Product Description

A breakthrough bread book by the unchallenged expert in gluten-free and wheat-free cooking

In Bette Hagman's three earlier cookbooks, she worked with gluten-free flours that are safe for celiacs (those who are intolerant to gluten) and for those with wheat allergies to create recipes for great- tasting food. Knowing from her own hard-earned experience that bread is the greatest loss for those who can't eat wheat, oats, rye, or barley, she has experimented with exciting new bean-based flours and has devoted an entire book to breads. Here are yeast breads, yeast-free breads, muffins, rolls, buns, breakfast breads, and crackers-a vast array of recipes for the oven or the bread machine-for people who cannot buy breads at a bakery or supermarket but must rely on their own kitchens to provide the staff of life.

Along with dozens of great recipes are: a beginner's guide to understanding and cooking with gluten-free flours; answers to commonly asked questions about baking with these flours; and a source list of where to buy gluten-free baking supplies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8378 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780805060782
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Library Journal
Anyone suffering from an allergy to wheat will find Hagman's newest book a godsend. The author of three earlier gluten-free cookbooks (e.g., The Gluten-Free Gourmet), she tested and retested recipes to come up with dozens of yeast breads and quick breads, rolls and muffins, crackers, and more for those who would otherwise be deprived of their "daily bread." Most of these recipes can be made either in a bread machine or by hand, and many are suitable for those with other allergies or dietary needs as well. Strongly recommended.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
For people with genetically induced celiac disease, finding breads safe to eat presents significant challenges, since the very gluten that holds most breads together is precisely the source of the sufferers' gastrointestinal distress. Hagman, who has already produced one book of general recipes for the celiac affected, turns her full attention to bread. She overcomes the gluten obstacle through use of nonwheat flours, most of which are made from beans of different sorts. To reproduce the "spring" of yeast-leavened wheat flour breads, Hagman recommends the addition of xanthan gum. Each recipe has two sets of directions, one for hand mixing, the other for the easy-to-use bread machine. Along the way, Hagman offers tips for producing breads that will make the celiac feel very little deprived. A useful addition to public library nutrition collections. Mark Knoblauch

Review
"Bette's just-do-it spirit pervades everything she writes. Bette is my gluten-free mentor, as she is mentor to many of us." -- Ann Whelan, editor and publisher, Gluten-Free Living

Customer Reviews

Best tasting gluten-free bread
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, always putting off baking some gluten-free bread partly because most gluten-free recipes come out disastrously and partly because I take the easy way out and buy a loaf of rice bread at the local health food/WF store.

The other day I was having a rice-bread shortage so I thought I'd try a recipe, "Basic Featherlight Rice Bread," from the cookbook. Good thing I gave it a try. That was the best, most delicious gluten-free bread I have ever tasted. The texture couldn't be more perfect, crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle, qualities that I miss and long for from regular bread. It tastes very delicious. It also doesn't necessarily need to be toasted, as most gluten-free breads require to make them more palatable. The bread was actually very easy to make. The batter is much like cake batter, thus no worries or guess work in the kneading department. I had only filled the loaf pan barely to the quarter mark, and after about an hour the darn thing rose to the top edge of the pan. I was shocked. There was one ingredient that I had to omit, the egg replacer, since I didn't have any at hand and I really do not know what it is anyways. The bread came out perfectly regardless. I also substituted the xanthum gum with guar gum since it is significantly cheaper...

Bette Hagman organizes her recipes according to how much bread you would like to make, from small, medium or large. This was extremely helpful since I didn't want to go too overboard. She includes instructions for bread machines as well. She gives a lot of different suggestions for flour mixes that you can use. I personally prefer the rice/tapioca/potato starch mixture, so I most likely will ignore the other suggestions. Hagman has truly found an excellent method to "raise" gluten-free breads, since gluten is what allows regular wheat breads to rise so well.

I highly, highly recommend this book. I think it'll be a long time before I buy gluten-free bread at the store again.

Addendum:

I've been using this recipe for quite a while now, always making the "small" loaf-size, and thought I'd share some of the renditions with the recipe that work. Instead of the 1 egg plus 1 egg white, I use 2 eggs; I got a lil' tired of freezing the yolks - I was amassing a large collection of frozen egg yolks and not knowing what to do with them... I use the whole packet of yeast instead of measuring it out; it's close enough and the tiny bit of extra yeast will only make the bread better. I use olive oil instead of butter/margarine. (I would not recommend margarine for anything). And finally, I add 1/4 cup of flax seeds, for the extra nutrition and fiber (gluten-free foods lack fiber...) The flax seeds give it a nutty delicious flavor.

Great Sounding Recipes, But Check Your Pantry First!
For anyone newly diagnosed with Celiac disease, it doesn't take long to figure out the Bette Hagman is 1st in gluten free cookbooks. Her previous books not only contained recipes, but wonderful information for Celiacs. So I must say I was disappointed to find out that I could not try a large portion of the recipes in this book because they all contain a flour that I am unable to obtain. Bette's latest favourite flour is sorghum flour, and it is produced in the U.S. by JOWAR foods. Neither my local health food store, nor myself via their web page, have been able to get a response on ordering this flour to be shipped to a Canadian address. What recipes I have been able to try have been wonderful, but with the main section of this book based on having sorghum, I would not recommend this book unless you have access to this ingredient.

INGREDIENTS: Too expensive or too sweet
I have two major problems with the recipes offered in Bette Hagman's latest book: (1) The 'Garfava' flour which is the key ingredient for most of the bread recipes--at $19.95 for 5 lbs. plus shipping (from Authentic Foods)-- is too expensive for my budget. (In this book, she notes that she is starting to experiment with Quinoa & Millet flours. Why didn't she write a recipe book using these common and inexpensive alternatives to rice flour BEFORE she ventured into the garfava kingdom?) (2) The amount of sweetening (sugar, molasses) required in the non-sweet bread recipes is, for my taste & health, quite high. There is a GF recipe world out there which is waiting to be explored by someone who has Bette Hayman's adventuresome spirit (yet not her taste for expensive ingredients or her sweet tooth).