Basic White Bread

Today I'm going to give you a recipe for basic white bread.  The variation of today is free of as many potential allergens as I could will be cooked in a bread machine, and cooked in the Zojirushi bread machine that I have mentioned previously.

My wife eats this bread daily.  Unlike many gluten free items, it has a nice consistency and texture, and even 'tastes like bread.'  (For those of you on restricted diets, you know exactly what I mean!)

Measurement note:  As I have previously stated, I measure using weights, on a scale, rather than by volume, using cup measures.  Flour amounts are given in this recipe as a weight value, then with cup values in parenthesis.

Gluten Free White Bread

Dry Ingredients:

5 ounces (3/4 cup) white rice flour
2 ounces (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) corn starch
1 ounce (3 tablespoons) tapioca starch
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 scant tablespoon beef gelatin

Wet Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil added to a 2/3 cup measuring cup
Fill the rest of the cup with water
1 container Gerber First Foods Baby Pears

Mix or sift the dry ingredients.  Place the wet and dry ingredients in your bread machine in the order in which your instruction manual states.  (For the Zojirushi, and most bread machines I have encountered, place the wet ingredients in the bread pan first, then put the dry ingredients on top of them).

Cook the bread on the 'Quick Bread' setting.

A note on bread machine cycles:  The 'quick bread' setting on the Zojirushi has 1 'rise' and a bake setting.  Gluten free flours do not need to rise, be punched down, and rise again, as there is no gluten to develop.  (Indeed, this often makes them fall).  So, look through your bread machine book to see if such a cycle exists - 1 'rise' and a bake cycle.

If it doesn't, check to see if your bread machine has a 'dough' setting and a 'bake only' setting.  Doing the 'dough' setting and letting the dough rise for about 1 hour, then resetting the machine and baking should do it.

This is enough bread for a 1 pound loaf.  As I have previously stated, gluten free flours don't have the ability to support their own weight that well, so making in smaller loaves yields better results.

This will keep for several days in the refrigerator, and it freezes well.

I have found that it is useful to make several batches of the dry ingredients, storing them in plastic food storage containers, and then simply making a loaf when needed.

Altitude note:  I live at 5500 feet.  I don't BELIEVE you will have any variation in results based on your altitude, but if you do, please let me know.  If the results are not what you would like, I'd like to help you figure it out.

Spoon notes:  If I have any readers outside of the USA:  Here, a 'cup' is 8 liquid ounces.  A teaspoon is 5ml, and a tablespoon is 15 ml.