The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (2024)

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (1)

When my son Kell was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago, I was completely overwhelmed by the idea of gluten-free baking. It was just too complicated! But he had to avoid all forms of gluten–even trace amounts from cross-contamination–or he faced severe intestine damage.

Eventually, I was forced to face those fears because he missed bread and a “normal” diet. As a mom, I have learned the hard way that sometimes you have to make changes to your plans very quickly. Celiac disease and finding the best gluten alternatives to create my own bread recipe was never in the plan. But you adjust.

I am not fond of the gluten-free (GF) bread options that are available in the stores. Many of the pre-mixed, pre-packaged, and pre-made GF bread products that we tried just did not taste good. I wanted to find a solution to give him a sense of normalcy. But also, the list of ingredients is often written in small print and can contain surprisingly high amounts of sugar.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (2)

I decided to try writing my own gluten-free yeast bread recipe. But, what ingredients are ideal when making a gluten-free bread recipe at home? There are now so many options for gluten-free flour on the market, but that does not mean every gluten-free flour is ideal for bread. Did you know that tapioca starch doesn’t hold up to heat as well as corn starch? From xanthan gum to xylitol, what is the best sweetener to use?

I researched and tested available alternative flour options to clarify the ingredients that are best for a healthy gluten-free bread recipe. I wanted my loaf of gluten-free bread to hold together, taste great and not dry out or feel gummy. I found a gluten-free flour blend is better than choosing just one, and I decided not to include almond flour or flaxseed flour because of taste and texture reasons.

After spending time looking into my options, I worked on my recipe hard to put together the best GF bread recipe available. My son sure appreciated it, and now I want to share it with you! After all, you shouldn’t have to give up toast with cinnamon sugar just because you’re gluten intolerant!

Homemade Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

Gluten-free bread never tasted so good! Pay close attention to the packaging of every ingredient to verify it is marked gluten-free for truly gluten-free recipes.

Makes: 1 Loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (3)

Bread Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups of brown rice flour
  • 1 1/3 cups of corn starch
  • 1 1/3 cups of tapioca flour
  • 1 Tbsp of potato flour ((If you can’t find potato flour in the store, you can make your own by blending a handful of potato flakes in your blender.)
  • 2 tsp of salt
  • 1 Tbsp of xanthan gum
  • 1/2 cup of dry milk
  • 1 Tbsp of gluten-free egg replacer
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp)of gluten-free active dry yeast (not INSTANT dry yeast)
  • 2 cups of warm water
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • 1/4 cup of butter, softened
  • 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar

*A couple of notes about eggs:

  • Yes, this recipe calls for both eggs and egg replacer. The combination helps create the wonderful springy texture of the finished bread.
  • If you can’t eat eggs, you can replace the 3 eggs with: 9 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed, or substitute the correct amount of egg replacement powder (in addition to the tablespoon called for in the recipe).

GF Bread Directions

Prepare two 8-inch bread pans by spraying them with cooking spray.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (4)

Add the yeast to the 2 cups of warm water, and stir until mixed. Set this aside to activate while you mix the rest of the ingredients.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (5)

Mix GF flours together with a whisk for an even gluten-free flour blend.Add in the remaining dry ingredients and set aside.

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Put eggs, butter, vinegar, and honey in the bowl of your mixer. Mix together for about 30 seconds using the paddle attachment. The butter will be chunky, and that’s okay!

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The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (8)

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the mixer. Mix just until blended, and then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix for another 30 seconds, until blended.

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With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the warm water and yeast mixture, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 4 minutes. After the 4 minutes your bread dough should resemble thick cake batter.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (10)

Spoon the dough into your greased bread pans. Dip your fingers in water to smooth the top of the dough, if desired. Set aside in a warm place to rise for approximately onehour. While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

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When the dough has risen to about an inch above the top of the pans, place the pans in your preheated oven on the middle rack.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (12)

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the bread’s internal temperature reaches 200 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. (This is very helpful! It’s hard to tell when gluten free bread is done. If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, just use your best guess based on your particular oven.)

Remove the bread from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove loaves from the pans and place on a rack to cool completely. (As you can see, I brushed the top of mine with butter when they came out of the oven.)

