Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread: (Biscuits, Bagels, Buns, and More)

This is from a well known gluten free bloggess, that has put out quality content for years. We use her Brioche recipe when we want bread in the house and can afford to make a Brioche (If you know...you know).She gives a wonderful introduction to Gluten-Free bread making, with things such as how to work with a dough that doesn't have gluten to give it shape, common mistakes with troubleshooting, how to do a sourdough starter, tools, modifications, etc.Then we get into her flour blends. She has a bread flour, high quality AP flour, a more simple AP flour, gum free flour, whole grain flour, and a pastry flour. All are quite do-able for the average person, and most of them use the same base flours, with some additions to modify each one.The recipes refer to her flour blends. The thing that makes this different than many of the Gluten-Free cookbooks is that:1. Her flour blends are listed in the book.2. They aren't overly complex3. There is no "brand" AP flour... like Bob's Red Mill, Cup for Cup, King Arthur, etc.While this may seem an issue for the beginner GF baker, each of those mixes are VASTLY different, and often can cause recipes to fail. This could be for many reasons, such as hydration need of the various flours, the protien content, the weights of the flours, the grind, etc. Having the mixes the author uses right in the book, is more than likely going to have more consistent results, and a higher chance of success.While she does have a few more "exotic " ingredients that you might have to order in for, the recipes that you have to use those ingredients are actually not that many in the overall amount of recipes. You could make tons of bread and never have to stress about them. It is just some of the more specialized stuff.As someone who has done a ton of gluten free baking - who because of allergies cant have things like legume flours, nut flours, coconut flour, and brown rice (white rice is ok) flour - I cannot recommend this cookbook enough.The two flour mixes that have brown rice are the high quality AP, and the pastry flour, whick calls for the high quality AP. I find that usually you can substitute the same amount of white rice flour (on top of any other white rice flour in the mix) and it comes out fine, but we shall see.While there are some lovely photographs in the book, not all recipes have photos. I would rather a book be this way, as it means more recipes, but it may be a downside for some. It spends the photo budget more on showing you the how to's, which to me is a more important use of photos. If I need a picture of a bread so badly, I can Google it.She also includes standard US measurements and weight. I highly suggest if you dont have a scale to get one, as it helps you be more precise (and sometimes that can make or break a recipe). You can still use this book without it though.In summary? Get this book if you want to expand your bread consumption beyond what you can find in the stores, have food allergies and need to bake your own items, or just want to learn more about Gluten-Free cooking.

Prior to being diagnosed with Celiac, I regularly baked my own bread/puff pastry/cake/etc. After the Celiac diagnosis, I thought I was destined to a life of ho-hum, store-bought gluten-free bread products, or baking my own bread with recipes that produced dough that was not at all fun to work with and felt more like making cookie batter.I was thrilled to find Nicole's website, and loved baking her recipe for brown sandwich bread, and other breads, from her prior cookbooks. That said, I was still missing that real bread baking experience/feeling that working with gluten-filled yeast doughs used to give me. Baking gluten-free bread was...well, boring.I was also a big fan of Jim Lahey's No Knead bread recipe (if you can eat gluten, you must try it) and other long-rise recipes, so I was used to the bread dough working within my time frame, instead of its own. There was nothing I could find in the gluten-free arena that gave me that option of a long-rise.Enter Nicole's book. I am not sure I would love this book as much as I do if I were just a casual person who rarely baked; or if I were someone looking for a quick bread recipe but wasn't really into baking bread. If that person is you, try one of Nicole's other great books, or her website, for bread and baking recipes that might better fit your needs.This book is serious. It is incredibly well-researched and tested. It is chemistry and art, as well as baking. As we all know, good bread takes time, work and quality ingredients. Good gluten-free bread takes time, work and quality weird (albeit natural) ingredients, too. This book will help you bake GREAT gluten-free bread. Bread that is worth your time, effort and initial expense of sourcing the ingredients you will need, including the Expandex and Whey Protein Isolate mentioned with disdain here in other reviews (and both available on Amazon).The recipes in this book are NOT hard, but to see if they are more involved than you are willing to go, check out Nicole's site where she has posted some of the recipes from this book so you can determine if it is right for you before you purchase it.We're baking gluten-free bread here that tastes like real bread! It's a miracle! If you already bake gluten-free, you know that the gluten-free flours and other ingredients aren't cheap, but they are also not all that expensive when you break it down per recipe. And they are a heck of a lot cheaper than buying sub-par gluten-free products available at the grocery store and pretending that crap is satisfying in any way.I love being able to mix up the dough one day, give it a nice long rice, and bake my bread any time in the next 5 days as fits into my schedule. That's a benefit to me, not a deterrent.So, for those of us blessed with the ability to find the time or spend the money on baking gluten-free bread that is freaking awesome, this book is brilliant. It is real baking. It is real bread. It is not more expensive than what you are already paying for crappy gluten-free bread. If you are serious about baking great bread, this book is what you need.I understand it might not be what everyone is looking for, but for those of us who refuse to settle for crappy bread just because we have Celiac, I give my utmost thanks to Nicole for creating these methods, recipes and this book. Making pretzel rolls today with springy dough that felt like 'real' dough was a feeling I never thought I'd have again. Thanks, Nicole, for bringing my baking mojo back!

