You can successfully bake gluten-free bread
in under two hours!

Congratulations on purchasing or planning to purchase LynnRae's Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads Book. To help you further in your bread baking success, below you will find:

a brief description of the book, along with Table of Contents of the Wonderful Bread Recipes and 50 Beyond Bread Recipes in the book Frequently Asked Questions Bread Machine Tips, Tricks and Techniques - an article by LynnRae Ries Bread Baking Success in the Bread Machine or Oven - an article by LynnRae Ries Lessons Learned While Baking Bread - an article by LynnRae Ries More Questions and Answers by Bruce Gross For information on how to order this book and other books and newsletters written by LynnRae Ries, please go to www.whatnowheat.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Bread Machine Tips, Tricks & Techniques

(an article published in a variety of publications) by LynnRae Ries Copyright 2003

Longing for soft, warm and delicious gluten-free breads? Then consider a bread machine, one of the most popular kitchen appliances – and perfect for our home made gluten-free breads.

When you think of it as a small oven, free of drafts and temperature changes it is easy to understand how it can turn out beautifully risen breads with great texture and remarkable taste.

There are many benefits to using a bread machine.

• Frees up regular oven for other uses
• Keeps kitchen cooler
• Saves money on electricity
• Move it around the kitchen, put it in your camper or take it to your dorm
• Avoids cross contamination
• Lends itself to creativity in the kitchen
• Safer for younger family members to use
• Less expensive than purchasing a second oven
• Perfect for those who have had difficulties with yeast breads rising in the oven

Success Starts with Purchasing the Right Bread Machine for your needs. Before you make your purchase, answer these questions:

• What is your budget? Bread machines run from $29.99 through $249.99. The good news is all price ranges offer the required features for successful gluten-free breads.
• How much space do you have? Sizes vary considerably. Measure the space where you will be using the bread machine. Some machines have shorter cords than others so notice the distance to electrical outlets. Remember you must have enough clearance space to be able to open the bread machine lid.
• Do you want a bread machine that is fully programmable or one that may require you to manually change the settings during the baking process? The more programmable the machine, the more money it will cost. The most programmable machine is the Zojirushi BBCC-V20. Retail is $249.00. Look for it on sale. Bread machines with less programmability, such as Oster, Toastmaster, Welbilt, ( $50 - $60 price range) also bake great bread. You will need to manually change the programming from the one hour Dough Cycle to the one hour Bake Cycle, unless you use the No-Knead No-Rise Method.

Look for these features:

• The most important features are the two cycle indicators: DOUGH CYCLE and BAKE CYCLE. You will need both.
• Are indicators easy for you to locate and read? Do not purchase a machine if the cycle indicators are hidden under the lid or are too small to read.
• Look for a large window. You will want to know if the bread is mixing well, or if it has risen to its full height, all without lifting the lid.
• Purchase a bread machine that will handle 1½ to 2 pound loaves for the sake of versatility.
• Open the box and look at the bread pan inside the ‘oven’ (the bread machine). Does it pop out or twist? Is the pan easy for you to operate?
• Can you find the English instructions in the manual? Does it say whether the wet or dry ingredients are placed into the machine first? Either way will work, but it is important for you to know how your machine prefers the ingredients to be added.

Some of the most common questions I receive:

• Does gluten-free bread have to rise more than once? No. One rise is sufficient. That is why we recommend the Dough Cycle and the Bake Cycle rather than the full cycles.
• Does gluten-free bread have to knead? This is a matter of semantics. It does not have to ‘knead’ since there is no gluten. However, it does have to be fully mixed. Our experience, after baking over 500 loaves of bread, all in bread machines, is that using the Dough Cycle provides sufficient mixing time.
• What are your favorite bread machines? This is tough since models keep changing. I have used over 8 different styles of bread machines, and every one of them has their good and their “Gee, I wish this was different” features. This is no different from the other tools we use in the kitchen, our sewing machines or even tools in our tool box. My three favorite machines are the Zojirushi BBCC-V20, the Welbilt ABYK and an old round bread machine that I purchased at a garage sale. Prices I paid were $169.99, $39.99 and $5.00, respectively.
• How long a Bake Time should I look for in a bread machine? I recommend a 60 – 90 minute bake time option. This is not available in every machine style. If the model you like only has a 60 minute bake cycle, see if you can restart the Bake Cycle after the 60 minutes are over, just in case the bread is not done.
• Do breads usually take longer than 60 minutes to bake in the bread machine? Just like your full oven, it depends on the bread recipe. Fruits, vegetables or heavy flours may take longer to bake.
• Is the Add-in ‘Beep’ feature necessary? My technique is to add all wet ingredients in the beginning, this includes the fruits and vegetables, since they contain water which will affect the water to flour ratio. Dry ingredients, such as nuts, seeds and cheese can be added at the beep. You will develop your own style.

