Gluten-Free Naan and an update on freezing the dough

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This past week I got together with 3 enthusiastic bread bakers.  I’d brought two buckets of dough to work with; the master recipe from ABin5 and the gluten-free brioche from HBin5. From those two buckets we baked everything from an epi and sticky buns to flatbreads like pita, pizza and naan. Out of a request for quick breakfast ideas to feed their kids (some of whom are on gluten-free diets) we experimented with making the gluten-free brioche into a naan. Rolled out in sugar and fried up in butter it was fantastic. The brioche cooked in this way had a crisp caramel coating with an almost pudding like interior. It was so good and easy that it got me thinking about making a more traditional version of naan with the gluten-free crusty boule dough I had left over. It was every bit as delicious as the naan made with our wheat doughs and still as quick.

I also experimented with freezing the gluten-free doughs. Several of you had wondered if this was a possibility since we only recommend refrigerating it for 5-7 days. At the bottom of this post you will see how that experiment turned out.

Gluten-Free Naan:

8-ounce piece of gluten-free crusty boule dough

1 tablespoon Ghee, clarified butter or European style butter (You can use regular butter, but you have to be careful of the butter burning. The ghee and clarified butter have a higher burning point and allow you to cook without worry of it burning.)

Brown Rice Flour for dusting the surface of the silpat and pizza peel

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For the g-f dough you will need to roll the naan out on a Silicone Baking Mat that is sprinkled with brown rice flour. This method is also used for rolling out the pizza in the book.

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I used a piece of dough that was about the size of my fist. This turned out to be the perfect size when fried in my 10 1/2 inch Skillet.

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sprinkle the dough with a bit more rice flour and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap.

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Gently pat the dough into a disk…

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you may have to pat the sides to round them off.

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Peel back the plastic and sprinkle with a bit more flour so that the plastic won’t stick as your roll it thinner.

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Replace the plastic and roll the disk to scant 1/8-inch thick.

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peel off the plastic.

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Carefully transfer the dough to a Pizza Peel that is lightly coated with rice flour.

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You may need to use a Dough Scraper to ease it off the silpat.

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Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and swirl it around.

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Slide the dough into the hot pan.

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Cover with a tightly fitting lid to trap the heat.

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After about 2-3 minutes the side of the dough will be golden and the top with be bubbly, flip it over with a spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.

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Serve the naan with Indian-style dips and chutneys…

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It was pure comfort food and no one knew that the naan was g-f but me.

The following is a 1-pound piece of gluten-free crusty boule dough that I froze for one week, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator and then set off to bake.

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I unwrapped the defrosted dough and set it on a piece of parchment. Because it was wrapped and frozen in the right shape, I didn’t fuss with it at all before I loosely draped it with plastic and allowed it to rest on the counter for 90 minutes.

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I slashed it with a serrated knife and baked it exactly how I had the original loaf.

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The bread was fantastic. Great crust and amazing flavor.

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The crumb was a tiny bit denser than the original loaf, and the g-f dough freezes wonderfully.

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171 thoughts to “Gluten-Free Naan and an update on freezing the dough”

  1. If you can is there a best way to “write” a couple of initials or design on top of the loaf before going into the oven?

    Thank you,

    Tom Dunnock
    Seven Valleys, PA

    1. Tom: This is the situation where a single-edge razor comes in handy (careful)… Usually we say to slash with a serrated bread knife, but that won’t help here. If the dough’s really wet, it’s tough to carve intricate designs, see what you think. Jeff

  2. Made your spicy chili crackers from HBin5, using dough made with 3c ww flour and 4c white ww. First batch: too thick. Great out of oven, bready and tough the next day!

    Second batch (same dough, couple days later): very, very thin (proud of myself!), helped by your recommendation to divide into smaller balls. Worked like a charm!

    Baked some on silpat, some on parchment, and some on sprayed baking sheet. Best were on sprayed baking sheet, followed closely by silpat. They browned too fast on the parchment, and were overbaked.

    In my oven (out of kilter by some 50•) I had better luck lowering the baking temp and shortening the baking time. Definitely not a kitchen project to wander away from.

