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!
240 thoughts on “The Ultimate Gluten Free Bread Recipe (Artisan Style Loaf)”
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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 ^^
I haven’t tried freezing it myself, but was told by others who tried that it works well. 🙂
This is a great recipe, and the first (of many) GF bread recipes that I’ve tried lately that hasn’t gone directly in to the compost! :-). One question, I had an incredible first rise – it more than doubled in size and was even “bubbling” on the sides. However, after I kneaded it as per the recipe, I got hardly any rise the second time. During the kneading I felt like I kneaded all of the air out of the dough and flattened it. Any insight as to why it did not rise the second time?
Hi David! Glad you like the recipe! Knocking the bread back after the first rise (so that you deflate it completely and “remove all air out of it”) shouldn’t prevent it from having a good second rise and an open final crumb. What kind of yeast did you use? Did you let the dough rise in the same spot both times?
My bread came out very good. Wish I could share the pic… It’s my first attempt and was pretty good… Gonna make it again… Its soft and chewy from inside..
Hi, does the dough remain sticky at the time of second proofing? I am trying gluten free for the first time and also not pro in making breads.. Have kept it for second proofing now..
The gluten free dough will stay a bit sticky (not as much as before the first rise, as the gluten free flours should have hydrated and absorbed more moisture), so make sure you shape it on a lightly floured surface before the second rise.
This turned out fantastic! Fabulous texture. The buckwheat flavor is quite strong (I used Bob’s Red Mill, which turned out considerably darker than your bread in the photos). Would regular gluten free flour (like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1) work in this recipe for a more traditional flavor? Otherwise, what would be a good flour substitute or blend for a lighter, less buckwheat-y version?
Hi there! I haven’t tested the bread with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 so I couldn’t say 100% for sure, but I don’t think the bread would be at its best, since it requires a quite specific flour profile. The post has a whole section on possible flour substitutions (there are quite a few for buckwheat flour), so I recommend you check it out!
AMAZING!!
This bread honestly tastes and has the texture of a wheat bread and is so easy to make. First time I’ve seen the psyllium not added to the flour, which has really not worked for me at all in the past – so clever and simple 😊
Are there any plans for adding recipes for enriched or white dough before the book comes out?
Thanks so much 😀
Hi Iana, so glad you enjoyed the bread! For now, I think the bulk of the bread and dough recipes (including white bread and enriched dough, such as babka, cinnamon rolls and even fried doughnuts) will be exclusive to the book, but once it comes out it’s very likely I’ll start adding more GF bread recipes to the blog. 🙂
The recipe and all the comments sound really promising. Really looking forward to give it a go. We always find that you have to warm up your GF-Bread so that it is somewhat enjoyable. Is that something you should do with this one too or is it meant to be baked, cooled off and then eaten by the next days?
Thank you very much
Hi Marc! No need to always warm the bread – I often eat it cooled, without toasting or heating up, and it’s delicious. That said, it’s also wonderful toasted on a bit of butter or as a grilled cheese sandwich. Just make sure to allow your baked bread to cool off completely before first cutting into it.
Very tasty and easy to make artisan bread. I substituted the buckwheat and brown rice flour with Cup4Cup wholesome flour and the loaf came out looking very much like yours. And tasted great with nice texture. Takes lotsa patience indeed to let it cool down before tasting but yes, it was worth the wait.
Hello, I LOVE your recipes so thank you so much for these and looking forward so much to your book. It’ll be on my shelf. Just wondering can you freeze this bread and have a stock pile?
Thank you,
Denise 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words, Denise! 🙂 I’ve never frozen this bread (it always disappears so quickly, and I like to bake fresh bread regularly), as it keeps well for 3-4 days at room temperature. However, I’ve been told by others who’ve made it that they’ve frozen it successfully.
Hi…..a big thanks for an amazing recipe……I think like so many I kept trying to make an edible bread but always failed. The texture and flavour are amazing and even my hubby who doesn’t like GF was impressed. I have referred so many to your site. I am looking forward To trying other recipes from your blog. 😊
The bread tastes amazing! It is definitely a keeper of a recipe. Thank you! Is it possible to double the recipe? Do I need to increase the baking time?
