Bread lovers, rejoice. This gluten free bread is the real deal – with a soft, chewy open crumb and a deliciously crisp caramelised crust. It’s also super easy to prepare, and it behaves similarly to regular wheat bread: it can be kneaded and shaped, and goes though two rounds of rising. And it’s vegan – no eggs or dairy products needed!
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Before we get to the (long awaited) gluten free bread recipe, I’ve got some (super exciting, can’t-believe-this-is-happening) news: I am writing a book.
Wait, let’s put that in all-caps – because this definitely feels like a “shouting from the rooftops” moment: I AM WRITING A BOOK.
I will have more details to share with you soon, but here’s the short of it: it’s a gluten free baking book, covering everything from cakes and cupcakes, through brownies and cookies, all the way to pies and tarts – and bread. In fact, there will be over 15 different bread recipes, from artisan loaves (like this recipe) to enriched doughs like cinnamon rolls and babka.
To say that I am over-the-moon excited would be an understatement. And I cannot wait to share more book details with you over the coming weeks and months!
But for now: let’s talk gluten free bread.
I’ve been working on a reliable gluten free bread recipe for years now – and it’s finally at a stage where it tastes, smells, looks and feels like regular, wheat-based bread. It’s also prepared pretty much like regular bread: you can knead it, it goes through two rounds of rising (the bulk fermentation and the final proof) and you can shape it whichever way you want.
All that said, there are a few (very important!) differences between regular and gluten free bread in terms of the ingredients and the method of preparation that make this recipe work – and I will guide you through them, step by step.
Now, this post includes just a brief overview of the vast, exciting world of gluten free bread. It’s more of a peek even, only just scratching the surface of what is possible (and why it’s possible). My book will include even more information (including the underlying science) you’ll need to become an experienced, confident gluten free bread baker – but this recipe and this post are an excellent starting point.
Before we get to the nitty gritty of how to make your own gluten free bread, here’s a quick overview of the many reasons why it’s absolutely amazing.
Why you’ll LOVE this gluten free bread recipe
1. The soft, chewy interior. The words “pillowy soft” come to mind with every bite – the bread has a gorgeous open crumb and just enough chew to it, like any proper bread should.
2. The crisp, caramelised crust. The crust cracks and crackles as you cut it, and it’s full of those amazing flavours that are brought about by the wonders of caramelisation.
3. The flavour. If you want to compare this gluten free bread to a loaf of regular bread, it’s on the whole wheat side of the flavour spectrum. Its taste is wholesome and more complex than that of your average loaf of white bread, thanks to the addition of buckwheat flour. At the same time, it doesn’t have the overpowering, slightly acidic flavour of, for instance, rye bread. It’s a nice everyday sort of loaf, and it’s amazing with some butter and jam, spread with hummus or as part of a toasted cheese sandwich.
4. In addition to gluten free, it’s also vegan. That’s right, there’s no eggs and no dairy products in this recipe!
5. Easily adaptable depending on the ingredients you have on hand. I’m fully aware that you might not have all the ingredients on hand, which is why I’ve included a detailed list of substitutions at the end of this post and also within the recipe card.
6. Easy to make. I know that making your own gluten free bread might sound scary and impossible. But believe me when I say – it’s really not. And the results… oh my, they are so worth it.
Before we get to the bits and bobs of making this AMAZING bread – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!
The ingredients for gluten free bread
The list of ingredients for this gluten free bread is actually surprisingly short. (As always, the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of the page.)
- active dried yeast
- sugar (to kick-start the yeast action)
- warm water
- psyllium husk (which acts as a gluten substitute – more on that below)
- potato starch (not to be confused with potato flour – these are two completely different things!)
- brown rice flour (needs to be very finely milled, also called “superfine”)
- buckwheat flour
- salt (adds flavour)
- apple cider vinegar (gives the yeast an extra boost of activity by creating a slightly acidic environment)
What is psyllium husk and what is its role in gluten free bread?
This is probably the only unfamiliar ingredient in the list above – but one that is absolutely crucial if you want to bake proper gluten free bread.
And before you ask: there is no substitute for psyllium husk.
Psyllium husk is available in two forms: as the rough husk or as a fine powder. This recipe uses the rough husk, which has the following appearance:
When it’s mixed with water, psyllium husk forms a gel – and this is what acts as the gluten substitute, both in the dough and in the baked loaf.
Before baking, the psyllium gel helps to create a dough that can be kneaded and shaped (as opposed to a bread “batter” that has to be scooped or poured into a loaf tin). It also gives the dough enough elasticity so that it can trap the gas produced through the yeast action and expand during the bulk fermentation and the final proof.
In the final baked loaf, psyllium is responsible for the characteristic elasticity and flexibility of the bread, as well as its amazing chewy texture with an open crumb.
Mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough
First, mix the yeast and sugar with some warm water to activate the yeast. After 5 – 10 minutes, it will become bubbly and frothy, which means that the yeast is active. If there’s no bubbles and/or foam formation, you’ll know that it’s inactive (possibly expired) and you should open a new yeast package.
Next up, prepare the psyllium gel by mixing the psyllium husk with some water. The gel will begin to form within seconds.
Then:
- Add the potato starch, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour,
- and salt to a bowl,
- and mix thoroughly to combine.
- Make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture,
- the psyllium gel, and
- the apple cider vinegar.
Now, we come to the mixing and kneading stage – there’s really no right or wrong way to knead gluten free bread, as you don’t have to go though the stretching motions you’d typically use to build up the elasticity in a gluten-containing wheat bread.
Once the wet and the dry ingredients are combined, I tend to squeeze the dough through my fingers until smooth and homogeneous. After a few minutes you’ll notice the dough coming away from the sides and it will be easy to form it into a rough ball.
While it won’t have the same super-stretchy elasticity of a gluten-containing wheat dough, there’s enough elasticity there that you can stretch portions of it without them breaking off. (Thank you, psyllium husk!)
Before the bulk proof, shape the dough into a ball. This is best done on a lightly oiled surface with lightly oiled hands. You can see the step-by-step photos of how to shape the dough below: lightly flatten the dough into a disc, then take individual portions along the edge and fold them back, rotating the dough as you go.
Once you complete one 360 degree rotation of the dough, you should be left with a ball of dough. Flip it seam side down and rotate in place to seal the seams.
1st rise: bulk fermentation
For the bulk fermentation, place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and let the dough to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. It will approximately double in volume.
The purpose of the bulk fermentation is primarily flavour development – this is what ensures that your loaf will have that wonderfully complex flavour we associate with properly baked bread.
Shaping the dough
Once doubled in volume, the dough can be shaped. The process is very similar to the shaping done before the bulk fermentation, with the exception that it’s done on a lightly floured surface (I like to use brown rice flour for dusting the work surface and proofing basket).
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use the heel of your hand to essentially knead the dough into shape – fold section of the dough back onto themselves, rotating the dough as you go. It’s very likely that the dough won’t be super smooth after the first 360 degrees rotation – just continue kneading until you’re happy with how it looks.
Then, flip it seam side down onto a part of the work surface that isn’t covered in flour and rotate in place to seal the seams.
2nd rise: final proof
Transfer the shaped dough into a lightly floured 7 inch round proofing basket, seam side up. Pinch the seams together to close and seal if necessary.
Cover with a damp tea towel and proof in a warm place for about 1 hour or until approximately doubled in volume.
Oven set-up
You should start pre-heating the oven to 480 ºF (250 ºC) about 30 – 45 minutes before you plan to bake the bread.
This is the oven set-up I use:
I prefer to use a cast iron skillet rather than a Dutch oven/combo cooker (although I do have one), as I’ve noticed that my gluten free breads show slightly better oven spring (that is: the baked loaves are taller) using a skillet.
That said, if you only have a Dutch oven/combo cooker on hand, feel free to use that. The bread will still turn out gorgeous and delicious. While I only outline the method for using a skillet in the post, the recipe at the bottom includes information for both a skillet AND a Dutch oven/combo cooker.
The baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven will hold hot water to create steam in the first 20 minutes of baking – the steam is there to keep the crust of the bread malleable enough for the final expansion (oven spring) to take place before the crust starts setting. (Note that this isn’t required if you use a closed baking environment like a Dutch oven or combo cooker, as that traps the steam generated by the bread itself.)
It’s important to pre-heat the skillet/Dutch oven/combo cooker as well as the baking tray in the oven, so that everything is scorching hot and ready for the perfectly proofed bread.
Baking the gluten free bread
Once proofed and doubled in volume:
- turn the bread out onto a piece of baking/greaseproof paper (I like to use a baking sheet to help with this step),
- score the dough with a sharp knife or a bread lame,
- transfer the dough into the hot skillet,
- place the skillet/Dutch oven/combo cooker in the oven,
- pour hot water into the bottom baking tray,
- add 3 – 4 ice cubes around the bread (between the baking/greaseproof paper and the skillet), and
- close the oven door.
Bake the dough with steam at 480 ºF (250 ºC) for 20 minutes, then remove the tray with water, reduce the oven temperature to 450 ºF (230 ºC) and bake for a further 40 – 50 minutes. (If the top of the loaf starts browning too quickly, you can cover it with a sheet of aluminium foil, shiny side up.)
Cooling the loaf
Okay, here I’m supposed to tell you that it’s incredibly important that the gluten free bread is completely 100% cool before you cut into it. And… it is. Cooling sets the crumb and ensures it’s not sticky or unpleasantly gummy.
On the other hand – I’m a terribly impatient human being and tend to run out of patience when it reaches the lukewarm stage. It’s still okay.
All this is to say: don’t go cutting into the loaf while it’s hot or super warm, but if it feels only slightly lukewarm to the touch and you REALLY want to go for it… slice away.
I mean, who can possibly resist this???
Possible substitutions
Although all the ingredients in the recipe should be easily accessible either in your local grocery store or online, I still wanted to include a list of substitutions you can make. (NOTE: all substitutions should be made by weight and not by volume.)
- Active dried yeast: You can use instant yeast, in which case you don’t need to activate it, but just add it straight to the dry ingredients along with the sugar. Add the water that would be used in activating the active dried yeast to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel and apple cider vinegar.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can use other types of vinegar, although I recommend sticking to apple cider vinegar if at all possible.
- Psyllium husk: YOU CAN’T SUBSTITUTE IT WITH A DIFFERENT INGREDIENT. But if you use psyllium husk powder as opposed to the rough husk form, use only 75% of the weight listed in the recipe.
- Potato starch: You can use corn starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch instead.
- Brown rice flour: You can use millet flour instead.
- Buckwheat flour: You can use white teff flour, sorghum flour or oat flour instead.
A note on measurements (tl;dr: if possible, use a scale)
While I’ve included the volume measurements (cups and spoons) in the recipe card below, if at all possible (and I really cannot overemphasise this): USE METRIC GRAM MEASUREMENTS IF YOU CAN.
They’re much more precise and produce more reliably delicious results. This is true for pretty much all of baking – a kitchen scale will invariably give better results than cups and tablespoons.
Recommended products for gluten free bread baking
Below, you will find the tools that will help you get the best results on your gluten free bread adventure. Note that not all of them are strictly necessary – a proofing basket can be replaced by a bowl lined with a clean tea towel, you can score the bread with a sharp knife, and a sturdy baking tray that holds heat really well can replace the cast iron skillet.
However, these are the tools that will give the best bread, simply because that’s what they were created and optimised for. For instance, the cast iron skillet and Dutch oven are excellent at holding onto heat, which helps give the bread that delicious crunchy crust.
- 7 inch round proofing basket
- bread lame set with 5 razor blades
- 10 inch cast iron skillet
- 5 quart cast iron Dutch oven
- 5 quart cast iron combo cooker
So that’s it, friends.
The start of your gluten free bread baking journey. Wonderful, delicious things lie ahead.
Enjoy.
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The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread Recipe (Artisan Style Loaf)
Bread lovers, rejoice. This gluten free bread is the real deal – with a soft, chewy open crumb and a deliciously crisp caramelised crust. It’s also super easy to prepare, and it behaves similarly to regular wheat bread: it can be kneaded and shaped, and goes though two rounds of rising. And it’s vegan – no eggs or dairy products needed!
Ingredients
- 8 g (2 1/2 tsp) active dried yeast
- 20 g (2 tbsp) superfine/caster sugar
- 390 g (1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp) warm water, divided
- 20 g (1/4 cup) psyllium husk (rough husk form)
- 130 g (3/4 cup + 3 tbsp) buckwheat flour
- 100 g (1/2 cup + 3 tbsp) potato starch (NOTE: this is different from potato flour)
- 90 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) brown rice flour (needs to be very finely ground, "superfine")
- 10 g (2 tsp) table or sea salt
- 12 g (2 tsp) apple cider vinegar
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar and 150 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) warm water. Set aside for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing.
In a separate bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and 240 g (1 cup) water. After about 15 – 30 seconds, a gel will form.
In a large bowl, mix together the buckwheat flour, potato starch, brown rice flour and salt, until evenly combined.
Add the yeast mixture, psyllium gel and apple cider vinegar to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough until smooth and it starts coming away from the bowl, about 5 – 10 minutes. You can knead by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Transfer the bread to a lightly oiled surface and knead it gently, forming it into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, seam side down, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it gently while forming it into a tight ball (see post for step-by-step photos). Flip it seam side down onto a part of the work surface that isn’t covered in flour and rotate in place to seal the seams.
Place the dough into a 7 inch round proofing basket that you’ve dusted with some brown rice flour with the seams facing upwards. Cover with a damp tea towel and proof in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
While the loaf is proofing, pre-heat the oven to 480 ºF (250 ºC) with a cast iron skillet on the middle rack or a Dutch oven/combo cooker on the lower middle rack. If you’re using a skillet, place a baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven.
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out of the bread basket onto a piece of baking paper and score the top with a pattern of choice (the easiest pattern is a cross, about ¼ – ½ inch deep), using a bread lame or sharp knife. Take the hot cast iron skillet or Dutch oven/combo cooker out of the oven and then transfer the bread along with the baking paper into it.
For a skillet or combo cooker, this is easiest by sliding a pizza peel or baking sheet underneath the baking paper and then using it to slide the bread along with the baking paper gently into the hot skillet/combo cooker. For a Dutch oven, use the sides of the baking paper as handles to transfer the bread into it.
