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continued from "Summary: Need more bread advice (Part #2)"

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Hi Joe, That is way hotter than any bread I bake. I would never go over 375.
Have you tried a glass pan ? then you could lower the temp even another 25
degrees. It is also good because you can see when the sides go a golden
brown,
I usually have way better results in a smaller pan. I think the 9x 5 is too
large for bread. I use an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 or smaller. I also like to bake
bread in a round cookie cutter. (they are a little taller than the english
muffin rings)
Whenever I use foil to keep a loaf of bread from browning too much, I make
sure it is just a very loose "tent"
What altitude are you at? That can make a big difference. Hagman's recipes
call for a 400 degree oven, but I usually have to cook her recipes at a
lower temp. and add more liquid.
Fenster's breads are usually cooked at 350 and in smaller pans.
***
Something doesn't sound right but difficult to know what. Mine rises well
and bakes high and may shrink a little but not much. So---I usually run hot
water into the baking pan to warm the pan, dry it out and grease lightly
before putting the batter in.  I also warm the bowl ahead of mixing the
bread with hot water from the tap and dry it out. Seems to help always.  I
do bake it longer than the package tells you to and also let it rise longer
till it is about level with the top of the loaf pan. I raise it inside the
microwave so no drafts get to it. I also cover it with a piece of waxed
paper that has been greased and a dish towel to keep it warm while it rises.
I would cover it with foil as soon as it seems to be brown for the rest of
the baking time. I also bake at a lower temp, about 350.  Try all of this
and see if it helps you.   I would be happy to give you a recipe for
Norwegian Lefse if you want to try it.  That is a potato and rice flour
mixture that you fry on a pancake skillet for wraps. I prefer it to the
bread and keep it in my freezer. Just let me know if that interests you.
They do take a little time to fry them all but worth it.   Good Luck.
***
Sounds like you are exerting more effort than necessary as most newly
diagnosed or new to the baking world of GF foods do.Relax.....little need to
do all that preparation.

Buy a few of Betty Hagman's cookbooks-they are great-especially "More from
the GF Courmet" (her 2nd book) or "The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast &
Healthy" (the latter I use all the time).  She also has a 3rd one out, but I
am not into too much extra baking.  I, too use Bob's Red Mill flour (the
bean flour which Betty Hagman has as one of her selections of GF mixes which
I combine with other flours.

I also suffered from frustration when my husband was newly diagnosed and
learned that I purchased a breadmaker that was not manufactured for GF
breads (this is likely your experience).  The mfg. of the breadmaker was
kind enough to send us free of charge one to replace ours.  We recently
purchased a new one so that we could use the old one in our Florida home.
What an improvement!  Prices have come down considerably through the years
and the bread has a  wonderful texture with little effort on our part.  Our
model is the Breadman Ultimate, Model TR2200C which, incidentally, was
recommended by the List.  You can seek them out again; perhaps there are
other models that would suit your needs as well.
***
Don't know if this tidbit will help or not. I attended a bread baking
seminar put on by Bette Hagman. She makes hers in a KitchenAid mixer that
the head tips back on. Anyway, during the mixing process once everything has
been added, she'll keep checking the dough by stopping the machine and
tilting the head back. That way she can see if she needs more liquid - your
dough should 'slip' off the beater like a cake batter. Once it does that
continue mixing for the required time. The first thing she told us "anything
you ever knew about baking gluten bread, forget it! Baking GF bread is the
total opposite."
Good Luck, I know it's frutrating, my husband stops by a GF bakery in Canada
about once a month and buys me bread.
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* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *