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You can take most recipes for cake and make them as cupcakes. And vice versa. But there's something about a loaf shape, you know? If you're making a quickbread in a loaf pan, you're really best off using a recipe that was developed for the purpose.
If it's too wet, it will burn before it bakes all the way through. If it's too dry, well, it'll be … dry. But good news! This gluten free honey bread is made to be baked as a loaf. It's soft and tender, and lightly sweet. The perfect tea cake for an afternoon snack, if you ask me.
Another favorite quickbread of mine is this Gluten Free Cranberry Bread. Try that one, too, if you haven't already. Oh so good.
It might seem strange to drizzle it with honey. I mean, it's honey bread, right? But it's just so nice. If you can, use a lighter-colored honey. I used wildflower honey, but I don't know enough about honey to know if that's consistently lighter in color or if I just got lucky.
It bakes up nice and tall (note to egg-replacer readers: you might have a bit of a time with this one!), with the most gorgeous golden brown color.
And don't forget that extra drizzle. P.S. It's even better if you spread some warm butter on top and then drizzle the honey.
Honey has a tendency to burn, so you really want the proportions to be right in this bread. Measure by weight, not volume!
Substitutions: I have tested a few, but only the ones mentioned in the recipe below and no others. If I had to guess, as I mentioned above, it would be tough to replace the eggs in this recipe with a substitute. For dairy-free, try dairy-free yogurt. Can't have cornstarch? Try using arrowroot. I can't promise, though, as I can't test every possible permutation. But as always, feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes in the comments below!
Additions: If you're partial to a particular spice, try adding it and making a this a honey spice bread! If you want to add a mix-in, like some dried fruit, don't add too much or it will weigh down the bread.
Gluten Free Honey Bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ⅜ cup (54 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) virgin coconut oil melted and cooled (you can also use vegetable shortening, melted and cooled, or unsalted butter at room temperature)
- ½ cup (168 g) honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature (any kind)
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) plain yogurt or sour cream at room temperature
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease well a standard 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), place the flour blend, cornstarch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well with a separate, handheld whisk.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the coconut oil. Mix on medium speed to combine with the paddle attachment (or your handheld mixer).
- Add the honey, vanilla, milk, yogurt and eggs, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter will be smooth and thickly pourable.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and shake it back and forth to smooth it into an even layer.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Cover the loaf loosely with aluminum foil, and continue to bake until the top of the loaf springs back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached (about another 10 minutes, but begin to test after 5 minutes by pressing lightly on the top of the loaf).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice and serve with a bit of butter and a light drizzle of honey.
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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!
Lori says
Made this twice – very good. I only need to bake it for about 40 – 43 minutes. At 35 minutes I cover it with foil.
Darlynn Peters Everett says
I baked this last evening. I also left out the cornstarch because I didn’t have any. I used Better Batter GF flour. I buttered my pan and should have sprayed with Pam, I guess, because the sides and bottom were very dark and slightly burned. I just cut off those edges. This bread is absolutely delicious. Can’t tell it’s GF. Could I take this recipe and exchange chocolate sauce (not syrup) for the honey?Just curious.
Renee says
Ok so I have not baked with coconut oil but have some in my cabinet. So are you saying measure out the 6 tbsp before melting or after melting?
Julie says
This is one of the first things I’ve ever baked and I must be the worst baker of all time! I pulled this out of the oven and it was burnt on top and then when I took it out of the pan it was raw in the middle. I tasted the little bit around the perimeter that was cooked properly though and it tasted great! I’ve just got to up my baking skills. I appreciate you making these recipes available, I’m going to keep trying them until I get better.
Angie Hepp says
Oh, my mouth is watering! I can almost feel my teeth sinking into this bread (slathered with butter, of course)! This is next on the list. Right now I have Hawaiian Roll dough rising in the frig. The batter smelled SO good that I seriously wanted to eat it right out of the bowl. (I resisted.) I made a loaf of the lean crusty white bread yesterday and the flavor is indescribably good. It tastes like REAL bread. Slightly tangy, bursting with complex flavors, and tastes nothing like the bland, starchy, GF breads of yore. Oh, it is so delicious – I must go have another slice now, toasted lightly and smeared thickly with grass-fed butter and raw honey. Mmm… It’s not “good for gluten-free.” It’s just plain GOOD!!!
Melissa says
My family and I LOVED this honey bread. I used Cup4Cup for the flour and the cornstarch since it is super starchy anyway. It turned out beautifully!! This bread was just the thing for a cold day! Thank you!!