If using a skillet: place the skillet in the oven, pour hot water into the bottom baking tray, add 3 – 4 ice cubes around the bread (between the baking/greaseproof paper and the skillet), and close the oven door.
If using a Dutch oven/combo cooker: add 3 – 4 ice cubes around the bread (between the baking/greaseproof paper and the walls of the Dutch oven/combo cooker) and close it, then place it into the pre-heated oven.
Bake at 480 ºF (250 ºC) with steam for 20 minutes – don’t open the Dutch oven or the oven doors during this initial period, as that would allow the steam to escape out of the oven.
After the 20 minutes, remove the bottom tray with water from the oven (for cast iron skillet) or uncover the Dutch oven/combo cooker, reduce the oven temperature to 450 ºF (230 ºC), and bake for a further 40 - 50 minutes in a steam-free environment. The final loaf should be of a deep, dark brown colour. If the loaf starts browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminium foil, shiny side up, and continue baking until done.
Transfer the loaf onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage: The gluten free bread keeps well in a closed container or wrapped in a tea towel in a cool dry place for 3 – 4 days.
Recipe Notes
POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS
- Active dried yeast: You can use instant yeast, in which case you don’t need to activate it, but just add it straight to the dry ingredients along with the sugar. Add the water that would be used in activating the active dried yeast to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel and apple cider vinegar.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can use other types of vinegar, although I recommend sticking to apple cider vinegar if at all possible.
- Psyllium husk: YOU CAN’T SUBSTITUTE IT WITH A DIFFERENT INGREDIENT. But if you use psyllium husk powder as opposed to the rough husk form, use only 75% of the weight listed in the recipe.
- Potato starch: You can use corn starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch instead.
- Brown rice flour: You can use millet flour instead.
- Buckwheat flour: You can use white teff flour, sorghum flour or oat flour instead.
NOTE: All substitutions should be made by weight not by volume.
Looking for more delicious gluten free recipes?
You’re in the right place!
467 thoughts on “The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread Recipe (Artisan Style Loaf)”
This is a delicious GF loaf. It also worked great for me replacing psyllium husk with chia seeds (a couple tablespoons in boiling water and hand blend to break apart and make a sticky goo). It also gives the loaf a nice seedy taste and appearance.
Amazing, it tastes like real bread we used to get in Germany. My wife is gluten free and we have never found anything close to this.
Do you think one could double the ingredients to make a lager bread.
I have been experimenting and trying bread recipes for 15 years since discovering my gluten intolerance, searching for something that even comes close to the real deal. I also almost never make comments online. But I must say this recipe is dynamite! Absolutely winning and we have made 3 loaves this past week alone. This will be a regular staple in our house. Thank you! I’m happy to say, my search is over!
THANK YOU! is it normal for it to be a little bit sticky to the touch when sliced? I did wait the whole night for it to cool down. after toasting a bit It was for sure perfect. My son veredict “tastes like real bread”. I sliced it it and freezed. Where I live its almost impossible to find brown rice flour (and any of the substitutions) so I used Bob Red Mills 1 to 1. wish I could send you a picture!
Hi Monica, I’m so glad you and your son enjoyed the bread!! The bread shouldn’t be sticky to the touch when you slice it, though it does sometimes happen, mostly if the bread didn’t lose enough moisture during baking. Try baking it a bit longer next time, that should help. The other potential problem might be the use of Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 instead of brown rice flour – the 1 to 1 flour will always contain some starchy flours, which tend to give a slightly sticky crumb if they make up too much of the flour mix. If you’re using the 1 to 1 flour instead of brown rice flour, try reducing its amount and increasing the amount of buckwheat flour to make up for the increase in the proportion of starchy fours.
I made this recipe a few times and it’s amazing.
Can I somehow make the dough more liquid and put it in a tin form? Any one tried..? I want a sandwich bread shape…
I made this recipe many times now, it’s amazing. Do you think I can add more water and make it in a tin form..like a sandwich loaf ?
Hi Yvonne, I’m so glad you like the recipe! You shouldn’t need to add more water, just shape it into a log after the first rise, place it into a loaf tin and proof before baking as per the recipe (with the steam source). Also, I’d recommend having a look at my Gluten Free Seeded Loaf recipe, with has a sandwich loaf shape.
Has anyone left this bread in the fridge overnight? If so, what was the result and when is best to do this – first or second rise?
I have and it overproofed. I’ve been following the recipe without substitutions but adding 200ml more water (most likely necessary for my climate conditions) and the load comes out flawless every time but I definitely see a HUGE difference in the strength of the dough and the evenness of the air pockets when the bread is kneaded twice and left to rise twice.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing. Like you said it’s actually quite easy to make for a very delicious result. Can’t wait to make again tomorrow because we have already eaten half the loaf!!
It had a deliciously spongy texture and great crust!
This bread is divine!! One thing of note is my bread was a very dark grey color because of the buckwheat fLour. You said you used buckwheat flour… is that accurate or did you use white teff or sorghum? I also used coconut palm sugar, didn’t make a difference. Was just a great loaf. The rise was minimal in the oven as I have a Dutch oven and not a skillet like you do. Thank you. I will make using white teff and sorghum to see which I like best of the three. The sorghum I hear is the closest in taste to whole wheat so I will def try. Can’t wait to get your new book even though I don’t have a sweet tooth. Thank you!!!
Hi Janine, I’m so glad you loved the bread! I did use buckwheat flour, but I’ve found that it can vary widely between brands (the Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour in particular seems to give very dark bread). You can definitely use sorghum or white teff instead. And I really hope you’ll love my book! xx
Hello Kat,
This turned out wonderfully; thank you so much for the recipe! I was hoping you could provide the brand of psyllium husks you use as well as the brands of flours? The crumb and crust came out perfectly, but the inside is just as dark as the crust. This doesn’t affect the flavor, but I would much rather the inside look a bit lighter.
Thanks!
H
Hi H, I usually use Planète au Naturel blonde whole psyllium husk, and I get my gluten-free flours from Shipton Mill here in the UK. In general, I recommend using “blonde” psyllium husk (as other varieties can sometimes give colour to your bread). Also, other readers have had problems with Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour, as it gave their bread a dark, almost purple colour – so, if you used it in your bread, that might be the cause of the dark inside crumb.
Hi! I enjoyed making this recipe. I followed all the directions and didn’t make any substitutions. I baked the longest amount of time recommended and waited for it to cool before cutting. The flavor is very nice and crust texture is great. However, the crumb was a bit gummy. Any idea what a good internal temperature might be to know when it’s done? Thanks!
Hi Megan, the internal temperature should be around 90-95ºC, though gluten-free bread can reach that temperature and still need a bit longer in the oven if it hasn’t lost enough moisture from the centre. And it sounds like that might have been the case with your loaf – if it’s a bit gummy or sticky on the knife when you cut it, it probably needed a bit longer in the oven to lose some more moisture in the form of steam.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I bake a lot of sourdough and other breads but this was my first time with GF. It’s so easy to make, especially with the step-by-step instructions, and it’s delicious. I have made it twice now: first time with buckwheat and second time with oat flour. Both were fantastic! For an everyday loaf I think I preferred the oat. The only other change I made was to reduce the salt to 8g. I can’t wait to make this loaf for my coeliac dad. THANK YOU!
Could you substitute the yeast with sourdough starter? I make regular wheaten sourdough bread for my partner and wanted to try making gluten free with a GF starter.
Hi Rowena, I’ve never tried this with a GF sourdough starter personally, but I’ve been told by other readers that it works really well!
Love this bread! But, can you give me any tips how to make it bake up “dome-shaped” like yours? My dough doubles in size nicely, but after transferring to my hot Dutch oven, it tends to spread into a huge hamburger bun shape…being only 1 1/2” high.
I’ve added brown sugar and teaspoon of molasses for extra flavor. Makes the best toast!
Hi Lorna, so glad you’ve been enjoying the bread! Hmm… what size is your proofing basket? If it’s larger than recommended in the recipe, that can be part of the reason why your bread spreads out. Also, what’s the consistency of your dough? Is it very wet and sticky and loose?
I became gluten-intolerant rather suddenly about seven years ago, after having my first child. Since then I’ve tried a lot of commercial gluten-free breads, and found them either too cake-like, too dry, or just lacking flavor. I decided to give breadmaking a go, and this recipe came highly recommended. Well-recommended, as it turns out, because this is probably the most delicious bread I’ve had in years! Even my husband loves it, and he hasn’t liked any GF bread we’ve tried before. Thanks so much, this recipe is amazing 🙂
My oven won’t go higher than 200 degrees Celsius. Is there any way I can still make this bread? It looks so good!
Hi Marianne, 200ºC is a bit low but you could try… though I have to say I’m sceptical whether this recipe would work, it does need the super high oven temperature to achieve good oven spring and moisture evaporation.
HI one more thing I want to ask you that can I substitute vinegar for something else ? Thank you .
You can try using lemon juice, it needs to be acidic to give a boost to the yeast. Note, however, that I’ve never tried using lemon juice so I’m not sure how it will behave, as it has a different composition than vinegar.
I had to use lemon juice as I am intolerant to vinegar and apples and it turned out beautiful – It was my first time making this (as I’m following a Low FODMAP plan) and I have to say despite getting very messy during the kneeling part it turns out to be delicious.
I have just made this loaf for the first time and even though I had problems with my yeast so added quick yeast plus additional water, the loaf has turned out well. My dough was wetter than it should have been so wasn’t the easiest to shape the first time along with not proving as it should either so I sat the dough bowl above a bowl of boiling water which seemed to help. I will definitely make again. I now have your book Kat and I see that your artisan style loaves vary slightly to this one, so now armed with all the flours I am really looking forward to trying more.
Do you have any thoughts as to why my dough was extra sticky please?
Many thanks
Sandra
Hi Sandra, so glad the bread was a success in the end – even if you ran into a few problems when making it! Extra sticky or wet dough could be a consequence of your GF flours not being very finely milled. Were they fine powders or on the coarser side, like polenta or grits? Coarse flours have a poorer water absorption capacity, which can result in a wetter, stickier dough. Hope this helps and I hope you’ll have lots of fun baking from my book! xx
I have just made you seeded bread and loved it. Best GF I have tasted but still a little heavy for a sandwich so I want to make this white one. Can I cook it in the bread tin to make a square sandwich loaf? Thank you for sharing your recipes and look forward to buying your book.
Hi Ros, you could definitely bake it in a bread/loaf tin!
I was very excited about making this bread but for some reason it didn’t rise even after leaving It an extra hour in a warm place.
The only substitution’s I made were, oat flour instead of the buckwheat and instant yeast instead of active dried yeast. I did mix the yeast with the sugar and water in a jug and added it to the flour when it was frothy on top, which happened quickly. Could that be the problem?
Hi Diane, so sorry you had trouble with the recipe! As stated in the recipe, if using instant yeast, you shouldn’t activate it in water but rather add it directly to the dry ingredients. It’s very possible that that’s the reason why your dough didn’t rise properly, I recommend making it with active dried yeast next time, or adding the instant yeast directly to the dry ingredients.
Hi, I just made this loaf and unfortunately we didn’t ( couldn’t ) wait until it was cool, 100% cool, so it was a bit squished. My buckwheat flour was very dark so the inside was quite different than the pictures above.
For gluten free bread, it was very good, lovely texture and the crust is amazing. I’m very happy I tried this recipe.
What do you use to measure in “grams”?
Erm… a digital kitchen scale?
I’m wondering if I can use a silicone baking mat instead of baking paper for baking in my cast iron pan?
Hi Helen, I’ve never tried it, but my concern would be that the silicone mat might melt at the high oven temperature, especially in contact with the super hot cast iron. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Ah, thank you, thank you for posting this & sharing your knowledge. I’m a celiac and make this break every Sunday. I’m so glad it has such wholesome ingredients that you can find anywhere. Since making this, I’ve experimented with substituting gf sourdough starter (adjusted measurements), adding cooked quinoa for extra complexity and different seeds – you cannot really go wrong with it. I also read to chill gf dough before the hot oven for the rise – doesn’t seem to change much for me, but good knowing if you need the freedom to put it in the fridge overnight, it will turn out fine. Such a game changer than buying expensive gf artisan bread or trying to source really weird ingredients. 5 stars! Thank you heaps!
Just amazing made yesterday. I am GF and I was sent the recipe and ingredients by my brother in law telling me you must make this bread it is delicious! At first I thought gosh this looks complicated but in practice it isn’t. For anyone who has proofing and bread making settings in their oven try as I used them and it was great. Next to try are brownies!!!
WOW!! Wife eats GF bread and it has been an extremely tough ask to make our own as it has never turned out right. The bread is either too stodgy, soft, sour, or just doesn’t bind well, so this recipe was tried with an open mind…
We have 100% success with this recipe and cannot thank you enough! We followed the recipe to the letter, with the exception of extra time to prove just to ensure the shape was right, etc, and though we didn’t have a skillet or dutch oven, we just used a baking tray with greaseproof paper. The steam element was certainly a technical challenge, but in the end used a roasting tray which was pre heated in the oven and then added ice cold water to it and shutting the oven door immediately.
We have just tried the bread and I honestly cannot tell the difference between a normal Artisan loaf which I tend to eat or this GF version, it is that good. Perfect taste with a nice spread of butter.
Can I substitute the active yeast with a GF starter and if so how much?
Thank you and can’t wait to try this.
Hi Stacey, I personally haven’t tried it with a GF sourdough starter, but I’ve been told by other readers that it works really well. I believe they used quite a large amount of starter (over 100g I believe?) but it did mean they had to tweak the other ingredient quantities as well. The exact amount of starter and how you’ll have to adjust the other ingredient quantities will depend on the hydration and activity of your starter, so you might need to do a few trial runs.
Thank you for this recipe! It was clear and easy for this FIRST TIME BREAD BAKER to follow! Mine turned out great. It is a purply color because I did use bobs red mill, but the taste and texture are fabulous. Exceeded my expectations.
I wish I had seen this comment before,. I used the Bobs as well!!
Without doubt the best gluten free bread I have ever eaten. Thank you for posting. So so good
Have you had success with baking two loaves at one time? It is so good that it goes very fast!
If making two loaves, would you mix all the ingredients together and then decide when proofing?
