Gluten Free FAQs
Gluten Free FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
We wrote Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day because readers asked for it, here on the website. So we expect no shortage of gluten-free questions. Click on any of them below– these are the ones that seem to be on a lot of gluten-free bakers’ minds. If you’re having a problem with one of our recipes, breeze through these FAQs first. If you can’t find an answer in the FAQs, click on any “Comments” or “Reply” field (doesn’t have to be related to the content underneath). Please tell us which book you’re working from, and which recipe and page number:
- Dense or gummy interior, or inadequate rising. What am I doing wrong?
- Gluten: What is it? And what grains contain gluten?
- Nutritional information: How can I calculate it?
- Substitutions for ingredients in our gluten-free recipes
- Videos: Where can I view videos so I can see what your gluten-free dough’s supposed to look like?
- Whole grains in gluten-free baking: how can I get more of them into the flour mixtures?
I am using the Challenger bread pan for my GF Boule. I assume 20 mins with top on then 20 mins with it off with pan and oven preheated to 450?
I’m not familiar with that pan, but if you’re using it to trap steam, we usually recommend two thirds of the baking time covered and one third open..
I just went shopping for the “mixture #1” all-purpose flour – all Bob’s Red Mill, small bags. One of each ingredient (except for the white rice flour, needed two bags of that). Total outlay for the five flour mixture ingredients: US$25.74 (the xanthan gum is pricey, but you don’t need much).
While scanning the shelves, I found Bob’s “Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.” They say it’s “…not meant for yeast dough…”; without giving too much away, the ingredients are almost exactly the same as those in mixture #1. No telling if the ratios are similar, though.
Have you guys, or any visitors, tried this premix? I ask because it would save time and labor, but also money, as because I can buy a 4-pound bag of the stuff for less than 10 bucks. Any input would be appreciated…
Hi Matt,
I did and wasn’t that excited about the results, it came out a bit gummy. It is the ratio of the flours that is the trick. The closest pre-mixed commercial flour I have found is called Better Batter.
Have you seen this post: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5/
Thanks! Zoë
Thanks Zoe! I hadn’t seen that particular post – similar to the instructions from your book, but good to have another source to work from! I’ll use that post in conjunction with an earlier (2010) post which shows baking in a cast-iron dutch oven, which is how I’ll be baking.
Reading that post, incidentally, is the first time I’ve come across anyone warning about the limited heat tolerance of the lids’ phenolic knobs, so that’s a bonus!
Shalom,
I was wanting to see if you guys have any cake recipes?
-Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
This is a site for our bread method, but we do create coffee cakes from our brioche dough: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2020/05/06/strawberry-rhubarb-streusel-coffeecake-for-mothers-day/
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Jeff and Zoë,
I’ve just been give a copy of your gluten-free book, and am looking forward to getting started.
I have one question, concerning yeast. I have two kinds of yeast in my kitchen. One is labelled “Quick yeast”; it is a fine powder, and is the kind that is generally used in bread-making machines. The other is labelled “Dried active yeast”; it looks more like granules, and would normally be reconstituted by dissolving in warm water with a little sugar before adding to the flour.
So which one should I use in your recipes? You mention granules, but you don’t say anything about reconstituting. I am not familiar with American brand names.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Hi Mike,
You can use both of those yeast products, just make sure the expiration date is current. Add them as suggested in the recipe. Here is a post on baking with GF dough that may be helpful: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5/
Thanks, Zoë
I live at 6,500 feet, besides increasing oven 25 degrees, what else should be done. My perfectly brown GF bread tastes gluey
Hi Mary,
Gluten-free breads behave differently than wheat breads, so it may be a bit of an experiment, but here are our recommendations for high altitude baking: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-high-altitude-baking/
Thanks, Zoë
Can I take gf dough out of the refrigerator, shape it and let it sit for 6 hours at room temperature before baking?
Hi Joanne,
That is too long to let the dough sit, it will over proof and deflate. Each recipe gives a recommended rest time once shaped and you can push that by about 30 minutes, slightly more if your room is cool, but not a lot more.
Thanks, Zoë
I am flummoxed. I’m getting this beautiful rise in the initial two hours that promptly deflates when baked. I tried using the master recipe as sandwich bread and it shrank visibly in the pan by a full quarter inch, despite a 90 minute rest out of the fridge and putting it between aluminum broiler pans to try and preserve the steam (my attempts without this were equally flat). My infrared non-contact thermometer has read all over the place, but the slow oven thermometer is reading 450. Help!
Hi Katherine,
Have you seen our post on baking this bread? There may be some helpful tips and you can compare your dough to what we have in the post: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5/
Are there any substitutions you’ve made that may help me figure out what is causing the dough to deflate?
There is a sidebar on page 68 that has a technique that may help you’re loaf rise and bake as you wish.
Thanks, Zoë