Gluten Free or Wheat Free Information
An estimated 3 million Americans suffer from Celiac disease, an intolerance
to certain proteins that are found in wheat, rye and barley, along
with breads that are manufactured using these grains. So, for these
people wheat is nothing but trouble. A substitute for wheat must be
used, like corn, rice, tapioca and bean flours, just to name a few.
Many supermarkets and health food stores today are now selling gluten-free breads or wheat-free breads. Some of these breads are very good and some are down right awful. One thing that is for sure, is many of these gluten-free breads or wheat-free breads are very expensive.
In many cases, it is cheaper to make and more convenient to make your own gluten-free or wheat-free breads. In addition, you get the security of knowing exactly what is in the bread. You can use organic flours and no preservatives. That is a comforting feeling for many health conscious people.
Some of the gluten-free bread recipes or wheat-free bread recipes can be made with a breadmachine. This will help with time and effort. Breadmachines are wonderful for making gluten-free bread recipes or wheat-free bread recipes. When using a breadmachine it is very important to follow and measure everything in the the bread recipe. This will help to ensure a good quality loaf of bread.
It is also a good idea to check your breadmachines manufacturer's
instructions as many breadmakers can vary considerably. For those
people who do not have or don't like to use a breadmaker, that's ok,
as we have many gluten-free bread recipes or wheat-free bread recipes
that you can make that don't need or require a breadmachine.
Many of the gluten-free flours lack the protein or gluten that produces
the "stretch" in the dough. Therefore, we have to substitute something
to create the stretch by using things like, xanthan gum, more eggs and extra
leavening. These things help the bread to feel and taste more like the real
thing. In some of the bread recipes we will be using wheat flour substitutes
like: bean or lentil flours, rice flours ( white, brown, sweet or polish),
rice bran, potato starch flours, tapioca flour, soya flour, corn flour
and arrowroot flour, just to name a few. Here are some gluten-free or wheat-free
flour mixtures you can use to substitute for wheat flour.
You can make these ahead and place them in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. So, when you are ready to make gluten-free bread or wheat-free bread your flour mixture is ready.