Since having to give up gluten I have missed the taste and especially of the texture of gluten breads. I've baked most of my own breads for many years and part of the pleasure was the handling, especially the kneading of the dough. While the techniques in this book are not precisely the same, I still get that satisfaction of shaping the dough rather than scraping a batter into a pan and then smoothing down the top. But best of all these breads are a near miracle in terms of texture, crumb, and chew. And they taste really good to boot. I mean really really good.I know other reviewers have issues with the complexity of the methods and the time it takes to make these breads. But if you've baked gluten breads in the past you already know that some of the very best ones take time and patience. I've had my share of disappointment with some of my results with the initial tries at these breads. But then I've had my share of disappointment with my gluten filled breads as well. Having said that, not one of my attempts has been inedible and many of my second tries have been fantastic. Bread making of any sort is a process of getting to know your dough. These recipes are no exception. If you are looking for a quick and easy then these recipes may not be for you. But if you are willing to put in some time to learn how to make these breads then this is an exceptional collection of recipes.As for the cost ingredients, which some seem to have issue with, I don't find these ingredients per recipe to be anymore expensive than if I were to buy it's gluten free commercial counterpart. I'm willing to pony up the cost to be able to bake bread that doesn't fall into a pile of crumbs like many of the commercial products. Sure the commercial products are cost free in terms of labor but, all of the recipes I've tried so far are so superior to commercial products that I am more than willing to put in the time to make these breads. Actually, now that I think about it, there isn't all that much hands on time in doing these, it's more of waiting for the next stage. Which is in fact much like baking gluten filled bread.As for the whey component that some have mentioned, I am thankful that I can include it in my diet. I'm a vegetarian and that extra whey adds a lovely protein boost to my diet, more so than any gluten filled bread has ever done. I know the whey is in there for the properties that it has in the structure of the bread recipes but it's a power house of nutrition for me and elevates gluten free from very starchy to a healthier nutritional profile. Thank you!This is a serious bread making book which is very well researched. It really does take gluten free bread to a new level. I'm loving baking my way through it.

This is a well crafted gluten free bread cookbook. Hunn has clearly done her homework and extensive testing. I have made several of the recipes in my own kitchen, some more than once. Many are very good...for Gluten Free. Gluten free dough just has a heavier, stickier, more dense texture and is more difficult to work with than wheat full stop. Hunn has done a very good job trying to mitigate this, but you are probably never going to be able to make most GF breads indistinguishable from wheat. As long as you understand that, these recipes are good to quite excellent. A few observations:A. Dietary notes - This is a gluten free, not vegan, allergen free or whole grains cookbook. With a few exceptions, most of these recipes use highly refined white flours and starches. If you have other food issues, you should know that Hunn has not tested or accommodated for substitutions with the exception of a very small nod to dairy. This is only in her basic flour mix though, not individual recipes.B. Shoestrings are relative. These recipes are not inexpensive so if you are buying this cookbook because you think you're going to be able to make bread almost as cheaply as your wheaten friends, you will be disappointed. Gluten free breads are a special occasion luxury and not a staple. Her high-quality GF flour recipe runs me north of $7 a pound, about as expensive as using a good commercial GF flour mix.C. Many of these recipes are not cheap in terms of time invested either. You may save 20 cents a serving out of pocket over commercial products but you will pay for that with your own labor. The yeast risen recipes require multiple efforts over a couple of days to complete, sourdough much longer. Even the quickest breads often need half an hour's rest in the refrigerator.D. I found the cooking times to be very off for most of these recipes. I have checked my (gas) oven with two thermometers and it is within 5 degrees F of correct, but on average my breads have spent 30 to 100% longer in the oven than Hunn suggests. She recommends using a meat thermometer to check the bread for doneness. I had never heard of that before and it made a huge difference. No sad streaks! Great idea.All in all, a very very solid reference. My family is pleased with having these comfort food options as an occasional treat. I would recommend it!

