OT - Gluten-Free Bread or Divorce

I have seen some of the brownie gluten-free and pancake mix too.  I will admit that my first attempt to make bread from scratch was a total flop!  Gross to the max!  I will admit one of the things I won't even tell my family - I didn't have potato starch, so I put some instant mashed potatoes in it!  haha  Totally gross!  And it fell after I took it out of the breadmaker.  

Hi Terri,
I've been experimenting with gluten-free baking for about a year now.  I've found that cookies, quick breads, and muffin recipes can be substituted pretty easily.  It's harder to find decent bread recipes and I've only found a single cake recipe that I think is OK.
Personally, I buy alternative flours in bulk (5lb - 20lbs) from Amazon.com or other online retailers.  I found it's a lot more economical in the long run plus I've found different recipes need different types of flour.     Since I primarily bake desserts, this works best for me. The mixes got expensive after a while.
As for the xantham gum, it's a binding agent to replace the missing gluten.  A little goes a loooooong way which is why your bread was so stiff when you added tablespoons instead of teaspoons.    It doesn't add any bacteria so that isn't a concern.  

I read a couple of different blogs to get ideas and have found that I can use google to find decent recipes.  There's a lot more gluten free bakers then there were a few years ago!

Check out:
Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
her flour mix, which I prefer, can be found at: http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-holiday-baking-2010/
Gluten Free Mommy
Elana's Pantry

That makes sense.  It was super sticky, dense. 

I bet!  Did you bake it - how did it turn out?

My niece just put this out on FB for rice flour tortillas - thought of you!

1 c. rice flour
1 tsp. xantham gum
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp oil (I used evoo)
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp shortening
1/4 -1/2 c. warm water
Mix all together in mixer. Form into balls. Flatten into tortillas. Brown in either greased or ungreased pan on stove. Fill and enjoy.