I don’t recommend doubling the recipe, as large loaves can have trouble losing enough moisture while baking, resulting in a wet, sticky interior (or a very hard, almost too crunchy crust if you significantly increase the baking time). I’d recommend baking two separate loaves, or increasing the recipe by 50% at most.
Hi! Made this for the first time over the weekend and I loved it! But I did want to ask if there were more alternatives to Buckwheat aside from the ones you’ve already mentioned (Teff flour, Sorghum flour) as these are very pricey and not easily found in my part of the world. Regarding Oat flour… could I just grind up rolled oats? Would the recipe still work if I decreased the weight of buckwheat and increased either potato starch and/or rice flours? Thanks for sharing your wisdom! Looking forward to seeing your book someday!
Other buckwheat flour alternatives include oat flour and maize flour. You can definitely grind up rolled oats, just make sure to sift out any large pieces, so you get a very fine powder – and then weight out the powder (not the rolled oats at the beginning). I don’t recommend changing the amount of potato starch, but you could slightly increase the amount of brown rice flour and accordingly decrease the amount of buckwheat. But don’t go overboard – the flour profile is very important to get the correct bread texture. And thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
I loved this bread! Today was my second attempt at making it, and I did much better than the first time!
Would it make a difference if I were to double the ingredients for a larger loaf?
So glad you enjoyed the bread – practice definitely makes perfect when it comes to this recipe! 🙂 I don’t recommend doubling the recipe, as large loaves can have trouble losing enough moisture while baking, resulting in a wet, sticky interior (or a very hard, almost too crunchy crust if you significantly increase the baking time). I’d recommend baking two separate loaves, or increasing the recipe by 50% at most.
Is it possible to make rolls from this recipe, rather than just the loaf?
Although this recipe isn’t optimised for rolls, you can definitely make them (and they should be delicious)! I would bake them at 200-220ºC for about 20-30 minutes without steam (depending on size, they might need shorter or longer in the oven).
I have never made any bread before. In isolation I have been challenging myself to try different things. My son inlaw & grandson are gluten intolerant. So happy I came across this recipe, turned out great. If I can can do it, anyone can. Thank-you for you hard work to develop this recipe
Love this recipe!! In the process of my 2nd and 3rd loaves prep, I was just wondering as I’m trying to tweak the recipe for my dad who has quite a few sensitivities whether I would be able to substitute and use bakers yeast instead? Thank you x
Hi Nikki! I’m sorry, I’m unfamiliar with baker’s yeast – from googling the term, it seems that it’s a catch-all phrase for regular dried yeast, which includes both active dried and instant yeast. If that’s the case, you can definitely use it in the recipe!
Hi! This is amazing recipe. But on the paper(print)recipe is for 2 loaf, but ingredients tsp or cup part is for 1 loaf. Also in instructions, water is for 1 loaf. Careful if you use a paper recipe!
Hi Ami! I’m not quite sure what you mean about the printed recipe being for 2 loaves – the recipe as written (found at the bottom of the page) is for one loaf and all ingredient quantities are accordingly optimised to make 1 loaf. (Glad you like the recipe though!)
Baked this last night for my family, and they loved it! Since my daughter found out she has celiac we haven’t been able to make any stand-alone loaves, so it was great to make something I didn’t have to pour. One question though – the bottom of my loaf was black. I covered the top with foil to prevent it burning, but any help on the bottom? I was using a cast iron skillet, for what it’s worth.
So glad everyone enjoyed the bread! Have you baked the bread on a piece of baking/parchment paper, or directly on the cast iron skillet? Baking paper provides a small bit of protection from the high heat, and should prevent too much browning on the bottom. What you can do is use several sheets of baking paper (I haven’t tested this myself, but have seen other use it successfully). And you can always re-use them! 🙂
Kat! You are a genius! Beautiful recipe..I made the most beautiful gf loaf in my Dutch oven..I can’t believe it! My husband can’t believe it! I was worried about degassing it after the first ferment and shaping it as I was scared to knock out the air..but followed your instructions to the t and it came out perfect..love love the simplicity of your ingredients as well and that it has no gum! The psyllium is such a good add of fibre as well..thank you for this recipe..you are amazing!
