By Christine
Baking gluten free bread has its fair share of challenges. From being too dry, or not rising, or just plain not tasting very good, it can be frustrating to get that perfect loaf
We’ll be examining some of the problems that come up when baking gluten free bread. Things like, why is this bread dry and falling apart or why are these rolls gummy - we are going to not only explain why it happens but also troubleshoot them too.
Why it happens ?
Gluten free bread gets dry and crumbly because the way that the flours, liquid and the baking process is coming together is not working in a particular recipe.
Problem: The freshly baked gluten free loaf is dry, crumbly and falls apart
The Solution
Use a combination of flours that will interact well together.
In this article about gluten free flours, flours all function in different ways – some are very moisture rich and others act as sponges so they tend to absorb a lot of liquid.
Coconut flour is a good example of a spongy flour. It soaks up liquid so the end result could be dry if too much is added to the recipe.
However, gluten free breads need a good protein flour. Protein adds structure and in a bread without gluten, it is essential.
Some good protein flours are coconut flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, teff flour and the less common, chia flour (we’ve never used this one, but it has 6 grams of protein per ¼ cup!)
Keep in mind though, if you make substitutions for flour, you must keep a starch in the mix!
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