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After allowing it to cool COMPLETELY before slicing. (This is important! Don’t rush it and cut into it while it’s still warm or you will flatten it.) And make sure to let your bread knife do the cutting for you! You provide the “sawing” action, but let the knife blade do the work. Don’t press down, just keep “sawing” across the top until you get all the way to the bottom of the loaf.

The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (14)

Tips to Improve Your GF Bread

  • Before you start mixing your ingredients, allow them to reach room temperature. Take all cold ingredients the recipe calls for, like eggs and butter, out of the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter until they warm up. Your ingredients need to be room temperature to rise. In a time pinch, you can warm your butter up in the microwave on a low power setting (around 4) for 20 seconds and soak your eggs in warm water to help speed the process.
  • Always check your ingredients to ensure they are gluten-free before you start the recipe (Bob’s Red Mill has some great options for GF flour). Pay particular attention to any flour or yeast you select from the store to ensure that you do not have any risk of contamination from ingredients that contain gluten.
  • If you are looking for a dairy-free or vegan GF bread recipe, then opt for milk alternatives, like soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, etc. Butter can be replaced with margarine or olive oil. Adjustments may impact the taste or texture of the bread and may not go well the first time. You will want to try a few different alternatives to determine the best substitute for your taste. You will likely need to replace the full amount of water in this recipe with the milk alternative since it will be liquid and not powder.
  • Store extra bread in the freezer if you do not plan to eat the entire loaf of bread in one day. For easy gluten-free sandwich bread or french toast: slice the bread and put wax paper between the slices before putting it into a freezer bag and storing it. Remove the number of slices you want for a meal and put it in the microwave for 15 seconds to thaw at a later date. Freezing the bread will help keep it fresh until you are able to eat the entire loaf.
  • For corn sensitivities or allergies, you can make a corn-free GF bread by substituting potato starch.

This gluten-free bread recipe is a great option if you have extra time to make an entire loaf from scratch. If you are in a hurry and do not have time to make a whole loaf of bread, then you can make a single serving of GF bread in your microwave.

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Jillee’s Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe Ever

Jill Nystul

After hours of research and numerous attempts, I finally managed to bake up a delicious, springy loaf of gluten free bread. This may be the best gluten free bread ever. Give it a try for yourself!

3.60 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Cooling: 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 204 kcal

Ingredients

Brown Rice Flour Blend

  • 1 1/3 cups brown rice flour
  • 1 1/3 cups tapioca flour/starch
  • 1 1/3 cups cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp potato flour

Gluten Free Bread

  • 4 cups Brown Rice Flour Blend see recipe above
  • 1 Tbsp xanthan gum
  • 1 Tbsp gluten-free egg replacer
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup powdered milk
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/4 cup butter room temperature
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar room temperature
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (not INSTANT dry yeast)
  • 2 cups warm water

Instructions

  • Prepare two 8-inch bread pans by spraying them with cooking spray.

  • Add the yeast to the 2 cups of warm water, and stir until mixed. Set this aside to activate while you mix the rest of the ingredients.

  • Mix the flour blend, xanthum gum, egg replacer, salt, and powdered milk together in a medium-size bowl and set aside.

  • Put eggs, butter, vinegar, and honey in the bowl of your mixer. Mix together for about 30 seconds using the paddle attachment. The butter will be chunky, and that’s okay!

  • Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the mixer. Mix just until blended, and then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix for another 30 seconds, until blended.

  • With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the warm water and yeast mixture, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 4 minutes. After the 4 minutes your bread dough should resemble thick cake batter.

  • Spoon the dough into your greased bread pans. Dip your fingers in water to smooth the top of the dough, if desired. Set aside in a warm place to rise for approximately onehour. While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

  • When the dough has risen to about an inch above the top of the pans, place the pans in your preheated oven on the middle rack.

  • Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the bread’s internal temperature reaches 200 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. (This is very helpful! It’s hard to tell when gluten free bread is done. If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, just use your best guess based on your particular oven.)

  • Remove the bread from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove loaves from the pans and place on a rack to cool completely. (As you can see, I brushed the top of mine with butter when they came out of the oven.)