Making a decision on which machine to purchase and learning how to operate your bread machine may take about one to two hours of your time.

LynnRae Ries - Author of What? No Wheat? a lighthearted primer to living the gluten-free life and Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads, Easy to Make Breads Everyone will Love to Eat for the Bread Machine – or Oven

No part of this material may be used without the written permission of the author.

Bread Baking Success

(article published in a variety of publications) copyright LynnRae Ries 2003

The bread machine is a great tool for everyone’s kitchen, dorm room or camper. But what happens once you plug the machine in and add the ingredients?

Some people, like one of the testers for Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads, simply add all the ingredients to the bread pan, close the lid, hit the programmed buttons and walk away. An hour or two later they return to a great tasting, freshly baked loaf of gluten-free bread. These free-style bakers do not worry if an edge of the loaf shows flour that is not totally mixed together or if the bread crust is not totally smooth with a nice rounded top.

Then there are people who love to peek, prod and perfect their bread baking techniques into an award winning loaf of bread.

Perhaps you fall somewhere between these descriptions. Either way, you will enjoy these Best Bread Baking Tips.

Peek You can ‘peek’ at how well your bread machine is mixing the dough by either lifting the lid, or looking through the window. Reasons to peek include: adding of liquid; adding nuts or seeds during the beep; simple curiosity or you just can’t keep your hands off the equipment.

Another reason to peek is to verify the bread is rising, or to determine if it has risen enough. Try to not raise the lid during the rising cycle. If your machine has a small window, shine a flashlight into the window to avoid raising the lid.

Prod You may wonder why some people ‘prod’ the dough. Think of it as another term for helping the dough to mix. The ultimate goal is to have the dough appear silky and spread to the sides of the bread pan with just a hint of a bump or dome over the paddles. In some of the recipes you may even see paddle marks in the dough.

Perfect Hints for perfecting the bread:

• Before you remove the bread from the pan, verify it is done. Tap on the top of the loaf. It should sound hollow. The bottom should also sound hollow. This works for both bread machines and oven made bread.
• Sometimes paddles stick inside the loaf when removing the bread from the pan. Do not worry. Use a toothpick to loosen the bread from around the paddle. Do not use a knife as it will remove some of the non-stick coating from the paddle.
• If you leave the paddle inside the bread until it cools, stick a toothpick with a flag on it (purchase at your craft store) into the top of the loaf. That will remind you to remove the paddle before you start cutting.
• Wait at least two hours before cutting your bread to allow the bread to finish baking. This is called carry over baking.
• Use an electric knife or serrated bread knife for cutting the bread
• Save the bread crumbs from cutting for meatballs, meatloaves or to sprinkle on salads.
• And lastly, double wrap and freeze the bread you will not be eating within the next couple of days. The best method I have found for thawing and warming up the bread is to pop the slices into a 150 degree oven for a minute or two. You will be pleased at how fresh the bread feels and tastes.

No part of this material may be used without the written permission of the author.

Lessons Learned While Baking Bread

(an article published in a variety of publications) by LynnRae Ries copyright 2003

This Did you know Column are highlights of experiences and lessons encountered by bread testers while working on Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads. We all learned to laugh at our mistakes and move on, some of our mistakes became great final recipes for the book... or bread crumbs or bread pudding….

So, did you know…

1. If you can't find the bread paddle, it may still be inside the bread. To remove the paddle, use a small spatula or toothpick to help release the bread from the paddle. Then pull the paddle out of the bread. Do not use a knife as it will scratch the paddle.
   
