First Loaf

I first posted this here, on my other blog.  But I am trying to make sure this blog has all of my recipes.  Good, bad and otherwise.

I made my first attempt at baking gluten free bread.  And it went fairly well. No, it was a success, but it wasn't exactly what I hoped for.  My problem is that I used my very favorite bread recipe and tried to make it GF.  And I just guessed at which flours to use and how much xanthan gum to add.  Because every recipe I found online is different.  So that's where I went wrong.  First using an already loved recipe.  Even though I knew the GF bread would be different, I didn't imagine it would be quite this different. And then guessing on how to make something that I have never even tasted, let alone made, (which by the way is how I do most things in life).  I also don't think that I like the GF flour pictured below.  I think I can find stuff I like better.  But I already own it so I will try it one more time just to be sure.

I used this recipe.  It's my very favorite.  But instead of regular flour, I replaced it with half GF AP flour and half GF brown rice flour and added 2 tsp xanthan gum.

It looks pretty.  But it is sooo dense!  I divided it into two loaf pans and wonder if it would be sandwich size-ish if I just made one giant loaf.  The density is just so very different from the original recipe that I think I really need to just wise up and use an already tested GF recipe.  I am not ready to just "guess" my way through recipes yet when I am not fully understanding how each of these new-to-me ingredients work. 

So the conclusion is that it's good.  But not as dreamy as the original recipe with gluten full flour.  I am determined that there must be a better compromise though so I will keep on baking my way through the internet until I figure it out...