Frequently Asked Questions
We get asked lots of questions about our mixes, so we’ve compiled some of the most important questions in this section. If you have a question that is not answered here, please use our contact form and let us know!
In traditional bread, that uses grains containing gluten, such as wheat, barley or rye, the starches that accompany the gluten can provide sustenance for the yeast and give a nice, light well-risen loaf, without the addition of sugar. In gluten-free bread however, the starches are not as available to the yeast (they require further conversion) and a very small amount of sugar must be added to the dough to get the proper shape and texture. By the time the yeast has done its job, there is very little sugar left, as it has been converted to carbon-dioxide (bubbles) and water. We show the original amount of sugar on the nutritional info because we have no way of knowing how much sugar is truly left. The instant dry yeast that is included in the mix will work without sugar, but not as well.
We use organic cane sugar in most of our mixes however; our vegan mix is enhanced with maple syrup that you add.
While it is not necessary to use egg in GF bread, it does make for a nicer loaf, so we recommend their use, if you regularly consume them, with no problems and are not vegan of course. In the case that you wish to use a mix that calls for eggs, please visit our instructional videos page and look for “egg-replacement”.
We have several mixes that were developed specifically for those wishing to avoid eggs: the Egg-Free Rustic Loaf can be made into buns, bagels and loaves.
We try to source the best, gluten-free flours available, at a price that makes our bread affordable. Organic is better and we try, whenever possible to buy organic ingredients: our oils, cane sugar, nuts and some of our flours are organic. We decided that the cost of 100% organic gluten-free flour is exorbitant, given the actual minimal use of herbicides and pesticides in the production of gluten-free crops. We have adopted a non-GMO policy for all of our ingredients.
If placed in a cool and DRY storage space, the mix can be kept for up to a year. Keep the yeast separate from the flour until ready to use.
We use whole grain and legume flours that naturally contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. We do not use methylcellulose to boost the fiber content because the source of this additive is cotton and wood and in our opinion, these are not food. Also, most cotton crops are GMO and contain large quantities of glyphosate (the chemical name of the herbicide Roundup).
You can store your bread in a bread bag (cotton or paper) for 2-3 days, especially when it is cool. It can also be refrigerated for 5-7 days. It freezes very well and will not shrink or crumble when you thaw and eat it. If you wish to eat only a few slices within several days of baking the bread, you can slice the remainder and place it in a tightly sealed plastic bag for freezing. To make it easier to remove slices, you insert squares of parchment or wax paper between the slices.