This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This gluten free bread machine recipe makes a flavorful, crusty loaf of bread that you can cut into tender, flexible slices.
Many readers have asked me for years for a recipe for a perfect gluten free loaf to be made in a bread machine. After testing multiple bread makers, this is the recipe you've been searching for!
my take
Nicole's Recipe Notes
- Texture: A soft, tender, open crumb with a crisp, but not hard, brown crust.
- Flavor: Even with just one rise, this bread has a subtle tang and a rich, buttery flavor.
- Why it works: The raw dough is soft enough for the small paddle of a bread machine to mix it fully, but not so wet that the loaf collapses as it cools.
- Versatile: Every bread machine works a bit differently, but most bread machines today can be set to only one rise with a long enough baking cycle.
Recipe ingredients
- Gluten free flour blend: Any high quality, rice flour-based all purpose gluten free flour blend should work fine, as long as it's meant to be used for yeast bread (unlike KAF Measure for Measure). If you use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free, you'll need to add more xanthan gum.
- Tapioca starch: Adds more stretch and flexibility to the bread. Add this even though your all purpose blend already contains some.
- Cream of tartar & vinegar: Both add some acidity to the bread to help it rise.
- Baking powder: Adds some instant rise to the bread and acts as insurance in case your bread machine's preset rising time of 1 hour isn't quite enough.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast, adds a bit of tenderness to the crumb.
- Salt: Controls the yeast, and adds flavor.
- Yeast: Provides most of the rise and even some flavor without a first rise.
- Milk: Adds moisture, brings the dough together, and adds richness.
- Eggs: Help with rise and structure. The yolks also add richness and flavor.
- Butter: Adds moisture, flavor, and tenderness.
How to make gluten free bread in a bread machine
Whisk together the wet ingredients (warm milk, melted butter, apple cider vinegar and eggs) in a measuring cup. Whisk all the dry ingredients except the yeast (gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum, tapioca starch, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt) in a mixing bowl.
Pour the wet ingredients into your bread machine's loaf pan. Spoon the combined dry ingredients over the top in a single layer, without mixing.
Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast. Place the baking pan in the bread machine.
Turn on the machine, and use the manufacturer's instructions to set it to the “homemade” setting to a 1.5 pound loaf with 20 minutes of mixing or kneading, 1 rise of 1 hour, 1.5 hour baking time and a dark crust setting. Otherwise, use the “gluten free,” “rapid rise,” “basic” or “1 rise” setting. Close the lid and turn on the machine.
Once the machine has finished mixing the dough, use a silicone spatula to scrape any loose flour into the dough and smooth the top. Close the lid and let the process continue.
Bake for at least 1 hour and until the bread registers at least 205°F on an instant read thermometer. If your machine browns the top, let the loaf bake until the top is golden brown and feels firm to the touch.
Turn the loaf out of the pan immediately onto a wire rack. Carefully remove the paddle. Let the loaf cool for at least 1 hour or until cool to the touch before slicing.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
The homemade setting
For the most control of the process, I prefer the “homemade” setting on bread machines to a “gluten free” setting. Any gluten free setting should have only no punch-down or second kneading cycle, a long enough single rise and a long enough bake time, but it's hard to be sure in advance.
If there's no homemade setting, look for anything that has only 1 rise. Look for a “gluten free” setting, or a “rapid rise,” “one rise,” or “basic” setting. Ideally, it will have about a 1 hour rise and at least 1 hour of bake time.
Avoid cold ingredients
Since a bread machine has a predetermined amount of rising time, it's extra important to begin with room temperature and warm ingredients, as indicated in the recipe. Cold ingredients don't combine as well, and will slow down yeast activity which could lead to less than a full rise.
Brown the top
If your machine allows you to select a crust color, choose the darkest setting. The top will brown last, too, so continue to bake the loaf until the crust is done. If your machine doesn't brown the top, remove the loaf from the pan, place in a baking sheet, and bake in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Cool before slicing
Allow the loaf to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing the bread. While the bread is still warm, the starches are still very wet and the slices will appear gummy. Slicing too soon will also release a lot of steam too quickly, and the bread will dry out more quickly.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
In place of cow's milk, use your favorite nondairy unflavored milk with a very smooth texture, like almond milk. I would avoid oat milk, which tends to have some grit. In place of butter, I would recommend vegan butter that comes in a block. You can use 2 1/2 tablespoons (35 grams) neutral oil, but I really prefer the way the bread tastes when you use butter.