   
2. If your bread sticks to the bread pan when baking in the oven, this could mean the pan was not greased. When this happens, like it did to one of our testers, simply wait for the bread and pan to cool down. Take a plastic flat spatula and work the sides of the bread first. Then carefully at one end, with your fingertips, pull the bread off the bottom of the pan. From this experience, our testers always sprayed the pans that went into the oven, even the ones that were Teflon coated.
   
   
3. If you forget to add sugar (or a sugar substitute, such as honey or molasses) the yeast will not cause the bread to rise to meet your satisfaction. Yeast needs sugar to feed on in order to grow.
   
   
4. Just a quick FYI - honey does not spoil. When it crystallizes, just heat on the stove in a pan of water, or put in the microwave. Yes, it may re - crystallize, but you can repeat the process to turn back to honey.
   
   
5. If the bread did not rise you may have forgotten ingredients. Perhaps the yeast was still sitting on the counter, and those precious teaspoons weren't added to the bread before turning on the bread machine. We did that on a few occasions.
   
   
6. It helps if you measure all of your ingredients prior to baking. This will help you to remember all the ingredients – it doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it sure improves your odds of success.
   
   
7. If the bread or rolls did not rise, perhaps you did not measure properly. When first starting to learn how to bake gluten-free, be precise in your measurements. As you feel more confident and are able to see the textures and dough feel, you will develop an ‘eye for baking,’, and can let up on how careful you measure.
   
   
8. If your bread is not cooked thoroughly after the 60-90 in the bread machine or oven, could be your bread machine is not working properly or your oven does not get hot enough. Purchase an internal thermometer for your oven and check the temperature inside with what you have the dial set for. All ovens are a little different.
   
   

If you would like a particular questions answered, or would make a cooking/baking comment, please submit to glutenfreeenews@cox.net or visit us at www.whatnowheat.com

No part of this material may be used without the written permission of the author.

More Questions and Answers

by Bruce Gross copyright 2003

Q: My LED display does not come on my bread machine when I plug it in, did I do something wrong?
A: Most likely your bread pan may not have been inserted in the bottom of the machine correctly.

Q: Why did my bread collapse on the sides and is damp on the bottom?
A: You may have left the bread in the pan too long after baking.

Q: What happened? My bread is not brown and I hit the light cycle.
A: You may have lifted the lid too many times checking on the bread or you could have left the lid off at one point, and then returned and closed it. If you like to lift the lid a lot, try going to the next browning cycle on your machine.

Q: I put the ingredients in the bread pan correctly, but it did not mix, what happened?
A: Your kneading blade perhaps was not inserted in the slot all the way, check the blade before putting ingredients in the pan.

Q: Oh my! My bread just came out of the pan and the top just caved in, how come?
A: You may have used too much liquid, or the moisture from other ingredients added to the moisture content, so you will want to cut back a little on the liquid called for in the recipe.

Q. Why are there large holes inside the bread?
A: Large holes indicate too much moisture, cut back on your liquids. When cutting back on liquid, write down what you did so you will have this for your next loaf.

Q: Sometimes the same bread I make works and other times it doesn't, I don't understand why this happens.
A: Your bread results will vary due to the weather, flour, amount of liquid used and the ingredients used in the recipe. Lifting the lid too many times will also cause different results in your bread recipe.

Q: Why is there flour still on the sides of my bread after baking?
A: The bread mixture didn't mix thoroughly, so during the first couple of minutes take a spatula and scrape the sides of the bread pan to assure thorough mixing.

Q: When I use ingredients like raisin they seem to end up at the bottom of the bread, how can I get them to be everywhere?
A: When using items like raisins, figs, and dates or anything sticky, set them out overnight to air dry to take away some of the stickiness.

No part of this material may be used without the written permission of the author.