Everlasting Acres says
Rising beautifully in the oven right now and will be ready for the kids when they get home from school!! We are very fortunate to get a $90 bucket of honey free every year for letting a local bee keeper put hives in our field. Mmmm, unpasturized & delicious!! :)
bkay says
We just made this honey bread! I omitted the cornstarch cause my flour blend I make has it in it as well as the xantam. I then didnt have yogurt/sour cream so left it out. Turned out awesome light tender awesome. Thanks for the recipe.
Mary says
This sounds so good. I think I’ll be making it this evening!
Elaine says
This looks like the perfect recipe for when our bee hive matures in the spring. Real honey is seriously expensive! Right now, in the winter, I’ll save it up for those precious moments! In the spring, I’ll let loose and have a honeypalooza!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m prematurely jealous of your honeypalooza, Elaine. Make refined sugar-free marshmallows!
anna says
I seriously love honey. This sounds like it would be perfect as an afternoon snack. Like it would satisfy my sweet craving without the sugar high/coma. Mmmm suddenly my Clementine doesnt sound so appealing.
Nicole Hunn says
You could always add some zest from the Clementine to the honey bread, Anna! ;)
Sheree says
Taking the eggs and milk and butter out of the fridge right now . I have only made the yeast free sandwich bread so far . I am looking forward to trying this recipe .
I got my sister into your books and had to phone five stores before I found one in stock . You are a popular author .
Thanks for all you do .
Nicole Hunn says
Thanks, Sheree! I hope it’s not just that they weren’t bothering to keep the books in stock! ;)
Michelle says
I do love wildflower honey! That and sage are my favorites. I never thought there was a difference until the honey guy at the farmer’s market had me taste all his different ones- even pepper tree, which was a little peppery, and avocado, which didn’t taste like avocados, but was darker and rich. Anyway, that’s a long-winded way of saying thanks for this! I have had cranberries in the freezer since you posted the cranberry bread and still haven’t gotten to it since you keep coming up with more fabulous recipes like this one!
heryl says
Honey from bees feeding on pumpkin is so good–darker and more spicy. Now I want to try the other honeys you mentioned–and people think there is only one kind of honey…
Nicole Hunn says
If I’m not using a ton of honey in something, I am happy to use my regular clover honey. But when it’s 1/2 cup (or if I’m making candy with honey) it really intensifies the flavor and a more mild honey is very welcome!
Jennifer S. says
Absolutely Beautiful!!! Your photography speaks to me.
2 loaves of lean crusty in the fridge right now!!! One more to go today.
Nicole Hunn says
Thanks, Jennifer!!
knowledgeofthefarmerswife says
A quick note on honey. Per my allergist, you should always use locally produced honey. I was told that when the bees gather local pollens, the honey acts almost like a homeopathic allergy treatment. You get exposed to your local pollens in a denatured form, somewhat like an allergy shot. In turn your body becomes better at handling air bourn pollen in your area. This is especially a good thing for kids with pollen allergies and asthma. Take it like cold medicine, Mary Poppins. One good sized tablespoon a day. And remember, no honey for kids under one and no raw honey under 3 (info from my local bee guys). So take the time and find your local bee keeper. There is always one around. Make friends, their little guys are having a hard enough time. And without them, the food world will be in bad trouble.
Jennifer S. says
Good to know!
Candace says
Great tip! My husband and sons have allergies and take a spoonful of local honey to help combat the symptoms.
Nicole Hunn says
That is super interesting. My son has spring and fall environmental allergies and I’m hoping he agrees to allergy shots at some point. We should start with local honey! And it is so true about bees. If you have any suggestions on how to locate a local beekeeper, I’d love to have you post them here.
Michelle says
My allergist said the same thing. You can usually find bee keepers in the yellow pages, or sometimes on Craigslist, (that’s how I found my egg people) or the Farmer’s Market. I often buy my local honey at a feed store that does business with a guy who rents his bees out to ag.
Beth Doig Ash says
I had not even thought of using non-dairy yogurt….would it be the same amount? Could that be used in other recipes? Would using almond milk be a recommendation? I have used almond milk, coconut milk before…okay results. Have used Tofutti in place of sour cream and it seems fine. Anyway, just wondered. I know you get those questions all the time! :-) You and your work are a blessing to me!
Jennifer S. says
I rarely have sour cream on hand and almost always use 0% greek yogurt in Nicole’s recipes with great success. Same amount as the recipe calls for.