Updating my review: I have made the white bread, the bagels, the hoagie rolls, the English Muffin bread, and the cinnamon bread recipes from the book. About the bagels, they are real honest to goodness yummy gluten free bagels that are amazing - that you would not know are gluten free! They taste like the gluten bagels I know and love from NY/NJ area! The English Muffin bread is a new favorite of mine! In my humble opinion, the bagel recipe, and the English Muffin bread recipe, alone are worth the price of the book! My gluten eating family have no issues whatsoever eating anything made with Nicole Hunn's recipes!I had rise issues being in AZ, but figured that out...proofing in the cold oven in a covered container and then a moist tea towel on top of the covered container, along with some water in a separate bowl to the side. Nicole has also stated on her blog not to be afraid to go over the suggested rising time if needed to get the rise. I have to say though, when the white bread did not rise properly, it still tasted awesome - better than anything I purchased in the store.I need to get pizza stone and peel so I can also do pizza crust. Have yet to try to do the starter for the "no rye rye." I will be venturing into that shortly!It saddens me that some people cannot source the ingredients called for in the book. Nicole does her best to accommodate everyone's needs, so go to her resources page on her blog glutenfreeonashoestring.com to see if she has found a way for you to get them. If you cannot find Expandex, you can use Ultratex3. Again, go to the resource page on her blog because there is a change to the recipe if using Ultratex3.For those who cannot afford the ingredients, I understand. The initial outlay is a bit of a shock. I had to do it in steps. However, if you do the math, it is still cheaper to get the ingredients and bake these recipes than it is to buy pre-made gluten free food that is subpar. And these recipes (at least the ones I have tried) are amazing. Not just good for gluten free, but good for all!By the way, I use Better Batter flour along with the Expandex and Whey Protein Isolate to make my bread flour. I do not have enough space for all the different flours.If I could I'd give it 100 stars!Initial review: I have yet to bake anything from the book. I am still studying it and gathering ingredients/equipment needed. I have never baked bread before, besides banana bread or ginger bread, never mind gluten free bread. It seems to me that Nicole wrote this book with me in mind--the petrified novice, because she clearly addresses most every issue/question I could think of. She did her best to test some different proteins for the dairy free people and even tells them how to adjust other ingredients. Nicole truly cares about her readers and it shows in this marvelous book! Nicole is also very available to answer questions from you on her blog glutenfreeonashoestring.com, and even did a live Q&A on Facebook and is willing to do more. My family, who is not gluten free but loves what I have made from her prior books, has asked for plain bagels (with different seeds), so that is what I am going to start with as soon as I have the necessary supplies.

