Gluten Free Bread

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After 4 years, off and on, trying to find a decent gluten free sandwich bread recipe, I have finally found one my littles & I love! I found the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour a while back & it’s been a lifesaver! I scoured the internet trying to find bread recipes with this particular flour but I didn’t find any. I decided to try this flour with an old regular bread recipe, with a couple tweaks, to see if it would work. I am happy to report that it did & I literally did a happy dance in my kitchen when I pulled the bread out of the oven. My 2-year-old didn’t know why I was dancing, but he joined right in with my celebration.

Okay, let’s begin with the steps. First up, the yeast. I use bread machine instant yeast. Heat up the water in the microwave for about 50 seconds (my microwave is 20+ years old so yours might not take that long) & check to make sure it’s around 105-110°F as any hotter & you’ll kill the yeast, any colder & it will not get nice & foamy. Dissolve the sugar & then add the yeast. Stir and set aside for approximately 10 minutes until it gets foamy.

Next, combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to make sure all of the dry ingredients are mixed well.

Combine the wet ingredients in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment but don’t over mix. Only for a few seconds. Add in your proofed yeast & mix again for a few more seconds. Next add in the dry mix and set the stand mixer on medium-high for about 3 minutes. The dough will be thick & sticky, like in the picture.

Scrape the dough into your 9×5 loaf pan. I use the USA pans so I don’t need to coat them. If you will be making a lot of gluten-free recipes, I highly recommend them. Gluten-free baked goods need really good non-stick or parchment paper. You’ll need to smooth out the loaf with the spatula or with wet hands. This won’t smooth out as it rises so do the best you can but don’t stress over it, especially if you have a pullman loaf pan.

Cover the pan with a damp paper towel & place it in a warm dark place. I put mine in my microwave above the oven while it preheats. Which, this is the perfect time to preheat the oven to 375°F. Do not let the bread rise too much, only 20-30 minutes. If it rises too high it will flow over the pan or collapse. Gluten-free breads don’t maintain their structure. It will continue to rise in the oven.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. 40 minutes is perfect for my oven. If you have a pullman loaf, place the lid on. If not, watch the crust. You can foil tent it if it is getting to dark. Take it out & it will look like this:

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let the loaf sit in the pan to rest. As soon as you take it out of the oven, carefully turn the pan onto its side  and then out onto your cooling rack. If you have the USA pan, it will slide right out. Then I brush butter on top of the loaf because…butter!

Let the loaf cool completely before you cut it into slices. Look how pretty!

I like to cut it all up so it’s easier to just grab slices when needed for lunch, as if I had purchased the bread from a store. Use a serrated bread knife and eyeball it for your desired thickness.

I suggest bagging it in these loaf bags. They were pretty cheap on Amazon and you can always rinse them out and reuse them if desired.

I have no idea if this bread will be good after 2 days as a loaf here is eaten within 2 days. I also haven’t tried freezing it yet but one of these days I do want to make a bunch and freeze them so I’ll update when I’ve done that. Also, I do want to add cinnamon and raisins as my kiddos love cinnamon raisin toast. I’m thinking that adding the cinnamon to the dry mix and then stirring the raisins in by hand just before I scrape it into the pan will do the trick. Again, I’ll update when I’ve tested that.

I’d love to know what you think if you try this recipe. If you do any variations of it, with a different sweetener or an egg free version, let me know how it goes!

I hope you enjoy bread again!

UPDATE 10/26/2017 to add nutritional facts below for those who have asked. I cut my loaf into 20 slices so that’s what the nutritional facts will show.  

Per slice – Calories: 102 | Carbs: 16 g | Fat: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

Jaime HughesJaime Hughes
A soft (and the BEST) gluten free sandwich bread recipe that is easy to make. 
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine Gluten-Free
Servings 20 Slices of 1 9×5 loaf
Calories 102 kcal

Ingredients
  

Yeast Proofing

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 TBSP sugar or honey or other natural sweetener of choice
  • 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs

