Rice flour is not a good flour for making bread! Rice flour is typically very stiff and heavy. It hates to rise. I love it in quick breads, but not for yeasted breads.
For the lightest, fluffiest bread you will need a relatively high proportion of starch. For a denser, more whole-grain taste you will want more dark whole grains.
*Light-textured bread with a "white wheat flour" feel: 50% starch, 50% lighter whole grains (grains that are lighter in colour tend to have a milder flavour)
*Dense, whole-grain bread with deeper flavour, try: 30% starch 70% whole grains
*Happy medium: 40% starch 60% mixed whole grains
Try using at least two starches and two whole grains. An equal portion of potato starch and tapioca starch is good. Potato starch seems to absorb too much water while tapioca flour doesn't absorb enough. Use lots of sorghum flour. It may seem like it's going to be heavy and sticky, but it rises well, gives your loaf strength, and has a beautiful, sweet flavour.
If you use more whole grains, you may need less binder. If you use more starches, you may need more binder. If you're mixing the psyllium with other binders, reduce the amount of psyllium. The range of psyllium husk you might use for a bread recipe that calls for 450 grams of flour is about 20-50 grams.
The success of a gluten-free bread depends on these essential baking elements:
*the correct ratio of salt, yeast, and sugar to flour
*the correct ratio of xanthan gum to liquid and flours
*accurate measurements, including temperature
*a hefty amount of acid in the mix
The acid not only gives the bread quite a bit more volume but it also acts as a dough conditioner to give the bread a sturdy yet flexible structure and a better crust. Plus, yeast loves an acidic environment so this ensures a nice rise.
In general, for getting a better rise, you can try one or all of these things:
- more starch, less whole grain
- more water
- more binder, or a different combination of binders (although there is a point when too much binder inhibits rise, you can add more binder with more water for more flexibility)
- Make sure you're not over-proofing. Better to under-proof than over-proof. This goes for both the rises.
The amount of water will depend a bit on the exact amount of fiber, psyllium, flax, and/or chia you have in the recipe. I have successfully made some loaves that have been 100% hydration or slightly more (meaning that the amount of water was as much as the flour or greater by weight). I'm not sure if I ever did a bread that wet with a sandwich loaf, though. 350g of water is how much I have used for a sandwich loaf recipe using 450g flour blend.
And I have posted more info here also: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=969&p=64990#p64990
I love GF bread baking!!!!