    Finally, the seasoning: DH, the daily cracker-eater, pronounced them “crispy, salty, and very tasty”. He preferred a topping of sesame seeds pressed into the rolled-out dough with an extra pinch of kosher salt. His second choice was your chili topping, but with a VERY light touch.

    The verdict: great taste and texture, and worth the trouble! Thank you for a delicious addition to our snack repertoire!

    Ruth (also known as @rmgbi)

    1. Ruth: Thanks for the details… you confirm pretty much exactly what we found in testing. Gotta get them thin or they’re not really crackers. Jeff

  3. I’m wondering if you could follow the directions for Naan (made from the Gluten Free Crusty Boule recipe) and instead of cooking the rolled dough in a skillet, use it for pizza instead.. in a hot oven of course. Has anyone tried this?

    1. Adie: You are correct, they’re baked inside 1000-pound clay ovens, then brushed with ghee. Since our readers weren’t going to have that setup, we did the ghee at the beginning. Jeff

  4. Wow! I haven’t been eating wheat lately but I really love naan, so I caved yesterday and made the wheat naan out of your first book, thinking about how hard it would be to give up wheat forever if it meant no naan! What a pleasant surprise to wake up this morning to find that you guys figured it out! Can’t wait to try this!

  5. Jeff and Zoe,
    I am SO loving your first book and will soon be getting your second one. I’ve probably made at least 10 or so recipes from the book and you blog and every single thing I’ve made has turned out wonderful!

    Question about the freezing – I’ve not been able to find in your book or online – can you freeze all of the regular doughs and follow the same procedures you outline above? Any idea how long the dough will keep in the freezer?

    Thanks so much for everything!!!

    1. Hi Denise,

      We talk about freezing more in the second book. Yes, you can freeze all of the doughs. I think that after a couple of weeks it does reduce the rising power of the dough slightly, but it is still excellent and particularly for flatbreads.

      Hope that answers? Thanks, Zoë

  6. Hi Jeff and Zoe,! Just wanted to thank you guys for coming up with this wonderful technique..I’m so glad, I’ve tried the master boule from ABin5, came out perfect. Its the topic of discussion whoever I’m talking to 🙂 Just got the book HBin5 and can’t wait to try the recipes!

  7. Your site needs a “blooper” entry. On Monday, I made dough (master recipe from HBin5), and put it in the microwave so it would be out of the way when I made dinner. I must have forgotten about it. Last night, I was going to use the dough, but couldn’t find it in the fridge. Apparently we don’t use the microwave very often, because it was still in there. At least the ingredients are pretty cheap!

    1. Oh no Sara,

      I’ve left mine out for 24 hours, but not sure what you’d get after a “rise” that long? Probably best to start again. I hope it didn’t grow out onto the floor of your microwave! 😉

      Thanks, Zoë

  8. I’ve become a bread baker again! Thanks. I start with your basic recipes and then add things I like and/or have on hand. My favorite addition is inspired by a local bakery – I add millet seed to the basic white or wheat recipes. To me, it works fine to just dump some (1/2 to 1 cup, depending on my supply and mood) in without adjusting other ingredient amounts. The millet seeds add great texture and have been popular with the many folks who’ve enjoyed my (your) bread.

    1. Hi Karla,

      How wonderful that you are enjoying the bread and creating your own loaves! Just what we’d hoped for.

      Thanks for the note! Zoë

  9. Hi, I’ve been very happy with an overnight refrigerator rise. I’m wondering if you’ve tried integrating new ingredients (like cut up olives or nuts or cheese) at the point of shaping before the overnight rise. I wonder if the dough would have enough time to recover and rise fully in the oven.
    I like the idea of being able to churn out 4 unique loaves from one batch of the master recipe.

    Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Dana,

      Absolutely! We highly encourage you to play with adding all kinds of ingredients to the dough. Let us know what you are added that you particularly love, that way we can all try it.

