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This easy gluten free artisan bread has an open crumb, a crisp crust, and comes together in one bowl—no stand mixer required.
It rises and bakes quickly, making just enough for a family dinner table. It’s the kind of bread that makes a gluten free meal feel like a night out.
My take
How this bread gets a crisp crust and soft center
This loaf is made with just flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, and eggs—no stand mixer needed. It’s easier than my classic gluten free sandwich bread and less involved than my gluten free sourdough.
Think of it as an everyday boule: crusty on the outside, soft and airy inside because of the wet dough that rises high, fast. Perfect for tearing, dipping, sandwiching—or turning into homemade bread crumbs.
It bakes in a small glass bowl, then gets flipped near the end for a crisp, golden crust all the way around.
what's in it
Recipe ingredients
- Gluten free flour blend – Use a high-quality all purpose blend that includes xanthan gum. It should support a good rise and create a tender crumb.
- Tapioca starch/flour – Adds stretch and height. Even though your flour blend probably includes some, this extra amount makes a big difference.
- Yeast – Instant yeast is easiest. If using active dry, increase the amount slightly (7.5–8g) and activate it in some of the milk first.
- Sugar – Just a bit to feed the yeast and help it rise.
- Baking soda – Promotes browning in the oven.
- Salt – Enhances flavor. I use kosher salt because it’s harder to overmeasure than fine salt.
- Milk – Warm milk activates the yeast and adds richness.
- Egg – Binds the dough, improves rise, and adds color and flavor.
How to make gluten free artisan bread
1. Grease your bowl or pan.
Use a 1 to 1½ quart oven-safe glass bowl for the classic round shape. If you're using something else, check the FAQs for tips.
2. Mix the dough.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, tapioca starch, sugar, yeast, baking soda, and salt. Add the warm milk, beaten egg, and oil, and mix vigorously until a sticky, pale dough forms.
3. Let it rise.
Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Smooth the top with wet or oiled hands. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise until it’s about 1.5 times its original size—taller, not quite doubled.
4. Bake in two stages.
Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then carefully flip the loaf in the bowl (bottom side up) and return it to the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes, until evenly golden and the internal temperature reaches about 195°F.
5. Cool before slicing.
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing—cutting too soon can compress the crumb.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
No mixer required.
This is one of the few yeast bread recipes on the blog that you can mix entirely by hand—just a bowl, whisk, and spoon.
Expect a wet dough.
It should look sticky and feel loose. Resist the urge to add more flour or your loaf will turn out dense and heavy.
Let it cool fully before slicing.
The bread finishes baking from residual heat as it cools. Cutting too soon compresses the crumb and ruins that airy texture.
Use a serrated knife.
Even cooled bread can squish if you press too hard. Saw gently with a serrated knife instead.
Try a Dutch oven.
For a round loaf with a slightly different texture, you can bake this bread in a 3- or 5-quart Dutch oven. For the larger size, increase the recipe yield from 10 to 15 slices. Shape the dough on parchment into a round about as tall as it is wide, let it rise as usual, and bake uncovered at 375°F. Start checking at 40 minutes for a 3-quart, 55–60 minutes for a 5-quart.
substitutions
Ingredient substitutions
To make it dairy free:
Use unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk like almond milk. Avoid canned coconut milk or oat milk—they’re too low in moisture.
To make it egg free:
Swap the egg for a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia + 1 tablespoon warm water, mixed and gelled). Two egg whites (50 g) also work, but result in a slightly denser loaf, so aquafaba as an egg white replacement should work similarly.
If you don’t have tapioca starch:
You can substitute more all purpose gluten free flour. The bread will rise a bit less and have a tighter crumb, but it still works.
If using active dry yeast:
Increase the amount from 6 g to about 7.5 g (just use a little more than 7 grams). Be sure to activate it in some of the warm milk until foamy before mixing.
If you need to avoid yeast:
Try my yeast free gluten free bread. It’s a different style but a good alternative.
If you need to skip added tapioca starch:
It may be tempting to leave it out if your flour blend already includes it, but don’t. This recipe depends on the extra tapioca for stretch and rise. Without it, your loaf won’t be as tall or airy.
Gluten Free Artisan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅝ cups (227 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 ⅝ teaspoons xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ⅜ cup (54 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) warm milk, (about 95°F)
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Grease a 1 or 1 1/2 quart glass oven safe bowl and set it aside. If you don’t have a glass bowl, you can use a small round pan or cast iron skillet with high sides. If using an aluminum pan that isn’t dark in color, raise the oven temperature to 400°F (as written and described below, the oven temperature is 375°F).
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, sugar, and yeast, and baking soda, and whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk, egg, and oil, and mix vigorously. The bread dough/batter should come together and lighten a bit in color as you mix.
- Transfer the dough/batter to the prepared baking bowl, skillet, or pan, and smooth the top with clean, wet hands or a moistened spatula. Do not compress the dough at all.
- If you aren't using a bowl or pan with high sides, using a light touch and wet or oiled fingers, try to shape the dough so that it's about as tall as it is wide, to mimic the shape in the photos of the dough in the bowl. Your dough will definitely spread more during baking, though, and may take less time to bake.
- Cover the dough completely with an oiled piece of plastic wrap. Be careful not to compress the dough, but cover the bowl securely.
- Place it in a warm, moist place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until the dough has increased to about 150% of its original size. In cool, dry weather, the dough may take longer to rise; in warm, moist weather, it may take less time to rise.
- When the dough is nearing the end of its rise, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- After the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread is lightly golden brown all around.
- Remove the bread from the oven and rotate the loaf in the bowl, so it’s upside down. Return the bread to the oven and bake until the crust has darkened slightly all around, and the bread sounds hollow when thumped anywhere, on the bottom or top, about another 15 minutes.