This recipe is so good! Thank you for sharing and I cant wait to see more in your book 😊 Made my first loaf today and cant see it lasting long 😆 excited to try it using my sourdough starter next time in place of the yeast. Also excited to try using psyllium husk in other recipes, its amazing!
Hi, I gave this a go today. Unfortunately the outside has burnt. I used a dutch oven so jumped to the recipe for those instructions and it doesn’t say to reduce the temp after the first 20 minutes as the written instructions with pictures do. I went back and re-read after baking and saw this 🙁 Hopefully the inside is ok once cut into. Keen to give it another go at the right temps.
So sorry you had problems with the recipe because of the typo – I have now updated/corrected the recipe. I do hope you’ll give it another go! 🙂
Hi, kat! it would be great if you can make video for this recipe 😁😁
Haha, working on it! Video creation and editing requires A LOT of time, but it’s high on my to-do list, especially for this recipe. 😉
Fabulous! By far the best GF bread I’ve ever made. I’m so impressed with the texture and it’s lovely to not be trying to eat a dry brick!!! I’m in the UK and used Doves GF brown bread flour instead of the rice and buckwheat flours. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
what could I use instead of the brown rice flour and millet flour? could I use all oat?
If you check out the post, there’s a whole section about possible flour substitutions! 🙂
Can I let this proof over night? Say if I make in the evening and then wake up and bake it. Do I have to still do the 2 proofs? This is all new to me!
You should do two rises/proofs, but the second one can be in the fridge overnight. So the process would follow the recipe up to the first rise. After the first rise, shape the dough, transfer into the proofing basket, cover loosely with cling film or a tea towel and place into the fridge overnight. Bake the next day (depending on a few factors, you might need to proof the bread a bit more at room temperature the next day, it should double in size before you bake it).
My dough is much darker than yours. I am using bob’s red mill buckwheat flour. It is darker than yours. What buckwheat flour did you use?
I used buckwheat flour from a local mill (Shipton Mill in the UK), which is quite light in colour. If yours is darker, it shouldn’t drastically affect the texture, only the appearance.
Being from Eastern Europe, I have been craving for a dark rye bread which I haven’t been able to have since going gluten free 8 years ago. I made this bread yesterday with a mix of white rice and dark teff flour instead of the brown rice flour, which I couldn’t find in the supermarket (covid perks), and I was surprised how much the bread looked and tasted like an actual rye bread. I could probably even fool my family into thinking it’s a rye bread. So thank you for this recipe! Now I just need to find a good white gf toast bread recipe, my endless quest.
Wonderful recipe, thank you! Do you think it would be ok for me to prepare the dough in advance & store in the fridge after the 2nd rise, so I can bake it when I need within a few days?
I don’t recommend preparing the dough days in advance, since timing is extremely important to get on open crumb – if the dough over-proofs, it’s likely yo collapse in the oven and come out very dense. It is, however, possible to do the second proof in the fridge overnight so you can bake it the next day in the morning. In this case, the process would follow the recipe up to the first rise. After the first rise, shape the dough, transfer into the proofing basket, cover loosely with cling film or a tea towel and place into the fridge overnight. Bake the next day (depending on a few factors, you might need to proof the bread a bit more at room temperature the next day, it should double in size before you bake it).
Hi can I use a casserole dish instead of a Dutch oven? Also, should I preheat this for 30 mins with baking paper?
As long as your casserole dish is good at retaining heat, it should be OK to use. Definitely pre-heat it for about 30 minutes, but without the baking paper – the baking paper is used later to transfer the proofed bread into the hot Dutch oven/casserole dish.
My beard is baking as I type, I had to substitute the brown rice flour with a mix of oat and cassava flour – I cannot wait to try, when I found the recipe what drew me was that it photo of the bread looked just like farmers bread that we used to eat back home (Austria) I have been GF for years, haven’t found that one bread yet that “I” like I am hoping this is my farmers bread GF version
Finally the perfect GF bread recipe! I’ve tried several other recipes but this made the perfect loaf. I was skeptical of the high baking temperature and thought it was a mistake because all other recipes bake at much lower temps. I stuck to the recipe and it was great. Thanks for the detailed instructions especially on reducing the amount of using ground psyllium husk.
