PKU recipe for breadmakers

There has been a lot of social media chatter about bread in the last few weeks. I have made my own PKU bread in a breadmaker for decades, and use this reliable recipe. I’m not going to make you read my life story first, so here is the recipe with discussion below.

Recipe for PKU loaf in breadmaker

9g psyllium husks
3g sugar
8g yeast (or one Loprofin yeast packet)
490ml warm water (or 200ml SnoPro and 290ml water, but this didn’t work for me)
3tbsp olive opil
500g Loprofin mix
1/2g salt (optional)

Take the bread pan out of the bread maker (you want to avoid spilling ingredients in there). Ensure the mixing paddle is in place, then measure in the first three ingredients.

Add the water, or the water and SnoPro. Use a non-stick safe whisk or spoon to mix well, then set a timer for 10 minutes. The mix will thicken in this time.

After 10 minutes, add the oil, then the flour. Add the salt last, so it is on the flour not in the liquid yeast mix. Note that salt is optional, I prefer my bread without the salt.

Set the cycle to gluten-free. If you have the choice, set the crust option to dark.

This recipe came from a Nutricia PKU recipe book years ago. The closest I can find on their website presently is the ‘Homemade bread loaf’, but that is not for a machine.

Notes on PKU loaf in breadmaker

Do you get a ring of hard, unmixed flour on the final loaf?

This happens to me, and I found a way round it—though I do not think it manufacturers would recommend it! After the first few minutes of the cycle, I lift the lid and can see that this ring of unmixed flour has formed out of the reach of the rest of the dough. Using a small silicone spatula, I carefully scrape this flour back into the dough where it is incorporated into the dough.

Psyllium husks and PKU

These are a phe-free husk which help PKU baking in two ways. First, it improves the texture. When I started using them, my loaves suddenly became soft like supermarket white bread. They also help to add fibre and bulk, which helps us to feel full. Before using these, I would happily eat four slices. Now, two is the most I can manage in a sitting. These are available in most health food shops, larger and speciality supermarkets, or online stores.

I hope this helps, please let me know how you get on