My Favorite Gluten Free Bread

This is my favorite gluten-free yeast bread so far. It is taken from a book by Bette Hagman called More From The Gluten-Free Gourmet. I usually double this recipe, but I have a large mixer and so that works.

BUTTER-BASTED WHITE BREAD

(greatly adapted from Bette Hagman)

2 cups white rice flour (I sometimes use all brown, or half and half)

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup tapioca flour

2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

2/3 cup dry milk powder (or 1/2 cup nondairy substitute)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. Egg Replacer (I use brown rice protein powder for 15g extra protein)

3 Tbsp. sugar, divided

2/3 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. dry yeast (if doubling, I use a total of 2 Tbsp.)

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 additional cup warm water

1 tsp. vinegar

3 eggs

2 tsp. powdered pectin (found where jam making supplies are sold), optional

Combine the flours, xanthan gum, milk powder, salt, pectin, Egg Replacer (if using) and all but 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. User your strongest beater, not the bread hook or whisk.

Dissolve the remaining sugar in the 2/3 cup lukewarm water and mix in the yeast.

Combine the melted butter with the extra cup of water; add the vinegar. Whisk in the eggs and add the yeast/water mixture.

Turn mixer on low. Blend the dry ingredients and slowly add the wet ingredients. Then, beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

Place the mixing bowl in a warm spot, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and let the dough rise for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled. (But you don't want to let it rise too much longer than this.) Note: I just leave my dough in the mixer and cover the mixer. By the way, the consistency will be more of cookie dough or thick batter rather than a yeast bread.

Return the dough to the mixer and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Spoon the dough into greased loaf pans. When I double the recipe, it makes 3 standard size loaves. If you make just one recipe you will have two small loaves or a large loaf and extra dough for rolls. Fill the bread pans 2/3 full. You can bake the remaining "roll" dough in greased muffin tins.

Let the dough rise in the pans until it is slightly above the top of the pan, about 45 to 60 minutes. But, you don't want it to over-rise and start to crack.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the large loaves for approximately 1 hour, the rolls for about 25 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to measure for 206F. This means the loaves are done!

Remove from pans immediately and cool on a rack. This bread is most soft on the first and second day after baking.

I freeze my loaves and then keep one thawed in the refrigerator to prevent mold.