My kids love this recipe better than anything from the store. If you eat gluten-free bread, consider checking out this recipe, comparing the ingredient lists. (Wish I had a photo to do it justice for you.) See what you think. This is a multi-grain, whole grain bread that slices wonderfully for sandwiches. It does not need toasted. I’ve added some helpful notes at the end of the recipe, so if you’re going to give this a try, peruse those first.
My bread recipe is inspired by a recipe (and its associated comments) that I discovered at Genius Kitchen (www.geniuskitchen.com) called Gluten-Free Multigrain Miracle Bread, a submission by Whats Cooking. It’s gluten-free, but you almost wouldn’t know it. You will need a strong stand mixer and something to grind some of your flour in. I use my Cuisinart coffee bean grinder.
In the past, I have tried grinding each of the grains and seeds in this recipe with varying results. I can’t completely shake some of my reservations about grain and seed flours sitting in bags for months, so I prefer to use fresh ground flours if possible without losing my eaters. I have settled on this current recipe as the one that is eaten best by my kids. It makes the best sandwiches. It is good to eat warm with butter or honey. And it makes good French toast. It does decent paninis. We do toast it for breakfast sometimes, but it doesn’t lend itself well to toasting.
Click this link for a better printable version of The Best Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread.
Best Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
Appliances: Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a grain grinder
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water (not hot)
2 tablespoons local honey
½ cup Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flour
½ cup Bob’s Red Mill sorghum flour
¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill arrowroot flour
¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill potato starch (not potato flour)
¼ cup freshly ground white quinoa (measure after grinding) OR freshly ground whole grain teff (measure after grinding)
¼ cup freshly ground whole golden flax seed (measure after grinding)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Process (completed in this order):
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
- Mix yeast, water, and honey in a small bowl. Stir. Set aside while you mix the other ingredients.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large stand mixer (I use my Kitchen Aid.), whip the eggs and egg whites well with the oil and vinegar, about 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients and the yeast mixture to the egg mixture. Turn on the stand mixer and allow to run on high while you prepare the bread pan. I use a brown glass loaf dish.
- Grease the bottom and sides of the bread pan. Then, line the pan with parchment paper.
- Turn OFF the oven. (You were only heating it to provide an even, consistent temperature for the best rise.)
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and use a rubber spatula to push it down so it’s evenly distributed in the pan, especially in the corners. Smooth the top with the spatula so it’s flat. and place it in the pre-warmed oven that is turned off now.
- Place the dough in the pre-warmed oven that is turned off no. Allow to rise about 40 minutes. I cannot give an exact time. Just allow it to rise over the top of the pan to a good loaf size. It will run over the sides if you let it rise too long.
- GENTLY take dough out of oven and set aside to allow the oven to preheat.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Return loaf GENTLY to the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until browned.
- Each oven and loaf is different. Tap the top for doneness and remove when firm and hollow- sounding.
- Lift bread out of pan. Allow to cool before slicing. (Don’t leave it too long in the parchment paper or the bottom will get gooey.) I use a special slicing knife to get clean cuts of uniform size.
- Keeps well in plastic baggie.
Notes:
• I have used three whole eggs instead of the two eggs plus two whites, and the loaf was just a little less airy.
• Using teff instead of quinoa gives a brown, whole grain color, whereas the white quinoa looks like a white bread. Both taste great.
• I have tried omitting the xanthan gum, but the bread always falls.
• The recipe doubles pretty well.
• A tad extra of any of the flours doesn’t affect the loaf much, so if I grind a little too much, I’ll toss it in.
• I grind the grains and seeds fresh in my coffee grinder on the finest setting.
• If you measure the oil into the egg bowl first, then do the honey/yeast/water combo, the honey slides right out of your spoon! I’ve had success with interchanging potato starch, tapioca flour, and arrowroot when I am out of either arrowroot or potato starch.
Family “gustar” report: 6/6 (all six in the family like it). It’s like the sandwich bread you used as a kid.
Closing
Baking this bread is fun and fills the house with a cozy warmth. Although my family went without bread for a couple of years, I’ve found it really is easier to feed them with bread in the house. They eat better. They complain less about there being “nothing to eat.” They eat any packed lunches better. This recipe is a compromise I feel placated for now with.
Take care and may you be truly happy and peaceful inside.
Terri F
The HSD 
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter has celiac’s and we are always on the lookout for GF bread. Do you think this recipe would be a good choice for use with a sour dough starter instead of yeast?
Thanks for commenting! We all like this one a lot. Since I haven’t tried, I can’t make any guarantees. But my hunch and experience lead me to think that a sour dough starter would be great for this recipe. If you try, I’d love it if you ever had time to come back and communicate how it worked. I have a starter that I’ve been meaning to get going but am waiting till a good time. Best wishes and may you and your family have great health!
