Susan,
In answer to some of your questions, I will quote from our book "The
Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints":
Kamut flour is an ancient grain that is a relative of durum wheat.
It is high in protein and potassium and contains a unique type of
gluten that is easier for the body to utilize than regular wheat.
Though high in protein, it is low in gluten. It must be combined
with higher-gluten wheat flour (or vital wheat gluten) to produce an
acceptable bread.
You might want to try spelt flour sometime. It contains enough
gluten to be an adequate substitute for wheat flours. All other non-
wheat flours are too low in gluten to be baked successfully in a
bread machine. They need to be combined with wheat flour.
As for the vital wheat gluten, I think Arrowhead Mills recommends 1
1/2 tsp per cup of flour. We've doubled that amount in whole grain
breads and have had more success. But I don't think we've ever used
as much as 1/2 cup in a 1 1/2 lb bread. But heck, if it works for
you and you're pleased with the taste and texture of the bread, then
why change a good thing! Vital wheat gluten is almost pure gluten.
It's "gluten flour" where the percentage of gluten varies widely but
you'll want to stay away from it since it contains wheat flour.
There are two books that have several non-wheat bread recipes for
bread machines that we recommend: "Bread Machine Baking for Better
Health" by Keane and Chase and "Easy Breadmaking for Special Diets"
by Dumke.
Linda Rehberg
co-author of the Bread Machine Magic series of books