With a soft and tender crumb, this white gluten free bread recipe is the original and best. The bread bends and squishes, tastes like the “real thing”, and has a beautiful bakery-style crust.
It tastes and behaves just like “regular” bread. If you follow this easy recipe faithfully, you'll get perfect bread every time.
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How to make gluten free bread
This recipe calls for a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to make a smooth, cohesive dough that rises cleanly and evenly, but it really is as easy as mixing the ingredients, letting it rise, and baking it. Here's how to make it:
1. Combine the dry ingredients, then add wet.
You will need to make this gluten free bread recipe in a stand mixer, but it's as easy as whisking together the dry ingredients except the salt, whisking in the salt separately, then adding all the wet ingredients to the bowl.
2. Beat the dough well.
Once all of the ingredients are in the mixer bowl, beat them with the paddle attachment until they start to look fluffy and whipped in appearance. The dough will be like a thick batter, not something you can knead with your hands.
3. Let the dough rise, then bake.
Transfer the gluten free bread dough to a prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rise until it's about 50% bigger than how it started (it won't double). Then bake on the middle rack OR top oven rack (whatever is appropriate for your oven) for about 50 minutes at 375°F until it the internal temp is about 195°F.
4. Let cool, slice and enjoy!
Let the loaf of bread sit briefly in the pan, then place it on a wire rack to finish cooling. If you don't let it cool completely, you'll squish the bread as you slice it and you won't get clean slices. So try to be patient!
What is the dough for this gluten free bread recipe like?
As we discuss in our beginner's guide to gluten free baking, if you have any experience baking conventional yeast bread, this gluten free bread dough will seem completely unfamiliar to you.
This batter-style gluten free yeast bread dough is more like a loose cookie dough than it is conventional bread dough. You need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix it, most definitely not a dough hook since it isn't stretchy like conventional yeast bread dough.
The one drawback of this recipe is that I’ve never made it with total success with a bowl and spoon. And believe me, I've tried! Mixing all the ingredients until they’re truly smooth and fully incorporated is just really hard without a stand mixer.
It’s a bit fragile once it’s risen, so handle with care. If you’d like to add seeds to this gluten free bread, do it and after the dough has risen. Just brush the top lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with seeds. But be gentle or you'll ruin the rise.
Rules for baking the perfect gluten free bread
I've put together my top tips to help you get perfect gluten free bread every time. Trust the recipe and follow these tips for flawless results from the very first time:
Rule # 1: Follow the recipe
Try to avoid making any substitutions the first time you make a gluten free bread recipe, especially one which is unfamiliar to you. If you have chosen a recipe that you can only make with substitutions, select another recipe.
Whenever a reader tells me that they are having trouble with a recipe, my first question is always whether they have made any substitutions. Some may work, but many will not. And early failure will make it very hard to stay motivated.
Rule # 2: Measure ingredients by weight, not volume
I provide weight measurements (grams and pounds) in all of my recipes wherever possible, and in this recipe all but the smallest amounts can be measured by weight.
Volume measurements (cups) for dry ingredients like flour are inherently unreliable, as human error is unavoidable and volume measuring containers vary in size. Since proper proportions make the difference between success and failure, it's worth your time to measure by weight using a simple digital kitchen scale (affiliate link), which is cheap, and easy to use.
To use a digital scale, simply finish measuring one ingredient, and hit “tare.” It zeroes out the scale, and you can measure the next ingredient until the scale reaches the proper amount specified in the recipe.
In all of my recipes, 1 cup of all purpose gluten free flour weighs 140 grams. Don’t bother trying to see if the measuring cups you have in your kitchen match their volume to my weight measurements.
A common misunderstanding is that you can “test” my weight measurements by comparing them to the corresponding volume. I provide volume measurements as a courtesy, since we Americans tend to resist baking by weight, but I hope you will ignore them.
Rule # 3: Gluten substitutes are vital for making gluten free bread that holds together
Don’t try to bake bread without any gluten substitutes, like xanthan gum. When yeast gives off carbon dioxide during the baking process, gluten acts like a cloak and suspends the bubbles, so to make gluten free bread, we need a replacement.