Hi Kathy, I’m so glad you like the bread! I’ve never tried baking two loaves at once, but in principle it should work, provided you have an oven that fits two Dutch ovens or cast iron skillets, or you could try baking two loaves on a pizza stone or similar. If making two loaves, mix all the ingredients together and bulk proof the whole dough together, then divide into two before shaping and proofing again.
That’s exactly what I did yesterday to double this incredible recipe. Mixed all together and did first rise in a really big bowl, then weighed the dough and split evenly into two for second rise. I used my regular cast iron skillet and a “grill” bottom one (has raised ridges), which both fit on one oven rack, with the pan of water below. With the parchment paper, I was hoping it wouldn’t matter, and it didn’t. Both turned out perfect!
So good!! The crust on the outside has the perfect amount of chew, but not so hard that you’re gonna break some teeth!! lol. The inside is chewy, but not gummy. Really nice texture. Hoping that it stores well — but there might not be any left to keep overnight!!
The only change from the recipe was using whole buckwheat groats. I used the dry container of my vitamix to grind the groats into a flour with the sugar. The detailed instructions were so helpful!
I’m disappointed, this gluten free bread did not turn out the texture or taste I wanted. This is my second try, and I was hoping for improvement after tweaking some things, but it turned out just as gummy as the first. It also tastes like phsyllium husks, which is pretty unpleasant. At least my family surprisingly likes it.
Hi CeCe, I’m so sorry you’ve had trouble with the recipe – it’s been successfully made my hundreds of people by now, so I’m not quite sure what went wrong. Did you change anything about the recipe? What kind of psyllium husk did you use? Because psyllium husk definitely shouldn’t have a strong flavour!
Hi Kat…..first of all ….thanks for creating these lovely recipes 😊 I totally love this bread…..the crumb, the flavour and the ease of baking. I am having one problem…..I use a Dutch oven because that’s what I have. Unfortunately the bottom of the bread is always burnt ….i’ve made it 3 times now and it always the same. Any ideas ? My oven seems to be fine with other recipes so not sure what I’m doing wrong
Hi Janis, I’m so glad you enjoy the bread! So, regarding the burnt bottom of the bread, there are a couple of things you could try:
1) Place an extra couple of sheets of baking paper under the bread (between the bread and Dutch oven), which will reduce the amount of heat that reaches the bottom of the bread from the hot cast iron.
2) You could try placing a baking tray on the bottom oven rack, which would block some of the heat coming from the bottom of the oven.
I hope this helps!!
I am so impressed with this recipe! I usually bake regular wheat sourdough bread but my dad is visiting and he is gluten free. I test baked this recipe to make sure it was good before making it for him and holy moly! It turned out perfect first try and was so easy to make. The crust was crisp and chewy with a soft inside that didn’t even crumble. It resembles sourdough and I would even think it was gluten free if I didn’t know. My dad will love this and I look forward to experimenting with some of the substitute options. Thank you so much for creating this beautiful recipe!
OMG – This is finally a loaf that tastes just like real bread! Thank you so much! I have tried many recipes with some success but never really tasting that great. This is truly airy and crusty. Thank you for all your hard work creating such an amazing recipe.
Made this for the first yesterday for my husband who is just embarking on wheat reduction – struggled a bit with the sticky consistency but even though I didn’t manage to achieve a smooth tight ball of dough at the final shaping, I kept the faith and left it for a final prove in the basket. The bread turned out perfectly – a crispy crust, lovely crumb and a good chew rather than the “pappy” stuff we’ve tried so far which disintegrates when you try to spread butter on it. One question – will white rice flour work as well as brown rice flour? Only asking as I have a large bag of the white lurking in the cupboard. Congratulations on a fantastic recipe – husband is so pleased because he loved a good bit of bread and was beginning to despair! Thank you. Wish I could share a photo!
Hi Fiona, I’m so glad both you and your husband enjoyed my GF bread recipe! I don’t recommend trying to use white rice flour instead of the brown – I’ve found that they have fairly different properties in GF baking, and replacing one for the other probably wouldn’t give the best result.
I’ve made this recipe twice now, when I finished baking the bread it has a very nice hard crumb, but when it starts to cool down it changes to soft. Welcoming any ideas?
Hi Danielle, that is the case for most (GF and non-GF) breads, that the crust softens somewhat in time. If you want a harder crust, you can bake the bread a bit longer.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I’m a bread lover and had to go gluten free recently for health reasons. This bread came out soft, chewy, tasty and with a crisp crust. This is so delicious. Like really. It’s my first ever GF loaf and I’m over the moon with the results. Sooo much better than any store bought ones I’ve had and so easy to make. It was really hard to wait till it was cooled before cutting into it (but I waited!). Looking forward to having it for breakfast in the morning.
First ever *home baked* GF loaf! I’ve only ever baked normal bread before going GF. 🙂
This is a brilliant recipe – the resulting loaf has the texture and crust of wheat flour bread. I substitute maize flour for buckwheat and it worked just as well.
Wow, Kat. You are a magician! My daughter, a huge bread baker, was diagnosed with Celiac’s just a few weeks ago. I tried this recipe based on all of the glowing comments. My daughter beamed when she tasted this bread. It’s so true what the others have said. This isn’t just a fantastic gluten free recipe – it’s fantastic bread! You cannot tell the difference. Your detailed instructions were great. I used brown rice and oat flours. The recipe worked perfectly until I turned the dough out of the proofing basket. The top 15% of the loaf stuck to the basket. This was my first time using a proofing basket (I bought the one you recommended). I guess I didn’t flour it enough? I used the brown rice flour, but only coated the basket lightly. I scraped off what I could and stuck it on top of the loaf. It still worked well and tasted amazing, but maybe the loaf was a little shorter than it should have been. What is your suggestion? (I’ll definitely be ordering your book!)
Hi Lyn, thank you so much for your kind words, I’m so glad both you and your daughter enjoyed my GF bread! Regarding the dough sticking to the proofing basket: you want to be very generous when you flour it – it’s better to “over-flour” it and then lightly brush any excess flour off the loaf before it goes into the oven, than to “under-flour” it (as you’ve experienced). GF bread likes to stick to everything if it’s not properly floured, so definitely be sure to properly flour your proofing basket next time! 🙂
OMG! This is delicious bread, let alone do being gluten free. I did everything wrong and it still turned out amazing! I substituted just about everything out for the other ingredient options, except the water. My first rise was a little short because I had an appointment. My second rise was a little long because my appointment went too long. I don’t have a proofing bowl so used what I had and realized I should have used a smaller bowl. Don’t have a cast iron pan or a Dutch oven, used a baking sheet. Couldn’t wait for it to cool completely because the smell was so tempting and I was too impatient and even with all those things this bread is AMAZING!
I love the taste of this bread and have made it a few times now. I’m a fairly experience wheat baker but gluten free is new to me and I’m having problems with the proofing. More like yummy bricks than bread! I’m using brown rice flour but I’m not sure if it’s ground ‘fine’. Could that be it? How sticky should the dough be before the first proof?
Thanks – absolutely love this bread – I don’t feel like missing out on anything with this around. Just need it a bit less dense! 🙂
Hi Anne, your rice flour is ground “fine” if it’s more of a powder – it shouldn’t be coarse like grits or polenta. That could be part of the problem, if your bread is too dense. After the first proof, the dough definitely should be super sticky, you should be able to easily handle it with just a minimal dusting of flour during shaping. Did you change anything about the recipe? Did you weigh your ingredients or did you use cups/volume measurements?
Thank you so much for all your learning, Kat – I am ridiculously thrilled to have found your website. This gf bread recipe is exactly what I need in my life! I have tried to keep my allergy household’s food costs down by playing with gluten free bread recipes for years and absolutely none of them come close to the brilliance you have shared here. I used sorghum flour but otherwise stuck to your very clear and detailed directions. Thank you, thank you, thank you! (I can’t wait for your book!)
Amazing recipe, easy to follow and it makes a great bread. I would not know the difference if haven’t made it myself with GF flours! Also I used regular rice flour instead of the brown one ( which I couldn’t find anywhere ) and the bread turned out great anyway!!
Can I use coconut sugar instead?
Hi Nancy, I’ve never tried it but it should work.
Lovely flavour and texture. It actually is simply bread!! Not a poor excuse or a lovely something else ~ just good bread ☺️
Hi, on mixing together all the ingredients for my dough, I found that it was very dense, dry and not malleable at all, chunks of it would break away when I tried to knead it. The only changes I made were to sub oat flour for buckwheat (measured out to the last gram on a scale) and arrowroot powder in place of potato starch. Should I increase the hydration? Please could you tell me where I went wrong.
Hi Deepika, that is very odd, the substitutions you’ve made shouldn’t affect the hydration or the texture of the dough. Are you sure you didn’t change anything else about the recipe?
Hi, yes positive. I have tried it twice since and since I feel our oat flour in India is more absorbent than the one you use, I tried reducing the dry ingredients. It seemed to make the loaf more manageable but after baking it flattened out completely and looked more like a large pancake. There were also areas in the crmb that looked v dense and gummy. Any ideas? Please help, I love the flavors and want to make it work! Thank you.
In that case, I definitely recommend increasing the hydration until you get to a manageable dough consistency you can knead (see the blog post for photos). It definitely shouldn’t flatten after baking… Did you use the psyllium husk? That should provide the structure the bread needs to prevent it from collapsing.
I am not a baker. When I became gluten free 5 years ago I basically gave up ever becoming one since everything seems to get way harder. This was my first time making bread essentially ever. I followed everything to a T I was so nervous I was going to ruin it. My labors were rewarded and I am still somewhat in shock. This is the best bread I’ve ever had and I can’t believe I made it myself. I can’t wait to make it a regular in the kitchen. I am so grateful and just over the moon that this recipe exists.
This bread turned out absolutely amazing, just like in your pictures – and it was my first ever attempt at baking a proper loaf of bread. Brilliant recipe and brilliant instructions! I gave a slice to my neighbour, who used to have a bakery, and he said it was exceptional, and that it has an excellent crumb. I concur 100%. Will be making this again and again. Thank you!
Thanks for nice recipe! But sometimes with GF bread I have a white crust, like a coat. What is this, can you help to get rid of it? =)
Hi Maxim, a white, dry crust on GF bread means that the bread didn’t have enough moisture in the surrounding environment when it baked, so the outer layer dried out. That’s quite common with GF bread, but shouldn’t happen with this loaf if you’ve added the steam sources (ice cubes and/or a tray of boiling hot water at the bottom of the oven). When making a recipe that doesn’t call for a steam source (typically when baking buns/rolls or similar), you can brush your bread with an egg wash or an oil/butter glaze before baking.
The best bread I ever baked! I followed the step religiously (even though I don’t have a proofing basket; worket with a plastic bowl). It didn’t rise so much but turned out delicious! I used dried yeast but apparently mine is instant too, the first sachet didn’t want to make the bubbles in water so I just added another sachet to the flours (+water).
I will play a bit with other types of flour (I like millet much more) and would love to add some seeds/nuts too, but it’s amazing to finally have nailed this frustrating task of baking a decent looking, deliciously tasting glutenfree bread… thank you!
Great recipe, delicious bread! Perfect first try!
Would there be any problem doubling the recipe for two loaves?
Hi Carol, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can definitely double the recipe to make two loaves – I’d divide the dough in half after the first rise, shape them and then proof again.
Made this for first time today, after searching internet for gluten free bread. So did not make the Artisan bread just 8 rolls. (4 I part baked and put into freezer and 3 vaccum packed.) Had one for lunch and I have never tasted any gluten free bread products this good. Am so grateful to you sharing your knowledge. Wonder if I can experiment with crumpets?
Hi Jil, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and could adapt it to make rolls! I haven’t tried making GF crumpets yet, but developing such a recipe is high on my to-do list! 🙂
Interesting recipe. Reading through this you note that you can bake in any bakeware, but you provide no insights for a regular loaf pan. Did not rate because I have not made the recipe.
Hi David, I haven’t tested this recipe in a loaf pan, as I’ve developed it specifically to work as an artisan-style loaf. I’d recommend you check out my Gluten-Free Seeded Bread recipe, which is baked in a loaf pan!
This is literally the best gluten free bread recipe in the history of gluten free bread recipes!!! I have never found a recipe like it! So thank you thank you! I wish I could rate this 10 stars⭐ The only change I made is Sorghum Flour instead of buckwheat.
Delicious bread, really easy to bake, loved the crust.
Very detailed description and options for alternatives.
Hi ! I must be honest…I bake regular and sd bread weekly with no issues. GF bread has been my nemesis ! I have created enough bricks over the years that I gave up…2 weeks ago I baked your recipe, following it word for word…and had an ugly brick. In retrospect, I think it was the Buckwheat flour, which was past its prime. I am not a fan of Buckwheat as the predominent flour. Today, I ground whole grain oatmeal to a super fine flour, I checked the Brown Rice flour to make sure it was fine (I think next time, I will run it through my food processor to get it super fine)…The potato starch ok, of course. So I proceeded with the recipe…I warmed the bottom of the bowl with warm water, in which i mixed my yeast, water & sugar…my cabinets are on the north side of house…its 20 degrees out there….anyhow, I did everything right…following your direction using my Dutch Oven 3.5 qt. I even bought a 7″ banneton !!! (i used my 9″ the first time) Anyhow, I was a bit leery about your baking temps and time…but, I pretty much followed it…the last 10 minutes, I set the boule directly on my oven rack to finish off . Having allowed the boule to cool …I sliced it a few minutes ago…WHOO HOO !! nice crumb…smells great…and my husband cannot wait to try it tomorrow am. IF BUCKWHEAT puts you off…I strongly recommend making your own oat flour…substitute one for one for the Buckwheat flour. SO THERE IS MY STORY…I am glad I stuck with with it…ONE QUESTION…I knew this was going to be a small loaf …HAVE YOU DOUBLED THIS to make a larger boule ? THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE ! (by the way..the bread I buy in the store for my husband uses phyllium ) I wish I could post a photo of this boule !!
Hi Kay, I’m so glad the bread turned out great in the end! 🙂 The problem with trying to double GF boules is that they can end up a bit wet/sticky in the middle because of reduced moisture evaporation. You can definitely give it a try – just note that people have had mixed results with larger loaves. I’d also recommend you have a look at my GF seeded loaf recipe – that one is 1.5-times larger than my artisan-style loaf: https://theloopywhisk.com/2020/11/29/gluten-free-seeded-loaf/
Do you think I could adapt this recipe fir a bread machine?
