****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Cons: Did not work “like normal flour” in my bread machine. VERY limited recipes available for this specific blend. Expensive. Limited bag size options (either 3lb, which would only make about 2 loaves, with a bit left over, since their recipes use 4 cups/542g, or 25lb.). Taste and texture the same as most other GF (gluten free) white breads the day(s)after baking.Pros: Flavor and texture of bread (their Basic White Bread recipe) was good the day of baking.Authentic Foods website quote: "Steve’s GF Flour Blend is used just like normal flour for baking." No. No it's not.At least it wasn't for one of the basic bread recipes for my bread machine. I did an exact one-for-one replacement (by dry weight in grams, which is how I always measure flour for my bread machine recipes, not by cup) and it was a complete waste of ingredients.My Welbilt bread machine is about 28 years old, does not have a dedicated gluten-free cycle and makes a "vertical" loaf...so maybe that was the problem. After it failed so badly, I researched a bit more for making GF breads in a machine and it's possible that the 2 rise cycles and quick punch down right before baking was too much for the dough. Even if that's the case, it still negates their statement of working just like "normal" flour.Next, I made the Basic White Bread from the Authentic Foods website (NOT using the bread machine). I have a very limited knowledge of the tips and tricks for bread making, so maybe experienced bakers would know how to adjust recipes, identify problems before baking and be able to fix them. I had to trust in the very limited information on the Authentic Foods website’s “Basic White Bread” recipe for this specific blend. The loaf was pretty good the first few hours after baking, but the next day it had the taste and texture of every other GF bread I’ve eaten.Full disclosure: again, I’m not a baker. LOL I may have over-kneaded it while forming the loaf for the pan. (forgot there’s no gluten strands to form up. Haha) I Googled how to proof dough in a cold house (temps in my house never go above 70F if I can help it), so attempted to proof it in a warmed oven (about 90F) with a bowl of hot water on the bottom rack, dough in the middle, for the recommended time. It didn’t say to cover it, so I didn’t. It did rise, but only by half, not the triple it stated. It didn’t say to remove it or leave it in while pre-heating the oven for baking, so I took it out. I baked it for the recommended time. It might have been slightly underdone in the center, but it wasn’t doughy.In the hours after baking (after cooling for about an hour) I thought it had a decent enough flavor, considering the limited ingredients (no sugars, salt or butter). The texture was pretty good at that time too…not like “regular” bread, but better than most GF breads (which often seem gritty to me). The next day, to me, it had the taste and dense texture of most GF breads I’ve purchased/made. Not bad, just not as remarkable as I feel they convey on their website.Will I purchase it again? Yes, if only because I would like to see if it was my mistake(s) that ruined it. I can’t say that it is now my go-to flour mix though.I can't believe how well this gluten free flour works for gluten free bread recipes. I love it.Opened the shipping package to find flour all over the place. There’s a puncture hole in the bag from shipping which is really frustrating considering the cost of this small bag of flour.The main problem we've found with regard to having to eat Gluten Free is the texture of substitutes is just "off". If you are new to this type of diet (coming from "real" bread), then the main thing you will miss is that "melt in your mouth" experience. Typically, gluten free breads feel like "sand" when you do this. There is a learning curve associated with this product, but when you get it right, it's so close as to be almost perfect. Only other point loss would be the expense. However, as this is the best we've found, 5 stars overall.It is a fantastic flour. Tastes great fun to work with. Makes great hamburger buns and loaves of bread. Glad there are recipes out there for this flour.I used Steve's Bread Flour and a recipe on their web site to make gluten-free dinner rolls. I'm the only Celiac in my family, but my husband and kids not only ate the rolls at dinner, they ate the leftovers the next day. My husband is Italian. He wouldn't have eaten bread that didn't taste like bread. This. Stuff. Is. Magic.This bakes up very similar to regular bread. It is a bit dryer, and I will research further to see if I can add more moisture to this bread. I used 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, and 2 eggs instead of 2 1/2 cups of water the bag calls for. I was really happy with this. It has baked up the same repeatedly, giving me a GF bread recipe that is dependable.This GF flour is the best .Ive been a celiac since 2007.I use to make yeast bread nearly everyday but stopped .I have missed the yeasty cinnamon rolls ,baguettes and dinner rolls regular made .but no more ..this flour is the bombVery disappointed that the item could not be returned. The label also had an ingredient listed that did not show on the item pictures which would of caused an allergic reaction. Do not recommend this seller in the future.