- The internal temperature of the bread should reach about 195°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
How to store and refresh this bread
Room temperature:
Store your loaf in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. A zip-top bag or plastic storage box works well.
To refresh a dried loaf:
Run the whole loaf quickly under lukewarm tap water, then bake at 300°F for 10 to 12 minutes. For individual slices, drizzle with water and toast.
Freezer storage:
Let the loaf cool completely, then freeze in a zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible. It will keep well for up to 3 months.
To defrost:
Leave the bread on the counter overnight. Refresh as above before serving, if needed.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Most often, it’s from adding too much flour or using too little liquid. Make sure the dough looks wet and sticky—that’s what gives you a light crumb. Using the wrong flour blend or skipping xanthan gum can also lead to dense bread.
Yeast dough needs time and the right conditions. Make sure your yeast is active, your milk is warm (but not hot), and your kitchen isn’t too cold or dry. Be patient—it may take longer than 45 minutes.
Use a small round pan or cast iron skillet with high sides. Try to shape the dough so it’s as tall as it is wide. If your pan is aluminum and light in color, raise the oven temp to 400°F for a better crust.
Maybe! This dough is wet enough to work in some machines. If yours makes a larger loaf, scale up the recipe yield to 15 or 20 slices. Make sure it only uses one rise cycle. You can also use my gluten free bread recipe for a bread machine for the perfect loaf in a bread maker.
You can try it, but the dough will spread. Bake at 400°F to help the crust form quickly. Shape the dough into a round on parchment and bake uncovered.
What to serve with this bread
This crusty loaf is perfect for dipping, dunking, and tearing into pieces at the table. Here are a few ways to turn it into a full meal:
- Gluten Free Meatballs – Slice, toast, and rub with garlic for easy homemade gluten free garlic bread.
- Creamy Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Nothing soaks up soup like a warm hunk of this bread.
- Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup – Classic comfort food pairing
I love this bread. I made it with KAF Measure for Measure. As I can not have eggs and don’t have any chia seed I used 3 tablespoons of aquafaba. I baked it in a 1 quart cast iron bean pot. The loaf did not brown much and did not raise avove the edge of the pot. However it is delicious. It slices well. I do plan to try the chia egg. I use a flax egg in pancakes/waffles but am not always happy with the texture.
Anyways….Nicole thank you for the recipe and substitute information. This will make a nice rotation with your English Muffin loaf.
Hi, Lari, I’m really glad you were happy with the results. Your loaf didn’t brown much or rise enough because of the flour blend you’re using. I’m afraid I don’t recommend any of the King Arthur Flour blends since they’re poorly balanced and tend to be gritty. Since you allow yeast bread to rise, the grittiness tends to soften so it’s not as much of an issue, but the poor balance of ingredients remains, unfortunately.
I live in Columbus Ohio and can not find any yeast at this time. Is this a problem in other parts of country?
I would try the recipe above if I had yeast. Thank you for the recipe. Dottie
I addressed that issue in the post as best I could, Dottie. I promise I’m doing all I can, but I can’t deliver!
Fot clarity, a recipe that needs 45 minutes to rise should not say it has 10 minutes prep time, i should say 10 minutes ACTIVE PREP TIME and 45 minutes inactive prep time. Shame on me for not reading the recipe all the way through before I started…
I just ordered a set of three glass Pyrex mixing bowls (1 qt, 1.5 qt and 2.5 qt clear bowls) just so I could try this recipe. This size loaf will be perfect for me as I live alone.
I think you’ll get a ton of use out of the bowls in that set, Lois. I have a few shapes and I use them daily for many different things.
I’ve got some whey from straining yogurt and am wondering if that might work as a sub for the milk. Best guess? Thanks!
I would make the recipe first exactly as written before modifying it at all, Leigh. Then, if you decide to try the whey, you’ll be able to decide if it’s going in the right direction.
Hi Nicole,
My daughter and I are gluten free. This is by far the easiest gluten free recipe I have ever made. The bread is delicious and light and airy. This will be my new go to for bread. My girls love the bowl shape too.
Thank you for all your wonderful books and recipes. You have made this gluten free journey delicious!
That’s so great, Paige! That is the idea, right? Ease and taste!!
Hi Nicole,
I’m pretty new to Gf baking though i’ve been baking for a few years now. I had an issue while making this lovely recipe, i made it two times already the taste was amazing but every time i put the proofed bread into the hot oven, the middle falls back and i don’t know how to fix this. Could you help me with it?
Thank you!
Any baked good that rises and then falls as it cools was likely baked in a too-hot oven. Please see the blog FAQs for more complete information.
Can I use a stainless steel bowl instead? I don’t have a glass bowl and am not going into stores at all these days (compromised lungs and being over 70). I still have some commercial GF bread but not much and all of it is disappearing quickly from the stores these days. Besides, I like the idea of a fresh that day loaf and this recipe sounds wonderful. I just ordered your baking book, too. Thanks for all the work you put into this. I love to bake and when I first discovered by wheat intolerance about 6 years ago, I was bereft. Since then, though, I have found many sources for good recipes and have made up a few of my own. Cheers, Cherie
Most stainless steel bowls are not oven-safe, Cherie. I wouldn’t chance it. I describe other pans you could try using in the recipe. Maybe try one of those?
I do not have a ovenproof glass bowl. Would this recipe work in a bread machine or regular loaf pan?
Thanks, Mia
Please see my response Yvonne about bread machines, Mia. If you’re going to be using a regular loaf pan, please use my recipe for gluten free white sandwich bread.
Can this be baked in a glass loaf pan?
For a loaf pan, I would recommend using my recipe for white sandwich bread, Suzi! Just reduce the oven temperature around 25°F to account for the heat of the glass.