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“Wheaty” tasting, this gluten free brown bread has added whole grains and lots of depth of flavor. This versatile, wheatless loaf of gluten free whole grain bread keeps you full and satisfied, and makes the best hearty sandwiches.
My take
Nicole's Recipe Notes
This recipe will satisfy that craving for a thick slice of whole wheat bread. Like way back when the waitress used to ask what sort of bread you'd like (white? wheat? sourdough?) and you'd order wheat.
This good, hearty gluten free whole grain bread has a thick but tender, bakery-style crust that will satisfy that craving for the wheat bread you're missing. If you've ever wondered if you can “add some gluten free whole grains” to our other gluten free bread recipes, this is your moment! It's as if you could make gluten free wheat bread.
Hearty and wheaty-tasting, with just the right amount whole grain teff and oats and a touch of molasses, this recipe was developed to incorporate those whole grains, unlike our classic white gluten free bread, or even our gluten free sourdough bread.
If you have a machine check out my gluten free bread recipe for machine.
A good starter recipe
If you're new to making gluten free bread, or to making bread in general, it's best to begin with a batter-style bread like this wheat free but wheaty-tasting brown bread.
Batter-style gluten free bread recipes have only one rise, and they tend to rise quickly because the dough is super wet. High hydration means that yeast grows readily.
In fact, most recipes for gluten free bread that you'll find elsewhere on the Internet (and in cookbooks that aren't, well, mine), are in this style. I hadn't made one of these recipes in years—and then I started working on the second edition of my very first cookbook.
They don't have the yeasty taste that you get from a slow refrigerator rise, and they don't have the same chew. But they make a lovely sandwich. And they're a great starting place if you're hesitant to make yeast bread (gluten free or otherwise).
Expert Tips
This multigrain gluten free bread recipe even has some real depth of flavor because of the addition of oat flour, whole grain teff and molasses.
Mix the dough until smooth
This recipe, like all of our batter-style gf bread recipes, calls for mixing in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If you don't have a stand mixer, I don't recommend a handheld mixer, which just doesn't offer the right style of attachment. Instead, try a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Try a pullman pan
My favorite loaf pans for baking bread, lately, are 1.5 pound Pullman-style loaf pans. You begin baking the bread with the Pullman cover in place to prevent the loaf from rising into a dome, then remove the cover for the remainder of the baking time so the loaf can cook through and brown properly.
Be patient during rising
Yeast bread will rise at a large temperature range, including anything that might be considered room temperature (from warm to cool room temperature), just more slowly at lower temperatures. In warmer temperatures, this loaf may rise fully in 45 minutes; in cooler, drier temperatures it may take much longer. Please be patient!
Bake in a hot oven
This bread bakes at 375°F, a slightly higher temperature than you would bake a cake, to encourage “oven spring,” which is the initial rise of yeast bread in the oven, and to help the loaf bake through and brown fully.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy-free
It's easy to make this recipe dairy free. Just replace the butter in the recipe with either Miyoko's Creamy brand vegan butter or Earth Balance buttery sticks. And use any unflavored, unsweetened nondairy milk (as long as it isn't nonfat).
Egg free
There are two egg whites in this recipe, but I've also successfully made it with one whole egg. I think 1 chia egg (1 tablespoon chia flour mixed with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allowed to sit until it gels), 1 flax egg, or 50 grams of aquafaba (the brine in an unsalted can of chickpeas) should work.
Oat free
You can replace the oat flour in this recipe with quinoa flakes or cream of buckwheat. And I now have a full discussion of replacing oats in gluten free baking.
Gluten free flours
I always prefer a base of Better Batter classic blend gluten free flour as a base for my gluten free yeast bread. In this recipe, we're adding gluten free whole grains with teff (or teff flour) and oat flour. You can try replacing the oat flour with a variety of other whole grain, gluten free flours. Here are a few suggestions:
Replacing oat flour
I think that buckwheat flour would work well in place of oat flour, as would sweet white sorghum flour. Make sure your sorghum flour is fresh, though, as it spoils more quickly than other flours.
I wouldn't suggest using quinoa flour in place of oat flour here, as quinoa flour tends to be bitter. Brown rice flour doesn't have the same “chew” as oat flour, so I don't recommend it, either.