When gluten traps the rise, it allows the bread to bake around the air pockets. Without gluten and without a gluten substitute, there's nothing to “hold” the rise. Xanthan gum also keeps baked goods fresher longer.
Some people find that they react poorly to “the gums,” which generally refers to xanthan gum and guar gum, and prefer not to bake with them. Xanthan gum is better suited to heated applications like bread baking, and guar gum to cold applications like making ice cream. However, my gluten free bread recipes are developed to require baking with xanthan gum.
Rule # 4: Use an oven thermometer
Use a simple oven thermometer to gauge your oven's baking temperature properly. Most ovens are calibrated improperly, and off by around 50°F.
I don't bother having the oven calibrated, since it will just drift out of calibration again. Instead, I use a simple analog oven thermometer that's easy, cheap, essential. I just replace it at least twice a year, and never worry whether my oven temperature is accurate.
When you bake bread in a too-hot oven, the outside will bake before the inside has a chance to develop enough structure to support it. The bread will then cave in on itself as it cools.
Rule # 5: Use the right gluten free flour blend
Choosing a well-balanced all purpose gluten free flour blend made only with flours that are ground superfine is the most important decision you'll make in gluten free baking. Baking yeast bread requires large amounts of your chosen flour blend, and it must be able to support a rise, both before it goes in the oven and while it's baking, and still keep its shape.
Particularly for yeast bread baking, I most often bake with Better Batter's classic gluten free flour blend. It's such a versatile blend, and it's always worked beautifully for any recipe that's called for an all purpose gf flour. If you can't find Better Batter locally or simply prefer to make your own, all you need to do is follow my recipe for Mock Better Batter, which works exactly like the brand.
If you try to make this recipe using a gluten free blend like King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill, or another blend that I don't recommend, there are many possible ways in which your bread will not turn out. I wish these widely available blends were suitable for bread baking, but they aren't.
And only use my gluten free bread flour blend, which adds whey protein isolate and Expandex modified tapioca starch to Better Batter, in recipes that call for it specifically, by name (this bread recipe does not call for it). Those recipes are developed very differently, and just like you can't make them without bread flour, you can't make this recipe with it.
Rule # 6: Be patient while your bread rises
Yeast is active at a very wide range of temperatures, but in cooler temperatures it just rises more slowly. Overproofing is a function of too much rise, but not too long a rise. In a warm, moist environment, your yeast bread will rise more quickly.
An ideal rise is slow and steady. A too-quick rise at too-high temperatures is more likely to overproof, leading to a dough that won’t hold its shape, and is less stable. Don’t raise the temperature with anything that isn’t intended to aid in yeast bread rising, like an oven that you think is on its lowest temperature but actually kills your yeast.
Rule # 7: Make sure your bread dough doesn't dry out
Yeast won't rise without enough moisture. Be sure not to allow your dough to rise uncovered, exposed completely to the air, or moisture will evaporate, drying out the dough and preventing a proper rise.
Rule #8. Treat your yeast right to get your gluten free bread to rise
Yeast can generally survive the cold of my refrigerator at 40°F/4°C, and water as hot as 120°F/49°C will likely kill yeast. Anything in between and your yeast should survive.
But surviving is different from thriving. Yeast in bread dough needs a few conditions to thrive:
- Enough moisture (without enough moisture, or if your raw dough loses too much moisture, the yeast won't be active)
- Enough time (yeast will rise more slowly at lower temperatures, but it will rise given enough time)
- Freshness (check the date on your yeast and don't use anything past its freshness date)
There are a few conditions that will inhibit the growth of your yeast:
- Too much salt (don't add yeast and salt in at the same time, and don't overmeasure your salt, which inhibits yeast growth)
- Too much sugar (which will absorb liquid in the dough; a proper sweet yeast bread recipe will already have accounted for that by adding more yeast)
- Too much heat (I do not recommend setting your bread dough to rise in an oven that's on, even if you're certain it's only set to 100°F; most ovens won't retain a temperature setting that low and your yeast will probably die)
For best results when making this easy gluten free bread recipe, please don't use a warm oven for proofing. Instead, choose a naturally warm, draft free spot and let the yeast do its thing. And keep in mind that, if your environment seems quite cool (but isn't truly cold), your yeast bread will still rise, just more slowly.
