Pros and Cons of Making Gluten-Free Bread
My husband is Gluten Intolerant, which caused me to branch out and attempt all sorts of Gluten-Free baking. Gluten-Free sandwich bread has been one of my more recent attempts. I hope to provide you with a helpful list of pros and cons of baking Gluten-Free bread before you start this journey.
Disclaimer: not all gluten-free bread recipes are the same. Here is a recipe that I like. Also I often substitute honey for sugar.
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Pros of Making Gluten-Free Bread
- It is surprisingly easy. The prep time to make this bread is under 15 minutes. It is easily something that can be make weekly.
- No kneading necessary. Do you hate kneading bread? Although it can be therapeutic, it also takes a lot of time. Gluten-free bread dough takes no needing. The dough is more like a batter.
- Baking Gluten-free bread increases your confidence in your ability bake gluten-free. I have known too many women who are terrified to bake Gluten-Free for their husbands who are allergic to gluten. If you are one of these people, please give gluten-free bread a shot. This is an easy recipe and will help boost your confidence.
- Baking makes your home smell good. As long as I don’t burn it, gluten-free bread (like all baking) will make your house smell like a slice of heaven!
- It is a lot cheaper than buying Gluten-Free Bread from the store. The cheapest GF loaf of Bread that I can find at my local Walmart is $5.54. To make a similar size loaf I will pay between $3.51-$3.98. I save between $1.56-$2.03.
Cost of Homemade Gluten-Free Bread
| Ingredients | Quantity in Recipe | Cost | Cost of What I Used | ||
| Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour | 2 1/2 cups | 20.4 ¢/oz. | $2.16 | ||
| Baking Powder | 1 teaspoon | 16.8 ¢/oz. | 2.6 ¢ | ||
| Yeast | 2 1/4 teaspoon | 42 ¢/oz. | 10.4 ¢ | ||
| Olive Oil | 1/4 Cup | 17.8 ¢/oz. | 34.7 ¢ | ||
| Honey/ Brown Sugar | 1/4 Cup | 18.7¢/oz. | 5.1 ¢/oz. | 56.1 ¢ | 9 ¢ |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | 1 teaspoon | 5.9 ¢/oz. | 1.1 ¢ | ||
| Water | 1 1/2 cups | Pretty Much Free | Pretty Much Free | ||
| Egg Whites | 3 | 25.3 ¢/egg | 75.9 ¢ | ||
| Salt | 1 teaspoon | 1.8 ¢/oz. | 1 ¢ | ||
| Total: | $3.98 | $3.51 | |||
If you are looking for a lot of gluten and non-gluten free breads. This recipe book is an incredible resource, that my husband and I love.
Con of Making Gluten-Free Bread
- It takes time. Yes, prep time is only about 15 minutes, but there is more. The bread needs to rise for 30 minutes and then cook for an additional hour. Do you have a schedule that will allow you to wait for your bread to bake?
- It doesn’t always turn out. Sadly, this is always a risk with baking.
- It doesn’t taste as good as bread that contains gluten. Okay lets face it, gluten-free will never taste as good as bread with gluten.
- Gluten-Free bread is typically smaller than a typical loaf. Gluten is what holds bread together. The lack of gluten causes a loaf of bread to be significantly smaller. Even if you buy gluten-free bread, you will run into the same problem.
- Won’t be perfect. Let’s face it, it may take several tries before it reaches perfection. To be honest, I am still working toward perfection.
- Heats up house. If you make homemade bread in the summer, you will find your house will become significantly hotter.