Hey there Mkaylady!
I discovered my gluten & soy intolerance about 5 yrs ago, and since I'm too broke to buy the expensive mixes and premade products, I've learned to make nearly everything now - although sadly, I haven't done plain ole' bread yet.
I think I went through some experimentation until I discovered Betty Hagman.

Sadly, she passed away in 2007, but I highly recommend using her flour mix recipes. This blog post honors her, and also links to many other gluten-free blogs at once:
Gluten Free Bloggers Unite to Honor Bette Hagman: A Tribute to Bette, the Gluten Free Gourmet | Book of Yum.
I refer to her book, The Gluten-Free Gourmet every other day for a recipe, and when I want something else, some of my favorite blogs are at
Gluten-Free Gobsmacked and
Gluten-Free Goddess.
Pretty much, you can use Betty's GF mix plus a protein, with the correct amt of Xanthum Gum to convert ANY recipe, OR you can sub her Four-Bean Flour mix plus Xanthum Gum cup-for-cup with anything calling for wheat flour.
You'll find you can see some of the essentials for free on Google Books
here.
Sorry - I'd like to post more, but I'm falling asleep. I will try to give you more specifics later.
Goodnight!