More tips for the best gluten free bread
Use the best bread pan for baking gluten free sandwich bread — the Pullman loaf pan
I had always wanted to try making it in a Pullman loaf pan. That was the only way to see if I could get those perfect, no-dome slices that are truly made for sandwiches.
Baking in a Pullman pan (which is that taller, narrow pan with a lid that slides on) also tends to make softer bread. The moisture in the bread is trapped inside the pan during baking, and the bread absorbs it as it bakes.
The photo above is a loaf baked in a 2 pound Pullman loaf pan. The photos below are of the bread rising in a 1-pound Pullman loaf pan.
You can make a 1-pound Pullman loaf, or a 2-pound Pullman loaf. The baking time is nearly the same, as the pans are much longer but also considerably more narrow.
For the 1-pound Pullman pan
For the 1-pound pan, you don't do anything different to prepare the bread dough. When it's ready to rise, use the Pullman cover instead of plastic wrap, then bake for about 40 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and allow the top to brown.
For the 2-pound Pullman pan
For the 2-pound loaf pan, double the recipe and be sure to mix the ingredients with a bit of extra care. The instructions are the same as for the 1-pound pan for rising and baking, just baked in a 2 pound Pullman loaf pan.
Choosing the right yeast for gluten free sandwich bread
Yeast is an essential ingredient for most bread recipes, but when you head to the grocery store, you may notice a few different varieties, including instant yeast and active dry yeast.
Instant yeast vs active dry yeast
Two of the most common products you'll find on the shelf are instant yeast and active dry yeast.
My homemade gluten free sandwich bread recipe calls for instant yeast, which may also be labeled as quick rise.
If you'd like to substitute active dry yeast instead, you can, but you'll need to take a few extra steps. First, multiply the weight of instant yeast by 1.25 for the right ratio.
Because active dry yeast has a thicker coating around the yeast, you'll need to help break it down. You can do this by soaking it in some of the milk for this recipe until it foams.
Once foamy, add it and the rest of the milk when the recipe calls for it.Use a pan liner or cooking spray
Don't let the bread cool completely in the pan
Let your homemade gluten free sandwich bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. After that, transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and remove any paper liner so cool air circulates all the way around the bread. Otherwise, the crust can get soggy from trapped steam.
Use a bread knife or serrated knife
If you don't have a bread knife, be sure to use some kind of serrated knife for slicing. Otherwise, you may squish or tear your bread. And let it cool before you slice it or it won't slice cleanly.
How to make this into a gluten free bread machine recipe
For so long, I begged everyone not to try making my gluten free bread recipes in a bread machine. They create odd-shaped loaves, and vary very significantly from one brand to another. Instructions for one machine won't necessarily work in another.
But you kept asking, so I finally started the long journey to making it happen. I have successfully made this into a gluten free bread machine recipe by making some changes to the ingredients, and of course the method.
Here is what I recommend you do to make this recipe in a bread machine successfully:
Use whole eggs and oil instead of butter
Instead of 2 egg whites, as the recipe calls for, I used 2 whole eggs (a total of 100 grams, as weighed out of their shell). Instead of 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, I used 4 tablespoons (same 56 grams) extra virgin olive oil.
Only one rise
You must not let your gluten free bread dough rise more than once in a bread machine. If your bread machine has a “gluten free setting,” be sure that means that it has only one rise. If it has multiple rises, the dough will deflate and be dense.
Use the “homemade” or variable setting if possible
Here are the setting I specify using the “homemade” setting, where I can skip more than one rise, set the rest, mix, rise, and bake times exactly as I like them. Here are my settings:
- 20 minute rest (to make sure that all your ingredients are at the same room temperature)
- 20 minute mix (no more, you don't want to overmix)
- 1 hour rise (any less, and the bread hasn't risen fully)
- 1.5 hour bake (if your machine allows you to add baking time (mine doesn't), then set it to 1.25 hours of baking time and add more if necessary; otherwise, set it to 1.5 hours and check for doneness at 1.25 hours)
And here is my method:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients (milk, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, 2 eggs) first, and pour them into the loaf pan
- Whisk together the dry ingredients minus the yeast separately (gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, granulated sugar), and spoon them in an even layer on top of the wet ingredients in the loaf pan.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients without exposing the wet, and add the instant yeast
- Start the cycle; after the machine has nearly finished mixing, scrape down the sides of the loaf pan with a silicone spatula in case there are any unmixed dry ingredients
- After the mixing cycle is done, smooth the top with a wet silicone spatula
- After 1.25 of baking time, check the loaf with an instant read thermometer. If it doesn't read at leaset 205°F, let the loaf bake until it does.