  • After allowing it to cool COMPLETELY before slicing. (This is important! Don’t rush it and cut into it while it’s still warm or you will flatten it.) And make sure to let your bread knife do the cutting for you! You provide the “sawing” action, but let the knife blade do the work. Don’t press down, just keep “sawing” across the top until you get all the way to the bottom of the loaf.

Notes

*A couple of notes about eggs: Yes, this recipe calls for both eggs and egg replacer. The combination helps create the wonderful springy texture of the finished bread. If you can’t eat eggs, you can replace the 3 eggs with: 9 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed, or substitute the correct amount of egg replacement powder (in addition to the tablespoon called for in the recipe).

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 366mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 170IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 0.6mg

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The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipe - It's Delicious & Fluffy! (2024)

FAQs

Which yeast is best for gluten-free bread? ›

What type of yeast should be used to bake Gluten Free Bread? Active dry yeast and instant yeast both work well and are often interchangeable. Be on the lookout for any Rapid Rise yeast that is best for one rise. For most of us that's the way gluten free bread is baked, a single rise in the tin.

What is the biggest challenge of making gluten-free bread? ›

One of the challenges is that when gluten-free dough is thickened with additives like starches and gums, it becomes sticky. Some bakers dust sticky dough with flour, but that's problematic with gluten-free formulations.

What gluten-free flour is best for bread? ›

Buckwheat flour: easy and versatile

Buckwheat flour has a rich, earthy flavour that works well in quick breads and yeast bread. It does, however, have a crumbly texture so you might want to combine it with other gluten free flours – brown rice flour works well.

Why put vinegar in gluten-free bread? ›

Apple cider vinegar or another acid lightens up the dough. You can add up to 4 Tbsp of acid for 500 g gluten-free flour. Don't worry, you won't be able to taste it afterwards. To lighten up a yeast dough even more, you can add a packet of baking powder or cream of tartar baking powder to 500 g flour.

How long to let gluten free dough rise? ›

Knead and shape the dough.

Then, you'll place it in the banneton or loaf pan for the proof. Rise, score, and bake! Let the loaf rise for one hour, or until it's light and puffy to the touch, and preheat the oven to 425℉ while it rises.

Why is my gluten free bread so dense? ›

Traditional bread bakers would do a bulk rise of their bread dough and then a second rise in the tin. Without gluten to manage the activity of the yeast and to add structure, doing that first bulk rise may cause your loaf to be dense (more so for gf/vegan bread).

Why won't my gluten free bread rise? ›

Of course make sure that your yeast and baking powder is still active and fresh. Your bread will not rise if your yeast or baking powder has expired. A dense loaf could also be the result of not measuring your ingredients accurately. Weight measurements are best (I have to update my recipes).

What do gluten-free people eat instead of bread? ›

Most of these alternatives are entirely gluten-free, and many are also low-carb.
  • Rye bread. Share on Pinterest Rye bread is rich in fiber. ...
  • Sourdough bread. ...
  • Corn tortillas. ...
  • Gluten-free bread. ...
  • Gluten-free multiseed bread. ...
  • Sprouted bread. ...
  • Lettuce and leafy greens. ...
  • Sweet potatoes.

What makes gluten-free bread better? ›

The sources used for making gluten-free bread are packed with fibre. Rice Flour, Soy Flour, Starch (Tapioca, Potato, Corn) used in the gluten-free bread by The Baker's Dozen ensure that your gut is never low on dietary fibre. Dietary fibre has many benefits right from reducing obesity to helping in easing digestion.

What is the downfall of gluten-free diet? ›

If you cut all gluten out of your diet, there's a risk that you could miss out on nutritious whole grains, fiber and micronutrients. Getting enough whole grains in your diet is especially important if you're at risk for heart disease or diabetes.

What is the secret of baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

What binds gluten-free bread? ›

The three most commonly used binders in gluten free recipes are xanthan gum, guar gum and psyllium husk. You don't need to understand the science of these ingredients to use them but a little bit of knowledge will help you when making decisions in the kitchen and lead to the excellent results you want.

What does egg do in gluten-free bread? ›

Eggs are also natural leaveners that support the volume, texture, color, and shelf-life of gluten-free bread. Including oil can also result in a richer, more tasty loaf and provide a bit more moisture too.

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