      Enjoy, Zoë

  10. After a busy week at the university and a week of “store” (ugh) bread, \yesterday I mixed up European Peasant (my favorite “basic” dough and Bagel (from AB5), Sweet Potato Spelt and Betsy Seeded Oatmeal from HB5 (I am ready for all our baking for the next 10-14 days!). This morning I made bagels for the first time – it seemed like a lot of work and I was thinking maybe Panera’s was okay afterall, but after eating a toasted poppy seed encrusted homemade bagel, I will definitely find time to do it again. I also made the most wonderful pizza tonight with the Euro Peasant dough topped with sauteed cherry tomatoes and garlic with a mixture of Jarlsberg (that’s what was in the frig!) and fresh grated parm — it was wonderful – baked it at 500 on my pizza stone in the oven for 10 minutes. Hadn’t done much with pizza before, definitely will again – the topping possibilities are endless. Looking forward to a loaf of the Sweet Potato Spelt this week. Got a question – when freezing dough, would it be better to form the loaf and freeze so that it can simply defrost, rest and go in the oven or just freeze a portion, defrost, shape, rise and bake. I often mix up more dough than two people can consume (I got carried away yesterday) and although I give lots of bread to friends, sometimes I don’t have time to bake up loaves before the dough is expired.

    1. Amy: I freeze as loaf-sized portions so I don’t have to handle much when I defrost it.

      Hey, I made bagels today too— they are much better than what you buy… Jeff

  11. I make the olive oil dough for pizza, and I was wondering if I could make the pizza with toppings about 6 hours ahead and store in refridgerator then cook or can I freeze it

    1. Rita: Since freshness is our thing, I don’t do it this way… But, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. You won’t be able to slide anything off a peel after it sits for hours, so forget that— you need to do it in a cast-iron pan, or on a cookie sheet. Don’t try to make a transfer. Jeff

  12. hi zoe, i’ve been looking through the pizza stones and can’t decide which one to get, there are too many! what’s your recomendation on these topic! or which is the brand you use ! thank you…
    patricia

    1. Hi Patricia,

      This is the one that I recommend: https://www.amazon.com/Old-Stone-Oven-14-Inch-16-Inch/dp/B0000E1FDA?&camp=212361&linkCode=wey&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&creative=380725

      I have also been using the lodge pizza “stone” and love it, but it is not as easy to clean because of the lip around the edge. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000E2V3X?ie=UTF8&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000E2V3X“>Lodge Pro Logic Pizza PanReply

  13. Hi Guys!
    Just got both your books over the holidays and made the HB5 master recipe yesterday…it’s already almost gone! And here I’d hoped to do a play-by-play of flavor change over 2 weeks.
    My question is about the crackers: I rolled them super thin, and the first batch (flax and fleur de sel) came out lovely. So lovely that I turned my back one minute and they disappeared.
    I made two more batches: with za’atar and with chili powder, but these two came out uber-tough. They are thin and crackerlike, but chewing/biting through them is a bit of a challenge. Any tips? Did I maybe roll too often? I measured by weight, in case that makes a difference.
    Soleil

    1. SoleilNYC: I’m a bit confused… If you used the exact same dough, rolled it the same way, but just used different toppings…. I guess I’d say I’m stumped. Those toppings shouldn’t have caused toughness. Oven temp changed? Used oil on some but not others?

      Measuring by weight is fine….

      Jeff

  14. Our favorite bakery has a trick for over-proofed dough: They punch it down a little, fill it with chocolate chips, and fold it over. “The Chocolate Fold.” I am planning to do this with some of a batch of basic dough–no over-proofing required.

    They also have a fabulous spelt sourdough loaf. Jeff & Zoe, maybe they’d give tips on how to make it rise with spelt? It’s Hungry Ghost Bakery in Northampton, MA.

    1. Hi Stephanie,

      I went to boarding school right outside of Northampton and really wish I’d known about the bakery then, or perhaps it is a new addition to the town?

      The breads sounds wonderful and that oven is enviable! Please let me know how your chocolate fold comes out, it sounds like something I need to try. Spelt is tricky because of its low gluten content. They may be adding vital wheat gluten or just giving it a good kneading and slow rise?