Instructions
 

  • In a glass measuring cup, warm the water to 105-110 F. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add in yeast then set aside to proof and get foamy, about 10 minutes.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the wet ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment for a few seconds.
  • Add in the proofed yeast mixture and mix for a few more seconds.
  • Slowly, so you don’t make a mess, add in the combined dry ingredients and turn the mixer to medium-high for about 3 minutes until well incorporated. The dough will be very thick and sticky.
  • If needed, grease your 9×5 loaf pan. Use a spatula to scrape the bread dough into your prepared pan & smooth out the top as best you can.
  • Cover the pan with a damp paper towel and place somewhere dark and warm to let it rise 20-30 minutes (depending on how warm your room is). This is a great time to preheat your oven to 375°F
    IMPORTANT: Don’t let it rise too high or it will over flow the pan or collapse when cooking as it will rise more in the oven.
  • Bake it for 35-45 minutes. If you have a pullman loaf pan, make sure the lid is on to give you that fabulous sandwich bread shape. If you don’t, you can foil tent the loaf if the crust is darkening too quickly.
  • Do not let the bread sit in the pan to cool. Carefully roll it out onto your cooling rack. Let it cool completely before cutting into slices.

84 Comments

  1. I just can say I love you.

    Red mills is the brand i use but is hard to find bread recipes. I will try to make it tomorrow. I dont have xanthan gum.
    I will let you know how it turns out.
    Thank you!!!!!

    1. Hi, Neli! I love Bob’s Red Mill and I know how hard it is to find bread recipes with this wonderful flour mix! I hope you love this bread as much as my family does. I make at least 2 loaves a week. I can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Hi!! I made my first attempt two days ago, and it was great 👌!!!

    I Used almond milk instead of water and turned nice. A blessing to find this recipe. Thank you for posting!!

    I just have three questions:

    1) Do you have nutritional facts?
    2) Have you ever tried without the extra xantham gum (as the flour includes it)?
    3) Does it need refrigeration? A loaf is a lot for me as I am the only one celiac in my house by far (I was diagnosed last week)…

    Thank you so much!!!

    1. Hi Marysol. Thanks for letting me know that using almond milk worked great! To answer your questions…
      1) I haven’t figured out the nutritional facts yet. You can enter the recipe into an app like MyFitnessPal and it will calculate it for you.
      2) I have not tried it without the extra xantham gum. If you do, be sure to come back and let me know how it worked.
      3) It does not need refrigeration. I keep mine in a bag in my bread box on the counter. I have frozen a loaf and it defrosted perfectly on my counter.
      I’m so glad you found this recipe and loved it! Good luck on your journey!

      1. 5 stars
        Omg. Just had my first PBJ in months. This bread is fantastic. Can’t wait to bake it again with variations. Thank you so much!!!

    2. It’s preferable to freeze the bread rather than put it in the refrigerator as it will tend to dry out in the fridge.

  3. Hi! Have you made this recipe with regular yeast? It’s what I have in my pantry. I’m just learning so I don’t know what the difference is. Thanks!

  4. I have tried twice to make this bread. 1st time to the letter and it was dense, gummy and tasted awful. 2nd time I lowered the oven temp to 350 baked for 80 minutes, same result. Making gluten free bread is not exact science. So many variables can throw a recipe off. I have to keep experimenting till I get it right.

    1. I’m sorry to see you’re having trouble, Maureen. It’s possible that you’re mixing the dough too much. I recommend no more than 3 minutes at a medium-high speed. If you’re doing that, it might be the time in your oven. Try decreasing the time not the temp. Let me know how it goes!

    2. It is probably your yeast! Make sure your warm liquid is just lukewarm to the touch— if you put your finger in, it should be “blood warm” — after all, we are usually around 99 degrees! 🙂 And make sure your yeast is fresh. Xanthan gum is a conditioner, not a leavener. It will help create a finer crumb but it had nothing to do with the rise. Yeast and baking powder are both leaveners. Leaden lumps of bread are usually victims of inactive yeast, old baking powder, and/or too much liquid. So check to make sure that your leavening is fresh— usually no more than 6 months old. Good luck!

  5. Has anyone tried making this bread with a bread machine? Also, I don’t have xanthan gum, but I’ve read you can add baking powder to help with rise.
    I’m going to try it and see what happens. 🙂

    1. Hi Katrina. I’m curious if you’ve tried it in a bread machine how it turned out. I haven’t done it yet but plan to eventually. Also, how did substituting the baking powder for the xantham gum work for you?