Can we put it in the freezer ? I just made the recipe 🙂
I’ve never frozen it myself, but I’ve been told by other that you can freeze individual slices and toast them with excellent results.
I have made this bread twice now and its wonderful! I have one question. The color of the inside of my bread is much darker than yours. I used all the same ingrediants, so I am not sure why mine is darker. Any suggestions?
Did you by any chance use Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour? That can give your loaves a darker colour.
I’ve been a coeliac for over 10 years, and trust me when I say I’ve gone through many bread recipes. This one however, true to its description is a real game changer! My fiancé, who is French and not gluten intolerant, thought it was great and even went as far as to say that he’d stop buying his own bread from Gail’s Bakery if I continued to make it. The crust was super crunchy but it was also soft and airy in the middle. I technically only had half the amount of psyllium husk left and substituted the rest with flax seed which may have been the reason why my dough was on the runnier side, but it was still super and I can’t wait to try this recipe again once I replenish my ingredients. Big thanks for posting this Kat!
Sounds like a great recipe, can’t wait to get all the ingredients and attempt it! Couple of questions:
1. I’ve used xanthan gum in GF baking previously to get the bind that gluten provides. I understand psyllium husk is better, I was just wondering if xanthan gum could be used as a substitute? Or is that better for cake baking?
2. Apologies, my liquid measurements are usually millilitres or fluid ounces, but the recipe asks for 390g of water, what’s the conversion?
P.S. Love, love, love the ultimate chocolate cake recipe! I made it a few months ago as my first attempt at a chocolate cake, it was lovely and enjoyed by all! I can’t wait for the book, it’s so difficult to find good GF recipes! Plan on trying the lemon and poppy seed cake next!
1. Xanthan gum is great in bakes like cakes and cookies, but doesn’t work as well in bread – at least not as the only binder present. I really don’t advise trying to replace psyllium husk with xanthan gum in this recipe.
2. For water, 390 grams = 390 millilitres.
And so glad you like the chocolate cake! Happy baking! 🙂
I don’t have an iron skillet. Can I just pop it on a normal baking tray? Or it’s not going to retain the heat enough?
You can use a baking tray – try to use a sturdy one that’s good at retaining heat. Your bread might not be quite as tall as in my photos, but it should still be very delicious. 🙂
I made this bread in a dutch oven and didn’t rise much but it tastes delicious. Thank you for this amazing recipe. I wanted to ask if the second proof is a necessary step or can I just bake the bread after the first proof ?
Thanks!
I definitely recommend two rises – the first rise helps with the flavour development, the second rise with the soft, open crumb.
I just made this bread, and it is deliscious! The only substitution I made was to use oat flour for the sorguhm flour since that is what I had. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will be making it again and again!
So happy you enjoyed it, Karen!!
Absolutely amazing bread! Love love love it! I’ve only been coeliac for 5 months and I really miss normal bread, my daughter has been coeliac for 7 years and she’s says this is the best one she’s ever had!
Made it yesterday and still able to have slices as bread rather than toast. Will be seeing what it’s like tomorrow- we’ve got high hopes! I don’t possess a skillet so made it as a loaf in a silicon loaf dish. Worked really well.
Was wondering if it could be made in a bread maker? Obviously not using a standard gf programme as that only has one rise. Any ideas?
Hi Sylvia, I’m so incredibly happy you and your daughter enjoyed the bread!! I’ve never used a bread maker (nor do I know how one works), so unfortunately really can’t help you there. If you do give it a try with the bread maker, let me know how it turns out – I’d love to know! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, Sylvia! I was wondering if I could make it in a loaf pan.
HI Kat! This bread looks delicious and I would like to try make it for my Celiac daughter. I;ve never used Psyllium husk in any recipes thus far, and just read abt it that it might create issues for somone with sensitive digestive system, so am wondering should i sub it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Maija (in sunny California)
Hi Maija! Unfortunately, you can’t really substitute the psyllium husk, as it’s essential to get the right bread texture (it also helps with handling the dough, etc.). As far as I know, psyllium husk is sometimes used as a fibre additive and I’ve never heard of it causing digestive problems – but I’m not a doctor and obviously every person is different in how they react to various ingredients. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I have this proofing now, I am in awe of the beautiful texture of the dough! I had to sub a few flours with what I had available, as we are in total lockdown here in NZ – I used white rice flour, buckwheat flour and corn starch, fingers crossed!
