The first time our son-in-law ate Thanksgiving dinner with us, he put a piece of cornbread on his plate and forthwith stabbed it with a fork, intending to cut it in half before dousing it with a ladleful of black-eyed peas. When the cornbread did not cleave cleanly into two sections but disintegrated into a mound of crumbs instead, he looked at me with a roguish grin and said, “Gluten free, huh?” Having been in the family for six months, he had already observed that though the flavor of gluten-free foods was comparable to that of foods with gluten, texture was definitely a problem with celiac-safe baked goods.

That was before I discovered a simple process to soften gluten-free flours before baking them into breads. The process originated with a yeast bread recipe called ”Country Two-Step” and published in a brochure from Red Star Yeast & Products company. The first loaf of bread that I made with the Country Two-Step recipe had such a soft, pliable texture that I decided to try the same method of dough preparation with other bread recipes. To my delight, the method worked with other yeast breads recipes, producing moister breads with a softer texture without requiring significantly more effort or changing the ingredients.

Here is how to adapt any gluten-free yeast bread recipe to the Country Two-Step method when mixing by hand, with a food processor, or with an electric mixer:

1. Measure the required amounts of gluten-free flour(s) and salt into a bowl. Mix these together.
2. In a separate microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan, combine the oil, vinegar (if used), and ¾ of the liquid required by the recipe. Heat the liquid mixture to 150°. This is hot but not boiling.
3. Stir the heated liquids into the flour/salt mixture until blended.
4. Cover the bowl and let the dough stand until it reaches room temperature, or put it in the refrigerator until the next day. (If the liquid is milk, cool the mixture in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria growth.) This will soften the flour and allow it to absorb the liquids.
5. When the mixture has cooled, add the eggs needed by the recipe (if any) and mix thoroughly.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients, usually sugar, xanthan gum, yeast, and possibly dry milk powder. Mix these dry ingredients into the dough.
7. Warm remaining ¼ of the liquid needed by the recipe and add this to the dough a little at a time until dough has the proper consistency. Add additional warm liquid, a little at a time, if necessary.
8. Pour dough into greased and floured baking pans. The dough can be either baked immediately or allowed to rise before baking.

If using a bread maker, use the following procedure:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan, combine the oil, vinegar (if used), and ¾ of the liquid required by the recipe. Heat the liquid mixture to 150°. This is hot but not boiling. Pour liquid mixture into the bread machine baking pan.
2. Measure the required amounts of gluten-free flour(s) and salt into a bowl. Mix these together. Add flour/salt mixture to bread machine pan and start the bread maker on the dough cycle.
3. At the end of the dough cycle, remove the baking pan from the bread machine and allow the dough to cool as in step 4 above.
4. When the dough has cooled, beat the eggs needed by the recipe (if any) and add to the baking pan.
5. Return baking pan to the bread machine and start the machine on a normal bread cycle.
6. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients, usually sugar, xanthan gum, yeast, and possibly dry milk powder. With the bread machine running, add these dry ingredients to the dough when the eggs have been beaten in.
7. Warm remaining ¼ of the liquid needed by the recipe and add this to the dough a little at a time until dough has the proper consistency. Add additional warm liquid, a little at a time, if necessary.
8. Allow bread to continue through the entire bread cycle.

This sounds more complicated than it is. I usually mix my flour, salt, and warm liquids in the morning after breakfast and let the dough cool while I do chores and errands. Later in the day, I mix in the remaining ingredients and bake the bread. There is no additional labor time involved in using this method, only an additional waiting time.

Perhaps if I learn to apply a similar “pre-soaking” method to cornbread, my son-in-law will have something more cohesive on which to pour his peas next year.