Most bread recipes are created using gluten-based flour, which obviously isn't true if you're making gluten-free bread. As a result, there are some baking adjustments that must be made when you're baking with gluten-free bread recipes. If you follow these tips, your gluten-free breads will turn out as delicious as their gluten-containing counterparts.

Don't Knead the Bread

Traditional bread recipes usually call for substantial kneading of the dough, and often the dough gets kneaded multiple times. The purpose of this is to stretch, or elongate, the gluten proteins in the flour that the dough is made from.

With gluten-free bread recipes, there's no need to knead the dough excessively because there aren't any gluten proteins to stretch. As long as the ingredients are mixed well, you can move on to the next step. In fact, excessive kneading can actually interfere with the dough's rising.

Shape the Bread After Mixing

Once the dough of a gluten-free bread is mixed, immediately shape it into the desired final form before you allow the bread to rise. Whereas traditional breads often rise and get kneaded multiple times, there's no additional kneading and rising with a gluten-free bread. Thus, the shape the bread is formed into before it rises will be the bread's final form after rising too.

If you're making the bread in a special pan that has a distinctive form, make sure you let the bread rise directly in the pan. 

Make Sure the Bread Is Fully Cooked

Taking a gluten-free bread out of the oven can result in not only an improperly cooked loaf, but also in a loaf that turns out flat. When gluten-free bread that's not finished baking is removed from the oven, the cooler air of the kitchen can cause the bread to collapse. If this happens, there's no way to get the bread to re-rise. Even continuing to bake it won't make it rise again.

One way to help a bread fully cook is to use a metal baking pan rather than a glass or silicone one. Metal conducts heat well, so it'll quickly warm up the edges of the loaf and begin to bake the loaf from all sides.

Cool the Bread Slowly

To further reduce the risk of bread collapsing, cool it slowly to avoid shocking the bread. You can cool the bread slowly by placing a towel over it as it cools.

For more information, contact local professionals like those found at gfJules.