Hi! I came across your blog when I was searching info on how rellable the genova GI effects analysis is as I have just had it done. Your posts were really good, has your opinion on the reliability of the stool test changed or do you still think it’s somewhat reliable and could possibly be helpful? Also, what is your opinion on SIBO? I’m asking because my GP had never even heard of it and frankly I think she just thought it was quackery aswell as the functional stool testing and didn’t think it could be the cause of my severe stomach bloating and gerd. I’d be really glad if you shared your current, up to date opinions! 🙂
Dear Sini,
Thanks for your nice comment and curious questions. Since the Genova GI profile was taken over by another company, I have not followed it. I cannot comment on the reliability. As for usefulness, I think tests like this are mildly useful. For example, they can sometimes catch an overt pathogen which is easily treated or a large growth of Candida. They might help a person to realize they have low numbers of Lactobacilli and/or Bifido, suggesting a non-secretor status (you can google that: non-secretors and low numbers of Lactobacilli and Bifido).
As for SIBO, yes, I am not surprised your doctor had not heard of it. When I first started seeing the letters “SIBO,” all I could think was: small intestinal bowel obstruction! That is what we doctors learned those letters stood for, not “small intestinal bacterial overgrowth!!!” I always wished they had come up with a different acronym, since one SIBO is life threatening and the other is a mysterious catch-all condition. Anyhow, yes, the testing and the small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may have screamed “quackery” to your doctor. I’m sorry. It’s not quackery–and it is. It’s not quackery because these things (alternative tests) are helpful, and they (these syndromes) do exist. But the pathways leading to them are not well understood, and even less well understood is how to treat! I think over these next 20-30 years we will understand them better and some of these tests and ideas will move into mainstream doctoring. It IS changing. I have a sister in medical school, and I can see as I talk with her, some of the changes are creeping in. BUT—that’s no help to you right now with your GERD and bloating. If the medical doctor can’t find another reason, then, yes, it could be SIBO (bacterial overgrowth). Have you read any of Dr. Siebecker? Her writings might be helpful. Just be careful as you wade this area. Tests and antibiotics can get very expensive and you may not get cure. A person can make a lot of changes that help SIBO without antibiotics and herbals, such as food choices, elimination diets, keeping four to six hours between meals, intermittent fasting, always sitting down to eat calmly rather than standing up or driving, managing stress, and many, many other lifestyle changes.
I wish I had time to write more, and one day, I look forward to maybe having that! Thanks for your questions. I hope that you find relief, and I know that if you persist with curiosity and an open, yet discerning, mind, you will find many tools which will make you happier and healthier in life. I know since I started writing about six years ago, I have!!! Best wishes.
Terri F.
Hi Terri, thank you so much for your guidance. I’ve been dealing with autoimmune and adrenal issues as well chronic constipation which I found out was caused by food intolerances: sweet potato, brown rice, butternut squash and blackbeans do not agree with my stomach at all, as well as acidic foods like oranges. I still have no idea why I can’t digest those, maybe it has something to do with my gut bacteria? I was severely constipated for months and still struggle with awful bloating which has resulted in gerd. All the conflicting info out there regarding different diets sure gets confusing. In order to control my symptoms I recently went on a very low carb, low fodmap diet which has helped with gerd a lot but totally messed up my hormones. I’m worried the restrictive dieting will only starve my gut bacteria and make things worse in the long term. Do you have any advice? I’m currently keeping a symptom journal, experimenting with resistant starch and I just read your butyrate series which was super interesting and helpful. I thought about cutting out all grains but white rice is one of the only non-problematic carbs for me, as well as white potatoes. Do you think potatoes, white rice, psyllium and veggies is enough to produce butyrate and feed the bacteria? Still waiting for my stool analysis results, hopefully they would provide some useful information. Looking forward to your future posts!
Sini
Hello! I cannot easily see my last reply, so I apologize if I repeat myself abundantly. This will be long and not pointed. I do not find that people with these conditions have one main problem. 😦
You asked if your gut bacteria could be affecting your intolerances. Yes, they could be. And you can improve your gut bacteria with prebiotics and certain foods, but (conversely) perhaps you may not impact it much in ways that we think/believe are desirable. For example, I’m a non-secretor, and no matter how I try, getting those “good” lactobacilli up on my test results has been about null. But I believe that I am still effecting good changes with the abundance of veggies, fruits, and prebiotic foods I incorporate, even if it’s not measurable the way I or stool labs expect (with lots of “good” lactobacilli and Bifido). So lab tests aren’t always helpful.
Besides the gut bacteria, other factors may be at play (which may or may not be helped by the bacteria), such as salicylate sensitivity (in the case of oranges) or lectins (in the case of brown rice). For me, my sensitivities didn’t fit one spot (some people are clearly sensitive to salicylates and others to histamines—me, not so clear), so I really felt I was dealing with multi-hit exacerbations. I don’t readily see that your intolerances fit into lectins, histamines, salicylate, etc., categories.
I think the factors which lead to autoimmune, adrenal issues, chronic constipation, food intolerances, bloating, and GERD are many and act as cumulative contributors. Targeting the following will help improvements: diet in general; food intolerances that are known; eating habits (chewing, sitting down to eat, spacing meals appropriately, not eating late in the evening, taking time to eat thoughtfully); sleep patterns (keeping regular sleep hours which satisfy the person); exercise and sunlight (getting outside to walk/move/jog/garden/bike/work—–getting heart rate up at times, but no need to be an intense exerciser); moments of down time to let the mind completely rest and separate from life’s expectations; interpersonal relationships and INTRApersonal relationship; select supplements. Also, besides the things just listed which can be targeted, there are the set genetic components which each person comes with which will affect disease expression and also even the microbiome.
