Ensure that your bakes go to plan every time with this extra know how and support. Gain an understanding of potential variables and substitutions, get troubleshooting ideas, a general shopping list to get started, tips for caring for your baking vessels, creative inspiration, and much more. Reference these articles as you bake your way through this entire course.

This is a convenient listing of basic tools called for in this course as well as some “nice to have but not necessary” items that make baking easier and more fun. Read more about each and how we use them here.

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What are the best temperatures to keep in mind for yeasted bread?

Loads of tips and temperatures here for starter and dough: Biological Leavening

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I have a beautiful crust on my bread, but the entire insides sunk away from it! What happened?!

It’s usually better to underproof than overproof a dough, since the latter can cause something called “flying crust.” Flying crust is when the yeast have fermented a dough too long and the structure of the dough has been compromised. When the dough goes into the oven, the bread may oven spring beautifully and form a lovely crust, but when you cut into your loaf, the dough has sunk away from the crust leaving a big hole. This means that for this recipe, you need to proof for less time. Track adjustments in your baking journal.

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My crust was crispy when it came out of the oven, but it got soft after cooling.

It’s normal for crust to soften a bit once cooled, but it should still feel crusty and firm. If you have a soggy crust, your bread needed to bake longer—if your bread interior didn’t have enough time to bake out the moisture, it will move from inside the bread to the crust as it cools.

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My crust is just too hard for my taste, is there anything I can do to soften it?
Yes. Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal.
1.) As soon as your bread comes out of the oven, wrap in in a kitchen towel and allow it to cool—the steam will release but go back into the crust to help soften.
2.) You can also add 1–3 tablespoons of oil to your dough—if you do this, reduce the liquid (ie: water or milk) amount by the same amount.
3.) When your loaf comes out of the oven, you can use a basting or pastry brush to paint some milk (dairy-free or dairy-full) over the crust.
4.) Make sure that you store your bread in an air-tight container—as you store, the bread will still release moisture and if it’s all in an air-tight container, it will go into the crust to soften it.

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My crust is just too soft for my taste, is there anything I can do to make it more crusty?
Yes. Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.
1.) Use a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid or a Challenger Bread Pan for super crusty loaves—be sure to also see our know-how about Oven Differences.

2.) Make sure that you are using the steaming technique using a cast-iron vessel with a lid if you have a gas oven and with or without a lid if you have an electric or convection oven. Revisit the Lessons in this module for how-to tips.

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My bread interior is too hydrated for my taste, is there anything I can do to make it drier?
Yes, although more moisture is 100% normal in a gluten-free bread using whole grains, without fillers, bleached flours, and loads of starches. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.

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My crust isn’t brown. Why? What can I do?

Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.
1.) Use a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid or a Challenger Bread Pan for super crusty loaves—be sure to also see our know-how about Oven Differences.

2.) Make sure that you are using the steaming technique using a cast-iron vessel with a lid if you have a gas oven and with or without a lid if you have an electric or convection oven. Revisit the Lessons in this module for how-to tips.
3.) You can add 1–3 teaspoons more sweetener to your dough—when you steam there will be more in your dough to crystallize and help brown the crust.
4.) Once your dough has baked the entire time, you can cheat and broil the top of your dough if needed until brown.

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My bread didn’t rise that much.

On average, a gluten-free bread using whole grains, no fillers, no bleached flours, and minimal starches will rise to a maximum of 3½″ in the oven but will usually be 2½–3″ at its highest point. Make sure you’re keeping ideal temperatures—see Biological Leavening.

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My bread is too dense and heavy. Why? What can I do?

Sounds like over or under proofing, an ingredient measurement mixup, or inaccurate oven temperatures… try the following and track what works in your baking journal for the future.

1.) Try aerating the dough more. Sift together dry ingredients before adding liquids. Make sure you are measuring all ingredients properly and allowing the dough to rise long and warm enough.

2.) Try a little tenderness when working with already proofed loaves. Before baking, try not to push down on the dough. Tuck edges carefully and lift instead of pressing and pulling once the dough has proofed.

3.) Proof dough longer, especially if you have a chilly kitchen (tips here). Yeast likes warmth, and is most active and releasing CO₂ when it’s warm. It may need more time to do its thing.

4.) Make sure that oven temp is hot, hot, hot so you get that oven spring. Use an oven thermometer.

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My bread rose beautifully but when I cut into it, it sunk.

Make sure that you allow the bread to cool 100% before cutting into it—if you cut into a hot or even warm loaf, the release of heat and steam can be too drastic and the structure of your bread can collapse. You also may have let the dough proof/rise for too long, this also can compromise structure. Was your yeast dead? Proof the yeast to ensure that the yeast is alive and ready to help your bread rise. If not, it could have “slept” on its activation/rising duties.

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Is there a better oven for GF baking? Gas or electric?
Yes. See Oven Differences and then revisit the module lessons for tricks to make any kind work best.

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With proofing baskets, what size is best? 
For gluten-free breads, we like 6–7″.

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I have silicone bread pans. I do intend on investing in better bread pans but is it okay for the time being?

Our breads are not tested in silicone pans, due to the fact that they don’t really distribute heat to create a crust like our recommended options do. We love to say “go for it,” but we can’t guarantee results with a silicone pan. If you go there, be sure to let us know how it works for you. We recommend borrowing a recommended pan from a friend, co-worker or family member if you can’t, or don’t want to, invest in one right now. You can repay them with bread!
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How do I increase “yeasty” flavor in my loaf?

Add more yeast to the dough. If you do, keep an eye on the proofing time—you may only need 7–10 minutes, especially if you have a warm kitchen. If you mean that you want more “sour flavor and tartness” in a loaf, try cold fermentation—revisit the lessons in this module for tips.

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Could the water from my tap be inhibiting rise of my dough?”

Yes. Tap water can be highly chlorinated and it could be killing yeast or diminishing their activity. Try filtered/purified, warm water instead.
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Is psyllium powder the same thing as ground psyllium?

Yes.

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Can I use whole-husk psyllium (aka psyllium husks) instead of ground psyllium?

Yes. Note that 1½ teaspoons whole psyllium is equal to 1 teaspoon ground psyllium, so adjust accordingly.

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Can we use eggs instead of the egg replacers?

The recipes in this course have been developed for use without eggs. You’re free to use eggs instead, but we can’t guarantee the outcome.

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Is it possible to make bread without rice flour?

This goes for all flour substitutions: throughout the course, when a substitution is available/possible we share it with the recipe.

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Is Sucanat the same as cane sugar?

Sucanat is a brand name (Sugar Cane Natural) for a type of sugar that is minimally processed. It is sugar cane juice, dried with fans (it maintains all of its natural properties/color/flavor). Cane sugar is more processed so color is white and flavors are less caramel-y.