I haven’t tested it personally, so I couldn’t say. I know some people have successfully used a bread machine to mix all the ingredients together and for proofing…
I made the bread 12.31.2020. I was surprised that while the dough didn’t look kneadable in the bowl, it was. The end product is chewy, stretchy, the crust is perfect and it has a good taste but it looks black which doesn’t look very palatable. I’m thinking of trying Teff flour the next time. I live in the US, is there a difference in buckwheat flour?
Hi Christine, so glad you enjoyed the bread!! Did you by any chance use Bob’s Red Mill Bbckwheat flour? I’ve had a couple of people comment previously that it turned their bread a dark greyish/purple (and it can apparently sometimes leave a bit of an aftertaste).
Yes I did use Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat flour. I will try Teff flour next time unless you have an alternative to Bob’s Red Mill Buckwheat flour that I can get in the states.
Christine
Anthony’s Brand psyllium husk and buckwheat flour are available on Amazon, and both work beautifully in this recipe – both in terms of flavor and color! I can’t stop eating the loaf I made earlier today….
Some psyllium husk brands can turn your baking a purple colour too!!
Excellent gluten free bread, the only problem is it doesn’t make a big loaf so this is usually gone in one night when I make it for fondue or sandwiches. I use king Arthur’s all purpose gluten free flour instead of the three flour blend and it’s always delicious with the perfect crunch to the crust and fluffiness inside. It’s hard to resist devouring it before it cools. Please make a recipe for a larger loaf 🙂
Hi Liv, so glad you enjoyed the bread! 🙂 For a larger loaf, check out my GF seeded loaf recipe – that one makes a larger loaf (1.5-times larger): https://theloopywhisk.com/2020/11/29/gluten-free-seeded-loaf/
Hi!!
I have made this many times now. I am so relieved to find a GF recipe that I can cut fresh and throw a slab of butter on it without having to toast it. Also my husband who is not gf will eat the whole thing in one night. I am wondering if you have tried this with sourdough starter instead of the yeast? I have just developed a gf sourdough starter and would love to use it with this recipe, but have no experience with it yet.
Thanks!
Hi Sam, I’m so glad you and your husband enjoy the bread!! It’s really the ultimate compliment, when a non-GF person loves a GF bake! I personally haven’t tried the recipe with a sourdough starter, but several other readers have tried it and apparently it turned out great!
Made it twice now, second time made 1 1/2 x recipe so it would make a taller loaf in a bread pan. Used milk and added some olive oil to get a softer crust. Baked it at 375F for 1 1/2 hours and it turned out great. My problem, the psyllim gels so quickly I end up with small lumps of it that I can’t get rid of even when squishing them with my fingers. I am using whole ground psyllium husk… wondering if it could be stirred into the dry ingredients, and then add the water to the dry ingredients? Or use some of the water intended for the yeast for the psyllium instead? Thank you for the recipe, makes great bread and GF is the bonus.
Hi Cathy, so glad you like the bread! Regarding the psyllium husk: I’d use some of the water meant for the yeast mixture for the psyllium gel instead, so as to make a looser gel. I don’t recommend adding psyllium husk directly to the dry ingredients, as it takes very long to hydrate and that can result in a dough that’s much more difficult to handle. Happy baking! 🙂
I’m hoping you can help me troubleshoot! I made this today, subbing sorghum for the buckwheat but otherwise following the recipe exactly. It came out very sour. Do you know where I’m going wrong?
Hi Miryam, I’m not sure why the bread would be very sour – it could be the flours you’re using. Maybe try it with a different set of flours next time, and see if that improves the flavour?
Hi Kat! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have made it numerous times (including with the various flour substitutions) and it is always great. I had two questions. 1) For the kneading time, as long as the ingredients are all well combined, is it necessary to knead for more than a few minutes? I assume not since there’s no gluten to develop, but wanted to check. 2) Are there any “tricks” for telling if your dough is under or over proofed while it’s rising, like with gluten full bread? I’ve had a few dense-ish loaves, which I attribute to proofing in the winter. I keep extending the second proofing time each time I make it, but was wondering if poking and waiting for it to spring back in a certain amount of time or something can help determine if it’s done proofing, or it’s truly just about doubling in size. Thank you so much!
Hi Anne! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
1) You only need to knead the dough until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the dough is smooth. I usually knead it with a stand mixer for about 5 minutes, just to make sure that the psyllium gel is well distributed and that there are no patched of dry flour anywhere.
2) With gluten-free bread, I don’t really recommend doing the “poke test” – because of the absence of gluten, the dough is more fragile and poking it could deflate it. I’ve found it best to judge the proofing time by the volume: when the bread has approximately doubled in volume, it’s good to go. In winter, I like to proof the bread in a warm oven or close to a radiator. It’s also perfectly OK to extend the proofing time slightly, until the volume doubles.
Excellent recipe! Even though I likely underbaked it (my buckwheat is on the darker side, so I think that led me to pulling out too soon AND I don’t think my oven can get above 450) and likely could have proofed longer (my apartment is rather cool this time of year) it came out so delicious with a wonderful crust and texture. Some of the best tasting bread I’ve had! It was a little short for the reasons mentioned above (and also likely because I used a Dutch oven) but I am so eager to try again! I also think the psyllium husk has been quite good for my digestion.
I used Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat four which produced a very dark, brown-gray loaf but I actually found it quite beautiful (especially with the flour lines and cut)! Also used Bobs Red Mill brown rice flour and potato starch. Will be trying oat flour soon for a lighter loaf, along with longer bake and rise times.
Thanks for an amazing recipe! Looking forward to your book.
A follow up! Just cut into my second loaf and it was a big improvement. Did a bit of a longer rise time with each one (with a space heater close to the bowl) and though I confirmed my oven doesn’t get above 450, it came out lovely and taller with about 55 to 60 minutes of post-steam bake time. Oat flour version will come this weekend!
Tried this for the first time today and with amazing results (i followed the recipe to the T and weighed everything too)! And i’m not even a good baker! Everyone at home loved it! Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been looking for a good GF vegan bread for the longest time (that won’t cost me a bomb). Now i don’t have to buy any from the store anymore! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Hello Kat,
Thank you very much for sharing this amazing recipe. I have been making several gluten free bread, and your recipe is truly the best so far!! The bread has perfect consistency and nicely moist inside. I don’t have a iron skillet, so i used a baking tray instead, but it was totally fine to bake it.
Im going to try your other recipe soon.
Have you tried a cold/fridge rise with this recipe? Do you have any thoughts/recommendations? Thanks!
Hi Anne, I haven’t tested a cold rise, although I think it could work. You could do either the first or the second rise in the fridge – I’d recommend doing the first rise at room temperature, shaping the dough, placing it into the proofing basket and then putting it into the fridge overnight (covered in cling film or similar) to bake the next morning – you might need to proof it out of the fridge for a while, aim for double the volume. Note that I haven’t tested it, however, so I can’t be 100% certain.
This bread has the best taste and texture yet. I can’t have rice flour, so I used 30g corn flour and 60g quinoa instead of 90g rice. I used instant yeast method.
Thak you so much, wonderful recipe.
Hi Kat. I hope you can shed some light on my disaster… The bread I made looked more like pumpernickel and tasted gross. I followed the instructions precisely- even weighed the ingredients, which I usually rarely do. How did your loaf come out so pale while using buckwheat flour? And the flavor.. with all that buckwheat in it, it didn’t taste like a regular bread. (I hope my chickens like it!) Maybe I should try again using oat flour?
Also, during the initial kneading, the dough was extremely sticky. Should I have added some more flour?
I wish I could send you a photo.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Leslie, so sorry you had trouble with the recipe! Did you by any chance use Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour? I’ve had a couple of readers say that it gives their bread a weird purple or grey colour as well as a strange aftertaste. If that’s the case, you can replace it with oat, sorghum or white teff flour.
The dough will be slightly sticky, but you should be able to easily shape it on a lightly floured or oiled surface. Was it very soft and wet? If so, were all your flours finely ground or more on the coarse side? If the flours aren’t ground/milled finely enough, that can inhibit moisture absorption and result in a wet dough. Also, what kind of psyllium husk did you use?
This is honestly the best GF bread I’ve ever had. I’ve been GF ( but still live a little) for almost 10 years. Just found out I am Celiac so there goes my occasional indulgences, but this has given me a bit of light in the dark celiac hole. Thank you so much for putting this recipe out into the world! Also my husband who isn’t Gf said this bread is fantastic!!
This bread is so good, as good as the best gluten loaf. It doesn’t last long in our house!
The recipe is very clear and easy to follow. Give it a go and you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Peter, I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
I’m an avid cook, but every time I see a recipe with yeast, I move on. I’ve never had any luck with bread baking, but since being diagnosed celiac 15 years ago, I’ve pined away for a good loaf of crusty bread. I decided to give it another try and was researching recipes for gluten free artisan bread and saw this one. I was intrigued by the psyllium and, although the recipe seemed too wet and the entire time I thought, this isn’t going to work, I was so suprised to cut into an amazingly deliciously, springy, dough, crunchy crust bread after baking. I was so happy I almost cried. Also, my familymembers who poo poo gluten-free baked items thought it was delicious. Bravo! You are a genius — can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words, Laura, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
I’m so glad that I tried this recipe.I had been looking for a good gf bread recipe for a long time. I don’t care for buckwheat flour so I made the loaf using only brown rice flour. And also used tapioca starch instead of potato starch. Baked the loaf in dutch oven for an hour. It was delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m not much of a baker, but I must say this recipe is fantastic! My first attempt wasn’t perfect, I definitely under-proofed my bread, so the final result was a little small and a little dense. BUT, the flavour was lovely, the crust was crunchy and caramelized, and the inside was soft and squishy! I don’t have a cast-iron skillet, or a dutch oven, so I used a pizza stone and it worked well for me! Highly recommend this recipe, but don’t skimp out of the proofing! Can’t wait to try this one again! 🙂
Excellent recipe! Thank you very much!
Is the yeast amount correct. In Canada 8g of yeast in small package is equal to 2 1/4 tsp. Fleischmann’s Traditional
Hi Christina, the yeast amount is correct – but this is precisely the reason why I recommend using weight measurements (grams) rather than volume measurements (cups and tablespoons/teaspoons). Different yeast brands will have slightly different densities (grams per volume), so when in doubt: go with the weight.
Congratulations on such a clever and tasty recipe. Psyllium husk is clearly the future of gluten free baking. I am not personally gluten free but my housemates are, so this has been a great way to keep sharing the baking love.
After making your original recipe a few times to get it down, I had the idea to try making a foccacia version which was really delicious and easy. I doubled the recipe to make enough dough to fill most of a parchment covered sheet pan. Before the final proof I dimpled in about half a cup of olive oil steeped with herbs, salt and pepper to stretch it out to about half an inch of thickness. Then baked at 450 for 15-20 minutes. The oil adds a ton of flavor and crispness, as oil does. You could put toppings on as well, or do a pizza version of it. Easier and tastier than other GF foccacia recipes I’ve seen elsewhere.
Made this using buckwheat, millet and potato starch and baked on a pizza stone for only 30 additional minutes after the first 20.
This. Is. Insane.
Even though I made it and I know everything in it is gluten free I cant believe its gluten free. It’s so similar to gluten filled bread and I’m beyond excited.
I really struggled to get any rise. I followed the directions to a T, and the yeast was not expired. I let it sit for over 4 hours in a warm room and still nothing. Any thoughts?
Hi Morgan, are you sure your yeast was active (even if it wasn’t expired, it can still be a bad batch)? Did you change anything about the recipe at all? Because the bread should easily double in volume in a warm spot within about 1 hour.
SOOOOOO GOOD !!!! I tried to make GF bread over and over again without success but this one is PERFECT !!! Thank you so much !!
Great recipe! I’ve tried it with sorghum and twice with buckwheat and both were great. I have one concern, the bottom of the loaf is almost burnt. I’ve tried lowering the last baking cycle from 450 to 435 and baking it for 50 minutes and it still comes out the same.
I’ve made these loafs with two different ovens so that doesn’t appear to be the problem. Any suggestions?
Hi Christine, on which oven rack/shelf did you bake the loaf? Also, what kind of baking container did you use – a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, or something else? The loaf shouldn’t burn at the bottom, unless you’re baking it very close to the lower heating elements… What you could do is have several layers of baking paper between the loaf and the bottom of the skillet/Dutch oven/baking container – this will partially insulate the loaf from the heat emitted by the baking container.
While my first attempt at your recipe is baking, I am reading these comments….I have an undersized oven…due to the size of my Dutch Oven, I must place it on the 2nd to lowest rack…so, I place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of my oven to divert the heat. PROBLEM SOLVED ! If you continue to have an issue…place an extra piece of parchment, folded, in the bottom of your Dutch Oven or Skillet….
That’s super helpful, Kay, thank you very much! 🙂
I usually follow the rules, especially in baking. GF baking, even more so! But I had no psyllium husk, so I decided to try to use ground flaxseed. I reduced the water to 3/4C, but it was quite a sticky batter. I added 1t xanthan gum and it firmed up a bit, so I added 1t more. I stopped there as I was unsure how much affect it could have on the process/flavor. It wasn’t very kneadable dough, but I did get a real nice rise the first time. I allowed an extra 10m on the second rise because you mentioned the end crumb result depends on a good 2nd rise. I was able to slice a pattern on top no problem! It was delicious, and the texture of both the crust and crumb were superb!! GF and gluten eaters alike devoured it. I am going to get some psyllium husk & make the recipe as written, but if it was THAT good with a sub…? The real deal is gonna be amazing!!! Thanks so much!
Wow! I’m relatively new to baking bread, but I followed this recipe exactly and it’s the best bread I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t let it cool, I had to try it. Amazing! Thank you for sharing. I will be ordering your book immediately!
This is a wonderful loaf, thank you. I’ve made it 3 times now for my coeliac wife and daughter, and they (and I) absolutely love it. I have one small problem: how to make the bread more aerated/less dense inside. The first time I made it, it came out just like your pictures, but the last two times it has been a bit more dense inside. What should I do to get it right?