I've made maybe 7 or so loaves of gluten-free bread prior to this. Most were horrifically shaped with lumpy wart-like protrusions, not to mention so terribly unbalanced that one side of the loaf might be 3-4 inches taller (and more undercooked) than the other half. All of the breads were grainy and slimy in texture. The best was barely tolerated, thinly sliced, toasted, and laden under strong flavored toppings only. Most were thrown away after one bite. Even the best of these loaves were thrown away after a few determined slices.It looked like the only way to make a decent gluten-free bread was to add a ton of eggs, but since I'm trying to avoid using egg, that wasn't an option for me. I tried substituting chia/flax/baking soda/you name it for the eggs, but nothing seemed to work. One of the reasons I purchased this book is that the recipes are not dependent on eggs.I ordered this book about a month ago, but wanted to wait until I made a loaf to review it. It took awhile to gather all of the specialty items required and let the steps sink in. Tonight, though, I got my reward.I made the Olive Bread. The yeast was added straight to the flour mixture, which surprised me as usually you have to proof the yeast in warm water, but I followed the directions precisely, using a scale for the first time. I was really surprised to see the difference in the quantity of the same weight of brown vs white rice flour. Maybe that contributed to my other loaves' failure? It set in a plastic container (that I got from the dollar store) in the refrigerator for a few days and just grew and puffed up in size. When I took it out to knead it, I was surprised at how much it felt like dough. It wasn't goopy or like batter, like other gluten-free "doughs" are. It felt like actual dough that you knead. I kneaded it very gently, but many times, because she said that technique was more important than strength.This bread tastes rustic and artisan, like it came from a specialty bakery. The flavor of the olives and rosemary really shines in the bread. I can't believe the texture and how crunchy the crust got. The loaf isn't dense, but feels hearty. The inside was chewy with a nice bite. My entire family enjoyed and mopped up almost the entire loaf for dinner. Not with dinner, FOR dinner.Did it take a kitchen full of specialty items that I will probably use only in baking gluten-free bread? YesDid these items cost a buttload of money? YesDid the loaf of bread take days of planning? YesDid the bread make my kitchen smell intoxicating? YesDid I actually dance after taking the first bite? YesDid my non-gluten-free family marvel at this bread? YesDid we celebrate with a bread, cheese, and fruit dinner that was to die for? YES!

A few years ago I posted a five star review for a different GF baking book. Today I regretfully deleted that review, because there's a new paradigm in town. I figured it was only a matter of time until bright people cracked the code that would make it possible to bake a really good loaf of GF bread, and that has now happened. Thank you so very much, Nicole Hunn. (I do not know her and have no affiliation to anyone involved in producing the book).This book is getting a few rather vicious negative reviews. One complains, "We were sold a lie with this book" A lie? Really? Nicole knew that what she was saying was substantially untrue when she wrote the book, and the publisher colluded with her? Anonymity certainly breeds invective on the Internet.Expensive, yes, the ingredients are expensive - certainly not shoestring pricing - and the author doesn't talk about that much, nor does she have any control over it. And I recognize that if you've done little baking previously, there's going to be a potentially frustrating learning curve (we already had moderate experience). But the first loaf we baked (a few days ago) was the best bread we've had in the five years we've been gluten free by a long shot. It approaches the level of a rather middle of the road wheat bread from a yuppie whole foods store, and is way beyond any commercial GF bread we've found, almost like comparing a restaurant to dumpster diving (there may be a good commercial GF bread but we haven't stumbled over it yet). The loaf we baked is about twice as good (whatever that means) as the best GF bread we've baked to date based on recipes from several other books plus our own improvements. Really, we found it to be wonderful, a huge relief. And, we're confident we can tweak the recipe a bit, modify it to produce other breads to our own taste, and look forward to investigating other recipes in the book. Some of her flatbread ideas are innovative, too - the GF tortilla recipe we're presently using isn't that great.To make the loaf we used namaste all purpose GF flour from a membership big box store as our basic ingredient, then added whey protein isolate and expandex as she specifies. The flour currently costs around $2.20 per pound, the protein isolate $16.70 per pound, and the expandex $6.70 per pound. For a 3-1/2 cup loaf, the first recipe in the book, that comes to $1.70 for the commercial flour, $3.21 for the protein isolate, and $0.79 for the expandex, for a total of $5.69 for the loaf, a standard loaf, not one of the underweight commercial loaves that are generally available. The cost for the same size loaf made from the commercial flour alone would be $2.37. Is it worth the difference in cost? That's an individual decision obviously; for us, yes, very much so. I'd rather eat less bread of high quality than lots of mediocre stuff. Plus, we're getting a protein supplement in our diet :-)Were we premature in reviewing the book after only trying one recipe? If that's the only recipe that we find useful, we're grateful we found it - and we are confident we can branch out based on that one. If you're on a GF diet, love bread, and can afford the ingredients, it's well worth trying this approach and seeing if it works for you, IMO. May you be as pleased as we are!

