Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <baking><bread><yeast><gluten-free><leavening>
Title: Having trouble getting gluten free bread to rise
Question: I am new to gluten free baking and I am having much trouble getting my breads to rise. I have tried several recipes, with no luck. Can anybody give me some fool proof suggestions? I am desperate. Thank you

Answers:
sents: text: I imagine you have tried recipes already with an appropriate quantity of xanthum gum and starches... are you making any substitutions, or omitting ingredients?
text: Substitutions really change the game significantly, even unwitting substitutions like sweet rice flour vs white rice flour, potato flour vs potato starch.
text: Substituting an alternative flour directly for wheat flour in non-GF recipes won't work (unless you find a GF flour blend that specifies so - for bread, I haven't).
text: And when I started GF baking I omitted some tiny amounts of ingredients as I didn't want to go out and buy a whole packet/bottle of something just to use a few grams.
text: Turns out some of those little things were absolutely essential.
text: Don't skimp on them.
text: Also, if using yeast, you can take a little bit and proof it to make sure it's not the dud.
text: Try finding a specifically gluten-free bread recipe with many positive comments, so you are sure it's not the recipe that's the issue.
text: Personally, my first proper attempt with no subs or omissions at making bread (my first GF bread, and first bread loaf ever - so it had to be foolproof for me) was with this recipe and it rose nicely, much to my relief and delight.
text: Maybe give it a try, and once you got the rising bit down, work on other recipes from there?
text: If they are not working even though you are following them to a T, perhaps temperature is your issue - is the water too cold or hot for the yeast ?
text: Are you leaving the bread in a cold spot?
text: I have a cool kitchen, so when my oven is pre-heating while rising I place the loaf above the stove to rise, as it receives ambient warmth from the heated oven.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/14128/bakingwithadæmon
score: 6
sents: text: I had limited success making gluten free bread.
text: The best result I got was from the recipe at http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2010/august/no-knead-gluten-free-bread , which resulted in a half-decent, moist loaf.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/5489/Echilon
score: 1
sents: text: A few months ago, I bought a bread machine specifically to make GF bread.
text: (A risky venture as I didn't cook or bake.)
text: I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and tasty my first loaf was; but it was a little thicker and gummier than I liked.
text: I used Pamela's Bread Mix http://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/baking-mixes/pamelas-gluten-free-bread-mix/ .
text: Sooo, I tried a few other mixes (and my own combinations)--melchhhh, I didn't like any of them.
text: Back to experimenting with Pamela's and researching sites/books.
text: Here's where I landed.
text: Follow the standard recipe on the Pamela's bag with the following changes to HELP THE YEAST do its work better: use very warm (but not hot) water (yeast likes warmth) add additional 2 TBS of water (the extra water is for more moisture--too much will make the dough fall) whisk the liquids together add a small amount of sugar (Stevia, maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar) to the liquid (extra food for the yeast)
text: A tiny smidge more yeast (heaping vs. flat) Baste the top of the loaf with a little olive oil during the last rise and leave the top open the last 2-3 minutes of the baking (if the top crust is too hard, the yeast has a harder time working the dough) DELICIOUS, soft and much lighter.
text: Hope this helps and happy baking!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22363/lrod9999
score: 1
sents: text: I have only made gluten free bread once, but then I used a no knead recipe and it turned out
text: okay.
text: I generally find that no knead recipes rise well, probably becuase you allow it a long time to rise.
text: I don't know what kind of recipe you used, but if it wasn't a no knead one I'd suggest you try that and see if it is easier for you.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/43371/CthulhuKitten
score: 1
sents: text: Mix the liquids and fold into dry ingredients instead of mixing all together.
text: It made a world of difference in my banana bread.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/70606/Phick
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Try folding the mixed liquids into the dry ingredients rather than kneading all of them together. Make sure the bread is left in a warm enough place to rise, and try recipes that have good reviews to make sure the problem isn't the recipe.
Look for a GF recipe that has good comments. Mix the liquids then fold into dry ingredients. Leave the bread to rise in a warm place.