I’ve had fair success in working on improving each of these areas. I can eat a lot more of the foods I originally could not, but I have a “safe diet.” It is the diet I feel best on and which I come back to when I am flared up (which seems to happen with stress, decreases in sunlight, too much indulgence in sweets/less nutritional foods/eggs).
What do I think of all those confusing diets out there? I think that it’s helpful for a person to have a place to start from. BUT then they must use honest self-discernment and observation to then move off the platform of the diet. Low carb, real food diets are great, but I still think a person should then “test the waters” of various real foods they would like to include in their diets to see if their symptoms (whatever they may be: weight, blood sugars, joint pain, migraines, bloating, and so on) can tolerate it. These “named” or “themed” diets are only starting places! They are very overwhelming because their “preachers” are so “evangelical.” It makes you feel like you must try it, and if you do try it and it doesn’t work—you must be doing it wrong! NOPE!
So to me, it sounds like you learned that a body system (your GI tract) benefitted from the low carb/FODMAP diet, but your endocrine system struggled. At which point, it’s time to start adding in foods which you tolerate which can boost the endocrine/hormone system. I’m like you, I don’t like restrictive diets for long. They’re the starting line, and then as symptoms improve, it’s time to change things up a little bit. I don’t like to do it fast (as in: “Okay, today I’m 20 carb grams and no plant matter and tomorrow I’m 250 carb grams and never eating meat…”). As for diets, I still like Sara Ballantyne’s (spelling?) version of Autoimmune Paleo. That’s a good one, I think, for people to start from and then work out from.
Potatoes are great food, as long as they’re tolerated. Very good butyrate produces when eaten as leftovers. White rice isn’t as powerful butyrate produceer leftover, but definitely more so than other foods. And white rice is so well tolerated. I don’t know if potatoes, white rice, psyllium, and veggies is enough, but I do think it’s really good! I’m not sure I’ve decided what “enough” is!
It would be really nice if your stool analysis gave you a concrete answer! Then, maybe, you could be one of those that had a problem that is more “easily” treated with rapid results! But if not, don’t give up! Don’t get scammed. Use your noggin. Pay attention to your body. And you’ll have success. Finding a healthcare provider well-versed in this stuff could make things go a lot faster. But I know that is a hard healthcare provider to find!!!!!
And lastly, I know this was not an answer or “advice,” and it may cause more confusion! I guess I view it as a discussion together on a tough topic! 🙂
TAKE CARE!
Hey! Such an in-depth answer, thank you thank you thank you! Yeah, turns out a restricted diet and following strict guidelines is not an option for me, I’ve developed severe anxiety about food and what is “legal” and “illegal.” I panic if I accidentally eat too many carbs/fodmaps and sometimes binge.
It’s really hard for me to expand my diet and experiment because I’m so scared of messing things up! I for sure need guidance from a dietitian (and perhaps a good psychologist, ha!) because the stress from following a specific diet is too much, it really shouldn’t be this hard. As for the stool test, it revealed I have a good amount of lactobacillus and bifido but divesity is low. Turns out I also have a parasite (eeeww), blastocystis hominis, but based on the science I’ve read through it shouldn’t be the culprit in my symptoms. What could be the culprit is an overgrowth of citrobacter braakii which in excess is a potential pathogen according to the analysis, but who knows. I’ve decided to treat the overgrowth with a few herbals and we’ll see how things turn out. Just thought I’d share the results in case you’re interested!
Sini
Hello, Sini:
Aw, man (LOL. I’d flunk college lit class now for writing anything with that in it. I mean “man” impartially, as in “drats.”)! I know it sure can get that way [on worrying about food and diets]. Once, when I was going through some issues in college (six hours away from home), my volleyball coach mentor looked at me and said (with love and compassion and sincerity), “You can go home. You can quit. It’s okay. You don’t have to stay here.” The fact that I didn’t have to stay and live up to the expectations I had set never, ever occurred to me. I have always used her words to remind myself that nearly everything I do is a choice, including how and what I eat. It’s my choice. I don’t have to do it! I don’t know, may not be the inspiration that you need, but it helped my obsessiveness. 🙂 My food is my choice. I can always quit. I can always take a break. I can always stay.
Anyhow… huh. Blastocystis (Parasite? Well, I guess we are all human and at one point or another ’tis to be expected. 🙂 ) and citrobacter. I read a little about both, and it seems like either could –not does, just could–contribute to IBS type symptoms.) So many people have kind of an overall “dysbiosis,” even if one or both of these organisms cause significant symptoms, with the dysbiosis still in place, symptom relapse may occur even with treatment. (Reportedly there are lots of SIBO relapses after the SIBO antibiotic protocol!)
Would love to hear you get a success story! And I’d love to know how you did it when you get it done! I can then add it to my knowledge arsenal! I know so many alternative docs would treat these infections you mentioned, but I know your general run-of-the mill family doc might not.