      Thanks, Zoë

  15. On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 9:46 AM, Linda Brown wrote:
    Jeff – I have tried to figure out how to get my question answered on your website with no luck. I just purchased your book and am now making the boule recipe for the 3rd time. I just don’t seem to get it to raise very much. Last time I used a 1/4 c. less flour (because I was using King Arthur flour and in your book it said to do that) and I also made only 3 loaves of bread. I think I am doing everything right. I checked the weight of the Italian boule I used to buy at the grocery store and it was double the size of what I am getting and weighed 1 1/2 lb. I am using my large tupperware bowl to mix the bread but don’t put the lid on tightly. I mix it with a wooden spoon because I don’t want to invest $300 or more in a professional mixer unless this works out. I have an oven with a proof setting that I used last time. It didn’t make much difference in the rise. If there is some place on your website for beginner’s questions, please point me in the right direction. I want to get this right. Thanks, Linda Brown

    1. Hi Linda,

      The dough will double in size during the first 2 hour rise. When you shape the loaf and let it rest before baking it will not rise much. However, you should get a nice oven spring while it bakes.

      If you are baking 3 loaves from a single batch, your loaves are a bit more than a pound each, which means they will need to rest longer before baking. You may want to let them rise an extra 30 minutes before baking to account for the extra dough. (If the proof setting on your oven is quite warm you may not need this extra time?) You will also want to increase the baking time by about 10 minutes.

      Here are some videos that may help to see if your dough is the right consistency. It should really stretch when you are taking it out of the bucket. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?page_id=63 be sure to scroll down until you find the videos for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

      Hope this helps! Zoë

  16. Hi Jeff,
    The crackers all had oil on them, though I might have been more liberal on the WW flour for dusting on the last batch because the dough had become warmer and stickier. I did notice though that I had to struggle a little with rolling the dough in all cases, like the gluten was too strong for me, even after a 10 minute rest.

    My VWG comes from the neighborhood co-op and I’m not sure what brand it is. Could it be the high level of gluten in the cracker, or is gluten a desirable thing for flatbreads?

    BTW, I just want to throw in how wonderful it is for you to offer this as a resource for your readers. Even in class, I couldn’t call my teachers after-hours! Thank you so much.

    1. Hi Soleilnyc,

      When you are rolling your dough out next time and you notice it is springing back on you, just let it sit for a few extra minutes. Even with the strong VWG you should be able to roll out the dough easily once the gluten has enough time to relax. You can also take the dough out of the bucket and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rolling it out, but even then you may have to let it rest once you start to roll. The trick to getting the crackers not to be tough is to roll them as thin as possible and the only way to do that is allow your dough to relax.

      You may want to get a dough scraper to help you lift up the dough so you don’t need to add as much flour, which will also add to the toughness of the dough. https://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Pastry-Scraper/dp/B00004OCNJ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264537988&sr=1-2

      I hope this is helpful? Thanks, Zoë

  17. Zoe,
    I just wanted to add that I’ve been using my Lodge 12″ skillet turned upside down as a “stone” and it works beautifully. My kitchen is only 6’x3′ so the more I can get things to multitask, the better! 🙂

    1. Renee: Looks like superpeel should work, but I’m always skeptical of this kind of stuff.

      3/4 is fine, may take longer to pre-heat. Jeff

  18. I made a batch of the Milk and Honey raisin bread last week from HBI5 (substituting dried cherries). The loaf came out great but was large (2 lbs.) I still have enough in the fridge for at least one more loaf but don’t want to bake it this week. I want to freeze it (can you tell me the page number in the book, I’ve looked and can’t find info on freezing the dough). Should I freeze it already shaped or in a loaf pan? Thanks….I love the book and have made the master recipe, using it for focaccia and have a 1/2 recipe of the Spelt with yogurt (no olives) on the counter now!

    1. Hi Sandra,

      I’ll have to get back to you with a page number, but until then I would just wrap the unused dough with plastic wrap and then place in a ziplock bag to freeze. You can shape it in the loaf shape so you don’t have to handle it much once you defrost it and let it rise in the pan.

      You can always bake a smaller loaf if you like. Depending on how much smaller you will want to adjust the resting and baking times.

      Hope that helps. Thanks, Zoë

  19. Hi Zoe and Jeff,
    I thought you might enjoy my blogpost here (https://babybobbysbreadblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-day-head.html) about a “head to head” test between the Master recipe using the regular amount of yeast and the Master recipe using a very low amount of yeast.