Table of Contents for Bread Recipes

in Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads for your Bread Machine or Oven

(* indicates recipe may be suitable without yeast. Simply add 1 Tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda to dry ingredients - the bread will be tasty even though the rise and texture will not be the same as yeast)

Basic to Bold Breads: Apple Bread*, Apple Date Bread*, Apple Pear Bread*, Basic Sandwich Bread, Brown Rice Bread*, Brown Rice and Sage Bread*, Brown Rice Brown Rice Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread*, Citrus Zest Bread*, Cream of Rice Bread, Dill and Cottage Cheese Bread, Mashed Potato and Cheese Bread, Rice and White Rice Bread*, Roasted Garlic Bread*, Sour Cream and Chives Bread*

Meal-in-a-Slice Breads: Bacon and Eggs Bread; Cheese and Franks Bread, Chicken & Peppers Bread, Deli Style Ham & Cheese Bread, Ham & Cheese Bread, Peanut Butter & Banana Bread, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread, Pizza Slice Bread, Reuben Bread, Turkey and Cranberry Bread

Robust Rye Breads: Buckwheat Pumpernickel Bread, Gruyere Rye Bread*, Limpa Rye Bread*, Mustard Rye Bread*, Onion Rye Bread*, Pumpernickel Bread*, Rye Bread*, Walnut Rye Bread*, Sauerkraut Rye Bread

Regional and Traditional Breads: Caribbean Sweet Bread*, Greek Olive and Feta Cheese Bread, Indian Curry & Honey Bread, Italian Herb Bread*, Mexican Salsa Bread, Panettone Bread, Portuguese Sweet Bread*, Saffron Bread (Swedish)*, Santa Fe Blue Cornmeal Bread

Very Vegetable Breads: Black Bean Bread, Broccoli & Cheese Bread, Cauliflower & Cheese Bread, Carrot Raisin Bread, Garden Bread, Mushroom and Onion Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic Bread, Sweet Potato with Pecans Bread, Triple Corn Bread

Cheese, Nuts and Seed Breads: Bran and Flax Seed Bread, Cheddar and Onion Bread*, Granola Bread, Hannah's Healthy Bread, Hazelnut and Cranberries Bread, Peanuts and (Un)Cola Bread, Seed Bread*, Wild Rice Bread*

Savory to Sweet Fruit Breads: Apricot and Almonds Bread, Dates Cumin & Coriander Bread, Date Nut Bread*, Figs Orange and Almond Bread, Green Olive Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread*, Morning Glory Bread, Peach Apricot Bread, Peaches & Almond Bread, Pear Hazelnut Bread, Plum Lemon & Orange Bread*

Dawn to Dusk Delectable Breads: Chocolate Cherry Bread*, Ginger Bread*, Gingered Ginger Bread*, Holiday Fruit Bread, Macadamia Pineapple Bread, Strawberry and Banana Bread, Very Berry & Marshmallows Bread, White Chocolate & Almonds Bread, Zucchini Blueberry Bread, Zucchini Chocolate Blueberry Bread

Beyond Bread Recipes

in Delicious Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Breads for your Bread Machine or Oven

Almond Whipped Cream · Artichoke Spread · Bacon & Egg Salad Entree · Blue Cornmeal Chicken Beignets · Bruschetta Spread · Caribbean Picadillo Entree · Cheddar Cheese & Onion Sandwich · Chocolate Hazelnut Spread · Chopped Ham Spread · Cinnamon Butter · Cinnamon Icing · Crab & Dill Spread · Cranberry Spread · Curried Apricot Spread · Curried Chicken Salad Spread · Dressed Up Mayonnaise · Easy Mexican Rice · Egg-in-Hole Breakfast Entree · Garden Sandwich · Garlic Aioli · Ginger Spread · Green Onion Scramble Entree · Grilled Bird & Beef Sandwich · Grilled Eggplant Sandwich · Grilled Pineapple · Tuna & Cheese Sandwich · Grilled Tomato Avocado & Muenster Sandwich · Hannah's Healthy Sandwich · Herb Cheese Butter · Honey Grilled Cheese · Honey Walnut Spread · Hummus Spread · Individual Glaze · Lemon Icing · Lemon Orange Glaze · Mandarin Orange Spread · Mushroom & Asparagus Duxelle · Onion Muffuletta Sandwich · Orange Cranberry Sauce · Peanut Butter Glaze · Pimento Cheese Spread · Pizza Appetizer/Entree · Pork Chops & Sauerkraut Entree · Pumpkin Butter · Quick Potato Salad · Reuben in a Dish · Ricotta Cheese Spread · Stuffed Mushrooms for Sandwich or Appetizer · Swedish Meatball Sandwich · Thousand Island Salad Dressing · Tofu Spread · Traditional Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich · Tuna Nicoise Sandwich · Veggie Sandwich