Learn how to make this soft and chewy gluten free bread recipe! It’s easy to make without too many ingredients and too many complicated steps. If you’ve been missing bread in your gluten free diet then look no further with this recipe!
Bread
Who doesn’t love it? Fresh out of the oven, crusty, artisan bread slathered with butter, or drizzled with olive oil? Gimme all the bread.
It’s the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any main dish while also being just as satisfying on its own.
It’s also the destroyer of diets with its carb filled goodness and an actual source of pain for the millions of people who are afflicted with Coeliac Disease or gluten intolerances. Historically, gluten free breads have been…well…sad. Dry, crumbly, tasteless, not to mention expensive. Thankfully, as time goes on and the demand for gluten free products increases we’re getting better at making do sans gluten without compromising taste and texture.
Homemade Gluten Free Bread Recipe
Altogether this bread is made up of about 10, fairly basic ingredients without too much effort.
Unlike a lot of really great gluten free recipes this bread only requires two different types of flours: rice and tapioca. Since I first made this bread years ago rice & tapioca flour have become one of my favourite combos whenever I’m looking for an easy GF flour blend (like in these Yorkshire Pudding).
Yeast Prep Steps
- Whisk together most of your dry ingredients: flours, salt, xanthan gum and baking powder. Set that bowl aside.
- Dissolve the sugar in warm water.
- You want your water to be warm to the touch, but not hot. Too hot and the heat will kill the yeast which will prevent the bread from rising.
- Stir in the yeast and then let the mixture sit aside for about 5-10 minutes as the yeast foams up.
Dough Steps
- Whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar in another small cup or bowl. You don’t need to mix too much, just enough to get the egg whites slightly foamy.
- Add the yeast-mixture and the oil-mixture to the flour mixture and combine.
- The dough is going to look very wet and very unusual. As long as you mix until no lumps of flour remain you’re alright.
- Spoon the batter into a prepared loaf pan, cover and set aside in a warm place. Let rise at least 30 minutes. The bread should have risen by at least 30%.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes and then enjoy!
Tips
- Since there is no gluten to over work, don’t be afraid of mixing this bad boy up. If you have a stand mixer, that’s perfect. If you don’t have a stand mixer, give yourself a good arm workout and put some elbow grease into it. I tried this out with an electric handheld mixer, and while it did eventually work, I wouldn’t use it again because my dough kept getting stuck.
- The fully mixed dough will look very wet. The first time I made a gluten free dough, I was concerned I had messed up somewhere along the lines because my dough was sticky, wet, and needed to be spooned into my bread pans.
- I find this to be true with baking in general, but especially when working with yeast please make sure to use room temperature ingredients so that the yeast has the opportunity to rise properly.
Can I Make this Egg Free?
Yes! I have a Gluten Free Vegan French Bread recipe you can make! Instead of egg whites, that recipe uses aquafaba (the goopy liquid found in cans of beans). Weird, but it works!
Can I use different flours?
- You can use brown or white rice or a combination of the two.
- You can use arrowroot starch in place of tapioca flour.
- Beyond those changes I haven’t played around much with other types of flours. I do think you could probably use potato starch as well in place of the tapioca but I can’t say for sure yet. I am currently working on a grain free/paleo bread so stay tuned if you’re interested in something like that. (Update: Everything Bagel Almond Flour Bread)
Do I have to use xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum does a couple of things in this recipe: it helps hold on to moisture (something gluten free goods are often desperate for) and provides added structure which is something that gluten would normally provide. Without xanthan or some kind of binder gluten free goods can be dry & crumbly.
If you can’t buy or use xanthan you can use guar gum instead. Both of these can usually be found in the baking or gluten free section of major grocery stores. If all else fails you can always find these on Amazon.
Why didn’t my yeast mixture foam up?
Your water was too hot or too cold. Too hot will kill the yeast and too cold it won’t fully activate.
Your yeast is already dead. Yeast has a shelf life of about 4 months. It can last longer than that but there’s no guarantee. If it’s been awhile since you last used it you may need to buy more.
Can I use sugar substitutes or leave out the sugar all together?
The sugar helps us to see that the yeast is working as it’s what makes it foam up. It’s not actually 100% necessary for the bread, though a little sugar does help with the flavour. If for whatever reason you can have or don’t want to use sugar just leave it out.
