Baking My First Gluten Free Bread

Here's the recipe from the back of the "Bloomfield Farms Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix". 

I'll be using this recipe again with different gluten free flour blends in the future, and I'll report back on the quality. I found this box at HomeGoods, in Gainesville Virginia.

But here's what I did differently than what the package said.

I used all the exact quantities and ingredients listed. Not being a baker, or a chemist, I do tend to follow measurements when baking. 

Sometimes. 

So, I let the yeast bloom in the warm water and sugar.

I cracked the 3 eggs directly into the bread machine's pan. I put the salt directly in with the eggs. I put the flour in, then poured the melted butter onto the flour, being careful to not let the warm butter "cook" the eggs on contact. I put the honey in, then poured the bloomed water, yeast, sugar mixture on top. I turned it onto its "Basic White" setting, and let it do it's thing. I have the same Zojirushi bread maker I bought 20 years ago (OH MY GOD, can that be RIGHT? Am I that old? CRAP!) and it's still making fantastic bread! It cost a flipping arm and a leg, but after 20 years, still worth every penny.

This being my first home baking experience of GF bread, I didn't know what to expect. It didn't look like it was mixing, so I helped it with a wooden spoon. After several more minutes, it still didn't look like it was fully mixing, so I stirred it MORE. It didn't form a smooth ball like I'm use to. It didn't look anything like any bread I've ever made. It looked like a mixture of pancake and buscuit dough. But, it rose. It smelled like bread, and it was rising. Science is science, so let's just let the yeast and heat do it's thing. Remember, this was an experiment, and I was really just hoping for a minimal "bread-like" substance that I could cube up, toast into croutons, then make into dressing.

I let it go through it's full cooling cycle, then out it came. Bread knife in hand, room temp 1 Tb butter on counter waiting, I cut about a 1" slice off the top (which wasn't poofed up like you usually see bread, in fact, it was sunken and looked like a dried bowl of oatmeal), spread the butter on it, and took a bite. 

Yyyyyyyuuuuuummmmmmm.... Warm, soft, great texture, amazing flavor, with a great crumb and crust. Oh yes... This is GOOD!! I even shared it with the kids! Nope, I didn't hide it, or even tell them that it was "special mommy/daddy" bread, which I may or may not have done in the past.

It will be made again. Oh yes... It will be made again.

SH & PWYF.