Whole grain teff vs teff flour
This recipe calls for whole grain teff, not teff flour. I have wondered whether it would work with teff flour, though. And whether whole grain teff could be replaced with, say, chia seeds. I bet it could!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, here's my amazing gluten free focaccia recipe if you are interested in making more options.
Gluten Free Brown Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (350 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 2 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- 3 tablespoons (38 g) whole grain teff, whole or ground into a flour
- 9 tablespoons (68 g) certified gluten free oat flour, (I just grind old fashioned gluten free rolled oats into a powder)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) instant yeast, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons (9 g) kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (21 g) unsulphured molasses
- 2 (50 g) egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) warm milk, (about 95°F)
Instructions
- Grease and line a standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan or a 1 1/2-pound Pullman loaf pan and set it aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, teff, oat flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar and yeast.
- Whisk with a separate handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt and whisk again to combine.
- Add the butter, vinegar, molasses, egg whites and milk, and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the dough starts to come together, then mix on high for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Cover the dough with oiled with plastic wrap or the top of the Pullman pan.
- Place the covered pan in a warm, draft-free area to rise until the dough is about 150% of its original volume.
- When the dough is nearly finished rising, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and place the loaf pan in the center of the preheated oven. Remove the plastic wrap. If using a Pullman pan, keep the cover in place.
- If using a standard loaf pan, bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaf is firm enough to take out of the pan.
- If using a Pullman pan, bake for 40 minutes before removing the pan cover.
- In both cases, remove the bread from the loaf pan and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Return the bread on the pan to the oven, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
If you'd prefer to use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast, you'll need 25% more, by weight, and to hydrate it before mixing the yeast into the bread mixture. Here, that would mean 125% of 9 grams of instant yeast, or just over 11 grams active dry yeast. Mix the active dry yeast with a couple tablespoons of the warm milk, and let it activate, then add it with the rest of the milk when the recipe calls for it. Nutrition information is per slice assuming a whole loaf sliced into 10 pieces and is approximate and not to be relied upon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
No! Anything with the word “wheat” in the title will contain gluten, one of the 3 main sources of gluten.
Only this recipe for brown bread is gluten free. Other brown breads that aren't specifically developed to be gluten free will contain gluten.
This bread has whole grains added to our regular all purpose gluten free flour blend that lend a wheaty chew and a beautiful brown color.
Your bread is done baking when it sounds hollow if you thump it on the side somewhat forcefully with your fingertips, and the internal temperature reads about 190°F on an instant read thermometer.
It's underbaked! Many ovens run hot or cold, so you should always gauge oven temperature by virtue of a simple, inexpensive, freestanding oven thermometer that you replace often. If your oven runs cold, it may take an exceedingly long time to bake, and won't bread as well.
If your oven runs hot, as many do, it will bake the outside too quickly and give the loaf the appearance of being baked through even though the inside doesn't have the structure to support the outside as the bread cools. Always test your bread for doneness as described above before removing it from the oven entirely.
Storage instructions
Never store gluten free bread in the refrigerator, as it tends to be drying. This bread will stay fresh covered tightly on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a day, but I wouldn't risk more than that. You know what they say about day old bread!
For longer storage, I recommend slicing this loaf of gf brown bread when fresh, and fully cooled. Then wrap it tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months—longer if your storage wrap removes all air from contacting the bread.
What is Teff?
Teff is a nutty cereal grain originating in Africa. You can find it at most larger grocery stores. It adds an important wheat-y flavor to this wheat free bread.
Just baked this loaf tonight. It turned out beautifully! I used Mock BB flour blend that I prepared from Nicole’s instructions. The flavor is definitely like the whole-wheat loaves I used to be able to eat. Best of all is the soft, springy texture. This is nothing like the dry, crumbly bricks I produced with other GF bread recipes. I’ve learned so much about careful measuring and using the correct ingredients. This didn’t rise very high in my full-size loaf pan, so I may try using a slightly narrower one next time. This recipe is a winner, and I’ll be using it often. Thanks, Nicole!
