Gluten Free Harvest Loaf

I have been wanting to learn to make homemade gluten-free bread for awhile. My first few attempts failed horribly. My mother-in-law visited at Thanksgiving and she offered to help me master a gluten-free loaf. I started by printing at least a dozen different gluten-free bread recipes. Then I compared them all and compiled them into a loaf that I'm very very pleased with. My boys *LOVE* the new bread! It's nice and soft and it's whole grain too which makes me happy. We've recently discovered teff flour which gives it almost a whole wheat taste.

I learned a lot during the trial and error process, here's a few highlights:

1. You don't knead gluten-free bread, it will be the consistency of a thick cake batter.
2. It works best to have a heavy duty stand mixer. After mixing the bread dough, beat it on high for five minutes. This changes the protein structure of the eggs giving it a better texture.
3. Do not over-proof the bread. Allowing it to rise for too long will allow to much air into the bread dough and will increase it's chances of falling. We have only been letting our bread rise for 20 minutes (it won't really look likes it's risen much at all, but during baking it rises well above the top of the loaf pan).
4. We were advised to let the loaf sit for 5 minutes after coming out of the oven, and then turn it upside down for five minutes before letting cool on a wire rack. However, we found that our loaf was falling and compacting down within the first five minutes. So, now we turn it upside down (suspended over a large soup pan so it won't get smashed) immediately as it comes out of the oven.
5. This bread is soft and moist, but very delicate. I found that adding 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin to the dry ingredients helped immensely. I would still like to improve on this a bit, so your suggestions are welcome :)

Let me know if you try it and any improvements you might have! Happy baking.


Gluten-Free Harvest Loaf
1 1/2 c. very warm water
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar

3 large eggs
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. teff flour
1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1/4 c. quinoa flakes
1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

• Dissolve sugar in warm water, add yeast. Let sit until bubbly and frothy (approx. 10 minutes)
• Mix together eggs, canola oil, honey and apple cider vinegar. Beat on low until well mixed.
• Add yeast to liquid ingredients, mix on low speed.
• Slowly add dry ingredients, mix well together. Set electric mixer to high and beat for five minutes.
• Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Sprinke with quinoa flakes if desired (this will give it an oat-bread appearance). Brush waxed paper with oil and cover loaf pan. Place in a warm non-drafty place for 20 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Turn upside down (suspended) immediately upon removal from oven. After five minutes, gently remove from loaf pan and let cool thouroughly on a wire rack. It slices better when cool or even after being chilled in the refrigerator.
• Since there are no preservatives, we find it keeps best in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.