- If you like a browned top, place the loaf in the oven (after all that!) for about 10 minutes at 400°F.
Bake your bread until it reaches the right internal temperature
Your gluten free bread machine bread must read at least 205°F on an instant read thermometer. Since a bread machine won't create a crusty bread, it isn't going to burn if you bake it longer than usual (unlike bread baked in an oven). And without that stiff crust, the crumb of the bread has to hold its shape all on its own, so it needs to be baked to a higher internal temperature.
Try using the Zojirushi Breadmaker
The bread machine that I have is the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker, 2 lb. loaf of bread (affiliate link; feel free to shop around). The model is the BB-PDC20BA. I bought it with my own money (I don't ever accept free product from anyone) because it has a “homemade” setting that allows you to control everything we discussed above.
You can make this recipe as is in the 2 pound loaf pan, and it will just make a short loaf. Or, you can increase the yield to 15 slices for a larger loaf. Be sure to use 3 eggs instead of 3 egg whites, and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in place of 6 tablespoons of melted butter. You will almost certainly need 1.5 hours of bake time with the larger loaf.
Gluten free bread recipe ingredients & substitution suggestions
As always, unless specifically indicated otherwise, I haven't made this recipe with any substitutions.
These are mostly just my best-educated guesses for how to accommodate other dietary restrictions. Proceed with caution when modifying any recipe!
Gluten free dairy free bread
Making this bread dairy free is easy. Just replace the butter with vegan butter. Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen brands are my favorite.
You can even use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon, but keep in mind that it has more moisture than butter, so our loaf may sink a little as it cools.
Avoid using the soft vegan spreads though. This bread recipe calls for butter, so be sure to use a block the plant butter blocks for the best dairy free results.
Use any dairy free milk you like, just be sure it's not nonfat and is unsweetened. I really like unsweetened almond milk here, as it doesn't impact flavor and still contains enough fat so the rest of the recipe doesn't require any adjustment. Full fat canned coconut milk is never an appropriate substitute for dairy milk, as it has very little moisture, so the hydration ratio won't be what it needs to be for this yeast bread to rise if you use it.
Egg free gluten free bread recipe
This is a little harder since the recipe calls for egg whites, not a whole egg.
I’ve never tried this recipe with any substitutions to make it egg-free, but I’d recommend trying a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). Alternatively, aquafaba may behave more like egg whites. If you try either, let us know how it goes!
Adding seeds
If you want to dress your bread up a little, and turn it into a fancier-looking bread, or give it a bit more flavor and crunch, you can sprinkle the top with seeds. Do it after the loaf has risen and is ready for the oven.
Lightly sprinkle the seeds over the top, but don't push them down too much as the risen dough is quite fragile. Add sesame, chia, quinoa, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds, and maybe even some finely chopped nuts.
How to store this gluten free bread
This easy gluten free bread recipe produces incredibly tender bread that stores easily on the kitchen counter. Just keep it sealed tightly in an airtight wrap at room temperature, and it will last for about 2 days.
I also recommend that you don't pre-slice any gf bread before use, unless you're going to freeze it. Doing so may cause it to dry out prematurely, so leave the loaf whole and slice as needed, but wrap the remaining loaf tightly in between.
If you have a slice of bread that seems to have started to go stale, you can refresh it to make it as good as new. Just sprinkle it lightly with lukewarm water and toast it on a very low setting just to warm it up and allow the bread to absorb the extra moisture.
Freezing this gluten free bread
This gluten free sandwich bread freezes really well. You can freeze the whole, cooled loaf without slicing it, but I really prefer to slice it fully, and then wrap each slice separately in freezer-safe wrap. If you want to slice the loaf and then freeze it all together, try adding a small piece of parchment paper between slices to keep them from sticking together once frozen.
