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Really? Sandwich Bread That’s Gluten-Free!

A sandwich is sometimes a “taken-for-granted” quick lunch. It seems you can make a sandwich by either spreading two slices of bread with a tasty filling or by layering some deli meat or cheese between two slices of bread. At this point that’s what you have – a simple sandwich.

SEE THE RECIPE

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A sandwich is sometimes a “taken-for-granted” quick lunch.  It seems you can make a sandwich by either spreading two slices of bread with a tasty filling or by layering some deli meat or cheese between two slices of bread.  At this point that’s what you have – a simple sandwich.

But making a sandwich isn’t that easy if you cannot have gluten. Typical sandwich bread in the supermarket is generally wheat-based bread. Gluten-Free (GF) bread does not contain gluten and so therefore cannot be made from wheat flour.  GF bread is available in some supermarkets or health food stores but the cost is very high and the bread does not offer the variety found with wheat bread.

Not being able to make my grandson a sandwich was reason enough for me to develop a Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread.   As time has gone on, I now have 3 grandchildren who cannot have gluten in their diets. They think there would be nothing better than a grilled cheese sandwich, or even more, a PB&J sandwich! So I set a goal to develop a white sandwich bread they would like and more importantly, they could eat.

It is important to note that this recipe uses a Gluten Free Flour Blend. The ingredients shown below include rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour as well as a small amount of xanthan gum which gives the bread some elasticity. I keep a canister of this flour blend in my kitchen so I have it ready when I want to bake a gluten-free recipe. If I’m not going to bake for a few days, I put the canister in the freezer so the flour blend stays fresh.

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Let me show you how easy it is to make Gluten Free Sandwich Bread. First, combine milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. The milk needs to be 110° F. If the milk is too warm it could kill the yeast and if the milk is too cool the yeast will not activate. You need the yeast to help the bread rise. After stirring, set this mixture aside for about 10 minutes.

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Next, combine the gluten-free flour blend and salt in a large mixer bowl.  Beat with a stand mixer on low speed, gradually adding the yeast mixture until the ingredients are combined well.  I have found when making gluten-free bread it is very important to use an electric stand mixer. Sometimes gluten-free dough is either very sticky or stiff. An electric stand mixer has more power for mixing. You need to beat as much air as possible into the flour mixture. This gets the yeast started and gives the bread “body.”

 

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Add the butter and eggs. Beat until the batter is well mixed. Scrape the edges of the bowl so everything gets mixed well. The mixture is rather sticky and wet.

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Increase the mixer speed to High; continue beating until the batter is very smooth, about 3 minutes. This bread is like batter bread which is not typically kneaded nor do you need to let the bread rise twice.  It is really very quick!

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Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. In my kitchen a warm place is either on top of the refrigerator or on top of the stove with the oven door slightly open and the oven turned on to a low temperature.

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Grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan.  Place the dough into the greased pan. Level and smooth the top. The dough is sticky and so my tip is to smooth the top with a greased spatula. Be careful to only smooth the top and not to push down on the dough.

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Loosely cover the pan with a piece of greased plastic food wrap. Then cover the pan with a light towel and let the batter rise until the dough comes just about up to the edge of the pan (20 to 30 minutes).

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Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F.  Remove the towel and plastic food wrap. Bake for 42 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

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Remove the bread from the pan and cool it completely on a cooling rack.

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Slice the bread. Gather the slices into a loaf and place them into a resealable plastic food bag. Gluten-free baked items stale very quickly. As soon as the bread is cool I make sure to get it into the freezer. When one of the boys wants a sandwich I take 2 gluten-free bread slices out of the freezer. Voila! They have a sandwich!

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Take a look at this tender Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread that is perfect for any sandwich.

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What a treat…a ham and cheese sandwich – anyone would enjoy! It tastes so good there is no need to mention that it is gluten-free.

More than ham & cheese the all-time favorite sandwich is grilled cheese.  Each of the boys has special requirements for this sandwich.  The bread slices should not be cut in half and the crusts need to be removed. There is no special reason – just likes and dislikes.

Do you make gluten-free recipes?  Do you have tips you use to make gluten-free baking easier?  Please rate and review Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread and leave any comments or tips you have on this post.  

In an entertaining pinch? Come back in a few days when Mallory will share an easy appetizer.

Cindy Manwarren is a Manager of the Test Kitchens for Land O’Lakes and writes for our Recipe Buzz® Blog.

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Ready to make the recipe? Let’s get started making Sandwich Bread (Gluten-Free Recipe)!

gluten free bread
Sandwich Bread (Gluten-Free Recipe)