Hi David, I’m so glad you like the recipe! It’s difficult to say what went wrong with your second two loaves – did you change anything about the recipe or about how you’ve made them compared to the first loaf? For example, did you use different flours (or brands of flours), a different batch of yeast, did you change the proofing time?
I’m relatively new to bread baking, only since the pandemic began. My husband is now gluten free, only within the last 2 weeks. I tried this recipe. He says he likes it, but he thinks it needs more salt and it’s too flat for sandwiches. Can this recipe be made in a loaf pan? Would I need to heat the loaf pan still to 480*?
Hi Joanne, you could increase the amount of salt in the bread slightly – just don’t go overboard, as salt inhibits yeast action and too much salt can result in a dense, under-proofed bread. Increasing the amount of salt could also mean you’ll have to increase the proofing times slightly. You can definitely bake the bread in a loaf tin – many people have done so very successfully! I would start the baking process at 480ºF with a baking tray with water at the bottom of the oven for 15-20 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 230ºC, remove the baking tray with the water and continue baking for a further 40-50 minutes. But you don’t need to heat the loaf tin itself! After the first rise, just shape the dough into a log, place into the loaf tin, let it proof, then place into the pre-heated oven.
I am a very experienced baker and gluten free baker. I made 2 batches today of the ultimate gluten free bread. With 2 different yeasts. jBoth were a total flop. Would not rise. Tho, yeast proofed perfectly. It cost me a fortune for the ingredients.
Hi Janice, I’m so sorry you had problems with the recipe! I’m really not sure why your breads wouldn’t rise, it a very reliable recipe that’s been made by hundreds of people with no issues… Did you change anything about the recipe at all?
Hi…I have another question…PSYLLIUM HUSK…what brand do you use and do you purchase at a health foods store or..Amazon, ? thank you…fortunately, I have several loaves of Kinnekineck bread in the freezer…by far the best GF bread on the market. BUT, I WANT TO BAKE MY OWN…too many years of fighting GF baking of bread !!
Hi Kay, I use psyllium husk from Planete au Naturel, I get it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plan%C3%A8te-au-Naturel-Blond-Psyllium/dp/B074N73QCY/
Depending on where you live, you can find psyllium husk in the health and beauty section of most regular grocery stores. That’s where I picked mine up.
I had given up on creating an acceptable GF loaf for my husband, many yrs ago. NOW, you tell me the secret is psyllium ! WOW !! THANK YOU ! I am going to get the psyllium and brown rice flour (I have white, but will follow your instructions to a ‘T’) …I bake regular bread and sourdough in my Dutch Oven…so, I will, most likely use my DO for this bread ! We are soooo excited to create a loaf of your bread !!
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Hi, gathering the ingredients to make this, my husband has to go on a wheat-free diet. (Will substitute oat flour for buckwheat.) Question – we prefer a softer crust than what most artisan sour dough breads have – can I substitute scalded milk for the warm water for dissolving the yeast? Also, can I add a few tablespoons of butter? Do you think this will give a softer crust? Thank you in advance.
Hi Cathy, you can use milk for activating the yeast and add a bit of butter – I haven’t tested it with this recipe, but it should work OK. You could also brush the bread with melted butter immediately out of the oven for a softer crust. I do have an excellent soft-crust sandwich bread recipe – it will be included in my upcoming book, Baked to Perfection! 🙂
Hi…..I feel I have nearly mastered this loaf after a couple of failures. The last loaf I made wasn’t very big and I’m not sure I’m proofing it long enough! I am leaving it an hour, it has defiantly risen, but it isn’t double in size. I guess it started at about 5” in diameter and after an hour it was 6”. I don’t have a proofing basket, so I used a plastic bowl lined with a linen cloth. I also substituted the potato starch with tapiado starch. The crumb was tacky when I cut it after cooling. Please can you advise how I can improve this? Thank you.
Hi Karen, the dough should definitely double in volume during both the first and the second rise (the second is even more important as it’s responsible for how “airy” the baked bread is). Are you proofing the bread in a warm spot or at a slightly cooler room temperature? It could be just that the bread needed an extra half an hour to proof.
As for a tacky crumb – it could be that the bread needed a bit longer in the oven to lose a bit more moisture, try increasing the baking time by 10 or so minutes next time, it should help!
Tried this and it’s ok…it’s certainly similar to real bread, but quite a bit squishier and lacks a decent chew to it. I also noticed a distinctly plastic-like taste and I’m wondering if that’s the psyllium husk?
Hi JM, not sure why your bread would have a plastic-like taste – the psyllium is rather neutral in flavour, and I’ve never come across a similar complaint. Which flours did you use?
I have to thank you – I’ve been making this recipe for a month now and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it’s life changing! I’m coeliac and vegan and haven’t had “real” bread in over a decade, and the first bite I took of the first loaf I made literally made me jump up and down I was so excited. As my non-coeliac husband says, this isn’t just a great gf substitute, it’s just damn good bread!
Kat, this recipe is genius! This is the second recipe I’ve tried from your site and they are both fantastic! I accidentally used white rice flour instead of brown rice flour, but also had my oven at 450F then 400F because it refused to get hotter than that. Added 10 more minutes to the 2nd bake and some tin foil to prevent burning and it turned out alright and delicious. It was cooked through and not sticky.
Hi, can I use whole psyllium seeds instead of husk? Thanks a lot!
Hi Andreea, I don’t recommend using whole seeds.
Love this recipe! Have tried it many times, initially proofing it twice but noW I just do one proofing from mixing straight into the bread basket. Works perfectly every time, I’ve noticed it’s better if you let the psyllium husk sit for a good long time in the water. I can’t distinguish any difference in Taste or texture Proofing it once and saves such a lot of time. Gorgeous malty taste and thin crispy crust! Thanks again x
I am going to try this recipe. It really sounds interesting. The only concern I have is dropping some ice cubes in my hot cast iron pan because there is a chance of cracking it by the extreme temperature change. Did anybody have problems with that?
Hi Doris, I’ve made this recipe LOADS of times and never had any issues with dropping the ice cubes into cast iron. In fact, this trick is quite common with bread baking in general, so I don’t think it’s a concern – cast iron is incredibly durable.
OH MY GOODNESS!! 😍 I baked this today, it is absolutely divine, the flavour, the texture, the soft breadiness combined with the crispness of the crust, literally everything! I used arrowroot in place of potato starch as I can’t have nightshades and ground my own rice and buckwheat flours. I am so looking forward to having a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast tomorrow!! Thank you 🙏🏾😀
I’m so, so glad you like the bread, Alythia – your comment really made my day! 😀 Enjoy your bacon and egg sandwich!
This is amazing and I want to tell folks USE THE WHOLE PSYLLIUM HUSK. I could only find the fine version and used that at first while waiting for an order to come in. Even using 75% volume it was too thick to properly incorporate and a moisture hog. Those loaves are now stuffing cubes in my freezer, so no waste, but the type of psyllium is a game changer. Best gf bread I’ve ever had, by the way. I’ve been gluten free for 16 years and have tried it all, commercial and homemade. I’ll be watching for your book!!!!
Do you think this would work with using just Doves Farm gluten free bread flour? I’ve just been told to cut out gluten and I love bread…
Hi Wendy, short answer: I don’t know with 100% certainty but I don’t think the result will be very good.
Long answer: the quality (especially the texture) of gluten-free bread is HUGELY dependent on the gluten-free flours used and their ratio. Looking at the Doves Farm GF bread flour, it’s mostly composed of starches, which can result in a very sticky interior (rather than a lovely, chewy, open crumb). I really recommend you use individual GF flours and mix them as per the recipe – I’ve listed lots of possible substitutions, so it’s pretty flexible depending on which flours you can find in store and online.
Incredible bread!! Have made it many times and shared the recipe with friends/neighbors!! Everyone loves it!!
Just tried this recipe last weekend and the bread was super tasty.
After baking regular bread almost weekly for 2 years, this was my first go at trying gluten-free bread and I was very pleasantly surprised over the amazing flavor and texture. I don’t think I would have been able to tell it apart from bread made from regular flour. 😀 I will definitely be making this more often!
Just a quick question. I see that you use different ratios of buckwheat flour, rice flour and potato starch. Are these ratios mainly for flavour or do the different flours have certain properties which makes it important to maintain these ratios? Could I for example have equal amounts or rice flour and buckwheat? Or even omit one of them?
Hi Joel, I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread! That’s an excellent question – the flour profile (types of GF flour used and their ratios) are actually VERY important in GF bread baking. They affect the texture/crumb of the bread, how it bakes, what kind of hydration it needs, etc.
That’s why I list very specific flour substitutions in my post. (Of course, they also affect the taste – but the ratios mainly need to be maintained to get a good bread texture.)
So, as per my post, millet flour is the best substitute for brown rice flour. However, in a pinch, you could substitute BROWN rice flour for buckwheat flour (and vice versa), whereas you can’t, for example, replace buckwheat flour with a starch like potato or tapioca starch. This goes both for substituting them completely and for changing their relative ratios. (Note that WHITE rice behaves similarly to starches, so you can’t use it as a buckwheat flour substitute – not even a pinch.)
Hope this helps! I go into a lot more detail about the properties of various GF flours in my upcoming book on gluten-free baking – it’s a really fascinating topic! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve tried it, my first time baking bread! The crust came out almost 2.5cm thick and the inside still remained ‘sticky’. I did cut a piece and popped it in the roster to see if the texture changed from sticky/chewy to the texture of regular bread and it did mane a difference. Very tasty but I wonder what I did wrong? I used Arrowroot, white fine rice flour but otherwise all the save ingredients as your recipe. I baked it at 20deg less in a fan forced oven in a cast iron pot.
Hi Bea, so sorry you had trouble with the recipe! The problem might have been the white rice flour, which behaves very differently to brown rice flour and can give a sticky texture inside the bread (plus it dries out quickly on direct contact with heat, so that may have contributed to the thick crust). What mix of flours did you use exactly?
Bea…I am glad I read all of these comments, as I was going to ask about white rice flour vs brown rice flour …. as I have white rice flour in my pantry and use it to flour my banneton….so NO substitution of white for brown flour…GOT IT ! Question…for my banneton, may I use white rice flour as usual ? THANK YOU..
Hi Kay, you can definitely use white rice flour to dust your banneton, just note that it may leave your baked bread with a rather white crust – white rice flour doesn’t brown much in the oven.
Hi. This may have already been asked, but is white rice flour a suitable substitution for the brown rice flour?
I look forward to making this for my BF, who is is always on the hunt for the perfect GF/vegan bread.
Hi Marie, white rice flour behaves quite differently from brown rice flour, so it isn’t a good substitute. The best substitute is millet flour, if you can get your hands on it.
OMG!!! This bread is AMAZING! I’ve never made any bread, let alone gluten free and I made it for the first time today. I already can’t wait to try again! I’m sure it will only get better! You are my favorite person today. Thank you soooooo much!
Great recipe! I substituted sorghum flour for buckwheat and it turned out great.
I found this bread overall a very good gf bread. I’m not a bread baker but have found it necessary to search out a good gluten free recipe. So my question is this…I thought my bread had a slight bitter after taste and was wondering if it could be from the vinegar. If so can I omit it. I wanted to use this bread in my stuffing for the holidays Do you think it would work for that? Thanks
Hi Laurie, so glad you like the recipe! The bitter after taste might be because of the flours used – did you by any chance use Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour? I’ve had a few people comment it leaves an aftertaste (and can make the bread a bit grey-ish in colour). The vinegar shouldn’t leave any bitter after taste. Although I haven’t used this bread it stuffing, I think it should work.
I didn’t use Bobs for the buckwheat flour but I did use a bobs for the brown rice flour. The color was fine but maybe it was bobs brown rice flour
My dough was too dry. Do I go with it or add more water ?
Hi Maggie, the dough shouldn’t be too dry… did you change the recipe at all? Also, did you weigh the ingredients using a scale or did you use measuring cups/spoons? If it’s the latter, it’s possible you measured out too much flour, making the dough too dry.
This is the only bread recipe I use now, I differ the flours (only the oat, sorghum,teff, buckwheat have even added a bit of hemp to the mixture) depending on what I feel like. I also add the yeast and psyllium directly to the flour now. (made it about 3-4 times as written beore). There is a slight difference, but I am always happy with the results. At the moment I am using powdered psyllium and find that works best. If I am using a particularly heavy flour, I may add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. I have adapted the recipe to make a nice Challah, by substituting the water with slightly more (in volume) egg yolk and honey. Thank-you or this great recipe! –It is a real quality of life difference!!
I really enjoy this bread but my loaves came out a bit too dense all of the times I tried baking it. What can i do to help this?
I’m at high altitude so I assume this is the reason but is there any way around it?
Hi Kaitlin, the dense crumb was probably a consequence of the high altitude. I don’t have much experience in high altitude baking, but from what I’ve read people usually shorten the proofing time, increase the hydration (i.e. the amount of water) and reduce the oven temperature slightly. Was your bread just dense or also too dry? Did it rise very quickly (e.g. did it double in volume after just 30 minutes)?
Hi Kat,
It’s not dry its just a little smaller and more dense then I feel it should be -still delicious though. I am trying again today using a 30 minute proof (and doing the poke test to see if i need more time). Hopefully, i get a better crumb. Either way this bread is great, I will just keep playing around with proofing times and maybe oven temperature until I get it right.
This bread is fantastic! I’ve made it twice. Have you ever tried to double the recipe for a larger loaf? Would you need to adjust ingredient amounts and bake time?
So glad you like the bread!! 🙂 I have tried doubling the recipe (by doubling all the ingredient quantities), but I don’t really recommend it. Gluten-free flours tend to hold onto moisture, so the centre of a larger loaf can stay sticky/wet. On the other hand, prolonging the baking time, which would dry out the centre, gives a rather hard crust. That’s why I like to make smaller loaves.
Made for the 2nd time and was very happy with results. It looked so nice and I was going to take a picture, then thought should taste first. Now wish I had picture!
I did exactly the recipe and weighted everything but the dough doesn’t get firm to be one piece .. I don’t know why.
Hi Niveen, so sorry you had trouble with the recipe! What kind of psyllium husk did you use? Were all your flours finely milled or were they on the coarser side?
