My Gluten-Free Bread Adventure (Or Misadventure?)

Yesterday, I did something I haven’t done in over a decade—I baked bread. Sort of...

Not with a bread machine like I used to back when I made fresh, warm loaves more frequently. No, I didn’t even remember how to use the bread machine anymore, so I decided to just mix, knead, and bake the old-fashioned way. What could go wrong, right?

I found a recipe on someone's blog that looked promising—golden crust, pillowy inside, and totally gluten-free. Perfect! Or so I thought.

From the start, things were… off. The dough was incredibly dry and crumbly, refusing to come together into anything remotely resembling the soft, stretchy ball I imagined. 

I started to become discouraged (and annoyed), then improvised—adding additional oil, then vegan Greek yogurt, hoping to bring it back to life.

Looking back, my first mistake was trusting the recipe blindly and dumping in all 5 cups of flour right away. Rookie move. I should’ve known better and should have added the flour slowly to see how much it actually needed.

To make things worse, this wasn’t a cheap experiment. A 2-pound bag of gluten-free bread flour cost me $9.99.

 Still, I wasn’t ready to give up. I coaxed it into a vaguely dough-like state, kneaded it, and let it rise. Or rather, I hoped it would rise. Despite proofing the yeast, the dough stayed stubbornly low and did not rise. But I braided it the best I could anyway, brushed it with some maple syrup, popped it in the oven, and crossed my fingers.

The result? Well… imagine a soft pretzel pretending to be a loaf of bread. I ended up with 5 small creations/soft pretzels. They were sweet because I glazed them with maple syrup.

What I Learned About Gluten-Free Bread Baking

• Don’t trust a recipe blindly—especially with gluten-free dough.

• Add flour gradually, adjusting for texture and moisture.

• Even a “failed” loaf can be edible and tasty.

In the end, my braided gluten-free bread wasn’t bakery-perfect, but it was fun, flavorful, and we got some good laughs. Two of my grandkids were visiting for dinner (and that's why I made homemade bread) and they liked it, ate it, and took some home. One of the two visiting is gluten-free.

But here’s the twist: it actually tasted good.  In fact, I may have tasted way too much of it straight out of the oven when it was warm, sweet, and lightly crunchy. It wasn’t what I planned, but it was still kind of good in its own quirky way.

Moral of the story?  I will be searching for a better gluten-free bread recipe before my next attempt.

In the meantime, I'll call this A gluten-free baking experiment full of dry dough, braided pretzels, and happy grandkids. but don’t ask for the recipe. Trust me, you would not want it. 

On another note- It's beginning to look like fall and the night's and early mornings are cooler (around 48 degrees to 50). The days are still warm and into the low 80's. 

Halloween Decorations are out already

Sugar pumpkins being sold to make pumpkin pie