Gluten-Free Bread Baking FAQ

The product we get asked about the most is Rustic Scoop™ Bread Mix. We thought we would put together a FAQ with our answers to help you out. Don’t let this list overwhelm you; it is meant to be helpful and fine details to answer your questions. Our bread mix is very easy to make, though there are a few things to take into consideration before baking. It can easily be baked by a non-baker if you read and follow all of the directions. We will categorize the tips so you can easily scroll to find what suits your situation. If you have other questions, we are here to help you. We know you can be a great and successful baker!

Tools Needed 

1. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment is best. This dough is thick, so it needs a good sturdy mixer. You can do this by hand, but we don’t recommend it. If you choose to go this route, you will need to mix very quickly with a sturdy wooden spoon. You will get a denser loaf if you go this route.
2. An oven thermometer. It is imperative that you know the true temperature of your oven. Most ovens, no matter how new they are, are often not the temperature they say they are. Having the correct temperature is one of the most important pieces to good baking.
3. A food thermometer. If you are not sure if your bread is done or not, having a food thermometer is a great tool to have. Bread should be 205°F internally when it is done baking. This will be up to 5°F less if you live at high altitude. This is also good for testing the temperature of your warm water.
4. Glass measuring cups. When you measure liquid ingredients you need to use a glass measuring cup and fill it at eye level. If you are looking down at it, it can look like the right amount, but it’s not. Being precise in your added ingredients is vastly important.
5. A metal bread pan is best, either 8x5 or 9x4 work. While a glass bread pan can work, it is not ideal. A glass pan doesn't radiate heat evenly and often takes longer to bake. You can use safe non-stick spray (avocado oil doesn't work) or parchment paper in a metal pan to get the loaf out easily after baking.

Video Tutorial

1. We have a video tutorial on our Rustic Scoop™ Sandwich Bread product page. It is there to help you see how simple the process is, but more importantly so you can see what the texture of your dough should look like. If it looks different, go through all the steps to be sure you didn’t skip any or accidentally measure incorrectly (it happens to the best of us occasionally). This short video above is also a great view of the texture of our bread dough. While you don't have to shape your dough by hand, it gives you a good look at it.
   
2. If you are on Instagram or Facebook we have done live videos and have several posts showing the texture of our bread dough to help you.

Rising Bread

1. The dough needs to rise to the top of the bread pan, not over it. The time to get to the top of the pan will vary depending what the temperature and humidity are where you live. See winter tips below. Rising is best to go by rise height, not amount of time. Cold temperatures will take longer and summer warmth will take a shorter time.
2. Do not let your bread rise above the top of your pan. If you do, there is a very good chance you have over proofed your dough which will lead to a collapsed loaf. The bread will rise nicely in the oven and then collapse when it cools.
3. Be sure you proof your yeast make sure it’s nice and foamy before you add it to your dry ingredients. If it doesn’t get foamy, the yeast isn’t alive and active. If you use yeast that is old or not alive, it will not rise your dough.
4. When you use warm water for your yeast mixture, it needs to be 95°F to 105°F. If it is lower than that, it will not be warm enough to make the yeast be active. If your warm water is over 105°F you will kill your yeast and it will have no chance of working. If you do not have a thermometer, the water should be warm to the touch, but in no way hot.

Egg free 

1. There are different options that we give on our Rustic Scoop™ Bread Mix product page and how to use them. We’ll briefly go over them here. For more information, check out the product page.
2. If you are using aquafaba (garbanzo bean water), you will need to decrease the amount of water by 2-4 Tablespoons depending if you live in a humid or dry climate. 
3. If you are using a powdered egg replacer, you will need to add up to ¼ Cup water as they generally call for less water by volume than an egg is. You will get a denser loaf with a powdered egg replacer, but it will still be a great loaf of bread!
4. Flax and chia eggs are not good replacers for our bread.

Baking times

1. Baking times can vary depending where you live. Generally, an hour baking at 350°F is the perfect amount of time. If you live at high altitude, you may need to bake your loaf for 5-10 minutes less. That being said, we created this recipe living at sea level in a humid climate. Now we live at 5k feet above sea level in a dry climate and we bake our bread no different here and it works great. You just have to see what works best for your elevation.

Winter Baking

1. Any bread dough doesn’t love cold weather. The nature of the yeast needs a nice warm climate to grow and thrive. That being said, there are a few things you can do to help your bread if you live in a cold climate in the winter.
2. Proof your bread dough in the warmest place in your house. 70°F+ is best for this. Some ovens have a proofing setting on it. If yours has one, use it and rise your bread in the oven on this setting.
3. Use a hot damp cloth to cover your bread while it rises. You can change this towel and add hot water to it again halfway through rising.
4. If you have an oven with a stovetop, set your oven to preheat and rise your bread close to the warm air coming out on the stove. It’s perfect for rising!
5. You can buy a rising mat. We have the Raisenne mat and it works great!
6. If your kitchen is cold (below 65°F) you will need to cool your bread in the oven once done baking with the door cracked. If you bring a hot loaf of bread into a cold kitchen, you run the risk of the bread collapsing. Just simply turn your oven off and crack your oven door until your bread is fully cool.

Hard or Soft water

1. We have a full post on this topic with a video. Head over to read and watch the video. Hard or soft water can greatly affect your baking (of any kind), but there is a very simple fix!