The bread was good. I took a second bite and chewed it slowly and contemplatively, savoring its slight sweetness and mild yeastiness. The texture was pleasant in my mouth, moist but not soggy, and tender without a hint of gumminess. I held the bite in my mouth a bit longer, searching for subtle flavors, and was pleased when I detected the underlying nuttiness of the whole grain flours I had blended. I looked at the slice in my hand and noted the fineness of the texture, the way the bread held together without crumbling, and the rich, creamy color. The bread was really good.

In the midst of my reverie, I became conscious that someone was watching me. I turned and saw that my six-month-old granddaughter had been observing me intently, her bright eyes firmly fixed on my face and her look one of serious study. When I smiled at her, she licked her lips, made a couple of tiny chewing motions, and then opened her little mouth, clearly inviting me to share my treat. I was delighted. Of course I would share my gluten-free bread with her. I pinched off a small bite and put it into her eager mouth. She rolled the bread on her tongue a few times and then began to chew. I waited and watched, expecting her to swallow and then pop her mouth open for another bite. Instead, she suddenly made an awful face, spit out the bread, and shuddered all over. I was dismayed.

“You don’t like Nana’s bread?” I asked her. “It’s good bread. This is very good gluten-free bread,” I tried to convince her, but she continued to twist her face into expressions of disgust and shudder in revulsion.

I could not help but feel a bit hurt by this. More than sixteen years of experience in gluten-free baking had gone into the creation of this whole grain bread, yet the culmination of my effort and experimentation received an honest and unequivocal rejection from a baby – my granddaughter, at that.

Seeing my disappointment, my daughter-in-law laughed. “It isn’t just your bread,” she said. “She doesn’t like any bread. She always spits it out and makes faces.”

I began to recover my composure. On reflection, I had to admit that the bread did not taste exactly like its wheat counterpart, nor did it have quite the same texture. However, it had gained the approval of the gluten-eating adults in the family, and it was certainly better than the bread I made when I first switched from whole-wheat-and-wheat-germ to gluten-free grains. Over the years, through research, application, and experimentation, I had made discoveries that had improved my bread making and often simplified it.

Equipment

• Regardless of what many cookbooks state, it is not necessary to own a heavy-duty electric mixer for making gluten-free bread. I use a food processor to mix bread dough. My sister simply mixes gluten-free dough by hand using a large spoon.
• Although there may be electric breadmakers that do an adequate job of making gluten-free bread, I have more control over the process by mixing the ingredients in the food processor, allowing the dough to rise in the pan, and baking the bread in a conventional or convection oven. Making bread manually allows me to decide whether I want rolls or loaf bread. It allows me to control rising; if the bread rises too long, it will fall during baking, and if it does not rise long enough, the baked loaf will be dense. And it allows me to control crust color, as I can cover the loaf with foil when it is sufficiently browned. Furthermore, I do not have the problem of trying to extricate a breadmaker paddle without tearing up fragile bread after it has baked. On the other hand, breadmakers require less attention.
• Warming liquid that will be used in dough helps the yeast to grow. The liquid should not be too hot, though, or it will kill the yeast. It should feel warm, but not hot, to the inside of the wrist.
• Proofing yeast is not necessary if the dough is allowed to rise before baking it. The yeast will dissolve during the rising process. It is important, however, to mix the yeast thoroughly into the dry ingredients so that it is dispersed evenly throughout the dough.
• Using yogurt instead of milk gives bread a mild sourdough taste, but because yogurt is thicker than milk, the dough may require the addition of water to have the right consistency.
• Honey helps bread retain moisture. Because it is sweeter than sugar, substituting honey for sugar in a recipe will cause the finished product to be sweeter than it would be with sugar. Also, because honey is liquid, it will be necessary to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe to maintain proper consistency of the dough.

Handling dough

It is possible to produce an acceptable loaf of bread by mixing the dough, pouring it into a pan, and baking it immediately without allowing the dough to rise first. (For a complete discussion on this, see To rise or not to rise? To achieve better texture with this method, one option is to proof dry active yeast in order to dissolve the yeast completely. A second option is to use rapid rise yeast.
It is possible to produce an acceptable loaf of bread by mixing the dough, pouring it into a pan, and baking it immediately without allowing the dough to rise first. (For a complete discussion on this, see http://alamoceliac.org/actipstoriseornottorise.html.) To achieve better texture with this method, one option is to proof dry active yeast in order to dissolve the yeast completely. A second option is to use rapid rise yeast.
• Dough that is too wet and thin will rise quickly but fall during baking or cooling. Dough that is too dry and stiff will not rise well, resulting in a dense loaf. If a recipe does not specify what consistency the mixed dough should have, it is advisable to follow the recipe exactly the first time. If the bread turns out well, note on the recipe the consistency of the dough. If the bread fell or did not rise well, note on the recipe what adjustment in liquid to try on subsequent attempts.
• If bread dough fails to rise, it will not hurt the dough to remove it from the pan and rework it. If incomplete mixing is likely to be the problem, the dough can be mixed more thoroughly and returned to the pan. If too little yeast or outdated yeast that is not active enough is the problem, more yeast can be added as long as it is blended into the dough thoroughly.
• Using wet hands to shape gluten-free bread dough or smooth it in the pan keeps the dough from sticking to the hands.

The finished product

• Cooling loaf bread for about ten minutes after removing it from the oven causes it to release more easily, and cooling it on its side will help to keep it from falling in the middle.
• Gluten-free bread rolls, muffins, and biscuits travel better than sliced loaf bread because cut surfaces are more apt to crumble.
• A bread “flop” is not a complete failure. Aside from resulting in a learning experience, the loaf can be made into crumbs and frozen in a zippered plastic bag for future use in meatloaf, as crumb toppings for casseroles, or use in other recipes calling for bread crumbs.

There is no guarantee that my baby granddaughter will ever like my bread. However, should it ever become necessary for her to go on a gluten-free diet, it is certain that her “Nana” will have bread-making tips for her and her mother.