Baking Tips and Recipes

• When making the Pie Crust you will need to bake it according to the recipe you are following. For example, when making a Pumpkin, Fruit Pie or Quiche bake the crust as the recipe instructs. If you are making a pie with a filling that does not need to be baked, bake the crust at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
• Just to let you know I've had great success recently with your bread mixes without using eggs or commercial egg replacer or flax seed. I have simply added two heaped teaspoons of gluten free baking powder and increased the non-dairy liquid (I use coconut milk) to make up for the missing egg liquid. This is much simpler and less messy than mixing flax seed or egg replacer and the results are better. I used to find I often had patches of "wet" bread when I used egg replacer but I don't have any with my new method.
  
  Also, I have to disagree with the advice about not letting bread rise in a warm oven. I have a fan-assisted electric oven which, when on it's lowest setting, provides the perfect even temperature for bread rising - out of the cold British drafts! - Trish
• Always use large eggs. The package instructions will be changing to say use two whole large eggs and one large egg white. The egg combination should measure between 2/3 and 3/4 cup.
• When using the oven method, the flat paddle that comes with your mixer gives the best results when mixing the dough.
• Because of fluctuating moisture levels in gluten free flours, you may find that occasionally the bread will sink. IF you find your yeast breads sinking, decrease liquid by 3 tablespoons.
• When baking Breads From Anna™ in a silicon pan, following the "oven method" on the package, the silicon pan may yield a loaf with a slightly crisper crust than the oven method. The soft nature of the silicon allows the sides of the pan to move as the yeast batter expands. The resulting loaves don't rise as high as they otherwise might and are "chubbier" in appearance. The sides of the loaf also bake a little irregularly.
• When using a convection oven bake at 325-330 degrees and if your oven has a pulse setting this is best.
• For oven method use heavy weight non-stick loaf pans. Aluminum is not recommended.
• For most bread machines the dark crust setting gives the best results on all the bread varieties.
• Always store Breads From Anna™ mix in a cool location if it will be awhile before you use it (mix has a two year shelf life). Do not store in the refrigerator or freezer; a cupboard away from the heat of an oven is best.
• Review instructions on package carefully and have all the wet ingredients measured out in advance. Also gather any equipment in advance and have prepared, i.e. bread loaf pans lightly oiled and dusted with rice flour.
• EGG REPLACER: Many customers have had great success replacing egg with this simple flax seed formula: For the gluten-free mix (orange/red label)--3 tablespoons finely ground Flax Seed (can be done in a clean coffee grinder) with 9 tablespoons of boiling water; let set for 15 minutes, then stir and add to other wet ingredients. For the gluten, corn, and dairy (green/yellow label) and the gluten, corn, dairy and yeast free (blue/brown label)--follow the same procedure as above but use 2 tablespoons of ground flax to 7 tablespoons of boiling water.
• If using a bread machine also gather equipment and wet ingredients in advance. It is also critical to put ingredients in proper order, wet in the bottom of the baking pan and dry on top. Please review the bread machine setting for different brands of bread machines listed on this page as a guide. Always review the manufactures recommendations.
• Follow instructions as stated and in the order listed.
• With the gluten-free mix (orange/red lable), for best results when baking in the oven use two smaller bread pans, 4-1/2" x 8-1/2" or make one loaf of bread in a standard size loaf pan and remove enough mix to make a small pizza or four to six dinner rolls or hamburger buns (please see the recipes section for instructions on how to do this). This mix weighs more than the other mixes and is sometimes too much dough for a large or standard size loaf pan.
• When letting bread rise make sure the location is not too warm, do not rise inside a warm oven. If the bread is forced to rise in too warm an environment it can create large air pockets and not bake correctly. If the area the bread is placed in to rise is too cool it will take a very long time to rise.
• Always use large eggs. If the large eggs appear small and the whole egg and two eggs whites do not equal between 2/3 to 3/4 cup, either add an extra egg white or use jumbo eggs.
• Bread will stay fresh for three to four days sitting on the counter. To store for longer periods, slice and put into a plastic freezer bag and keep in the freezer. You can also slip pieces of wax paper between each slice to make it easier to pull apart. Pop in the oven or toaster to refresh, can also pull out in the morning and let thaw with no need to reheat.
• I make your breads in my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan. It holds the entire mix made from one bag and due to the composition of the pan, bakes a loaf that is crusty all around the outside, yet soft and delicious inside--as bread should be. I don't know if you have tried it in a stoneware pan, but from the various pans I've tried, the stoneware can't be beat.
• Piecrust Tips: Press the bottom crust into the pie pan. Roll out the top crust between 2 pieces of waxed paper and put in freezer for about 20 minutes. Peel off one sheet and place crust on pie, then peel off the other sheet of waxed paper. Bake and enjoy!