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:

  1. Dense or gummy interior, or inadequate rising. What am I doing wrong?
  2. Gluten: What is it? And what grains contain gluten?
  3. Nutritional information: How can I calculate it?
  4. Substitutions for ingredients in our gluten-free recipes
  5. Videos: Where can I view videos so I can see what your gluten-free dough’s supposed to look like?
  6. Whole grains in gluten-free baking: how can I get more of them into the flour mixtures?

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628 thoughts on “Gluten-Free FAQs”

  1. I was wondering if you are going to do a grain-free book anytime soon? I have all your books, but now am on the ketogenic diet for my terminal malignant cancer. I had to give up all carbs except a few leafy veggies. I am trying to make a yeast-based keto bread – a real challenge!!! THANKS!

    Reply

  2. I’m going to make gf brotchen. Recipe says bake at 450 F but in previous pages it says to reduce heat to 350 F. Which is correct?

    Reply

    1. Sorry–the egg whites don’t count in this case as “egg-enriched dough.” Shoulda said “whole-egg enriched…”

      450’s right.

      Reply

  3. I haven’t been able to look inside your book ‘Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Baking Revolution Continues with 90 New, Delicious and Easy Recipes Made with Gluten-Free Flours’. I wanted to know whether you use Xanthan Gum in all your recipes or Psyllium Husk? I cannot tolerate Xanthan Gum so many recipes don’t work for me. If you do use Xanthan Gum do you provide information on how to substitute it in your recipes for something like Psyllium Husk?

    Many thanks

    Reply

  4. I am using your Gluten Free AB in 5 book. Recently made my first batch of dough, using the GF Mixture #1 blend recipe on page 60. Mixed up the Master Recipe (p. 64), not using any eggs or egg whites. Been using it to make naan. Delicious!

    The book says this dough will keep for 10 days as long as there are no eggs in it. I am on day five now and noticed that the bread is developing a sort of sour tanginess that I’m not in love with. ( I enjoy sourdough bread but this is more sour and tangy.) Is this normal and to be expected? If so, I should probably make smaller batches of the dough.

    Reply

    1. Hi Catherine,

      That flavor of fermentation is normal, but it isn’t to everyone’s taste. You can certainly make smaller batches or even freeze the dough, whichever suits your needs better.

      Enjoy, Zoë

      Reply

  5. I’m working with the “Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes” and am ordering ingredients for Mixture #2: 100% Whole-Grain Gluten-Free Flour. The table in Chapter 5, on page 4 lists Teff flour. Are you using Brown Teff or Ivory? I can order either and wondered which would work best.

    I have all of your other books including the original and new Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. I’m 5 weeks into a 10 week elimination diet for arthritis, craving bread, and was thrilled to see you had a gluten free book.

    Reply

    1. Hi Marilyn,

      We used the brown teff for the recipes.

      I hope you enjoy all the GF breads and they satisfy your cravings!

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  6. I made the Artisan bread, my dough was very sticky, what did I do wrong? It didn’t really make a ball, and I could not smooth it out with water. I am waiting for it to rise the 2nd time right now. Will see what it cooks like.

    Reply

  7. Love your books but now find myself on a GF diet. My question…can your English Muffin recipe be made as a loaf? If yes, how to handle, baking time and temp, etc.

    Thanks so much, Jane

    Reply

  8. I’m making brioche. Does the dough have to be refrigerated before using? Can I go from mixing it to placing it directly into the loaf pans where it will then be rested before baking? Thank you, Linda.

    Reply

    1. Hi Linda,

      The dough can only have one rise, but it will not have as nice a texture of crumb doing it that way. It will be a bit cake like, not as much stretch to the dough. it will be very soft, so you will not really be able to shape a loaf as much as pour it into the pan. You’ll want to grease it very well.

      I think it would be a really great experiment.

      Zoë

      Reply

  9. Evening,
    I have just worked up the courage to make the delicious looking sticky pecan caramel rolls for New years day. I was wondering whether the recipe would still work if the buns were made the day before and kept refrigerated until the next morning – when they would be baked as per the recipe.

    Thanks,
    Wendy

    Reply

    1. Hi Wendy,

      The rolls will be great made the day before and refrigerated. It is often the preferred method with our readers.

      Enjoy and Happy New Year! Zoë

      Reply

    1. We designed that recipe with a little more “structure” that would support the rise you need in a bread. We haven’t tested it in cookies/cakes/muffins–but I’m guessing it’d work pretty well, though you may need adjustments and it may not be a 1-for-1 swap. Another option–decrease or eliminate the xanthan gum/psyllium husk, since that’s the part that accounts for the structure. Might make your non-bread baked goods tough.