So here's the thing. The baked goods from this book are OK. For gluten free.Background and summary:I've been baking for nearly 30 years of my life, 8 of those gluten free, including developing recipes and flour mixes. So you could say, I'm not a complete newbie and understand at least some of the tips and tricks of the trade. I had to switch to 100% gf only in the last 3 months (doctor's orders), prior to that I was allowed to eat a bite of bread here and there, so I still remember what good bread, cake and pastry is supposed to taste like. And the baked goods from this book ain't it.So far, I tried three recipes from this book: lean crusty white sandwich bread, carrot muffins, and bagels. For the bread and bagels, I left the dough in the fridge for 4 days each time. I followed all other instructions to a T, measuring flours in grams, timing my kneading and folding times, checking oven temperature with a roasting thermometer...All recipes consistently came out with the same pros and cons - see below - so I think this is just how the baked goods described in the book will be. To me, they are worth 3 stars for decent texture and the fact they hold shape, as well as the highly detailed instructions that the author provides. I will definitely update this review if I suddenly start achieving miracles in the kitchenPROS:- Definitely no gritty, chalky texture and none of that weird stale flavor that most commercially bought gf goods have- Baked goods hold shape well (see below why)- Proper crust on the bread. I miss crust like crazy- A lot of different recipes to choose from, which can be refreshing after having to subsist on white bread and bagels. Nice range of difficulty levels from muffins you can put together in 30 mins, to multi-day wild sourdough starter breads- Very detailed recipes with lots of tips and tricks included, book covers basic techniquesCONS:- Baked goods come out VERY stodgy, gluey and heavy. This is likely why they hold shape well, but you can probably throw a muffin at a wall and it will bounce back in one piece- The multi day fridge incubation recommended for bread and bagels results in baked goods that smell strongly of fermented beer. The smell dissipates after a day or so, concurrently with the bread becoming slightly dry and hard, and losing any taste- As mentioned in other reviews, the recipes are definitely not cheap. Then again, neither is store bought gf bread, so this is less of a problem- For those who (like me) like to stay fit and monitor their calorie intake, the baked goods pack a lot of calories for very small volume. E.g., the crusty white bread has ~120 kcal per slice when cut into 16 pieces, and that slice is tiny. Probably smaller than those microscopic slices of Udi's. Each of the bagels has ~320 kcal/bagel, again, for not a lot of bagelConclusion:I will try out a few more recipes and update this review accordingly. For now, I would say I can buy better tasting gf bread that will be cost a similar amount of money, take 20 seconds of putting it into the shopping basket instead of 5 days of spread effort, and that will be more nutritionally appropriate for my needs.

Seguo il blog di questa autrice e ho provato diverse sue ricette,di torte e biscotti. Ho deciso di acquistare anche questo sul pane,con la speranza di trovare la giusta formula per ottenere un ottimo pane senza glutine ma purtroppo l'autrice aggiunge ai normali mix di farine dei prodotti introvabili e,ovviamente,questo si ripercuote sulla riuscita delle ricette.

I love the way this book is written. Well laid out, directions fantastic and today I will be trying my first raised gluten free bread. The theory behind the ingredients, the directions on how to form the dough for various recipes. I hope to add to this review with a photo of my first success. Also shipping was on time. Very happy with Amazon for this purchase. Updated to add a photo of the English Muffin bread, which was awesome. Gave some to my Mother who doesn't have to do g/f but she loved it. This book is now my bread bible. Thank you Nicole for all the hard work that went into this excellent book.

Probably one of the very best books on GF baking, certainly my favourite - simple but delicious recipes without too many difficult-to-find ingredients, clear instructions and good photos. This book is a mine of information for any baker, not just for those coping with coeliac, gf intolerance or allergy.

Useful if you can find expandex. If you don't......

Ich habe mir dieses Buch als eBook gekauft.Im Nachgang hätte ich es gerne in der Hand. Denn: es ist ein tolles Werk mit gelingsicheren Rezepten und hilfreichen Tipps!