    I was pleased with the results and I think I’m going to be making your recipes with a lot less yeast from now on. The taste is even better and the convenience is still there.

  20. Thanks for the response Jeff, I think I will sitck with the 1/2″ like you suggested. I think I will wait on the superpeel for a little bit until I purchase my other supplies. 🙂 You guys have really done a wonderful thing!

  21. Made a loaf of sweet potato spelt bread yesterday from dough I mixed on the on the 23rd – it is yummy especially toasted this morning with cream cheese topping!. The dough was a tad wet even after three days in frig – had to use a fair amount of flouring in shaping, but it got decent oven spring albeit without many “holes”. Has a slightly sweet and delicate flavor. I added some caraway seeds on top and am thinking of adding some millet to the dough next time I mix some up – to absorb a little more liquid. Another success story.

    1. Hi Amy,

      I’m not sure if you have seen our error sheet, but this was one of the recipes that we found an issue with. The dough calls for too much water. Here is the list: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?page_id=73

      If you still have dough left you can add the millet to it now and let it sit for a while to absorb the water before shaping and baking.

      Thanks, Zoë

  22. Thanks Zoe. I will remember that info for freezing, but I just may make “muffins” with the dough….Tonight, I didn’t take out my spelt dough in time for a 90-min. rise, so I made rolls instead and they were great! I think I’ll just divide the milk and honey dough and put it in the muffin pan.

    BTW, I went to the link for the low-yeast version of artisan bread posted above (babybobbysbreadblog) and was wondering if you can lower the yeast in the healthy breads, too? If so, how much rise time do you recommend?

    Thanks so much! Loving the results! Sandra

    1. Sandra: Everything in my old post about low-yeast methods applies to the new book as well– check it out at our new FAQs tab above. Jeff

  23. Zoe, thanks for the tip about the error page – I had already corrected for the water error and the dough was still pretty wet, I am going to add some millet and see what happens. May have been too much sweet potato or moister than usual sweet potato although it was a rather old sweet potato and I did not use much of the peel for that reason….no harm done – the experiment continues – it was still delicious toasted and soaking the gravy from last night’s beef stew!

    1. Hi Amy,

      The only other thing I can think of is that some people are finding a product called “light spelt” that has less gluten than regular spelt, which would also result in a wet dough. Be sure to use the scoop and sweep method of measuring as well.

      But, it sounds like you are having fun experimenting and enjoying the bread, so that is the most important result! 🙂

      Zoë

  24. Made delish gluten free brioche from your cookbook, but was looking for suggestions on making the dough smoother. That really is the only texture difference between these and those “real” brioche with wheat flour us glutenous eaters can have.

    They were wonderful though!!!

    1. Gillian: Brioche doughs sometimes seem lumpy but smooth out in the baking, assume that’s what you have going on. Jeff

  25. I am over-the-moon excited to try this recipe. I hope you will consider publishing a whole book of gluten free recipes.

  26. Got the book yesterday, and I’ve finished off half the loaf as I write. Yum, easy and exciting. My blog review shows a ++. Well done, and thanks from the GF community.

  27. Renee: I got a super peel with the last book because I’m extremely clumsy and was nervous that I would miss and end overshooting the stone with a regular peel and i must say that i absolutely love it! it’s a bit harder to pick up pizzas that have thinner crusts and a lot of toppings, but i do most of my assembling on the peel anyway so it ends up not mattering. Hope this helped!

  28. Jeff and Zoe, I learned about your book from Shauna and her blog.

    The GF Naan got my attention right away, and I went to your site immediately. Naan is what I’ve missed most, after pizza. I bought the book – even though I could have gotten the naan and boule recipie for free because I feel I MUST support folks who are not GF but who support us GF people. I am going to lend the book to my friend for the non-GF recipies: I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.

    The dough is rising tonight and tomorrow I’ll bake my son the boule and perhaps the naan on Tuesday if we get some time.

    Thanks again Jeff and Zoe!

    ~Laura

  29. Hi, I was thrilled with your gluten-free boule recipe and ordered the book. I was excited to see a brioche recipe, but dismayed to find it used cornstarch – the person I am baking for is allergic to wheat, soy, and corn. (So the soy in the other recipe was a downer, too.)