    1. If you’re using a hand mixer, I’d do it for the same amount of time. By hand, just mix until it looks like the pictures plus some for good measure. Let me know what worked for you.

  6. I used the BRM flour that had the xanthan gum (didn’t know till after I made) in it already and when I added more of the xanthan gum. Bread was a flop. Can putting more xanthan gum be the issue?

    1. Hi, Monica. I’m not sure. I’ve tried it with and without the xantham gum and haven’t noticed a difference. The dough is slightly more sticky without the xantham gum but they’ve both baked fine for me. Can you tell me what exactly was wrong with it? If it didn’t rise, your yeast may have been bad or didn’t proof long enough. Sorry it wasn’t a success for you.

  7. Just made this bread , it turned out perfect . I did not use the xanthan gum (it’s already in the flour ) I did not substitute anything for it . I was nervous at first bc my dough looked more like batter , it was soft . But it rose and baked beautifully . I baked it for 40 min total . 30 min at 375 , 10 min at 350 . I did cover it with foil half way through. Thanks for a great recipe !

    1. Thanks for letting me know how it worked for you, Blair. I’ve tried it with and without the xantham gum and haven’t noticed a difference other than the dough is slightly more sticky without it. Dropping the temp and tenting for the last 10 minutes is a great idea if you don’t have a Pullman loaf pan!

    2. En la receta nombran la marca de una harina 1 a 1. Yo preparo mi premezcla de harina sin gluten, asi tengo más versatilidad para diferentes preparaciones, modificando las cantidades de lo que me pide la receta. Podría decirme qué contiene, y en qué proporción, la harina 1a1que usted nombra? Me encantaría probar ésta receta. Muchas gracias! Saludos desde Uruguay!!

  8. Stumbled across your recipe on Pinterest today, and I am SO SO glad to have found it! I am new to gluten free eating/baking and can only find the Bob’s Red mill flour at my grocery store. I tried just using a normal bread recipe and subbing in the gf flour, but it didn’t rise at ALL. I can’t wait to try this recipe! 🙂

  9. Hello, thank you so very much for posting your recipe. I am, also, new to GF baking, so I have been researching a lot and one of the key ingredients specially for breads is XANTHAM GUM, which gives the elasticity (gluten in wheat and other flours) in order to bond and give you a bread that it is not like a cookie that cracks and crumbs. So, if you want to substitute it, you may with gelatin, chia seeds, flax seed flour, agar agar, and guar gum. Also, I read that cornstarch would do the trick, but I don’t know for sure.
    I will definitely try your recipe and let you know.

  10. I can’t wait to try your recipe. I have one that is very similar, the only difference is the milk instead of the water… my bread turns out beautifully but very heavy so I will try the water version!!! Thank you and I look forward to trying your other GF recipes!!!

  11. 5 stars
    I am so excited, this turned out perfect. I’m trying rolls next, adding just a touch more sugar to the dry ingredients. Thank you Jaime

    1. I’m thrilled that it worked for you, Wanda! It makes delicious rolls too. Just reduce the baking time. I made them for Thanksgiving and Christmas last year and I think I baked it for around 20-25 minutes. Let me know how adding the sugar works. Happy baking!

  12. I just found out I have Celiacs and I have been very anxious about my new diet. I just baked your bread and I can’t wait to taste it. Yours seriously looks just like a loaf of white bread in the pics. Mine doesn’t… Is it the pan you use? I used just a regular bread pan, like I bake banana bread in. I’m trying to let it cool before I cut it, but I don’t think I’m gonna last…. lol

  13. I just made this and it didn’t rise at all. I had put it in my microwave to rise with a damp towel covering it. My recipes never rise though so I am kind of used to it. Although it is disappointing.

    1. Hi Amanda. When something doesn’t rise it’s typically a yeast problem. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold and that your yeast isn’t too old. Let me know how new yeast works for you.

