of flavor which could be helpful when you can’t use eggs. If you read the nutritional label for almond flour it might scare you as the grams of fat are high, remember this is good fat and there is fiber—both of which slow down sugar absorption in your body, which in turn helps control weight gain. The dry milk powder is high in sugar.
• Oil: Vegetable oil is typically soybean oil and some people are sensitive to canola oil so safflower oil is a good alternative.
• Sugar: Try turbinado sugar, a raw sugar that has been steam-cleaned. It has a delicate molasses flavor.
• Flour: Four cups of flour are in the recipe. The proportions of flours used can be changed around until you find what is right for you.
• Dry Milk Powder: As seen above in the eggs section I now prefer to use almond flour instead of dry milk powder. The bread turns out much more flavorful and has a wonderful texture.
• Flax Seed: This seed has many health benefits such as high-quality protein, fiber, B and C vitamins, iron, and zinc, anti-cancer properties, omega-3 fatty acids, and many other benefits. To use as an egg substitute grind 2 tablespoons flaxseed and add 6 tablespoons boiling water, let set for 15 minutes then whisk with a fork—this mixture will replace 2 eggs in a recipe. A clean coffee grinder works well to grind the small flaxseed.
• Cookware: It’s a good idea to have the proper cookware in your kitchen. You must have a heavy-duty stand mixer like the Kitchenaid mixer, as it will properly aerate the batter, producing a lighter bread with a fine crumb and more height. You should also have a good quality loaf pan.
• Temperature: In addition to knowing your oven temperature (buy a cheap oven thermometer), realize that when the temperature of your home is warm, bread will rise quicker.
• Humidity: Gluten-free flour absorbs moisture from the air so be sure to keep it sealed in its packaging and tightly cover any mixing bowls rather than allowing them to sit uncovered for any period of time. The moisture the flour absorbs from the air will affect your recipe.

Amaranth Bread Recipe

Makes one loaf. Feel free to substitute the amaranth flour with teff, buckwheat, or quinoa flour.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs (egg-free option see note 
• below)
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1½ cups amaranth flour 
• 1½ cups tapioca starch flour
• 1 cup fine brown rice flour
• 2/3 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder 
• (dairy-free: substitute with finely ground 
• nuts or almond flour)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 
• (optional)
• 1½ tablespoons active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1⁄4 cups warm water (105F-115F.)

Directions:

Bring all refrigerated ingredients to room temperature. Grease a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggs, oil, and lemon juice. In a separate medium bowl, combine flours, dry milk powder, xanthan gum, salt, flax seed, yeast and sugar. Pour 1⁄2 of the warm water into stand mixer and blend with egg mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients a little at a time until completely incorporated. Add remaining water, reserving some water if necessary. See note on humidity below. Mix batter on high speed for 31⁄2 minutes, then pour into prepared pan. Batter will be thicker than a cake batter and nothing like the consistency of regular bread dough.

Cover bread with foil and place in a cold oven. Set a pan of hot water on a lower shelf underneath the bread. Leave for 10 minutes with oven door closed. (This will cause the bread to rise quickly). Remove bread from oven (do not uncover) and place in a warm place in the kitchen. Preheat oven to 400F. Bread will continue to rise as oven preheats.

Uncover bread and bake for 10 minutes to brown the top. Cover bread with foil and continue to bake bread for 35-40 minutes. Turn bread out onto a cooling rack. When completely cooled, wrap tightly to maintain freshness for as long as possible.

Tips:

If humidity is high, reduce the amount of water in the recipe to avoid over-rising. Many gluten-free bakers experience the frustrating situation in which a beautiful loaf of bread deflates once removed from the oven. You will need to experiment a little to get just the right amount of water in your bread depending on the humidity in the air. If in question, use less water than the recipe calls for.

You may use rapid rise yeast instead of regular yeast. If doing so, eliminate the cold oven rise method with a pan of hot water and follow yeast package directions instead for rise time.

Hamburger Buns:

Pour batter into English muffin rings, follow directions above. Bake for just 15 minutes. Once completely cooled these buns freeze well. Serve buns warmed, otherwise they will be crumbly.

Egg Substitution: Grind 3 tablespoons flaxseed and add 1⁄2 cup + 1 tablespoon boiling water, let set for 15 minutes then whisk with a fork.