Gluten free bread - shop bought and recipes

[Boudicca]

I've twice given up gluten for faddy diet reasons (paleo then anti-candida) and I have to admit that it doesn't really agree with me, more for inflammatory reasons than intolerance I think. But I'm having trouble finding an acceptable substitute for that mindless piece of toast when you can't be bothered to cook.

So far:

The branded GF breads are disgusting, expensive and full of weird ingredients.

M&S & Waitrose do just about acceptable white rolls and fake sourdough.

I've made buckwheat bread (awful), lentil bread (tasty but a faff and not very breadlike), plantain bread (nice but cake not bread) and cassava flour flatbreads (best so far).

Recipes and shop bought recommendations welcome!

 

[izz]

AhMaGerrrd so many sympathies, I'm trying to be gluten-free as I've realised gluten-y foods make me feel nauseous and have dipped a toe into the murky waters of gluten-free flourlike products and all I can say is Kill Me Now. Most of the things I've tried have tasted of old dust and deep desperation. There's a 'Tiger Bloomer Loaf' or somesuch produced by Warburtons which is fucking awful unless toasted and smothered with enough topping to take your mind off it. I found it in the 'Free From' section of Morrisons.

Schar do some GF products, there's a pizza base which comes out as OK but still not amazing. Don't try their custard creams unless you want to cry.

I'm very interested in your cassava flour flatbreads Boudicca so if you could indulge me with a recipe or brand name I'd be very grateful ! I use rice cakes for the Can't Be Arsed easy eating thing.

 

[ddraig]

Bfree are the best ime, was getting it regularly but hard to find now so buy expensive one in sainsburys for £3.90!!
try being vegan and gf nightmare (most gf stuff has egg and or milk in it)
bought those schar bases the other day, pretty good

 

[Boudicca]

I'm very interested in your cassava flour flatbreads Boudicca so if you could indulge me with a recipe or brand name I'd be very grateful ! I use rice cakes for the Can't Be Arsed easy eating thing.

Very simple recipe here, just flour, some kind of milk and a bit of oil. I like it because the bread is slightly chewy. The cassava flour I have is Nigerian, bought in my local Asian supermarket.

Still more of a faff than sticking a slice of bread in the toaster though...

 

[Boudicca]

Bfree are the best ime, was getting it regularly but hard to find now so buy expensive one in sainsburys for £3.90!!
try being vegan and gf nightmare (most gf stuff has egg and or milk in it)
bought those schar bases the other day, pretty good

I tried their wraps, the taste was OK but the list of ingredients is horrific.

 

[izz]

Weeeellllll news just in, I got a Waitrose Free From* Gluten Free Sourdough loafy today and its....... ok. Compared with the Tiger Bloomer from Warburtons. It may toast alright, and I plan chicken mayo sangwidges tonight so who knows, maybe chip butties are not only in my past. Him Indoors said it's ..... ok but tastes like it's on the turn. That may be the sourdough thang. I guess you may already have tried this one Boudicca.

*Anything lovely.

 

[Boudicca]

Weeeellllll news just in, I got a Waitrose Free From* Gluten Free Sourdough loafy today and its....... ok. Compared with the Tiger Bloomer from Warburtons. It may toast alright, and I plan chicken mayo sangwidges tonight so who knows, maybe chip butties are not only in my past. Him Indoors said it's ..... ok but tastes like it's on the turn. That may be the sourdough thang. I guess you may already have tried this one Boudicca.

*Anything lovely.

Yes, I did describe it as 'just about acceptable' . I picked up a tiger cob from there today, it's one step away from sawdust but at least it was reduced.

I managed to find buckwheat flour there but still on the hunt for arrowroot, tapioca starch and brown rice flour, supposedly magic ingredients for homemade GF bread.

 

[ouirdeaux]

They are certainly ingredients. I have never seen a loaf made with them that doesn't crumble into nothingness.

I've experimented with gluten-free, and fortunately I don't seem to need to avoid it, although I probably shouldn't go overboard with it. But if you really can't tolerate any gluten, I'd advise giving up on the idea of bread. Some things are just not meant to be.

 

[pinkmonkey]

I’ve tried several breadmaker recipes for gluten free bread but the results are all a bread that is more like a cake, that goes hard and dry within a day and goes mouldy within about 3 days. You can slice and freeze but it's such a faff. I have a permanent dry mouth from the medication I’m on so most gluten free bread is too dry for me to eat. I buy Schar but I hate all the others they are too dry, and fall apart when made into sarnies. Also the Warburton square shaped buns are ok.
I tend to buy Schar crispbread, Nairns oatcakes or rice or lentil cakes and eat them instead of bread. It’s also the price, if I buy gluten free bread in the same quantities as normal bread it’s like £30 - £40 a week which is crazy! Theres some online bakeries selling much more palatable bread and baked goods that aren’t as processed, (eg Manna Dew and Knife and Fork) but at a whopping £9 for a single croissant or £6 - £9 for a tiny loaf I’ll go without.

 

[izz]

Yes, I did describe it as 'just about acceptable' . I picked up a tiger cob from there today, it's one step away from sawdust but at least it was reduced.

I managed to find buckwheat flour there but still on the hunt for arrowroot, tapioca starch and brown rice flour, supposedly magic ingredients for homemade GF bread.

Sounds very health-food--shoppy to me but maybe I've just had a flashback to the early eighties

 

[izz]

Not remotely breadlike but I've just had some of a We Love Cake sticky toffee pudding from Morrissons and it was absolutely marvellous. Packed full of chemicals but, hey. every now and then...

 

[lazythursday]

Am completely gluten free, very intolerant. With shop bought bread you just have to accept that most of it is only really nice toasted. I much prefer the Schar loaves in general, they're reasonably healthy too. For sandwiches. I like the Warburton's square rolls, which are fine without toasting.

