Bread Troubleshooting

Gluten free loaf bread

Got issues? We have all been there trust me. Check out our troubleshooting guide for rising above any issues you have!

Is it possible to overwork the dough? How can you tell when to stop mixing it?

Yes! It is. Mostly because the harder you work and mix it, the more you will end up with a tight, dense bread crumb. Stop once the dough is smooth. When shaping, a light touch is best.

I made the recipe and it didn’t rise enough/at all. What did I do wrong?

If your bread is not rising properly it may well be your environment. Be patient. Some times breads take longer some days than others. Try the one mug of boiling water in the microwave and add your tin of bread dough to proof in and close the door. The steam from the boiling water in the mug creates the perfect warm humid environment for yeast to have a party in and do its thing and rise.

Was the yeast expired? Did you use the right type of yeast that the recipe called for? (Active dry yeast or Rapid-rise yeast.) What temperature was the water you proofed the yeast in? The water should be no hotter than 40c.

I have a bread machine with or without a gluten free setting. Can I make your bread in there?

That’s a NO. I do not use or recommend use of a bread machine. They vary significantly from brand and brand, and produce inconsistent results.

Can I freeze raw yeast dough?

I do not recommend freezing yeast bread dough, unbaked. The general rule is to bake, slice then freeze.

My bread dough seems too wet/too dry. Why?

It could be you didn’t tare off your scales correctly when weighing your ingredients. It’s happened to me many a time, and probably will some more. When weighing make sure the scales read 0gm.

Why did my gluten free bread collapse during baking?

If your gluten-free bread collapsed during or after baking, you most likely over-proofed the dough. The dough should be just peaking over the top of the tin when you look at it from the side view. Then it’s ready to bake.

My bread turn out shorter than your loaf.

Did you use the same size tin as suggested? A larger tin in size will bring a shorter loaf. A slightly smaller tin will make a taller loaf but can also cause proofing issues and affect the consistency of the final baked bread crumb due to overfilling the tin.

Can I free form bake the loaf?

Yes you can make a ciabatta style loaf shaping it the same way you would the bread loaf and instead of putting it in the tin, you can pop it on a lined tray of baking paper and proof it that way til double in size, score the top and bake the same as the bread loaf. It will flatten out more than a tin loaf but you will have a lovely artisan style loaf.