Lansell Cottage Gluten Free

Hints & Tips for Better Loaves

The following hints and tips have been designed to help improve your results and your enjoyment of the processes. We will continue to add to these as we discover more useful information... some of which come from our clever customers. Any new hints discovered since this page was created will be included at the end via this new button .gif button
  • You should be content with nothing less than a loaf that rises well above tin height & is soft, light and even textured.
  • Use electronic digital scales to prevent inaccurate measuring which can greatly affect your results.
  • The best rise and softest loaf will always be produced when your mix resembles a medium pancake batter during the latter part of the mixing cycle.
  • For more even textured bread, use your plastic or rubber spatula occasionally during the mixing cycle to scrape down dry ingredients from the sides of your bread tin.
  • If the batter is too stiff, the texture will be crumpet-like... especially towards the top of the finished loaf. Generally speaking, the longer the loaf tin, the more water is required to achieve the correct consistency.
  • Adjust your water 10mm at a time to get the best results.
  • When loaf is baked, remove from tin and cool on rack for at least half an hour before slicing and (Electric knives slice best!).
  • Some bread machines have shorter mixing cycles and benefit from an extra 15 minutes or so on the "dough" setting before restarting the machine on the "Basic White Loaf" setting. (Don't forget to cancel out the "dough" setting if you do this or your machine will not restart on the desired setting. Just hold down the "STOP" button for a few seconds). If you are unsure if your machine will benefit from this... try it! (see below...)
  • When the loaf is cool, slice it up and use as required. Place unused bread in air tight bag (suck air gently from bag and tie) and leave on bench for remainder of day and use as required.
  • Yeasts vary in quality and must be kept as cold as possible (refrigerate or freeze) to get beyond three months life. French and Dutch yeasts seem to be most active and reliable.
  • Once the bread has gone cool and has sat around for a day, it needs to be REFORMED each time before use or it will taste dry and crumbly.
  • Bread can successfully be made overnight, but your machine tin shape will determine how much of your dry ingredients will be left unmixed on the outside of loaf (because you can't wait around for the mix cycle to start so you can pull in the unmixed ingredients at the ends). Square and oval shaped tins tend to leave less dry mix around than do longer rectangular tins.
  • The tops of your loaves will typically appear like white snow capped, rugged mountain tops. This is quite normal and is just as edible as the rest of the loaf.
... That Extra 15 Minutes...

Some bread machines give even lighter loaves if you give extra mixing time. These machines do not have a "PRE-WARM" cycle but simply start mixing as soon as you press "START".

So what sort of machine do I have?

PREWARMING TYPE MACHINES
If your machine has a PRE-WARM rest period before the mixing begins, simply place ingredients into your machine in the order listed, put machine on "BASIC WHITE" loaf setting. Your machine usually does not need extra mixing time.

IMMEDIATE MIX TYPE MACHINES
If you have this type of machine, your loaf will benefit from an extra 15 mins. or so mixing on the dough cycle. Then re-start your machine on "basic white" loaf setting and allow cycle to complete. To find out which type of machine you have, for your first loaf place the water and bread mix into your machine. Place machine on "basic white" loaf setting and press "start". If your machine does nothing, you have a PREWARMING TYPE MACHINE. Simply allow cycle to complete. If it begins mixing straight away, you have an IMMEDIATE MIX TYPE MACHINE. Restart your machine on dough cycle and allow to mix for approx. 15 mins. Then restart your machine on basic white setting, and allow cycle to complete.)

new button .gif NEW HINTS & TIPS

EXTRA FINE TEXTURE TIP

To your normal mix and liquid amounts, add 1 tab.sp oil and 1 tab.sp gluten free vinegar to get a super-soft loaf with a finer and more even texture. Beware, it may also increase your height which may require you to use the next recipe size down so it does not stick to your lid.

EXTRA FIBRE TIP

To increase the fibre content or simply to add other flavours, try adding small amounts first (e.g. 1-2 x tablespoons) to make sure that the seeds do not upset the water levels or the structure of the rising bread. Then if all is well, gradually increase the amount (along with extra liquid if necessary) to suit your taste. Psillium husks do not work well in our experience but soy bean husks do, as do chick-pea meal, faber meal, lentil meal, and flax meal.

HOT WEATHER TIP

During extended periods of hot weather when your machine, ingredients and even tap water are already quite warm, or if you are planning a trip to the hot northern regions of Australia and you are taking along your bread machine to make your bread along the way, try to use water that is cooled or chilled a little for your bread making.

The reason is that if your yeast activates too early in the mixing cycle and rises too much in this first early rise, this first rise cannot always be successfully "knocked back" during the cycle to allow for a finer and higher rise just prior to baking.
This 'too early high rise' will eventually collapse during baking and your texture will be very coarse and crumpety.
So controlling this early rise with cooler water will result in a fine, light textured high rising bread.
Top