    Have you tried tapioca flour instead of cornstarch? Any other recommendations for substitutions for that and the soy? I hesitate to try it for myself because these flours are all quite expensive.

    I wasn’t able to order sorghum with my Amazon Prime shipping, so I did try some amaranth in its place. I will get my hands on some sorghum to see if the somewhat dense crumb and somewhat tough crust I’m seeing is a result of the amaranth. Definitely the flavor is affected, though. Amaranth is quite pungent.

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Karen,

      I have not tried the brioche with only tapioca, but I have replaced about 1/2 of the corn starch with tapioca. It is definitely worth a try, because the two starches seem to react very similarly. You can replace the soy with a bean flour like garbanzo to get the protein. The sorghum has a whole grain feel and nutty flavor that is not over powering, unlike many of the other g-f flours. If you need to replace it I’d try using brown rice flour.

      Hope that helps! Please let me know how it all goes!

      Zoue

  30. Hi! I just bought HBin5 after making the GF crusty boule the other day from the website (still working on that one, but it was amazing for a first time attempt!).

    I’m currently halfway through making the gluten free brioche and have a couple of questions (I’m a total brioche novice: GF or regular..)
    1) is it ok for the dough to be a bit lumpy after mixing? I used my stand mixer, incorporated everything slowly per the recipe, but even after several minutes, it wasn’t a totally smooth dough. I didn’t want to over-beat it, so I’m kind of just going with what i have..
    2) should I expect the finished product to be as puffy as a normal glutenous brioche?

    I’m really excited about this cookbook and know it’ll take some trial and error, but I’m having a lot of fun so far! Thanks!

    1. Gwen: Don’t overbeat– agree, everything will come out in the wash– the moisture will redistribute and the finished product won’t have evidence of the lumpiness.

      But don’t expect the airiness and puffiness of regular bread– it’s definitely denser. Jeff

  31. Thanks Jeff. The lumpy loaf turned out great but just to experiment, I did a no-no and ran the rest of the dough back through my food processor to get it really smooth and let it rise for another couple of hours. The resulting cinnamon rolls and 2nd loaf of bread are to die for and are seemingly unaffected by the second mixing. Mine have actually gotten really puffy, surprisingly.
    I was nearly in tears eating my first cinnamon roll in nearly 4 years. You two are officially my favorite people on the planet at the moment. Thanks so so much!!!!

    1. Hi Lisa,

      It will certainly set up a bit, but I’m not sure how wet you are talking about. When you measured the flour did you use the scoop and sweep method? If you spoon the flour into the measuring cup you will end up with too little flour and then your dough will be too wet.

      Hope that is helpful! Zoë

  32. Hi, Zoe and Jeff. I was wondering if you could experiment with the King Arthur Ancient Grains blend (gluten free and allergen free) in your Gluten free boule, GF olive oil dough and , the GF brioche. Could the KA ancient grains blend be used instead of the rice and tapioca flours. It would be nice to be able to use one flour instead of using many different kinds in these recipes. I also have several friends who have children who need gluten free doughs. Also on the GF brioche could you use rice milk instead of regular milk? I have a friend whose son is allergic to milk, soy and gluten. Thanks.

    1. Melissa: Unfortunately, we found that using many flours was the key to creating a decent loaf. When we used just one, we had problems– usually a dense loaf, and dull-flavored. Now, the KAF Ancient Grains flour is indeed a GF blend, but according to KAF, it’s designed to replace “up to” 1/5 of the wheat flour in a traditional loaf. That means the rest of it will be gluten-based flour, which isn’t going to help you.

      Unfortunately, Zoe and I are busy at work on our third book and won’t have time to see if we can adapt this flour to a 100% GF bread— why don’t you give it a shot though? I think it could have a chance to work. Be an experiment though. But the KAF Gluten Free Multi-Purpose blend sounds closer to what we do– again, it would be an experiment but my guess is that you could get away with this one.

      About rice milk? That sounds like it should work. Keep in mind that cow-milk’s a tenderizer, and you’ll probably lose that. Not sure how it will play out, haven’t tried it.

