Gluten Free Whole & Ancient Grain Bread Using Jovial Bread Mixes (No Added Starch)

Using a combination of Jovial Gluten Free Bread Mixes without added starch (No. 01 – ancient grain) and (No. 02 – whole grain), I created this gluten-free bread recipe. You may use dairy-free ingredients if desired. I used a combination of dairy and dairy-free in the one pictured. This recipe is perfect when you have a little mix left in each box, but not enough to make one or the other.

The Effects of Whole Grain, No Starch-Added Flour:

Whole grain flour, especially without added starch, creates heavier gluten free bread. If, the added nutrition and lack of refined starch are worth it to you, then, by all means, use whole grain flours in your baking.

The dry ingredients in this recipe contain over 57% whole grains. Usually, I suggest adding no more than 10% whole grains to a gluten free bread recipe. Therefore, expect a heavier bread.

Ancient grains are not light but are lighter than whole grains. Most gluten free bread recipes contain approximately 50 – 60% starch such as cornstarch, potato starch, and tapioca flour. These starches lighten gluten free dough.

Adjustments That I Made and Why + Teaching Moments:

Liquid:

You may notice that the recipe on the box of the whole grain mix lists a larger amount of milk than what is called for in the ancient grain recipe. The reason for this is that whole grains absorb more liquid than ancient grains do due to the additional fiber content. Always remember that high fiber grains require more liquid. It is similar to coconut flour, which absorbs the most. Therefore, since I used both flour mixes, I met in the middle using 1-1/4 cups liquid instead of the 1-1/2 or 1 on their respective boxes.

Sweetener:

I chose to substitute honey for the sugar. Why? Honey creates softer dough. Any thick sugary liquid will do such as agave or invert syrup.

Salt:

I reduced the salt from 1-1/2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon for two reasons. (a) We limit our sodium intake in our household. The recommended amount in the U.S. is now 1,500 mg per day. (b) Secondly, salt lessens yeast action. With these heavy whole grain flours, you definitely want to give this dough all the help it needs.

As a third note, the No. 1 flour instructs to add the salt when mixing the wet ingredients. This is usually done for the purpose of breaking down the salt. However, the No. 2 (whole grain) flour mix directs users to add the salt away from the wet ingredients/yeast mixture. Instead, you add the flour on top of the wet and then sprinkle the salt above the flour mixture. This is usually done to prevent the salt from retarding the yeast action too soon.

Fat:

I substituted oil for butter, which Jovial offers as a dairy-free substitute, just to make it healthier and less cake-like. Oil often creates a crunchier crust, depending upon the ingredients. (Though the crust tends to soften soon after it is made, maybe a day or two.)

The temperature of Ingredients:

The liquid in this recipe should be warm. The eggs and butter, if using, should also be warm. Cold ingredients slow the action of  yeast. However, if you use cold ingredients, typically you would need to allow the dough to rise for a longer period. However, because these mixes contain tara gum, the gum will not absorb enough liquid when that liquid is cold. Heat is required to make tara gum 100% absorbable. So, heat up that milk or water, minimally. Never use any hot liquid over 120ºF when combined with yeast. Hotter liquids kill yeast action.

Time Allowed for Bread to Rest in the Pan:

While the instructions on the No. 2 bread mix states to allow the bread to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, I only did so for 5 minutes. In traditional baking, allowing baked goods to rest in the pan allows continued baking and slower cooling to avoid baked goods from falling. However, much steam builds up underneath the bread. So, if you wish for softer bottom and side crust, by all means, allow the bread to rest in the pan for the 15 minutes. During the 5 minutes that I allowed, the bread softened up nicely.