Why Did My Gluten-Free Bread Flop: A Troubleshooting Guide

Not all gluten-free breads turn out beautifully every time. There are a lot of variables at play in bread baking, some that we can't even control, like the weather! In this visual gluten-free bread troubleshooting guide, I'll address the flops I see most often in my kitchen. And listen... if you're here, you've likely had a flop, so before we dive in... just know that; one, imperfect breads are likely still tasty (even repurposed as croutons); and two, we learn SO much more from flops than from successes!

You should also check out my gluten-free bread baking guide for more tips and tricks that are science backed.

The Right Tools

Before I even dive into bread flops, let's talk about some crucial tools you need for successful gluten-free bread baking.

• Oven thermometer; to ensure your oven runs at the recipe temperature. I found out mine runs 20F cooler than the dial!
• Instant read thermometer; gluten-free bread is done baking at an internal temperature of 210F. If you can't monitor that, it's hard to know if your bread is done!
• Kitchen scale; all gluten-free bread baking ingredients must be weighed! Measuring by mass is so much more accurate (and easier) than measuring by volume. Please check out why you need to weigh ingredients in gluten-free baking.

If you have the above, you're in good shape. Flops might still happen though, that's just part of learning. Let's dig into it.

Gummy Bottoms

Ah yes, the "Gummy" Bottom Boys, my favorite fictitious band from O Brother, Where Art Thou. It's almost a perfect bake, and you want to take it from 90% to 100%, I get it!

Gluten-free breads need A LOT more water than regular wheat bread to rise and bake. That's because in order to replace gluten's role in baking, which is that of a structure builder, we need the help of hydrocolloids. They are a class of molecules that form a thick viscoelastic network capable of replacing gluten, but they need water to do their job. We're looking at gluten-free breads with well over 100% hydration, versus about 60% hydration in wheat breads. That's a lot of extra water, which can contribute to soggy-gummy bottoms.

Fortunately, it's a fairly easy fix. Below you will find pictures (that I am posting with permission) from an experiment James Adcock.

From the graph, we see that this loaf of bread baked for over two hours before cooling. That is a LONG bake, friends!

But guess what, it didn't burn! We can see that the resulting crust is thick, and probably a bit hard, but the crumb is intact, and no gummy bottoms.

Solution

I'm not saying you should bake your breads for two hours. But when in doubt, please don't fear that your gluten-free bread will burn. What I like to do in my kitchen is once the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210F, I take it out of its pan and place it directly on the rack in my oven (oven turned off, door closed). Cooling in the hot oven lets air circulate under the bread to encourage further evaporation. Honestly, a solid 5 hours of cooling is necessary to maximize water evaporation.

To sum up, if you're following a trusted recipe and your bread is gummy, just bake it a bit longer next time, let it cool in the oven, and don't cut it for at least 5 hours!

Sides Cave In

I want ME to have an hourglass shape, not my bread. Why do sides cave in like that? Think of bread like a sponge, when it's full of water, it is thick around the sides, but when we wring the water out of it, it collapses on itself. This gluten-free bread pictured below did not build a good, strong structure. If you're following a well written recipe and did not make substitutions, this should not happen. If you're experimenting like I was, this is a super common problem!

Solution

We need more structure, which is the role of hydrocolloids. I would add more psyllium husks, or more HPMC, and slightly reduce hydration. You know what else you can do that's a super easy fix? Bake this in a round container like a boule! You won't get concave sides out of a convex baking container!

Won't Stop Rising!

This one just won't stop rising in the oven! He's got a top hat and is ready to party! Not a big deal, it's esthetic only. This happened because we didn't guide the oven spring's direction.

Solution

Cut a score mark down the length of the bread, and it will allow it to rise in the "bread-shape" we are used to seeing.

Giant Holes in the Crumb

Check out this giant hole, it's making the bat signal! That's the classic signal for an overproofed loaf. Remember, bread proofing is a function of yeast activity, which is mostly dependent on temperature. Here's a little thermodynamics lesson that helps explain how the temperature of water (and flour) affects yeast activity.

Solution

My mantra is that underproofing is better than overproofing. If your house is really warm, bread will rise faster and so you may want to slow it down by using slightly colder water than optimal (90F instead of 110F). You can also be very cautious and put your bread in the oven once you start seeing that it is rising. I aim for about 150%-175% expansion, but not double like regular wheat bread.

Crust is Too Hard

I don't have a picture of that, and I also think that crust hardness is subjective. However, if you find that your bread crust is too hard, you must be patient! Wrap your bread in a tea towel overnight to properly cool it, and it should be softer the next day. If the crust is still too hard for your liking...

Solution

It could be because you have chosen flours with a high amylose content. Starches with high amylose content delay starch retrogradation and form stable gels on heating, which is good, but it also means they are so stable it can be hard to cut through. For example, a bread with corn starch, rice flours and teff flour would have a very high amylose content resulting in a hard crust (great for baguettes, maybe not for sandwiches) and you could substitute for flours containing less amylose. Check out my ultimate flour guide to pick suitable replacements.

Conclusion

Hopefully this helped solve some of the most common flops in gluten-free bread baking! If you have pictures of flops, I'd love to see them so we can continue the discussion! Join us on social media!