  14. 5 stars
    My husband was recently told to cut wheat grain out of his diet so I tried making bread with sorghum flour and it was horrible! It tasted like baked play dough. 🙁 Then I found your recipe and tried it and voila, it turned out sooooo GOOD! My husband said he liked it better than store bought bread. My son & his wife just came for the weekend and they had some, both responding with the same conclusion, it is the BEST bread they have ever had! They LOVED it and wanted the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this!
    BTW, I use it with the BRM w/ xanthan gum in the flour, didn’t notice that and used the amount of xanthan gum you included in the ingredients and all my loaves have turned out beautifully! I make two at a time. 🙂

    1. Hi, Diane! I’m so happy to see you’re loving the bread. Yes, the BRM flour has xanthun gum in it but I’ve found adding some more really helps the texture. Thanks for your comment!

  15. Hi. My son is allergic to both wheat and egg, among other things. Have you tried using Aquafaba as an egg substitute in this?
    My son will be in 1st grade next year, and I would love to be able to make sandwiches for his lunch!

    1. Hi, Beth. I have a 1st grader and this is what I use for his school lunches. It holds up well in his lunchbox. That said, I have not tried an egg substitute with this. If you do, please come back and let me know how it went and if you needed to make any adjustments. Thanks!

  16. My mom gave my daughter a Pullman pan for Christmas, so I set out to bake bread today. I agree… there aren’t a lot of recipes out there using the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Flour. I debated about trying this only due to some off the less-than-stellar reviews. I shouldn’t have worried! The consistency of the dough is more like a thick cake batter and it didn’t appear to rise, HOWEVER, it *did* rise beautifully in the oven. My daughter is SO excited to have a delicious bread that she can eat after being diagnosed with Celiac a little over 6 months ago. Keep sharing the great recipes and tips for all things gluten-free!

  17. I made this recipe using a small bread tin and then using an ice cream size scoop made 7 rolls in a round cake pan. They turned out better than any purchased bread or rolls. Since I am the only one eating gluten free in my family, this recipe worked out perfectly for me. I may try adding more sugar for the rolls next time or try adding herbs for a savory bread/roll.

    1. My bread looks perfect when I take it out of the oven but then the middle fall’s when it is cooling! Help!!!

  18. I was wondering if it has to be olive oil? Is there something I could use instead? I don’t always like the flavor olive oil can leave in baked items. Thanks!

  19. 4 stars
    Yummy bread. We like ours with 2 T honey and 1 T molasses. Might I suggest adding an internal temperature to bake to? Unlike traditional bread, which is done at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, GF bread typically need to be baked to 208-211 degrees Fahrenheit. If the top gets looking too brown, cover with foil. The first time I remembered to look this up, but forgot on the second go. It’s still baked and tasted fine, but much more wet and “underdone” then I would like. It sinks in on the sides demonstrating the weak inner structure.

  20. 5 stars
    Just want to say thank you for this recipe. My girls are gluten and dairy intolerant. They don’t like the store bought. My 9 year old says it looks like Barbie Doll Bread! Lol! They absolutely love this recipe. A loaf is gone in 2 days instead of 2 weeks. Thanks again!

  21. 3 stars
    Looked beautiful when came out of oven, but went flat as it cooled. I don’t think I baked it long enough, will try again. Center was heavy and doughy. Grandson says its good, has eaten 1/2 of loaf already for breakfast toast

  22. Hello! I have a question. I just bought this same flour yesterday to make this bread and I noticed you put xanthum gum in the ingredients however this flour already comes with xanthum gum in it. So does it need more than what’s already in it or will what’s in it be enough? I wasn’t sure if you realized the xanthum gum already comes in that flour. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

    1. Hi Theresa, I have made this bread with and without the added xanthum gum. I have noticed that without the added xanthum gum it is a little bit more dense and has a slightly different texture. It tastes the same and may be a preference to add the extra xanthum gum. I would suggest trying both ways and see which you prefer.

  23. I wanted to say thank you for providing this recipe! It turned out beautifully from my 9 x 5 loaf pan. I doubled the recipe and it turned out equally splendid from my 16 x 4 x 4 Pullman loaf pan. The taste is divine, the recipe is simple and it is exactly what I’ve been searching for in a gluten free bread—for weeks! I no longer have to miss the wonderful bread I had to give up. Thank you, Jaime! – Joy Kling

  24. Trying it now. I didn’t get the Xanthum because the four states it already had it in there. I hope it still turns out.