Thank you for this amazing bread recipe! After so many years on gluten free diet i was finally able to bake something what was truly like a gluten bread which i used to love! I enjoy the consistency and that it is not crumbly. Breads i baked before were ok and many times tasty but always crumbling and never like a gluten bread. Thank you! You inspired me again🧡
I’ve been GF and DF for over 10 years and have many gf bread books. This recipe is by far the best I’ve ever made. Psyllium husk is seriously some magic ingredient.
Just made this bread and it’s the best tasting gf loaf i have had so far. Hubby approved! He cldn’t tell its gf! I can’t wait to see the rest of your book. Maybe since we are all in lockdown u can consider releasing an e-book so that we can bake more bread. I know I would pay for it 🙂 Thank u for your hard work!
Hello,
I finally attempted to make this bread. Your photos show a much lighter dough than mine. And your finished product is very much lighter than mine. I did sub millet flour for brown rice flour and tapioca for potato starch. My bread did not rise nearly as much. It could be my yeast used. However, my yeast mixture did foam so I assumed it was ok. My yeast was expired by about six months but when I googled that issue the site did say no worry dates are arbitrary. Your thoughts
If your dough didn’t rise properly, it’s probably because of the expired yeast. Because yeast is a living thing, it’s possible that part of the cells will no longer be active if it’s that far past its expiration date. That means that while a large enough portion of the yeast was active to get the initial mixture frothing, it’s not active enough to get the dough to double in size in the time listed in the recipe. I would recommend getting a new batch of yeast, although it’s possible you could get a good loaf out of your current batch if you prolong the rising times to 2 – 3 hours.
I had the same issue with the coloring. I realized that my buckwheat flour was from unhulled buckwheat. I’m wondering if this receipe she used hulled buckwheat. It’s much lighter in color. My loaf is in the oven now, so hopefully it still turns out okay.
Do you think i can make different shapes with the bread? For example burger buns or hotdog buns
This specific recipe (ingredients and their ratios) are optimised for the crusty loaves with a chewy crumb. However, I have developed a recipe for buttery, soft, fluffy burger buns (with a brioche-type dough), and it will be in my upcoming book! 🙂
Hello,
Thanks so much for what sounds again like a very promising recipe 🙂
I will try it this afternoon.
Cursious though, I LOVE the acidic or tangy flavor that you get from rye or sourdough bread. How could I increase that flavour in this bread?
Or do you think it is not possible?
Thank so much much for your work! Looking very much forward for your book. When will it approximately be out? 😉
Stay safe!
Kind regards,
Kelly from Luxembourg
Hi Kelly!
I really hope you enjoy the bread – the flavour and acidity will really depend on the flours you choose. I love buckwheat because it does have that slight tang to it, you could adjust the rice flour:buckwheat ratio to have slightly more buckwheat in the bread. Also, you can add one extra teaspoon of vinegar – it won’t inhibit the yeast, but it will make the bread more acidic. I plan on also experimenting with doing the second proof in the fridge overnight, which should result in a more complex flavour – I will update the recipe once I see if that works!
And thank you, it’s so exciting! It should be out Spring 2021 – just keep an eye on here and on Instagram for any updates.
Hope you’re well and staying safe!
Kat
I added a half a cup of my GF sourdough starter (cultures of health Brown rice starter) and an additional approx. 1/4 c brown rice flour and the flavor was amazing. Also, when I made it I didn’t have enough buckwheat so I mostly used a mix of teff and sorghum.
Yay! Happy to hear it also works with a sourdough starter! 🙂
Hi. What can we use if we don’t have the proofing basket?
You can use a bowl (approximately 7 inch in diameter) lined with a clean tea towel.
It looks amazing! But I don’t have a proofing basket. Can I use a simple bowl for this step?
You can definitely use a bowl (approximately 7 inch in diameter), lined with a clean tea towel.
This looks amazing! Curious, is there any substitute for the sugar? Would honey, agave, maple syrup, or coconut sugar work?
Honey or maple syrup (same amount by weight) should work perfectly!
I used 1 tbsp honey and it worked great