When you're ready to make a sandwich, remove as many slices as you need from the freezer, and refresh them in the toaster. There's no need to defrost them first.
Gluten Free Bread Recipe FAQs
Here are some specific questions that are frequently asked about this particular white gluten free bread recipe:
I've tried making this recipe exactly as written in the Zojirushi bread machine, which seems to be everyone's favorite bread maker for consistent results, and the bread was dense and misshapen. I did make some alterations to the recipe as written, though, and it came out well, although considerably softer as the bread machine doesn't really create much of a crust. Here are the changes I made to the recipe:
· Instead of 2 egg whites, I added 2 whole eggs (100 grams weighed out of shell total weight)
· Instead of melted butter, I used an equal amount, by weight, of extra virgin olive oil
For the full method, please scroll up to the heading “How to make this into a gluten free bread machine recipe”.
There are several reasons why your gluten free bread may not be rising. Here are a few of the most common reasons:
• You're not using the correct gf flour blend or you're not using the correct amount (you must measure by weight for accurate results);
• If you used active dry instead of instant yeast, you didn't use enough (you'll need 25% more active dry yeast) or didn't proof it in some of the milk first
• You didn't allow enough time or the proper conditions for proofing and/or you killed the yeast by trying to proof the bread in what you thought was a warm, but not hot, oven;
• You didn't measure your ingredients by weight, including water, so the hydration ratio is wrong.
Gluten free flours are very absorbent, so if you don't include the right ratio of dry and wet ingredients, you'll end up with a loaf that's dry and crumbly. If you made ingredient substitutions, especially with respect to the flour blend, didn't measure your ingredients by weight, or let your dough exposed to the air so it dried out as it rose, your results will be dry.
While it's possible to include too little liquid in your gluten free bread recipe and end up with dry bread, you'll experience the opposite if you add too much liquid, don't let the dough rise enough before baking, or don't bake the loaf for long enough until it's baked all the way to the bottom.
Another reason you may pull gummy bread from the oven is that the bread wasn't baked at a high enough temperature, so you don't get any u0022oven spring.u0022 If your oven runs too hot, the outside may bake too quickly and you can't bake it long enough to bake all the way to the center. Finally, altitude, humidity, or temperature may affect final results.
When your bread is done baking, the internal temperature of the bread reaches around 200°F on an instant-read thermometer, if not a little higher. The outside will form a thick, brown crust, and it will sound hollow when you thump it on the bottom with your thumb or forefinger.
The most common reasons for gluten free bread sinking after cooling include:
• Too much proofing; the bread rose higher than it could support itself. Raw gf bread dough tends to take on a pock-marked appearance when it's overproofed, so watch carefully.
• Too much yeast, so the bread rose too quickly and the dough couldn't support the rise and still hold its shape
• Too much liquid, leading to too a rapid overproofing, and too much liquid to properly bake off in the oven
• A too-hot oven that baked the outside to burning long before the inside of the loaf was cooked through enough to support the structure.
If you are baking any recipe, including this yeasted gluten free bread recipe, at high altitude and the recipe, like this one, wasn't developed to be made at altitude, you must make certain adjustments to the ingredients and/or method to achieve the intended results. Altitude is one condition that I simply can't recreate, though, so I'm not able to test any of the possible modifications. However, other readers have told me over the years that their “regular” altitude adjustments work just as well in my gluten free recipes as they do in their conventional recipes. This King Arthur Flour guide for high altitude baking seems comprehensive.
No, fresh bread should not be refrigerated. The refrigerator tends to dry out bread, and doesn't extend its shelf life. To store bread, wrap it tightly and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 days, and then freeze for longer storage.
No. Homemade bread, gluten free or otherwise, never stays fresh as long as packaged bread, which contains artificial preservatives to make them last longer than homemade baked goods.
I recommend using the classic blend from Better Batter as the all purpose gluten free flour blend in this recipe. It has the right balance of ingredients to make chewy bread that still has a moist, tender crumb.
