Gluten, a protein found in wheat and other common grains, acts as a binding agent in breads, holding ingredients together and keeping the bread moist. Some of the grains commonly used as wheat alternatives in baking, such as rice, don't contain strong binding compounds. When those are used, xanthum gum, soya lecithin or other adhesive food products may be added to give bread dough a moist, pliable quality, the Gluten-Free Network notes. The right combination of gluten-free flours, starches and binding agents can give you a flavorful bread that isn't dry or crumbly.
Dietary Restrictions
Wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats contain gluten, a protein that causes a severe autoimmune response in people who have celiac disease. In celiac disease, ingesting gluten prompts your body to destroy the portion of your intestinal lining that absorbs essential nutrients from the foods you eat. Your reactions to eating bread or other foods that contain gluten may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, bloating and constipation. Over the long term, you may experience weight loss, fatigue, iron-deficiency anemia, bone loss, or other disorders related to your body's inability to absorb vitamins, minerals or other nutrients that you need to stay healthy, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
Gluten-Free Flours
Eliminating all foods made with grains that contain gluten or foods that include gluten as an additive may resolve the symptoms of celiac disease and allow you to digest foods normally, the NDDIC states. Gluten occurs not only in breads, cereals, pasta, cakes and cookies, but as a modified food starch in many sauces, syrups, snack foods, canned goods and candies. Fortunately, a wide variety of gluten-free flours can replace wheat, rye or oat flour in bread, including rice, corn, potato, chestnut, tapioca, cassava, chickpea or buckwheat flour. There are also gluten-free condiments and other foods available -- always check ingredients lists and look for products labeled gluten-free.
Binding Agents
Successful recipes for moist, cohesive gluten-free bread replace gluten with another binding agent -- a gummy food product that holds the flour and other dry ingredients in bread together. Popular gluten-free binding agents include xanthum gum, guar gum, carob gum, soya lecithin or gelatin. Blending different varieties of gluten-free flour, or combining flour with corn or tapioca starch as a thickener, may improve the texture of some breads and other baked-goods recipes. Using finely ground flours may result in a less crumbly, gritty bread. Many gluten-free breads include skim milk powder or soy powder as ingredients. The proteins in milk or soy can also improve the consistency of bread.
Baking Bread
Making your own gluten-free bread gives you the opportunity to experiment with a variety of flours, binding agents and baking techniques to achieve the texture and flavor that you want. To avoid dry, overcooked bread, the Eating Gluten Free website recommends that you bake your bread at a sufficiently high temperature -- usually about 375 degrees for rising breads. Cooking times for gluten-free breads may be shorter than cooking times for wheat, rye or oat bread. Warming up your gluten-free bread before you eat it can make the bread taste more moist and fresh.