Egg free
You can try 2 “flax eggs” or “chia eggs” in place of the two eggs in this recipe. Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer may also work. I might also try Just Eggs, the refrigerated plant based egg.
Tapioca starch/flour
Tapioca starch/flour is an element of nearly all good gluten free flour blends. You still need to add extra here. If you don't have any, you can use more all purpose gluten free flour blend by weight, or try superfine glutinous (short grain) white rice flour in its place. The best texture comes from using tapioca starch, though.
Instant yeast
There's no substitute for yeast in this recipe, but if you'd like to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, use 2 grams more for a total of 10 grams. Mix it into the milk mixture, let the mixture sit until the yeast begins to bubble, then continue with the recipe.
Gluten Free Bread Machine Recipe
Equipment
- Bread machine with "homemade" adjustable setting or at least a "gluten free" setting (See Recipe Notes)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) whole milk, warm (about 95°F)
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
- 2 ⅝ cups (368 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 teaspoons xanthan gum omit, if your blend already contains it
- ½ cup (72 g) tapioca starch/flour
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, (See Recipe Notes)
Instructions
- Remove the loaf pan from your bread machine. Attach the mixing paddle and set the pan aside.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, place the warm milk, unsalted butter, vinegar, and eggs, and whisk to beat the eggs and combine fullly. Set the wet ingredients aside.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, tapioca starch, cream of tartar, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the loaf pan with the paddle attached.
- Place all of the whisked dry ingredients (without the yeast) on top of the wet ingredients in a single even layer. Do not mix at all.
- Use a clean, dry finger to create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients, shallow enough not to reach the wet ingredients but deep enough to hold the yeast. Pour the yeast into the well.
- Plug in and set up your bread machine for use.
- Consult the manufacturer's user guide to toggle to the "homemade" setting, if possible, and apply these settings :• 1.5 pound loaf setting• 20 minutes of mixing/keading (one knead cycle only)• 1 hour rising time (one rise only)• 1.5 hour baking time• Dark crust setting if available
- Alternatively, use your bread machine's "gluten free" setting.
- Place the bread pan securely in the machine and close the lid. Press the start button.
- Listen for when the mixing/keading cycle is done or nearly done, and use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the pan to mix in any loose flour.
- Wet the spatula, and smooth the top of the raw dough into an even layer.
- Close the lid and allow the bread to rise fully and bake for 1 hour.
- Open the lid and use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature at the center of the loaf. It should read at least 205°F.
- If your machine browns the top, let it bake until the top is browned and feels firm on top (another 15 to 20 minutes).
- Remove the loaf pan from the machine as soon as the bread is done baking. Turn it out of the pan onto a wire rack and carefully remove the paddle from the bottom center as soon as you are able to handle the loaf.
- If your machine doesn’t properly brown the top of the loaf, place the unmolded loaf on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool fully for at least 1 hour and ideally 2 hours before slicing horizontally and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
Yeast bread is always best the day it's made. If you wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap, unsliced, it will still be great the next day.
For longer storage, place it in a freezer safe zip top bag, sliced or unsliced, squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost by the slice in a toaster oven or microwave. To refresh any slightly stale slices, sprinkle lightly with lukewarm water and place in a 300°F toaster oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until warm.
FAQs
I've made this recipe with 2 tablespoons (42 grams) of honey instead of 2 tablespoons of sugar, and I felt like it was too much of the wrong kind of flavor. If you'd still like to try, reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon.
If you are using a gluten free flour blend without xanthan gum, you should be able to use 20 grams of blond psyllium husk instead.
I think it would work using King Arthur Flour's Gluten Free Bread Flour blend, but the loaf won't likely rise as high and would probably have a slightly tighter crumb. You could try increasing the liquid by 10% to compensate for how much liquid that flour absorbs. You cannot make this loaf successfully using my gluten free bread flour recipe, though.
Yes, but the way to reset each machine is different. You'll have to consult your user manual or look online. For the “KitchenArm” machine I used, you have to unplug the machine and wait more than 15 minutes or you can't reset the machine.
Yes, just reduce the yield in the recipe by 1/3, or from 8 slices to 5 slices. You'll need 67 grams of eggs, so you can use 1 extra large egg, or beat 2 eggs fully and measure out 67 grams total.
No, I don't recommend that. Instead, use our classic gluten free bread recipe, which I developed for baking in the oven.
