The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread Recipe
Light and fluffy gluten free bread loaf perfect for making sandwiches and toast! Soft and tender, you won’t believe it’s gluten free! Also free from nuts, dairy, seeds, and more!
Friends, it’s time to get excited. Because this gluten free bread is the real thing. It’s light and fluffy, soft and tender, all wrapped up in a beautiful golden brown crust. Not to mention it’s super easy to prepare and is free from a lot of allergens!
I’ve been working on this bread recipe for over a year now, basically as soon as I learned I was allergic to wheat. Gluten free bread in the stores are heckin’ expensive! And sometimes they are disappointing in texture or flavor.
That’s why I got to work making a recipe that was easy to make, used simple ingredients, and tasted delicious.
There are some pretty significant differences between wheat bread baking and gluten free bread baking but I’m here to walk you through it so you can have a perfect slice of bread and jam anytime you want.
Free From: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
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Why you’ll love this bread recipe
- The soft and chewy texture. There is nothing gross or gummy here! The crumb inside is soft just like a slice of wheat bread.
- The golden brown crust. Okay, maybe kids don’t eat the crust, but this one is so sweet thanks to the caramelization of the flours and pinch of sugar in this dough.
- The flavor is amazing. By combining (non-dairy) milk with eggs, this bread bakes up into an almost enriched dough flavor, making it not only good for sandwich making but straight up amazing in things like toast and french toast or grilled sandwiches!
- Easy to make. I don’t know about you, but I like recipes that aren’t complicated and give me yummy things. This recipe has a long wait time as you wait for the dough to rise, but the steps themselves are simple.
- Simple ingredients. Finally, I think it is so important that recipes be easy to make with easy to gather ingredients. If you have to special order something, that isn’t always possible! These ingredients can all be found at my local grocery store.
Best ingredients for best results
As I said, the list of ingredients for this gluten free bread is surprisingly short and simple and sweet!
- Active Dry Yeast
- Brown Sugar – to help jumpstart the yeast
- Milk of choice – to mix with the yeast and sugar to prove. I have always made this bread with unflavored rice milk, but any type of milk will work.
- Butter of choice – to bring a richness of flavor to the bread. Use either dairy or plant based
- Baking powder – to help this bread rise
- Salt – to add flavor
- Eggs – these bind the dough together and help bring structure to the loaf while baking.
- Gluten free flour blend – Different blends can produce different results. I’ve made this with my own DIY gluten free flour blend which is nut, nightshade, and top 14 free. King Arthur Baking Mix will also work in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the baking powder if using only the baking mix.
Making the dough
Begin with proving the yeast in milk and brown sugar. Warm your milk to a temperature of around 100F and add the yeast and sugar. Let rest for about 7-10 minutes or until the mixture has doubled in size. This means the yeast is alive and well. If nothing happened, your milk may have been too hot, or your yeast may have expired in which case you need a fresh batch of yeast.
When the yeast has risen, in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (my preferred method of making this dough) add the gluten free flour, baking powder, remaining brown sugar, and salt. Give it a quick mix to incorporate all the ingredients.
Now we add the wet ingredients.
Start by adding the yeast mixture to your dry ingredients. Keep your mixer on slow speed and pour in the yeast/milk.
Now add the soft butter in 4 or 5 additions, making sure to mix well each and every time. You might think this dough won’t come together but have faith because it will!
Finally, add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
When the last egg has been added it’s time to really mix the dough well. Turn your mixer onto high speed (usually an 8 out of 10 on my mixer) and let mix for 5 minutes. Use a timer to make sure you let it go a full 5 minutes. This is such an important step and is what really incorporates the dough together with air. Do NOT skip this step as your bread will not work if you skip it.
After 5 minutes, scrape down the batter into the middle of the bowl and cover. Set aside to proof for one hour or until doubled in size.
Letting it rise
My favorite method of proofing the gluten free bread batter is by setting my bowl in the sun and letting the sun work it’s magic on the dough. I always get the best rise and best flavor this way!
However, the sun isn’t always around when I want bread, so I have learned how to use my oven as a proofing box.
Turn your oven onto the lowest temperature. As soon as it comes to temperature, turn the oven off and place your bowl of bread batter inside. Make sure you also add a pan filled with a few cups of hot water to the oven as well on a different oven rack. This provides humidity and helps the bread rise beautifully.
This bread uses two rises to get the best results. For the second rise, repeat these steps.
Best pan to bake bread
After the first rise, it is time to transfer the batter into the final pan for baking to allow for a second rise.
The best type of pan for baking gluten free bread is one that is taller and more narrow than a normal wheat pan. My personal favorite is the one from King Arthur Flour, however, there are similar ones found here as well. These are called Pullman Pans. They help to trap the moisture while the bread is baking, making for a softer bread.
Baking the Bread
After the second rise, it’s time to bake the bread! Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 38-42 minutes.
To get the best crust on your bread, make sure you bake this loaf with a pan of hot water. This will provide steam and moisture in the oven, helping the bread bake better, as well and getting the perfect crust.
You’ll know the bread is done when it has slightly pulled away from the sides, the crust is a rich golden brown, and the internal temperature of the bread has reached 190F.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes in the pan before removing and letting cool on a cooling rack.
How to Store this Bread
This gluten free sandwich bread will keep on the countertop in a bag or similar container for 3 days before drying out. Keeping it in a container in the fridge will extend it to about 5 days. This loaf can be frozen after baking and will keep for 2-3 months. Be sure to bring it back to room temperature before enjoying.
Allergy substitutions
For dairy allergies, simply swap the milk and butter with your choice of non-dairy milk and plant-based butter! Each time I have made this bread it has been with unflavored rice milk and I have consistently had amazing results. I would recommend rice or soy milk for this recipe.
Corn allergies need to watch the gluten free flour that you use. Make sure your blend is free from corn!
Want more recipes like this? Make sure you check these out!
Gluten free biscuits (gluten free, nut free)
Sweet Potato Flatbread (gluten free, vegan, top 14 free)
Gluten Free Naan (gluten free, vegan, top 14 free)
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- gluten free loaf baking pan
- cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 3 cups gluten free flour
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter of choice softened
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine yeast and 1 tsp brown sugar with milk, warmed to between 100F to 110F. Let rest for 7-10 minutes to allow yeast to prove.
- In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine gluten free flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix. Add the yeast mixture and combine.
- Slowly add in butter, one tablespoon at a time, waiting until butter is mixed in well before adding next. Repeat until no butter remains.
- Add in eggs, one at a time, making sure to incorporate well with each egg addition. After eggs are fully incorporated, turn the mixer onto high speed and mix for 5 minutes.
- After mixing, the dough should be soft and sticky. Scrape sides of the bowl and push batter into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise for one hour.
- After one hour, transfer batter to a well greased gluten free bread pan. Smooth the top of the batter without pressing too hard. Cover and let rise again for between 45 minutes to one hour. The dough should be between one inch and half an inch from the top of the pan when it is fully risen.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Add an additional pan filled with hot water to the oven to allow for best results. Add the bread in the bread pan to the oven and bake for 38-42 minutes, or until the bread has pulled away from the sides of the pna and the crust is a rich golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 20 minutes before setting bread out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.
- Store bread in an airtight container on the countertop for 3 days, in the fridge for 5 days, or well wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe?
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I haven’t tried this yet, as I have a question first. Will this recipe work with flax eggs?
Hi there! Unfortunately this recipe won’t work with flax eggs. The egg provides a lot of lift and structure to this recipe. I am in the works on a gluten free, dairy free, egg free bread. You could also look at the Loopy Whisk blog as she has a lot of gluten free bread options.