  33. Okay here is another question, would the King Arthur Gluten Free Multi purpose flour work in your gluten free recipes for boule, olive oil loaf and brioche work? Thanks.

  34. I’m the only gluten free bread eater in this household of two. So even baking a small loaf a day wouldn’t work as I eat on average one slice of bread per day.
    I know you froze the dough and it turned out okay. How about baking it first, slicing the loaf and then freezing the slices??
    This system works with all the other gf and pre-gf home-made bread. (I’ve been gf for 6 months but have been baking bread for 35 years.)
    Thanks,
    Gudrun

    1. Gudrun: If you’re freezing slices of other GF’s and liking it, you should be fine doing it with ours. Jeff

  35. I have used Sorghum but I usually use Millet in my GF breads. Would I be able to exchange them in your recipes? I wanted to try this but I haven’t received your book yet..darn mail is slow!!! So I wasn’t sure I could exchange them, do you cover that stuff in the book?

    1. Holly: We use some millet, not too much– should be able to make some exchanges. We found that combinations of flours worked better than one alone. See what you think when the book comes. Jeff

  36. Thank you so much for your GF recipes!!! They are a blessing to our family as it is difficult to be gluten as well as peanut/tree nut free.

    I found your recipe and got both books. I have made the GF boule into a wonderful loaf, breadsticks and pizza. Rave reviews from family and friends – even those who don’t have to eat GF.

    A quick question. I want to try the GF Olive oil dough but can’t use soy flour. Can I substitute anything for that?

    Thanks again!!!

    1. Hi Kristin,

      I used the soy flour to add some protein the dough, so any bean flour should do the trick. You can also use the boule recipe and just use olive oil.

      Thanks so much and enjoy the bread!

  37. Hi, thanks for the great gf recipes. I like to weigh all my ingredients and I was wondering if you could post the equivalent weights for the gluten free flours?
    Thanks!!

    1. Hi Emma,

      We are sorry not to have included the weights for the g-f recipes. It is a request I have been getting a lot so I will try to get that done one of these days.

      Thanks for the feedback! Zoë

  38. I just baked the GF brioche, which I mixed up last night. It was very wet when I pulled it out of the tub – didn’t have a lot of structure might be a better way to describe it… I baked it and it rose and baked beautifully, but the top split – almost like a quick bread. I took it out of the pan to let it cool and within a few minutes it had completely collapsed. I’m guessing that my measuring must have been off on the cornstarch, but is that your guess? At this point can I just add some more cornstarch to the refrigerated dough or do I need to completely start over?

    1. Stephanie: Well, it’s certainly not behaving normally, and faulty measuring is always on the list. But… are you at high altitude (see our FAQ on high-altitude baking)? That can cause quick rise, splitting, and collapse. How about oven temp, have you checked that? Too-hot temp could do this (use an inexpensive thermometer like https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Gourmet-Thermometer-Stainless-Steel%252fCopper/dp/B000HB5NA4?&camp=212361&linkCode=wey&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&creative=380725)

      If the stuff looks too wet, you can try to add cornstarch– but my guess is that this a) was not the problem in the 1st place, or b) it’s going to get really dense after you mix it all around. If you try this, let it sit at room temp for 2 hours before refrigerating. Jeff

  39. Jeff,
    I’m at very high altitude – 7,200ft. With your more traditional breads I decrease the yeast and have no problems – with your original recipes or the basic wheat based recipes in the new book. I made the same yeast modification on this recipe. I’ve checked my oven temp and it’s pretty accurate (unless it’s a very windy day, which this wasn’t). I actually tried adding more cornstarch and it didn’t help – the second loaf behaved very much like the first, so I’m at a loss. Thanks for any help you might give me.

    1. Hi Stephanie,

      The g-f breads have very little structure and therefore may be more prone to collapsing in the high altitude than the other breads you’ve baked. In order to create more structure you may have to boost the amount of xanthan gum, but just a bit or the dough will get too tight. Have you followed the slow rise techniques we lay out in our high altitude post? https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=144

      Let me know if this helps! Zoë

  40. I have tried the GF bread this weekend for the first time it was amazing. I am curious how you would use the bread dough for muffins as someone else commented.