I used to try home baking and had some success but I never found a decent recipe that didn't involve a million ingredients and I got bored of the faff of it. I quite like the Freee seeded bread mix you can buy in supermarkets.

The best tip really is just to never ever eat real bread again - after a while you sort of adapt to the tastes and flavours of gf breads and you forget what real bread tasted like.

 

[TopCat]

My gf is gluten free. I have tried to make gluten free bread. Yuk. It’s all yuk.

Suck it up and eat other stuff. Harsh but really. The ingredients for bought gf bread!

 

[lazythursday]

My gf is gluten free. I have tried to make gluten free bread. Yuk. It’s all yuk.

Suck it up and eat other stuff. Harsh but really. The ingredients for bought gf bread!

It's worth downloading the Yuka app to scan GF bread (and other processed foods). It tells you what's bad in the ingredients. A long list isn't necessarily a sign of it being unhealthy.

I've been really surprised at what scores well and what doesn't. Eg the Warburton's rolls I mentioned do pretty well despite looking pretty dodgy whereas the bfree rolls that I used to buy that looked healthier are packed full of nasty additives.

 

[TopCat]

Gets some chips in

 

[Boudicca]

Not remotely breadlike but I've just had some of a We Love Cake sticky toffee pudding from Morrissons and it was absolutely marvellous. Packed full of chemicals but, hey. every now and then...

I'm trying to steer clear of sugar too, but my cake recommendation would be for Waitrose GF chocolate brownies.

 

[Boudicca]

It's worth downloading the Yuka app to scan GF bread (and other processed foods). It tells you what's bad in the ingredients. A long list isn't necessarily a sign of it being unhealthy.

I've been really surprised at what scores well and what doesn't. Eg the Warburton's rolls I mentioned do pretty well despite looking pretty dodgy whereas the bfree rolls that I used to buy that looked healthier are packed full of nasty additives.

Yes, I recently got the Yuka app, very useful, although it has vetoed my current snack of choice (lentil chips, too much salt).

 

[story]

My GF bread type things :

Socca , which is chickpea flour and water flatbread. Dead simple

Equal parts gram flour and water, seasoning. Stir together and let sit for 20 minutes. Hot pan with a little oil, pour in the batter and swirl it around. When the bottom is golden brown and set, put the whole pan into a medium oven til the top is done.

Good hot or cold. Good as a pizza base, dipped in soup, easy snack. Good as leftovers.

Plenty of recipes out there to look at.



And here’s my bread roll recipe. I honestly think they’re pretty close to real bread in texture, and they taste good too. Can be seasoned with anything (chilli, cheese, herbs, spices etc).

30g psyllium husk
30g coconut flour
30g chia seeds
20g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower…)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs
4 tablespoons of oil ( I use olive oil)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
150mls warm water

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
Whisk eggs and add other wet ingredients in a separate bowl
Combine together
Let rest for a few minutes while you…
Preheat oven to 180C, 160C fan, Gas 4
Lay parchment paper on a baking tray
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a large tablespoon, make 7 or 8 blobs
Lay them out on the tray and shape them neatly to avoid scorched frilly edges
Cook for 50 minutes
Reduce temperature to 160C, 140C fan, Gas 3 for a further 10 minutes
Turn off oven and allow to cool down for about 10 minutes
Store in the fridge or eat immediately
Can be frozen

 

[izz]

Those recipes look pretty splendid story , thank you

E2a a small amount of finely chopped onion may go well in the rolls, presumably the rolls can be split and toasted ?

 

[ddraig]

Recently started having schar pizza bases (£3.25 for 2 in Sainsbury's!) with cheap gf pesto from Tesco (jar does 2 pizzas) as a sauce and add toppings

 

[lazythursday]

I'd forgotten about socca, I used to be obsessed with it and it is really easy and tasty. Chickpea flour / gram flour is probably the most useful GF flour. You can make muffins (sweet and savoury) really easily with it too.

 

[Boudicca]

My GF bread type things :

Socca , which is chickpea flour and water flatbread. Dead simple

Equal parts gram flour and water, seasoning. Stir together and let sit for 20 minutes. Hot pan with a little oil, pour in the batter and swirl it around. When the bottom is golden brown and set, put the whole pan into a medium oven til the top is done.

Good hot or cold. Good as a pizza base, dipped in soup, easy snack. Good as leftovers.

Plenty of recipes out there to look at.



And here’s my bread roll recipe. I honestly think they’re pretty close to real bread in texture, and they taste good too. Can be seasoned with anything (chilli, cheese, herbs, spices etc).

30g psyllium husk
30g coconut flour
30g chia seeds
20g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower…)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs
4 tablespoons of oil ( I use olive oil)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
150mls warm water

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
Whisk eggs and add other wet ingredients in a separate bowl
Combine together
Let rest for a few minutes while you…
Preheat oven to 180C, 160C fan, Gas 4
Lay parchment paper on a baking tray
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a large tablespoon, make 7 or 8 blobs
Lay them out on the tray and shape them neatly to avoid scorched frilly edges
Cook for 50 minutes
Reduce temperature to 160C, 140C fan, Gas 3 for a further 10 minutes
Turn off oven and allow to cool down for about 10 minutes
Store in the fridge or eat immediately
Can be frozen

Thanks, I'll have a go at these.

 

[Boudicca]

I'd forgotten about socca, I used to be obsessed with it and it is really easy and tasty. Chickpea flour / gram flour is probably the most useful GF flour. You can make muffins (sweet and savoury) really easily with it too.

Yes, I've been making chick pea pancakes, they certainly hit the comfort food spot.