I'm afraid you really do need a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to make the kind of smooth, uniform bread dough that rises evenly and bakes properly with a tender, uniform crumb. If you're willing to take a chance that it doesn't turn out, and you have a 7-cup food processor, you can try pulsing the ingredients in that, particularly if you have a plastic blade to use instead of the steel blade. Your food processor needs to work on the dough enough to make it smooth, but not so much that it heats the dough, which can kill the yeast and even begin to cook the ingredients.
If you're confident with this gluten free bread recipe for a loaf of bread, maybe you're ready for shaped bread recipes
This is a recipe for a loaf of bread, and I'm often asked if it can also be used to shape into different types of bread like dinner rolls, burger buns, and even French baguettes. The truth is that this recipe makes amazing bread in a loaf pan, but without the structure of the pan, it just doesn't hold a different shape. Since I refuse to believe that we can't have the very best version of everything, despite being gluten free, I'd love for you to take a look at some of the recipes here on the blog for shaped breads. If you want the right bread dough to shape into a salty soft pretzel, a chewy pizza with a crisp crust, or tender, foldable naan, we have recipes for all of those and more.
Featured Recipes
Gluten Free Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used and highly Better Batter or my mock Better Batter blend here; click thru for the mock blend and full info)
- 3 teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 2 ½ teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) warm milk (about 95°F)
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled (plus more for brushing if using seeds)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 (50 g) egg whites at room temperature
- Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Grease or line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan (or slightly smaller) and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, cream of tartar and sugar. Whisk together with a separate, handheld whisk. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine.
- Add the milk, butter, vinegar and egg whites, mixing on low speed after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl as necessary during mixing.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for about 3 minutes. The dough will be thick, smooth and quite wet.
- Scrape the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Using a wet spatula, smooth the top.
- Cover the dough with lightly oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 to 45 minutes or until it’s about 150% of its original size.
- It should be overflowing the top of the loaf pan by at least 1/2 inch when you retrieve it, but it will not have doubled in volume. It may take longer to rise properly in colder, drier weather and less time in warmer, more humid weather.
- When the dough has nearly reached the end of its rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap, and using a sharp knife or lame slash the top of the loaf about 1/4-inch deep. If using the optional seeds, brush the top of the risen bread gently with melted butter, and sprinkle with the seeds.
- Place the pan on the middle rack OR top oven rack (whatever is appropriate for your oven) of the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches about 195°F on an instant-read thermometer. The outside will form a thick, brown crust.
- Remove the loaf from the oven, and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To freeze this bread, cool completely and then slice, wrap tightly, and freeze. Defrost as many slices at a time as you need in the toaster.
Notes
Nutritional information is per slice, assuming a single loaf sliced into 10 slices. It is imprecise and is provided as a courtesy since it is very often requested, but it is not to be relied upon.
Nutrition
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
sandy says
Hello Kim, I can’t seem to find your recipe for the bread using Expandex. I’ve made it twice before with great success but now I can only find the ingredients list, not the method. Help.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m not sure who Kim is, Sandy, but please use the search function on the blog for bread recipes. Some use Expandex, and some don’t. You can also search for “bread flour” and find the bread flour recipe and references to some bread recipes on the blog that use it.
Beth Clements says
Just tried this recipe for the first time and am waiting on the rise. My dough wasn’t “quite wet” after mixing it was actually pretty stiff. I did weigh the ingredients. What do you think I may have done wrong and do you think it will still bake ok? Thanks!
Beth
Nicole Hunn says
Dough that isn’t properly hydrated typically doesn’t rise well if at all, Beth, so perhaps not. Here are the questions to ask yourself to learn where you deviated from the recipe as written:
Did you make ingredient substitutions, particularly the gf flour blend? They are not all created equal at all. Please see the AP GF flour blends page, which is linked in every recipe that calls for one.
Did you measure by weight, not volume? You can’t measure properly by volume, especially dry ingredients like flour, as human error is unavoidable.
With respect to yeast bread, did you allow the dough to rise long enough, and was your dough covered properly? Overproofing is a function of rising too much, not too long. It can take a long time for yeast bread to rise properly in a cool, dry environment, especially.
Laurie says
I had the same issue. I used mock better batter and changed nothing. I wish there was a video to see how wet it should be! I might just need to add some liquid. I weighed the ingredients too. It took forever to rise and then when I baked it, it is still very wet inside. Just dense and heavy. I think I need more liquid. LMK if you try this again and get it to work!