I love making this bread, it’s become a total staple. Now that we are getting into the colder months, I have found that my counter top rise is not as effective. I’ve been leaving the dough for and extra 15-20 min but am wondering if you have ever tried proofing in the oven for either/both rises? My oven has a proof setting and I’m wondering if it might be worth a go, what do you think?
Hi Anne Louise, so glad you’re enjoying the bread! You can definitely use a warm oven to proof your dough – I do it quite often. The optimal proofing temperature is in the 26-32ºC range (79-90ºF), so as long as the proof setting on your oven doesn’t exceed that temperature, you should be fine using it. 🙂
Fantastic recipe. The psyllium husk does wonders. Ive made it a few times with buckwheat and once with teff flour. Enjoyed both. Latest batch has rosemary and pine nuts in the dough, and preserved lemon on the crust. Thanks so much, ive really missed eating good bread without fear of a migrane later.
Hi Adam, so glad you’re enjoying my bread recipe! I love the sound of your additions, that sounds delicious!
I think that there is a mistake in this recipe. I tried to make it last night but realized after I had added the water that there must be an error, as it looked more like soup than dough. So I checked the conversions and found that indeed, the water conversion is incorrect. I’m fairly certain it should read 390 MLS, not grams.
I’m excited to try it again, but thought I should let you know so you can change it.
Hi Rosalind, so sorry you’ve had trouble with the recipe. However, the recipe is written correctly – for water, 390 grams and 390 millilitres are one and the same, as water has a density of about 1 g/mL. I’ve written it it terms of grams, as I find it much easier to precisely weigh out 390g of water rather than measure it by volume.
So, the issue was probably elsewhere. Did you change the recipe at all? What kind of psyllium husk did you use? Were your flours finely milled/ground, or did they have a coarse texture?
Can this be made as a sandwich bread loaf in a loaf pan?
Hi Laura, I haven’t made it myself, but I know others have tried and it worked well in a loaf tin!
I’m going to try and make a Gluten Free Stollen from this recipe. The thing I miss most about being Celiac is the holiday baking, and a good slice of hearty bread. Would you have any suggestions on adapting this recipe for Stollen to ensure that it is successful?
Hi Karin, I would add butter to the dough and replace part of the water with milk to make a richer dough (use the milk to activate the yeast and water to make the psyllium husk gel). However, this dough/bread recipe might not be best suited for a Stollen recipe – you generally need a slightly different mix of flours and binders for enriched dough, but I’ll go into more detail about it in my upcoming book! 🙂
This bread is amazing! Thank you Kat, you’re a life saver. I do however have a slight problem. I’ve made this bread three times. The first time was perfect but the last two times the baking paper has stuck fast to the bottom of the bread and I’ve had to cut it off! Any suggestions? Also, I have a fan oven what temperature settings should I use? Thanks.
Hi Jan, so glad you like my bread recipe!! You could generously flour the bottom of the dough and/or the baking paper before you turn the bread out of the proofing basket onto the baking paper – that should help with the sticking. If you’re using a fan oven, reduce the temperature by 20ºC from those listed in the recipe, so the initial temperature should be 230ºC (~450ºC) and then reduce it to 210ºC (~410ºF).
Do you have a sourdough variation for this recipe?
Unfortunately not, but I’ve been told it works well with a good buckwheat or rice GF sourdough starter.
Thank you so much for this recipe and all your efforts! I used to make homemade bread, including sourdough that I had worked tirelessly to “perfect” to what our family loved. And then last year my oldest son at 13 years old was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I have been a diabetic for 34 years so adjusting to a new way of life was doable allbeit a challenge with a family of 6 who LOVES all things bread and baked. My son has been amazing and never once complains and is so compliant. But I know just suddenly missing all his favs like bread and pizza really bum him out. He always says though it could be souch worse.Tonight after tasting this loaf of bread his face LIT UP and he said “this tastes like real bread!!!!” “I never thought I would taste anything like this again!” And dhusband and I agree it is DELICIOUS. Thank you isn’t enough. ❤
Hi Tami, thank you so much for your incredibly lovely comment, you absolutely made my day! I’m so happy to hear that your son enjoyed my gluten-free bread recipe – I know that making the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle can be overwhelming, especially as it can seem like you have to give up so many wonderful foods (bread! pizza! pasta! cinnamon rolls!) and I’m really glad I could help a bit with that transition.
This is amazing recipe.trying to think about how to transform this into pizza crust? Thoughts? I am trying the oat flour today and have even tried a 1:1 replacement for the brown rice and worked great. Probably going to do a rosemary olive addition soon…and also try a fruit & nut version.
Hi Anna, you could form this into a pizza crust – it will work, although making a proper GF pizza dough requires quite a few adjustments that really necessitate a different recipe (you’d need to change the hydration, the ratio of starch:protein flours, etc.). The rosemary oil would probably be a really wonderful addition. (And as a side note: my upcoming book on GF baking will have an AMAZINg pizza crust recipe! 😉 )
The best GF bread my friends and I have ever had. One question; do you have any idea why my bread crust, while nice and crunchy, came out more brown grey than brown red with no shine to it like in your picture? This happens to all breads I make so it’s not exclusive to this recipe, I’m not a baker so I have no clue why this is the case.
So glad you enjoyed the bread! The colour of the crust could be down to two things:
1) The flours you’re using: I know that some people have observed that Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour gives their bread a greyish tone.
2) The shine to the crust is typically the result of there being enough steam in the oven. What’s your oven setup? Was there enough steam in the oven when you baked the bread?
Cool!
Will try this recipe for my daughter.
Really like that you use metric as I’m from Sweden.
Much love and effort put in this recipe! Like it!
Just need to look for brown rice flour. Got the rest.
Much love and like your page!
/Stefan
Trying for the first time. I’m just waiting on my first rise but my dough was very soft, not able to form into a ball well. I measured everything on my scale? Did I possibly overMix with the dough hook? Is it salvageable?? Thanks!!
Hi Rachel, the softness of the dough could be due to a couple of things… Did you change the recipe at all? What kind of psyllium husk did you use? Were all your flour finely ground or did they have a coarse texture?
Thank you for an absolutely amazing recipe for its simplicity, flavor, texture, feel and look…just everything! Never expected to have a gf bread that is almost indiscernible from wheat bread and to have the pleasure of kneading real dough again. Planning to try it with my gf sourdough started next. Looking forward to your book.
I’m glad to find a Artisan GF bread. My first attempt, I substituted Bob’s Red Mill all purpose baking flour for the rice flour. I followed the recipe as posted, I was impressed, first and second proof was as in your pictures. I used a cast iron dutch oven, added the ice cubes and baked as indicated on recipe. Once baked, it had a nice spring to it, but not crispy crumb, and it deflated quite a bit. I don’t think I over proofed it. Is it necessary to do a second proof? Disaapointed it did not keep its rise once baked. Any suggestions?
Hi Danielle, if the crust wasn’t crisp and the bread deflated on cooling it could be that you under-baked it. Once baked, the crust should be nice and crisp. I do recommend doing two rises for the best flavour and texture.
This is by far the best gluten free bread I have ever tasted and it actually has the texture of bread rather than cake. Thank you so much
I just have to thank you for this recipe! It is THE BEST gf bread I’ve ever had, and even my non-gf husband said “wow” when he tried it. I will be making this every week! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have been addicted to bread and bread baking but had to go gluten free a while ago and have been mourning the loss of good bread. This however has changed my life around! I’m happy again! Beautiful crusty tasty bread on my first try. I’ll have to get my hands on your book! Thank you so very much
This is the GF and dairy-free bread I’ve been searching for. I made it tonight and absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to be able to have yummy toast again. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
I’ve had a couple of failures with it, but it still tasted good enough that I wanted to preserve… I have ended up swapping out the rice flour for oat flour and have the most perfect loaf. It’s so soft and like wheatflour bread.
The failures were more because of the inability to buy fresh ingredients and me being impatient waiting until my online order arrived. 😉
where do I find the psyllium that you recommend. I’m just seeing powder or whole. Thanks
Hi Laurie, I use this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plan%C3%A8te-au-Naturel-Blond-Psyllium/dp/B074N73QCY/ and it works really well. 🙂
Thank you, I made it today and it looks great! Can’t wait to try it!
This recipe is by far the best GF Bread I’ve ever come across. Soo9 great. The crumb was so incredible I could hardly believe it. Making this all the time now.
I made this last night. You are BRILLIANT and I do mean it when I say my life is changed!!!!
Kat, when will your new GF cookbook be available? I can’t wait to get a copy!
Hi Jackie, the book comes out in March 2021, I’ll post more details soon – can’t wait to share it with everyone!! 🙂
This bread is great – the best gluten free I’ve ever made or bought!! My husband who loves wheat Italian bread gave it an “eight” out of “ten” comparing it to a hearty wheat bread. I gave it a “ten” and will make it again for sure. I used a 7″ cast iron pot and weighed the dry ingredients. Thank you so much for this great recipe!!
I came across this recipe while searching for a GF bread recipe for my wife. She was tired being driven crazy by the aroma of my regular sourdough baking and wanted something she could enjoy.
This recipe does what it says on the tin, and is one of the best GF breads I know, from any source.
I made a couple of changes and swapped potato flour for tapioca, and swapped out the white sugar for dark-brown sugar to give the bread a hint of molasses. Naturally, I had to adjust the baking temperatures as I found the recommended settings too high in my oven.
The bread has good crumb and is springy like regular wheat bread. It doesn’t develop large cavities like some do and doesn’t fall apart when you run a butter knife over it.
All in all, excellent job! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sorry for the late response; I just saw your reply. So I usually use potato starch. The last time I made it I did not have enough so I used a mix of both potato starch and corn starch – came out perfect. For yeast I use the bulk package of plain active dry – nothing fancy. I used the oat flour instead of the buckwheat flour, mainly because it was much easier to find where I live.
I just mix up the dough in my mixer as per your instructions. I then transfer it to a large bowl for the first proofing. I then divide them by weight into my loaf pans and just “shmoosh” the dough in. No shaping or forming. I then allow it to rise again. Once ready I bake it for the first 20 minutes with a pan of water and ice cubes on the floor of the oven. For the rest I just follow your instructions.
This is the best gluten free bread recipe and works for me because I’m vegan as well. The flavour is great and reminds me of sourdough. I’ve made this bread with buckwheat flour and oat flour instead. I much prefer the buckwheat for this bread, but i ran out and I’m having trouble finding any certified gluten free brands in store.
After making this a few times I decided to follow instructions from a traditional bread recipe for how to double the size of your loaf. They suggested cooking a further 35 minutes. I ended up doubling the cooking time because I was nervous about the center not being cooked through. The center was cooked, but a little too soft and the outside was too hard. It was edible, but will just stick to the originial recipe next time. Have you ever tried doubling the size of the loaf before? If so did you lower the temperature?
Thank you.!
Hi Emily, so glad you’ve been enjoying the bread! I did try doubling the recipe, but it just doesn’t work as well. With gluten free bread, water/moisture evaporation is a crucial consideration, and when you double the recipe, the evaporation isn’t as effective – so you can end up with a sticky, too wet middle. I usually just bake two smaller breads if I want a larger quantity, or bake more often. However, figuring out how to bake larger gluten free loaves is high on my to-do list, and I’ll report back when I develop a reliable scaled-up recipe. 🙂
That was the issue I had.. with the too wet middle. I have been baking 2 every week! This bread goes so fast in my house there would be none left for me with only 1. Thank you for this amazing recipe my grandma who is celiac uses this recipe as well and it is her favourite! We will definitely be buying your recipe book in 2021!
Could I use a starter rather than dry yeast
I haven’t tested this recipe with a starter myself, but other readers have tried it and I’ve been told it works well. 🙂
hi there! A quick question- what is your best advice if I have a break in my 3.5 hours of making this? In other words I need to leave my home for a while after the first or second rise. Can I refrigerate it to slow down the rise?
You should be able to slow down either rise by refrigerating the dough immediately after shaping it.
Thank you! One more question- how do I get the airy-ness in the bread? I made this with buckwheat flour and while it was delicious it was a bit dense and dry- any advice? I followed the recipe to a T, weighed ingredients, used fresh ingredients, etc and the bread did everything it was supposed to. My husband happily ate it but I’m a perfectionist- I want it to look and have the texture like it does in your beautiful pictures 🙂
Did the bread double in size during the second rise? If it didn’t, it could be that it just needed a slightly longer rise.
Also, did it collapse in the oven, or did it hold its shape well or even increase in volume due to oven spring?
Could i use a rectangle baking tray to bake the bread in? Wouls that work? Or is it best to use a skillet?
It’s definitely best to use a skillet, as cast iron is brilliant at holding onto heat, which makes for a good oven spring and a nicely rounded loaf. So, if you have a skillet, I recommend you use that. However, if you don’t, a baking tray will do in a pinch.
My latest batch of bread – I decided to try and back it in loaf tins instead of free form. Followed all the recipe process exactly but did the second proving in the loaf tin which I oiled and floured. Turned out perfectly. I am interested what you think of adding mixed seeds to the bread and indeed another time I would like to add chopped dried fruit
Hi Avril! I’m so glad you started experimenting with the recipe a bit, and it’s great to hear it turned out well baked in a loaf tin. You can definitely add seeds, nuts or dried fruit to the loaf – I’ve added everything from mixed seed (I used a mix of linseed, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds) and walnuts, to dried figs and raisins. Side note: I especially loved the combination of walnuts and dried figs – and it’s made even better if you add about 1 tablespoon of molasses into the bread. I’ll need to write up and publish that recipe eventually, but haven’t got round to doing that yet. Happy baking! 🙂
Hi Kat, thank you, great recipe. I have never made anything deliberately GF before but a GF friend was coming to lunch, soo….I chose this GF bread recipe after a fair bit of research, I liked the simplicity of ingredients (boy, baking GF is complicated and confusing!) and the technique was familiar. PLUS all the ingredients were available in Scoop, our local bulk health food store (I live in Sydney Australia.) I followed the recipe exactly as stated, no substitutions, using a digital scale to measure the ingredients and it came out beautiful, just like in the picture. A really really nice loaf of bread. My partner is a home sourdough bread maker (one of those determined self-taught covid-timers) and he helped with the bench shaping and putting it neatly in the dutch oven (possibly the trickiest part) but it was easy and successful. A little smaller than his purebred artisan sourdough, but they looked like family sitting beside each other on the breadboard. I highly recommend this recipe. Oh, and it tasted pretty good too, not sourdough, but definitely bread, with a nice even open crumb. You could experiment and try less yeast and a longer overnight first ferment maybe? I think it would toast really well, but I’ll have to ask my friend, she took the rest of the loaf home with her 🙂
Hi Gillian, I’m so glad you chose my bread recipe as your first foray into GF baking! 🙂 And it’s great to hear it turned out well, and that you enjoyed it! To get closer to a sourdough loaf, there are a couple of things you could try:
1) Making your own GF sourdough starter – I’ve been told this recipe works well with a sourdough starter, but I haven’t got round to testing it myself yet.