- Sugar subs like erythritol & swerve won’t work for the yeast.
- Honey, maple and coconut sugar all work.
If you have any more questions please let me know in the comments below!
Easy Gluten Free French Bread
Learn how to make this soft and chewy gluten free bread! It's easy to make without too many ingredients and too many complicated steps. If you've been missing bread in your gluten free diet then look no further with this recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour (white or brown) (280g)
- 1 cup tapioca flour (100g)
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum*
- 1 tablespoon gluten free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, (360ml) between 105-110 degrees F, 40-43C
- 1 tablespoons gluten free quick rise yeasts
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (you can substitute for another vinegar if you don't have ACV
Instructions
- Whisk together your flours, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder.
- In another bowl or jug mix together hot water and sugar. Stir until your sugar dissolves then add the yeast. Let the yeast foam up for a few minutes.
- While the yeast is foaming up, beat together your three egg whites slightly. Mix in the oil and vinegar.
- Pour the yeast mixture to the flour mixture along with the eggs and mix it all together. Make sure to mix everything until no lumps remain.
- Grease or line 2 (8x4 inch) loaf tin or one french bread pan and spoon your batter into each tin. Cover and stash in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. I like to stow my dough in the microwave or a warmed but off oven for rising process because it keeps my dough free from drafts and disturbances.
- After your dough has risen by about 30% (about 30 minutes) preheat your oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place in the middle and bake for 35-40 minutes, turning the dough about half way through for an even bake.
- Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes until you're ready to slice and serve.
Notes
Recipe lightly adapted from Food.com
Can I make it egg free?
- Yes! You can find the egg free/vegan version of this bread by clicking through to the link here.
Can I use different flours?
- You can use brown or white rice or a combination of the two.
- You can use arrowroot starch in place of tapioca flour.
- Beyond those changes I haven't played around much with other types of flours. I do think you could probably use potato starch as well in place of the tapioca but I can't say for sure.
Can I use sugar substitutes or leave out the sugar all together?
- The sugar helps us to see that the yeast is working as it's what makes it foam up. It's not actually 100% necessary for the bread, though a little sugar does help with the flavour.
- If for whatever reason you can have or don't want to use sugar just leave it out. Sugar subs like erythritol & swerve won't work for the yeast.
- Honey, maple and coconut sugar all work.
Do I have to use xanthan gum?
- Xanthan gum does a couple of things in this recipe: it helps hold on to moisture (something gluten free goods are often desperate for) and provides added structure which is something that gluten would normally provide. Without xanthan or some kind of binder gluten free goods can be dry & crumbly.
- If you can't buy or use xanthan you can use guar gum instead. Both of these can usually be found in the baking or gluten free section of major grocery stores. If all else fails you can always find these on Amazon.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
1 Calories: 115Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 2gMore gluten free bread recipes you might enjoy:
Li says
Hi Sarah, thank you for this recipe, it turned out lovely! The only change I made was replacing the 3 egg whites with 2 eggs and 1 chia egg. Just perfect and so easy to make! 🌸
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Li! I’m so glad you enjoy it! That’s also really helpful to know about the eggs – thanks for coming back to share that 🙂
Ani says
Hi, is this dough too wet to form and bake in a baguette tray?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Ani! That’s totally doable – I baked some recently in a baguette tray myself! As long as you line the tray with baking paper before you rise/bake then you shouldn’t have any trouble. Without lining the tray, enough of the dough ends up falling through the tray as it rises to make more of a mess.
Kathy Cain says
I used King Arthur’s measure for measure flour and it turned out very well. Thank you for an easy recipe!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kathy! Sorry I didn’t see your earlier message sooner asking about the flour! I’m glad it worked out for you 🙂 Thanks for coming back to let us know how it went as well – I know that will be super helpful to feature bakers who might also want to play around with the recipe!
Elizabeth says
I’m liking the look of this recipe to adapt to slimming world. I don’t kneed gluten free and was wondering if I could replace the tapioca flour with bread flour, is that possible do you think?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Elizabeth! I don’t think the recipe would without the tapioca or a similar starch in its place. Gluten free bread dough is quite different from regular gluten containing bread – it’s a lot more like a batter than a typical dough because you need a higher ratio of wet ingredients to hydrate gluten free flours. Regular bread flour is so different from tapioca that I think it’s too much of a wild card to know how everything would come out.