Nicole Hunn says
There is a video, Laurie, and if you’re not seeing it, you’re probably using an ad blocker. You cannot see that without seeing a short preroll ad, which is how I get paid for the free recipes. Yeast bread takes longer to rise in cooler conditions, but it sounds like you didn’t let it rise long enough—and you didn’t bake it through. There’s no substitute for allowing the bread dough to rise fully.
Christy says
Hi Nicole!
What am I doing wrong when the dough rises perfectly and then falls before I can get it in the oven?. I’m using quick rise yeast and have checked the expiration dates and have tested the yeast beforehand. I let it rise in a microwave as suggested. I get it to rise to about a 1/2” over the top of the pan. I use your suggested Better Batter and measure and weigh everything precisely. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
It sounds like you’re overproofing the dough, Christy, which leads to a really unstable raw dough. Once the dough starts to develop pockmarks, it’s beginning to overproof. Since you’re doing it in your microwave and can’t keep an eye on it during proofing, you’re just letting it go too long. I’d let it rise, covered well, at room temperature out in the open air, so you can watch it. In a cooler environment, it will rise, just more slowly.
Leanne McClellan says
Has anyone tried this in a bread machine with a gf setting?
Nicole Hunn says
I don’t use or recommend use of a bread machine, Leanne, since they vary very significantly from brand to brand and create an odd-shaped loaf. The instructions for one brand of machine are not at all useful for another, so I’m afraid this just isn’t a really useful endeavor.
Craig says
I used a Panasonic SD-ZX2522 and worked great.
Charlotte says
Loved this recipe. Do you think adding raisins and cinnamon would work for raisin bread?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Charlotte, I would use my recipe for cinnamon swirl bread if you’d like something like that!
Bonnie Quinn says
Hey, is it possible to freeze this dough? My family can eat two loafs a week, and it’s rather have that fresh bread smell twice a week.
Nicole Hunn says
No, I would not freeze the dough, Bonnie, but the baked bread freezes very well. The only thing I can think of that might suit you would be to parbake the loaf, then let it cool, wrap tightly and freeze it, and then finish baking later (defrost first). I’ve never done that with this recipe, though, but you’ll need to make sure you bake it past the point that the yeast has died (about 140°F internally) and after the oven spring (the oven rise) is done but the inside is baked enough that it won’t deflate. If you’re interested in experimenting, I absolutely cannot promise results, but I’d begin by baking for 30 minutes at the original 375°F, then reduce the oven temperature quite a lot (maybe to 325°F? I don’t know to be honest), and bake until it sounds hollow when tapped and registers at least 175°F internally but is basically unbrowned (you’ll literally have to watch it bake to gauge time). Good luck!
Bev Aitken says
I love this bread! I have been afraid to attempt another gf bread, after a few disasters. This bread was easy and delicious. The crust is amazing. I had a piece after it had cooled and then had a piece this morning toasted. Both delicious. Thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Bev. It’s a classic for a reason! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Suzanne Owings says
I’m sure the recipe is good. Mine didn’t rise as much and fell when I put it in the oven. Not sure what I did wrong. It certainly smelled like regular bread when it was rising.
Nicole Hunn says
You may have overproofed the raw dough, Suzanne, which makes it rather fragile as you transfer it to the oven. Or you may have overmeasured your liquid/undermeasured your flour. I’m afraid I can’t offer any more guesses without knowing if you made any substitutions, measured by weight, etc.
Courtney says
I make my own flour because of potato and corn allergies…but this recipe is very workable and the best one I have found so far. I use 2- one pound Pullman pans and this splits perfectly between the 2. And using my kitchen aid stand mixer really DOES make a difference, I was surprised at that actually, but it does.
Kelly Thomas says
I want to make sure I get this correct – this recipe needs 2, 1 LB Pullman pans? If I only have 1 can I spit it between the Pullman and a regular loaf pan?
Nicole Hunn says
No, Kelly, if you read the recipe you’ll see that the yield is 1 loaf of bread. The text of the post contains recommendations for using alternate pans, but to make more than one loaf, you would need to make multiples of the recipe.