2) Increasing the amount of vinegar by a teaspoon or two for a slightly more acidic/sour taste.
3) Or, as you said, reducing the amount of yeast (for example, reducing it by half) and prolonging the fermentation. I’ve never tried this with my recipe, so I can’t say how it will behave – but I know it’s often done with wheat bread, and I think it should work with GF as well.
And the bread toasts really well, I usually toast it on a bit of butter in a frying pan, and it’s delicious!
I’ve just mixed the dough and realised that it was really dry after I added the wet ingredients to the dry. Having experience with bread making, I was worried. I added some water and but the texture doesn’t seem right. I did note that the psyllium did come out really firm for me, following the instructions, could this be the reason it was drier? Or should I reduce the psyllium?
That’s quite odd, the dough definitely shouldn’t be too dry. What kind of psyllium husk did you use? And which gluten free flours did you use?
Otherwise, you can either decrease the amount of flour or increase the amount of water in the recipe – I wouldn’t really recommend changing the amount of psyllium husk, as that’s responsible for the elasticity and extensibility of the dough.
Hi! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe after trying a different gf bread recipe that had trouble rising and getting a light/airy/fluffy consistency. I appreciate knowing this recipe can be done in a loaf pan. I have some questions for you to get the right consistency and rise in my bread. What kind of active dry yeast did you use – rapid rise, packet? How did you proof your bread to get the nice rise and fluffy consistency? Can the bread dough be mixed in a food processor with the slicing/kneading blade?
Hi Kati! I used Allinson’s Dried Active Yeast, you can see it here: https://www.allinsonflour.co.uk/products/dried-active-yeast.
There is really nothing special needed for proofing the dough – just make sure it’s in a warm place (ideally around 26-32ºC) and cover it with a tea towel so it doesn’t dry out. It should double in size within about 1 hour.
I don’t recommend using a food processor for this bread, either knead it by hand or use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
Dear Kat,
Besides being gluten and dairy free, I am also yeast free. I wonder if there is something I could use instead of yeast
Hi Shamani, I’ve been told that this recipe also works with an established GF sourdough starter, if that’s something that would work for you. Otherwise, this recipe wouldn’t really work with baking powder or soda, unfortunately. I do have a wonderful GF soda bread recipe, but that will be included in my upcoming book on GF baking, so I can’t share it here.
Hello
How long do you need to knead the dough please
Hi Magi, about 5 minutes is enough – you want to make sure that all the ingredients are well combined and that the dough is smooth, but GF doughs don’t require very long kneading. Unlike with wheat flour, there’s no gluten to “develop” so a longer kneading will have little effect.
Hi. Kat..
Do you know yeast substitute on this gf bread recipe? since my daughter have an allergy to all baker’s yeast, thank you so much for your information.
Hi Linda, I’ve been told that this recipe also works with an established GF sourdough starter, if that’s something that would work for your daughter. Otherwise, this recipe wouldn’t really work with baking powder or soda, unfortunately. I do have a wonderful GF soda bread recipe, but that will be included in my upcoming book on GF baking, so I can’t share it here, unfortunately.
Question: I noticed that the dough after the second proof is almost as big as the 7 inch proofing basket. But after it’s baked, it quite a bit smaller than after the second proof. Is that normal?
Hi Jody, the bread can sometimes deflate very slightly on baking – how big is the difference? Is the interior crumb very dense as well? If so, it might mean that you’ve over-proofed it slightly, which can cause it to collapse. Also, what was your baking setup: a Dutch oven or a skillet? What steam sources did you use?
Hi, I just try the recipe this noon, it looks and smell so good.
But, may I know why my bread’s texture was gluey? I followed the temperature and times as the recipe.
Thank you
Hi Nicole, when you say “gluey”, do you mean that the texture was a bit sticky? Did you cut into the bread when it was still a bit warm? Because when the bread is still warm, the crumb hasn’t completely set yet, so it can be quite sticky.
This is a wonderful recipe! I have been using it as a ratio guide, but playing with substituting different flours and starches, and it has become a weekly staple in our home. I’m excited for your upcoming cookbook! I have a question about the rise times, do you think the first rise could be done as a slow rise in the fridge overnight, and the the dough worked and shaped in the morning and left out for the second rise? I am finding myself short on time these days, and if I could prepare the dough the night before, it would be so helpful. Have you tried this? Thank you!
Hi Shoshi, so glad you enjoy the recipe – and it’s great to hear that you’ve been playing around with different flours!
I think a first rise in the fridge overnight should work well, although I haven’t tested it. Alternatively, you could do the first rise at room temperature/in a warm place, shape the dough, place it into the proofing basket and then do the second rise in the fridge overnight, finishing it at room temperature the next day if necessary. Happy baking! 🙂
Hello. I’m very excited I’ve found your website. Can I ask… do you need to use a glass bowl or is stainless steel ok? I’m wondering if it’ll kill the yeast ( I know nothing of baking). Secondly is it absolutely necessary to use a proofing basket or can I just clean and use the mixing bowl? Many thanks and excited to try this.
Hi Natalie, you can use either a glass or a stainless steel bowl – both are fine, and it won’t kill the yeast. 🙂 You don’t necessarily need to use a proofing basket, you can use an approximately 7 inch mixing bowl lined with a clean tea towel that you should flour generously before putting in the dough. Happy baking, and if you have any other questions, leave a comment or drop me an email!
Thank you sooo much for this recipe!! Myself and 4 of my children have either celiac or Eoe and cannot have gluten. I have been searching for 2 years for a good GF bread. We really like whole wheat bread so I really don’t like the rice and potato flour breads as they are empty calories and not filling. I followed this recipe with a few substitutions:
1. I used oat flour
2. I bake it in a loaf pan
3. I make 6 loaves at once!!
And it always comes out perfect. I even gave it my sister and she thought it was gluten.
My one request, I would love to have more GF and vegan recipes as my daughter with Eoe cannot have gluten, dairy or eggs.
Hi Shaindy! I appreciate knowing this recipe can be done in a loaf pan. I have some questions for you to get the right consistency and rise in my bread. Did you sub the potato starch at all? What kind of active dry yeast did you use – rapid rise, packet? What did you replace with oat flour? How did you proof your bread?
Used the recipe thinking I had struck gold! I mistakenly used Chia seeds rather than Psyllium Husk – which is said to be a like for like substitute – but bread turned out like a lump of granite! I also read that Psyllium husk causes bread to collapse under high temp! Why do so many of you report good things when all i saw was crap!
Hi Ben! Unfortunately, chia seeds aren’t a suitable substitute for psyllium husk in this recipe, so that’s the cause of your bread having a very dense, hard texture. Chia seeds don’t give the bread the same amount of elasticity as psyllium husk – and the elasticity is crucial, as it allows the bread to expand and trap the gases produced by the yeast action, which in turn gives it the lovely open, chewy texture.
I don’t know where you’ve read that psyllium husk causes the bread to collapse under high temperatures, but that’s simply not true. In fact, if you heat up the psyllium gel on its own, you’ll notice that it doesn’t lose any of its elasticity. I’ve made this bread tens of times, as have many other people, without any problems whatsoever.
So, if you want to enjoy truly excellent gluten free bread – I suggest you follow the recipe *with the psyllium husk*, and I’m sure you’ll love it.
I’ve made this twice now and it always tastes amazing!! The only issue I’ve been having is with kneading: I can’t get the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl with my dough hook. I switched to kneading by hand and added some extra rice flour but it was still very sticky and hard to shape. The only change I made to the recipe was using psyllium husk powder instead of rough husk. So I mixed 15g psyllium husk powder with 240g water. Was I supposed to change the amount of water as well? Could this be why my dough is so sticky?
Hi Lilia, so glad you’ve enjoyed the bread! 🙂 If your dough is too wet, it could be that your flours are not ground quite finely enough, which can interfere with their water absorption. How coarse is your rice flour – like “regular” flour or more like coarse polenta?
Technically, as the recipe is written, you shouldn’t need to decrease the amount of water even if you use psyllium husk powder. However, there is a huge variation in properties between different GF flour brands, so: if you stick with the same flours you could either increase the amount of psyllium husk powder slightly to a total of about 17-18g and/or decrease the amount of water slightly.
I checked out several recipes online before picking this one for my first attempt to bake gluten-free bread. I risked using my bread making machine and manually programmed as follows:
1st knead (slow mixing): 5 mins
2nd knead (normal speed): 10 mins
1st rise/proof: 60 mins
1st punch-down: 10 secs
2nd rise/proof: 60 mins
Bake: 80 mins
I wish I could show a photo – it came out so well, though without the dark top crust. Note that bread machines cook at a lower temp – next attempt I am going to throw it into a hot oven for the final 20 mins.
Very tasty, brilliant recipe – thank you Kat 🙂
Hi ! Which machine do you use ? Thank you !
Best bread ever – my son thought it was gluten bread and was horrified when I took his piece and ate it 😉 I am celiac.
Still I don’t manage to develop a nice hard crust – any idea? I followed the recipe to the dot.
I’m so glad you like the bread!! 🙂 For a crisper crust, just leave the bread in the bread a bit longer, or bake it at a slightly higher temperature.
Wow. I am seriously impressed. My father is gluten intolerant along with having several other food sensitivities. I am always trying new gf products and recipes for him and this is by far the best gf bread I’ve ever made or tasted. I am not gf and I would eat this bread. Only thing I will ask is where do you find pale buckwheat flour like that? My bread has a greyish interior due to the dark color of the buckwheat flour I had.
Hi Kristen, I’m so glad to hear you like the bread! I’ve bought the buckwheat flour at a local mill (Shipton Mill in the UK), and it’s a nice pale colour. I’ve had quite a few people tell me that they’ve had trouble with buckwheat flour (especially when using the Bob’s Red Mill one) because of its dark colour and sometimes also a strong after-taste. If you don’t like the colour or the taste of the buckwheat flour, and can’t find an alternative one, you could always use sorghum or white teff instead. 🙂
You can also find pale buckwheat flour when you shop on Amazon!
That’s great to know, thank you! 🙂
Hi there. I am having the same issue – my dough is so much darker than the one in your photos. And..I wonder if I needed to add more water because of unhulled buckwheat – it seems a bit dense.
If you’ve found that buckwheat flour causes trouble (either with the colour, taste or texture), I’d recommend you just swap it out, for instance use sorghum or white teff flour instead.
Taste, texture excellent, measurements perfect. Super soft fluffy from the inside.
Great experience making it.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Could you please share more gluten free bread recipe with different flour.
Hi Jetal, I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed the bread! I might share a few more bread recipes on the blog, but the majority (15+ GF bread recipes!!) will be in my upcoming book on GF baking. 🙂
I am a first-time baker and very excited about this loaf. I am a little confused though bc after kneading the first time, the dough is still too wet to make into a ball. I used instant yeast and psyllium husk powder, everything else the same. Any ideas or solutions?
If your dough is too wet, it could be that your flours aren’t very finely milled/ground, so they absorb less water/moisture. What’s the texture of your GF flours: like a very fine powder or like coarse polenta?
If your flours are on the coarse side, you can decrease the amount of water slightly, by 10-20g.
I have been coeliac for about 8 years and always looking for new recipes. This is by far the best gluten free bread I have ever tried! My partner made it today and it was absolutely divine! Thank you so much!
Amazing, thanks
Is it possible to substitute the psyllium husk with chia seed?
Unfortunately not, psyllium husk is the one ingredient that can’t be replaced by anything else in this recipe.
This bread is SOOO awesome! I’ve made it twice now, with great success both times. I use Oat flour instead of buckwheat, and it looks and tastes great. I can’t tell you how I am enjoying eating a real piece of healthy bread, making sandwiches, having toast, without the ‘bread’ crumbling apart. And there is no Gum in the recipe. THANK YOU!
Wow, you definitely nailed gluten free artisan bread! I have been on a mission to find a worthy gf bread for the 7 years since my grandson was diagnosed celiac. To date this is by far the simplest and best bread I have had the pleasure to bake. Thank you so much for your wisdom, it makes the effort of family solidarity easier.
Hi Kat, I’m pleased to report that this bread is every bit as perfect and delicious with only one rising. I’ve tried this recipe with one rising as well as two and I can’t tell the difference. Saves a lot of fluffing about! Great recipe, thanks so much.
This is one of the best gluten free breads I have every tasted. Better than any store bought. I substituted the Buckwheat flour for sorghum flour. I will make this bread again! If you didn’t tell people this was gluten free they would never know. The psyllium husk works like magic.
I have been trying to find a good GF bread recipe that tastes like bread – I think I may have found it. Thank you so much for creating this recipe! Do you by chance have a sandwich bread style recipe?
Hi JH, so glad you enjoy the bread! I do have a delicious sandwich bread recipe, it will be part of my upcoming book on GF baking. 🙂
I just tried the bread and it honestly worked perfectly! I am so happy because I have tried so many recipes and non have worked. My mother has a gluten and dairy alergy and xanxan and guar gum don’t sit well with her so bread making has been quite limmited. This had a great texture, beautiful color and was really tasty. I will do it again for sure! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sorry, I think the loaf pictured here is a wheat artisan loaf.
Also, it’s annoying to have to scroll for 10 minutes to get down to the actual recipe.
Hi Harlan, I’ll take your comment as a compliment, as the loaf pictured IS gluten free bread! I think it shows just how amazing the recipe is that you thought it was wheat artisan bread, so thank you! 🙂 If you want to get to the recipe quickly without scrolling, there’s a handy ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the very top of the post, just below the title of the post – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Happy baking!
would you use this for a pizza crust?