Sorry I could be more help here – I would just hate to steer you wrong!
Adriana Furey says
Amazing!!
What is the best way to store this bread and for how long?
Do you cut immediately?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Adriana! So glad you liked it!
Gluten free bread is especially prone to drying out and hardening up when it’s no longer fresh, so I recommend storing it either wrapped up tightly in plastic wrap, foil or paper bags, or in an airtight container. If you’re able, you can soften it back up by flicking a few water drops on the bread and then popping it into the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. The steam will find its way back into the bread to make it nice and soft again. If you can reheat/steam the bread you can keep it about 4-5 days.
Hope that helps!
Lori says
I tried this recipe as my son cannot eat gluten. After 40 minutes of baking I removed it from the oven and once it had cooled when I cut into the bread it was very doughy, what did I do wrong. My yeast had risen well and I missed everything in a stand mixer. Help
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Lori! How did you measure your ingredients? A kitchen scale will always give you the best results while measuring cups can lead to more varied results. It’s possible (if you used measuring cups) that you didn’t have quite enough flour which would make for a wetter, more doughy bread without the right balance of wet and dry ingredients.
It’s also possible that your oven might run slightly cooler which could have led to an uneven bake.
Either way, I would recommend covering the bread with foil or baking paper to keep it from browning further and leaving it to bake in the oven another 15-20 minutes.
I hope that helps, but feel free to reach out again if this didn’t cover it!
Teresa says
I made this bread and it turned out amazing! I wanted to share the fact that I used a different flour in case anyone else is wondering.
I did not use rice flour as I have an intolerance to rice, so instead I used up what I had. In place of the rice flour I used 1 1/2 cups sorghum and 1/2 cup corn flour plus the 1 cup Tapioca. The outside was nice and crunchy and soft on the inside but not crumbly! As I have experienced before with different gluten free breads. The taste is subtle which is what I prefer so you can taste the toppings, I also made garlic bread with it last night. The loaf tins I used were slightly bigger than recommended so it turned out a bit thin, next time I will use just the one loaf tin. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you 🙂
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Teresa! That’s actually super helpful to know! I’ve been meaning to play around with this recipe to come up with a rice flour free version (I’m coming to learn just how many gluten free foodies are also allergic to rice!). Thank you so much for sharing this – I just got a bag of sorghum flour so I’m going to try this out myself!
So glad you enjoyed it and thank you again for taking the time to come back and share!
Dee says
Hi, I have made this recipe & absolutely LOVE it! I have been trying GF bread recipes for the last year & this one is hands down the best. It was like having “real” bread again. Thank you so much! I do have a question though: how can I go about getting a taller loaf? I have a small Pullman pan that I’d like to try using but I don’t want to waste leftover dough since this recipe makes two loaves. Should I decrease the ingredients so that it will all fit into one 9×4 Pullman loaf pan? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Dee! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this – that makes me so happy to hear!
As for your question, you can certainly halve the recipe to make a smaller amount. I actually do this fairly often to keep myself from eating all the extra bread it makes 😀 You can try to measure out 1 1/2 eggs whites instead of 3, but when I halve the recipe I usually just use 1 whole egg to make it easier. Hope that helps!
Dee says
Thanks so much for responding!
Jeanne says
If I wanted to use a gf sourdough starter with this recipe, would I use that instead of or in addition to the yeast mixture?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Jeanne! I’m just now starting to experiment with making sourdough starter myself. I will hopefully be able to answer this questions sometime soon, but I’m afraid I’m not sure just yet and I’d hate to give you the wrong advice!
Bonnie says
I just made this bread in my bread machine! For all wondering, it works wonderfully! The top of the loaf did deflate but I think that is because I used quick yeast instead of bread machine yeast. I cant eat rice so I switched the flour to a gluten free all purpose without rice. Delicious! Will definitely be making this again and again, so fluffy and soft. This is an actual gluten free bread that you can eat without toasting first!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing about the bread machine too! I get that question a lot so it’s super helpful to know. Thanks so much Bonnie!