Getting Ready for Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread!
Ingredients
Gluten Free Bread Flour Ingredients (all purpose gluten free flour* + whey protein isolate** + Expandex modified tapioca starch)
An oven thermometer
A digital food scale (although approximate volume measurements are provided most everywhere in the book, except where impossible)
A liquid measuring cup and a set of measuring spoons (for liquids)
A home proofer . . . or a heating pad
A basic digital calculator
A glass jar and wooden spoon (for making a wild yeast sourdough starter and the corresponding recipes)
Mixing bowls and whisks
Bench scrapers (ideally a metal one and a more flexible plastic one)
An instant-read thermometer (for testing to see if bread is done)
Rimmed baking sheets
Unbleached parchment paper
A French rolling pin
8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans
Sharp knife or lame for slashing
Cooking oil spray (I prefer a simple olive oil spray)
A large serrated bread knife
Machine with dough hook (Stand mixer or 5-speed hand mixer with dough hooks)
Lidded plastic proofing buckets (really a “want”)
*The main all purpose gluten free flour blends I recommend is the Mock Better Batter blend here on the blog (or Better Batter itself, if you prefer). The other all purpose gluten free flour blend I recommend is the Basic Gluten Free Flour Blend, but with a bit of xanthan gum.
**Dairy-free substitutions: The two non-dairy protein powders I recommend are NOW Foods Pea Protein (just read the description to ensure that it is, in fact, a protein isolate) and Growing Naturals Rice Protein Isolate (Original Flavor), both of which are readily available online. I speak more about how to replace whey protein isolate with them on page 10 of the book.
Instructions
*UPDATE 1/21/14*
1. Currently, the best source in the U.S. for Expandex is Montana’s Gifts of Nature. You must order over the phone at 1 (888) 275-0003, but they are generally available to take orders 7 days a week. If you don’t get an answer, Larry said to leave a message and he will call you back. For complete sourcing information, please see my Resources page.2. Readers outside the U.S.: I have arrived at a formula for using Ultratex 3 in place of Expandex. Please see #6 on this link of resources for details (including where to find Ultratex 3). Please google “Ultratex 3” in your country’s search engine and you should be able to find an online source in your country.
You must be sure to use whey protein isolate, which is different from simple whey, whey protein or sweet dairy whey, all of which have at least as many carbohydrates as protein. Whey protein isolate is nearly all protein. I use NOW Foods whey protein isolate, and I buy big bags of it. The source with the best price varies from time to time, but I usually order it on amazon.com. It is also often sold at health food stores and vitamin stores, as it is frequently used by bodybuilders. I … am no bodybuilder.
You absolutely will need a machine with dough hooks to get the smooth texture that you see on the surface of the bread in all the photos in the book—ideally a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. I have a KitchenAid and it’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done (even though it’s super old). Don’t have a KitchenAid stand mixer? Well, next week you can enter to WIN the 6-quart KitchenAid stand mixer of my dreams (way better than the one I have!) here on the blog. In the meantime, and on the off-chance that you don’t win, I have had good results with a 5-speed handheld mixer with dough hook attachments. I was pleasantly surprised.
Proofer … or a heating pad. The initial rise in each recipe in the book takes place in (ideally) lidded proofing buckets in the refrigerator, which leads to a slow rise and great yeast flavor development. The most important feature of a good rise is a constant, even temperature, and the refrigerator absolutely provides that. The second rise, however, must be in a warm, draft-free location (also with a constant, even temperature). There are ways to accomplish that without a Brod & Taylor proofer (although it sure does make things easy and lovely). But … the wild yeast sourdough starter necessary to make the sourdough recipes in Chapter 5, cannot be made without a warmer environment. In the book, I describe how to jury-rig a heating pad for this purpose.