Cindy Ionno says
I have made this twice. Used Better Batter and weighed everything. First time was great. Second time the sides sunk in a little and the top dropped a little after I took out of the oven I used the one pound pullman with the lid on; poofing in oven with some hot water for almost an hour. I raised and just touched the lid. Baked with the lid on for 35 to 40 min and took lid off letting bake for another 10. the temp was about 195 200 when it came out. let it sit about 8 min the took out of the pan.
the first one was fine this one sunk in.
Suggestions?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid I’m not really following your description of what you did, Cindy, particularly when you mention “poofing in the oven with some hot water,” but only you can really figure out what you did differently the second time that deviated from the recipe as written. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you overmeasured liquid and/or underbaked it the second time. When any baked goods rise and then fall upon cooling, the inside is not fully baked. The temperature you took, assuming it was accurate, may not have been all the way to the center. But if you overmeasured liquid, it won’t matter, and it will remain heavy and sink.
Courtney says
I have found if I don’t get my bread out of the pan (carefully and right away), that my sides do sink in a bit and everything kind of goes down in height. I put strips of parchment in my pans and that helps me lift them out of the pan when they are still hot. I cool them a long time on a rack, too
Nicole Hunn says
I’m glad you found something that works for you. Your experience, though, is because your flour blend substitution is creating a moisture imbalance, Courtney. That isn’t necessary when the recipe is made as written.
Brenda says
Can you leave out the Cream of Tarter? Or replace with something?
Want to try this recipe today, but no C of T in my kitchen.
Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
You can try replacing it with 2x as much lemon juice, by volume, as cream of tartar, and then reducing the milk by as much, since you’ll be introducing more liquid. But I can’t promise results, and I’d really prefer to see you wait until you can buy some cream of tartar. It lasts a long time and is available in most regular grocery stores. Particularly when you haven’t made a recipe before, it’s important to make it precisely as written, measuring the ingredients called for as carefully (by weight, wherever possible) as possible.
Dana says
I love this recipe and have made it a couple times and it just keeps getting better! Do you think I can substitute the sugar for honey? I ran out of sugar and didn’t realize this morning. If so how much?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Dana, I’m honestly not sure! My general answer is that liquid sweeteners are not a proper substitute for granulated ones, but this is such a small amount that I bet it would be fine. I can’t promise results, of course, but this is what I’d suggest trying: You’d have to use less honey than sugar (try 14 grams of honey, which is about 2 teaspoonsful), and reduce the liquid by about as much, and add more liquid if you notice that the texture looks off. Since you’ve made the recipe as written before, you should be able to tell if the dough seems too dry. Good luck!
Julie says
Do you know if this will turn out if I cut the recipe in half? I know that some recipes can’t just be halved or doubled, so I figured I’d ask if anyone has done it yet.
Nicole Hunn says
Do you have a loaf pan that is half as large by volume, Julie? If you do, and you cut the ingredients in half, by weight, across the board, then I don’t see why not.
Fatima says
I have a child with a wheat allergy, as well as eggs and animal milk. What is the secret of the success of wheat-free vegan dough and cakes?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid there’s no secret to anything, Fatima, only well-developed recipes. All I can offer are some suggestions for eliminating other allergens, which I do in the “substitutions” section of each recipe.
Latoija says
I love you recipe. I’ve made it multiple times and have loved it each time I made it. I had my husband try it and he said it was very good, (which is a surprise; he’s very picky in that he claims he’s “allergic” to gluten free) 🤣
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so wonderful to hear, Latoija! And the gluten eaters are the ones who keep us honest, so that’s the best!
Kailyn Togeretz says
Absolutely obsessed with this recipe and the gorgeous loaves of bread I’m able to make! I used your mock better batter blend and I switched out the two egg whites for one whole egg. Your recipes make switching to gf so much better :)
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so great to hear, Kailyn! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to help make eating gluten free taste and feel better. That’s the only goal! Thank you for saying that.
Jess says
Hi! Thinking about using this recipe for a stuffing mix. Do you think it would be a good option for a stuffing?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Jess, please see my recipe for gluten free stuffing for Thanksgiving. You could use this recipe, yes, but I prefer my gluten free Japanese milk bread, and I explain exactly how to do it in that post.