    1. Hi Deb,

      So glad you tried it! You can form them into small balls and bake them in muffin tins. We give the directions for baking in muffin tins on page 199 of Healthy Bread in Five.

      Thanks and enjoy all the bread! Zoë

  41. OK, maybe I’m the only one who can’t understand this part, but… Does one shape and let the loaf rise BEFORE freezing the loaf or should it be shaped and frozen directly so that it can thaw and rise just before baking? One of my biggest goals is to make a lot of different breads and then be able to freeze them for taking to friends’ houses where they can be freshly baked and enjoyed. I am just not sure at what point they should be FROZEN. Thanks for any help.

    1. Hi Kimberly,

      The way we have it written in the book you just freeze a piece of dough, thaw it in the refrigerator and then form it into a loaf. If you shape the dough before freezing it may lose its shape when you defrost it and unwrap it. If you are looking to bring this to friends you may be better off par-baking and then freezing the loaves. Bake the loaf 90% of the way and then cool completely, wrap the bread and then freeze it. When you bring the bread over to a friends they will just pop it into the oven and bake until crisp and brown.

      Thanks, Zoë

  42. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I believe I found the link from GF Girl, but my sister also sent me the link shortly after I spotted it. I made a half-batch of the GF bread today and used half of that for naan. Delicious! My non-gf husband had planned to toast some of his regular naan out of the freezer but after tasting these, I had to fight him for my fair share of fresh naan! The other half is still in the fridge, and I have grand plans for falafel and flatbread later in the week. Thank you!! GF bread that tastes like bread!

  43. I read with interest the above article, having just had an Indian restaurant open locally, and was talking to the owner whom I know slightly and asked if she had a tandoor, knowing it not likely, she said no, she made the dough and simply deep fried it and said she liked it better than the regular method of baking or cooking on the grill as it made it more moist. So when my books arrive I will be experimenting with naan and the deep fryer I got for Xmas.

  44. I was wondering if I could freeze the Almond Brioche rolls before they are baked but after they are rolled together with all the delicious filling so I could then take it out of the freezer and bake it?

    1. Hi Mary,

      You can freeze all of our doughs, but the ones with eggs in them get heavier if frozen for more than a week or two.

      Thanks and enjoy the rolls! Zoë

  45. Hi Zoe & Jeff, First off I loved your first book and used it daily…then we got diagnosed with a gluten & corn allergy and the brakes went on, which is when I heard of your second book and eagerly went out to buy it!!! Excited by the gluten free chapter in there, I was ready to get making good homemade bread again! However in your recipes, many, not all, call for corn meal, corn masa, or corn starch etc…what is a good substitute for these corn ingredients? And, whatever you suggest would I substitute the new ingredient for the same quantity the corn ingredient is called for? Also, what is the best substitute for agave syrup? Honey? Maple Syrup?

    I really appreciate your time and feedback on this as I am anxious to get back into bread making just without the gluten and corn products.
    Thanks,
    Elizabeth

    1. Elizabeth: Thanks so much for your comments. I had to edit out some of the health-related claims, for no other reason than that I can’t confirm them. May be true, but we can’t endorse that kind of stuff until we read it ourselves.

      That said, you should be able to avoid corn and still use our gluten-free methods from Chapter 9, but it’s going to take some experimentation. The Gluten-Free Crusty Boule, and the “Not Rye”: no changes. As for the others:

      The GF Olive Oil Bread will take some work, because it’s largely cornstarch based. You can try increasing the tapioca, brown rice, and soy, to make up for the 3.5 cups of cornstarch you will be omitting. Or try some sorghum in there. I can’t make any promises about how the texture may change– you are going to have to experiment, and what you swap in may absorb water differently than the cornstarch, so the water amount (or flour) may need to change.

      The GF cheddar-sesame bread should be easier, since there’s only 1/2 cup cornstarch in there in the 1st place. Just increase the other flours slightly to make up the difference, maybe concentrating on tapioca since that’s the closest in texture to cornstarch.

      For the agave, any other syrup will work– honey, maple, whatever you like, it won’t have much effect on final product.

      See what you think… Jeff

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