So glad you enjoyed this bread, Debra, and that you’re committed to careful ingredient selection and measurements. That’s the secret to success! If it didn’t rise as much as you’d like, you most likely just needed to let it rise longer, and make sure it’s covered as it rises so it doesn’t dry out, which will inhibit rise. My bread recipes don’t need the “extra support” to rise that some gf bread recipes seem to (or at least that used to be conventional wisdom). Just enough time. :)
Hi Nicole!
I just heard about you and I’m typing to try some bread recipes! I live in Canada and wondered if you would someday be able to let us know a good brand of gluten free flours we should use for your recipes!
I did use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour for your sugar cookies and they turned out amazingly! But I’d love to know what flour I can get here in Canada for your white sandwich bread loaf!! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes for us!!
Hi, Liesje, I don’t use or recommend Bob’s Red Mill flour blends at all, I’m afraid. They’re very inconsistent, so even if you had a good experience once, you very well might be very disappointed the next time. I have a whole page of “all purpose gluten free flour blends“ that is linked in every recipe that calls for one (which is most of my recipes, including this bread recipe). That’s where you’ll find all my advice on how to select, and build a blend if you can’t find one to buy that I recommend. Welcome!
I tried this recipe the other day and loved the flavor. It came out dry and crumbly. Any suggestions?
If your yeast bread rose, it’s hard to imagine how it would be dry and crumbly. Did you have trouble with rising? That’s due to a too-low hydration ratio, which can be caused by a number of things, among them not using the proper flour blend (one that’s unbalanced and absorbs too much moisture), overmeasuring your flour blend by not measuring by weight, undermeasuring the water or other liquid. Getting yeast bread to rise takes a lot of patience, and a temperate, but not too hot environment which will evaporate the moisture and potentially kill the yeast. For more information, please see the Bread FAQs section of the blog!
I haven’t been able to find a Pullman Style pan in a 1.5 lb size. Where did you find yours?
Hi, George, I bought it in a local kitchenwares store, but here’s a link to one on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/JB-Prince-1-5-Pullman-Loaf/dp/B009VNVU92. Just try googling “1.5 pound pullman pan.” That’s all I did!
Delicious, easy to follow recipe for a first timer. Makes great toast w wheat taste. I feel I’ve found a better tasting alternative to my wife’s store bought GF bread.
That’s wonderful, Lee!!
I made this bread yesterday – it’s delicious! Was so easy to make. I didn’t have cream of tartar so I used baking powder instead. It came out exactly as the pictures show it. Will definitely make this again! It is 100 ties better than any store-bought GF bread! Thanks Nicole!
That’s great to hear, Hilary! I’m very glad that store bought gluten free bread is an option, but nothing beats homemade. :)
Just made this for the first time. It’s delicious and tastes and feels like REAL bread! Nicole’s white sandwich bread recipe has been my weekly staple. So nice to have another delicious bread recipe for variety.
Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that, Linus. Thank you for letting me know how well this turned out for you!
Made this bread tonight with quinoa flakes instead of oat flour and it is by far the best gf bread I have ever made. It actually is the size of a sandwich bread, not like simple mills mix bread. I will probably let it rise a little more next time but it is fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed it, Susan. And yes, patience is a virtue! Let it rise until it’s done. Sometimes it will take more time, sometimes less. That’s the nature of yeast bread and its environmental dependence.
The Taste is wonderful! I didn’t realize how much I missed the “wheaty” taste in bread. Just wish I could figure out why none of my breads get the same height yours do. I always let it rise per the directions, yeah I always seem to wind up with a stocky loaf any ideas?
There are so many factors in yeast bread baking, Patty, that it’s impossible for me to know why your bread isn’t rising fully, I’m afraid, without being there with you. Here are the basic questions I always recommend asking yourself: 1. Did you measure by weight, not volume (if you undermeasure water or overmeasure flour, your hydration ratio will be off and your dough won’t rise well or at all)? 2. Did you use the ingredients as directed, particularly the flour blend? You can’t use just any gf flour blend. 3. Did you let your dough rise long enough? I often discuss in yeast bread posts how rising times will vary quite widely, depending on ambient temperature and humidity in your rising environment. You must be patient!