      Reply

  11. Hi. I was wondering if I could bake the gluten free artisan bread in a Dutch oven and how long I should cook it. I am really looking forward to trying this recipe.

    Reply

  12. I’ve had great success making all of the free-form loaves in the gf bread in five book thus far, but I cannot for the life of me get the crusty sandwich loaf to rise anywhere near beyond the sides of the pan. I end up with something that looks more like a flatter free-form loaf, no thicker than four inches at it’s widest… it’s delicious, but not really sandwich material. Help!

    Reply

    1. Are you happy with the texture of the sandwich loaves? In other words, are they getting the same hole-pattern as your free-forms? Or are they dense, hole-free bricks? If you’re getting the same hole-pattern (and I’m guessing you are), then the truth is: GF loaves just don’t rise as high as wheat breads, and if you want a tall sandwich loaf, you’re just going to have to use more dough (fill the pan higher), and bake a little longer.

      Reply

      1. I use the King Arthur GF bread pan. It skinnier, taller and ridged so it helps the bread grab as it rises. It’s been a game changer.

  13. I am looking for a correction to the recipe for european peasant bread ( light whole grain) in ‘gluten free artisan bread in five minutes a day’. Recipe on page 96 calls for 1 cup of mixture #2: 100% whole grain gluten free flour and 4 1/2 cups of lukewarm water…. that seems very, very wrong. I went ahead and mixed it per your instructions and it is terribly watery.

    Reply

    1. The Ingredients table calls for every line in the table–it’s intended to use the first line (6 cups of Mixture #1) AND 1 cup of Mixture #2. Plus everything else in the table.

      Reply

  14. Hi Jeff,
    I love making the gf baguettes is so easy and tasty.
    I was wondering if you or anyone ever tried to make gf bread using gf sourdough starter without store bought yeast? I would like to try but I’m not sure on the proportion and not sure should I cut down on the water content.
    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Alicia: Haven’t tested that, but the method’s in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (with whole grain wheat flours). It ought to work—but we just haven’t tried it with GF flours.

      Reply

      1. Hi Jeff,

        Thanks for the prompt reply. I’ll try it out myself.
        Btw I would like to make a GF croissants does any of the dough in your book would be a suitable dough base for gf croissants?

      2. It’d be the enriched dough–the Brioche would be my first call for this. But… you’ll never get the flakiness of a true croissant out of this method and with this dough. The closest you’ll get is a roll made from our GF brioche, shaped in a crescent-form. We didn’t put that in the book but basically it’s how we do the soft dinner rolls on page 90, but do the shape like this: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2011/09/21/rosemary-crescent-rolls/

        You may have trouble with this kind of dough–when you try to roll it up like that, so consider making a little bun that you just pull into a crescent-shape.

  15. Hi Jeff,
    Thank you for replying. Could I ask if you could help me out, my gf baguettes turned out patchy brown not evenly brown . I never had that before until recently.
    But having said that the breads still turned out nice and cooked

    Reply

    1. Hi Alicia,

      The gluten-free dough doesn’t tend to caramelize as well as wheat dough. Depending on the dough you are using, it may not brown as much. You can always brush the loaf with egg yolk wash, which gets a nice dark color when baked. Just mix a yolk with a teaspoon of water, then brush that over the top of the loaf before baking.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  16. I’m in the process of making the Brioche, what is the dough consistency supposed to look like? I weighed all of my ingredients but it looks more like cake batter than bread dough….:( just trying to figure out what I did wrong or if there is a way to fix it.

    Reply

    1. Hi Natalie,

      How did the dough look once it was chilled? Once the butter in the dough chills, it should be stiffer and easy to use.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

    1. Hi Rosanne,

      No, you can’t swap them, because they require very different hydration.

      Our recipes are much too large for a bread machine and the crust is not the same as doing it in the oven.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  19. Hi! I’m working with the gf version. I was curious if I could omit the egg in the challah recipe on page 210? Is the egg for flavor or texture?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Alison,

      The egg is for texture and flavor, but I know some of our readers have used egg replacer and liked the results. I have not tried it, so don’t know what the results are.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  20. Hi Zoë & Jeff

    If I want to substitute xanthum gum for ground psyllium husks, would I use the same quantity called for in a recipe?

    Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and great ideas.

    Bronwyn

    Reply

    1. I’m away from the book at the moment, can check in later today–but I believe the substitution is in the book…

      Reply

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