  25. Thank you so much for the recipe! Tastes great! Love it. Wondering if anyone has tried aplpesauce instead of eggs or anything else as a substitute that worked??
    I don’t have a mixer so mixed by hand & worked good.

  26. I have tried many many recipes for GF bread. Yours is by far the best I have tried. The sides caved in a bit, but I know why, I let the bread rise too much. Taste and texture are great. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us.

  27. This is by far the best GF bread I have made. I have tried many many recipes to no avail. First time out this was perfect. Great toasted or not,wonderful flavor. I am so happy. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

  28. My first loaf was small and heavy. Second one looked beautiful on the outside,nice crust but too moist in the middle. Followedtemp and time as in the recipe.should I lower the temp and cook it longer. New baker here.

  29. Hi Jamie, This is MamaDawn from Facebook High Altitude baking and cooking. I recently made your bread at 7,500 ft. The only adjustment that was made was to drop the baking powder down to 1 tsp and bake for 55 minutes. The bread was fabulous. Thank you so much. Was wondering if I could post it on our site? With koodos to you of course. Thanks in advance.

  30. I made this bread and it’s the best gluten-free bread I have ever had. My sister has celiac disease and she can only have gluten-free so I am always searching for a gluten-free bread so she can make sandwiches. I have osteoarthritis so gluten isn’t good for me….I also eat gluten-free when I need a slice of bread. This bread is perfect. I have made six loaves so far. Thank you…..Thank you so much. My sister thanks you too. Will be trying to make a cinnamon raisin today…..will let you know how it turned out. Thanks.

  31. Hi! It looks great and I’m dying yo try it out based on the comments. Where I live GF flours in general are very expensive and hard to get ahold of, the one that I’ve found most easily is corn flour… Can I substitute the All-purpose flour for corn flour? Xantham gum is the same, expensive AF. I’ve read that one can substitute it with chia seeds which actually sounds much healthier. Have you ever tried it?

  32. 5 stars
    Great recipe. The only thing I changed was substituted aquafaba for the eggs. Made a nice moist bread which you can actually slice to make a sandwich. My granddaughter is allergic to so many things and also has celiac disease therefore making it difficult to bake things that she can eat and that actually taste good. Thanks for the recipe. Will certainly be making again.

  33. Sadly, I have just been told by my functional medicine doctor that xanthan gum is made from wheat. I will be trying this with a flour without xanthan gum. I will substitute arrow root starch. I’ll let you know how it goes.

  34. I bake alot and have tried two other recipes of gluten free bread, yours is the best. Recipe is so easy and I can whip it up in no time at all. Thanks again!jean

  35. Hi Jaime. I just bought a Pullman pan that is 13 inches long and 4 inches wide. Is this recipe going to work in my new pan?

  36. 5 stars
    I just recently have been diagnosed with celiac & have been trying different recipes, they were ok but quite heavy & dense, was so surprised by your recipe. I could have gobbled up the whole loaf it was so good, fluffy & light. Also such a quick & easy recipe. The only change I made was I used the gluten free bread flour from Bulk Barn as I didn’t have any of Bob’s Red Mill. Thanks again, I can now stop experimenting & just enjoy!

  37. 5 stars
    The MOST DELICIOUS loaf of bread I have made for myself, and been able to eat all by my self!!! The only problem I have now is my granddaughter is a vegetarian and wants me to make 3 loaves every week! Guess what? I very well will! I have Crohn’s Disease since I was 2yr old. A long time to know what to eat. But I really believe I could eat more than 1 loaf of this bread at time. You are truly a God’s send to me and my family!! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Claudia.

  38. Hi, I’ve been looking for a gluten free /interstitial cystitis friendly recipe. Is there anything that I can substitute the vinegar with?
    Thanks for the help!

    1. Hello Katy, if you aren’t using any vinegar, the only thing that might work would be lemon juice. I have no idea how that would turn out though but you could try it. You could also try omitting the vinegar completely. Let me know what you try and how it worked.

  39. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I finally made a delicious gluten free bread. Your directions are so clear. Loved the hint about warming the water in the microwave for 50 seconds and double checking it’s temperature. Also that you add additional xantham gum above what’s in the bread flour.

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