Hi Traci, I’ve never tried using this as a pizza crust, as I have a wonderful pizza dough recipe (it will be included in my upcoming book on gluten free baking). If you try it out as a pizza crust, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Amazing! I used a sourdough starter instead of yeast and oat flour instead of buckwheat as i don’t like the earthy tones of buckwheat! Turned out perfect. Thank you!!
Hi Peta, how much sourdough starter did you use and when did you add it? I have some starter based on brown rice flour so I’d love to give it a go. Thanks
Ive tried this recipe several times… everytime it’s a success…grateful to you for Posting it…
Hello what can I use instead of psyllium husk? Do I really need it in the recipe?
Thank you
Marisa
Hi Marisa, as I write in the post, the psyllium husk is crucial in the recipe and it unfortunately won’t work without it.
Seriously good,
I have several food intolerances and cant have store bought GF bread …. this turns out perfect every time !!
This bread is amazing! I’ve made it already three times in two weeks for my husband and I (bonus my toddler likes the soft chewy inside too!) I want to play around with flavors but I know somethings may add moisture and throw off the recipe. So far I’ve tried rosemary and sage and I was thinking maybe dried cranberry and cinnamon with some chocolate. Have you had any successes with flavor combos that you like and work well with this recipe?
So glad you’re enjoying the bread, Rosy! 🙂 I have played with the flavours a bit: a tablespoon of molasses in the dough gives an amazing flavour, especially if you add some dried fruit (like chopped dried figs or raisins/sultanas) and nuts! You could definitely add some (Dutch processed) cocoa powder, cinnamon and cranberries. I would decrease the amount of flour slightly (by half of the weight of the cocoa powder you add, i.e. if you add 20 g cocoa powder, reduce the amount of rice flour by 10 g) just to account for the extra dry ingredients added. I haven’t tried using melted chocolate yet, so I can’t say how that would affect the bread. But you should be able to add chopped dark chocolate, if you just want pieces of chocolate dotted around the bread.
A huge thank you for this recipe ☺. It really is the best gluten-free bread I’ve tasted in the past five years. I’ve made it twice and both times it was great. My first attempt was with buckwheat flour, corn starch and white rice flour because I had those at hand. I made the second one with corn flour, Schar gluten-free Mix B instead of starch and white rice flour. Also perfect. It seems that the choice of flour is not that important as long as the ratio between the flour, starch and rice flour is correct. Just one thing: I was wondering what the bread would be like if I baked it after just one rising? Have you perhaps tried that? Oh, and I couldn’t resist cutting it warm and nothing terrible happened 🙂
Hi Eva, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the bread!! 🙂 You got it exactly right – the flour:starch ratio, the hydration and the amount of binders (psyllium husk or xanthan gum) are the crucial factors that determine the success of this GF bread recipe. I go into a lot more detail about this (and other GF bread baking science) in my upcoming book on GF baking.
I haven’t tried baking the bread after just one rising – the first rise is all about flavour development, and the second is about the open crumb in the final loaf. So, you might lose out on some of the flavour if you do just one rise. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Hi, Kat, I’m just letting you know that I baked your bread after just one rise and noticed practically no difference … It saved one hour, though 😋. Thank you again for a great recipe.
I am so grateful for this amazing recipe!! To me, it’s like eating normal bread again, artisan style…..I am honestly amazed and so grateful. It is small, so not great for sandwiches, but otherwise perfect. I made my first 3 loaves with potato starch, but today used tapioca instead, and I think I like it better…! Curiously, my loaf today was a smidge too salty? Strange, unless tapioca is naturally more salty than potato starch?! If I reduce the salt, will it affect the bread? Also, I forgot to use ice in the dish and it still worked out perfectly. Word of warning – don’t be a ninny like me and use a glass dish for your steaming water. Mine exploded!
I also used a mix of sorghum and millet instead of buckwheat. I used a cast iron grill pan for my bread pan…so I got nice lines on the base.
Hi Yana, so glad you’re enjoying the bread! You can definitely adjust the salt to your personal taste, it won’t negatively affect the bread. If you want to use the bread for sandwiches, you could bake it in a loaf tin – I’ve had several people comment they’ve had great success baking it that way. 🙂
Thanks so much! Would the second rise be in a loaf tin?
Ugh, sorry…and then would you put the tin on the skillet etc?
Hah, no worries! No need to put it on a skillet, you can just pop it directly onto the middle oven rack. I do recommend you place a baking tray with a bit of boiling hot water on the bottom (as in the original recipe), to maximise over spring.
Yes, you’d do the second rise in the loaf tin.
Thank you so much.
Just bought all ingredients but where are the measurements???? Help
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page (or click on the ‘Jump to Recipe’ at the top of the page) you’ll find the whole recipe there, including the ingredient quantities. 🙂
Oops! Forgot to rate it! I’m new to gf so I miss my non-gf artisan loaf.
Hi, I made this recipe once and really liked it! Thanks! I had to make a lot of substitutions, but have since ordered some of the preferred ingredients. I am curious if I can grind organic buckwheat into flour in my Nutribullet, or if the flour has other ingredients, or needs to be processed differently. Many thanks, Jane
So glad you enjoyed the bread, Jane! If you can get buckwheat fine enough in your Nutribullet (texture of flour, not gritty), you can definitely use that.
This is the best gluten free bread I’ve had since discovering I’m coeliac. Thanks so much. And a joy to be able to shape it!
Can’t wait for your recipe book!
What do you think subbing half the potato starch for tapioca flour would do to the bread?
You can definitely use potato starch instead of the tapioca – check out the substitution section of my blog post, which lists all the alternative flours you can use! 🙂
This is the best gluten free bread i ever baked ! I used millet flour instead of brown rice flour. It’s Awesome.
I baked my first gluten free loaf using this recipe today and I am really pleased with the result. Having always used a bread maker to make regular bread this was going to be a challenge but good shop bought GF bread is a major expense so nothing ventured nothing gained and this turned out really well. I will be baking my own from now on. Thank you Kat for the fab recipe and the instructions were clear and easy to follow.
Made this bread today and it turned out very well. Best GF bread I’ve ever tried. Can this bread be made with a soft crust?
This specific bread recipe is optimised to give a crunchy crust, but I do have recipes with a softer crust (like sandwich bread) which will be included in my upcoming book on GF baking!
Thanks for the fab recipe. My dough didn’t rise much on the second proofing and is quite small. Can’t wait to taste it… hurry up and cool!
I absolutely love this bread! I am the only GF person in my family and my Dad loves bread. I brought this bread to dinner one night and he couldn’t believe it was gluten free! I’ve made it weekly for the last couple months. It is as enjoyable to make as it is to eat. Like others here, my bread does have a dark (almost purple) color which is due to the buckwheat flour (I use Anthony’s Organics). I have had the most success with a cast iron pan rather than dutch oven and a 20min bake with steam + 20min bake + 20min bake with foil.
Today I substituted sorghum flour for the buckwheat and put a couple tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary in and a little sea salt on top – it’s delicious, lighter in color and smells amazing!
I’m starting to try more of your recipes and can’t wait for the book!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Anne Louise – your comment really made my day. 🙂 I’m so happy you enjoy the bread and that you’ve been making it weekly, and also started experimenting with additional flavourings!
Is the sugar necessary? Leaky Gut says no sugar. The yeast will proof without sugar so is it necessary?
I like to use a bit of sugar to give the yeast an extra boost from the beginning, but you can definitely omit it – your bread might take a bit longer to rise, but other than that, it will still turn out delicious. 🙂
WOW! Just wow. I never comment on recipes, in fact this is a first, but I had to review this one because it is amazing! I’ve tried so many gluten free bread recipes and they’re all so terrible, no matter how much the author argues that is the “best.” This recipe however is so perfect- you would never know it wasn’t gluten free. Thank you for this- so grateful!!
I agree!! This bread is amazing! It worked first time and tasted delicious – even my non gf husband said it was great! I currently have one in the oven (my 3rd in as many days!) This one has a tiger loaf topping so here’s hoping it works!
Made this bread for the first time today, OMG it was fantastic, thank you
This is the best gluten free bread I have had in 7 years! Thank you! I used a crockpot to rise it and bake it! We love the flavor and texture.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s so yummy. As someone who needs to eat gluten free, a great GF bread has become a thing of longing for me. And I’ve found it! Hooray.
Easy, beautiful, and delicious! I had two issues, though: 1) my loaf came out pretty small–it didn’t rise as much on the second rise as on the first. 2) The crust was really hard! I like a crunchy crust, but I almost had to cut it off of my slices. Any tips for these issues? Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Mary! What kind of yeast did you use? And did you proof the loaf in the same place the second time around? It could be that it just needed slightly longer for the second rise (it should definitely double in volume both times, without any problems). As for the crunchy crust: what kind of baking setup did you use (Dutch oven, skillet or something else)? Do you have a conventional or a fan oven?
I’m just making this for the third time this week for my husband who is gluten intolerant. He absolutely loves it. I’ve used a mix of buckwheat- to quantity – and Aldi gf flour for the remaining quantity of flours. It comes out with a great flavour and consistency. Thanks for the recipe.
I just made this bread and let it rise twice .Both times bread rose nicely. I did proof yeast but the bread rose fine in the oven but then in the last 20- 30 minutes it deflated. Any suggestions ?
It’s possible that it over-proofed – maybe try a shorter second proof next time you make it.
Hello!
Thank you for the great recipe. The texture is excellent. It’s almost sourdough.
My loaf is a little bitter to the taste.
Any idea why that might be?
Hi Nellie! That could be because of the flours and brands of flours you used – did you by any change use Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour? I’ve had several people comment that it gives bread a slightly bitter taste.
Hi, i wanted to is it possible to make it without yeast or if there is any other kind of healthy replacement you can use in place of yeast?
Thank You!
This recipe can’t be made without yeast, as it requires yeast to rise – without it, it will be dense as a brick. Of course, you could adapt it to a GF sourdough starter.
I have to say that this is the best tasting bread I have ever made …. and to be honest it doesn’t really last past the cool down as we keep sampling it to make sure that it tastes right …. was thinking of making a double batch and baking them in 2 tins …… so my question is would I do the second rise in the tin to get the shape???
Thanks for any help
Cat
Hi Cat, I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread! You can definitely double the batch and bake it into two tins. Yes, in that case you will need to shape the bread after the first rise, place the logs into the tins and allow the second rise to happen in the tins.
If i try and double the recipe to back in two batches do i also double the active yeast amount.
Yes, you’ll also need to double the yeast.
Hi Kat!
Have you ever just baked on a hot pizza stone.. like rustic bread.. with the hit water pan below. I am curious how or if it will turn out.
This was an amazing recipe. That psyllium husk is magic. My bread also turned out a bit darker (probably the buckwheat flour here in the US – I used Bob’s Red Mill like others who commented above) but it was delicious. The inside was a tiny bit sticky so I think I would err on the side of a bit more time in the oven (50+ minutes post-steam) next time. Thank you!
Hi Kat, really excited to try this’s bread tomorrow as my husband has gone gluten free and really missing his sandwiches! Just had a quick question….it totally goes against the grain to put sugar in bread for me – I see it possible to leave it out or does the yeast need it to react? Thanks so much for your help. Best, Jo
Hi Jo, you can leave the sugar out, but I like to use it as it gives the yeast a kickstart by providing an extra source of food for it – and the final bread definitely isn’t sweet, as the amount of sugar is fairly low.
This is the best gluten free bread I’ve eaten. I’ve made it twice now, both times with great results. I followed the recipe exactly and it worked out so well. Thank you for this recipe and easy to follow instructions!
I’ve just finished baking this bread & it looks amazing. I did not have buckwheat flour so substituted by making my own gf oat flour. It’s 1.15am which means I have to sleep before I can cut through & taste. Thank you so much for your easy to follow steps. I look forward to trying out many more of your gf recipes, especially the cakes. Could you suggest what would be the best substitute for sugar when baking cakes. Many thanks 🙏🌹
So glad the bread turned out well, hope you enjoyed it! In cakes, you could use coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup instead of refined/white sugar – but note that the latter two liquid sweeteners may result in a slightly denser crumb.
Delish! But, although I used all of the exact ingredients, mine came out looking and tasting like pumpernickel. I loved the crust and was verrrry impatient and perhaps cut into it a little too early in spite of your warning because I love a slice of hot, crusty bread!
Can you make this bread in a bread machine?
I don’t have a bread machine and have never tested the recipe with one, so unfortunately really can’t help you there!
I made this bread yesterday and it’s amazing! I followed the exact recipe, substituting the potato starch with tapioca starch. The buckwheat flour I used it quite darker so the color isn’t the same but the texture looks quite similar. My only issue was that during the first rise the dough doubled in size, but during the second rise it didn’t. Any tips here?
So glad you enjoyed the bread! It’s quite strange that it didn’t double in size – but did it increase in volume? Maybe it just needed slightly longer to rise, depending on the temperature of the place where you proofed it.
This bread is really good!
And I say this a German “bread snob”, and as somebody who still eats gluten cobtaining products, so does not need to rely on something that is “better than other glutenfree products, but still not like I remember bread to be like. ”
It’s got a great texture, nice taste, and awesome crust.
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I found it gay you added suggestions for substitutions and ended up subbing the potato starch for corn starch, and the apple cider vinegar for malt vinegar. Both worked great.
I also had a bit of a conundrum with the psyllium husk as mine was neither a fine powder nor as rough as the one in your picture. I ended up using 17.5g of it, too splt the difference between your recommendation for fine powder and rough husk.
The only thing I added to your recipe was was tea spoon of homemade bread spice. I think it added a nice flavour to the recipe, but I also think the recipe would be great without it, too.
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My partner scoffed at the bread and called it “fake” because it does not contain gluten, but I think it is one of my favourite bread recipes I ever tried, with or without gluten.
Hi! I’ve never heard of psyllium husk before and am unsure about the choices online. Do you have a brand you typically use?
Hi Grace! I typically buy Planete au Naturel psyllium husk (in the rough husk form, not as a fine powder) on Amazon UK. I’m sure you can find a good equivalent if you’re outside of the UK. 🙂
Amazing, best gluten free bread I’ve tasted. I subbed arrowroot powder for potato starch and used honey instead of sugar. Will definitely be my go to gluten free bread thank you
Hello! I was wondering if you can freeze this bread up? I live alone and don’t eat lots of bread, so it would be a lifesaver if it were freezer friendly ^^