You will love this gluten free seeded loaf, with its soft and chewy crumb, deliciously crisp crust, and amazing flavour thanks to the abundance of mixed seeds. This gluten free bread recipe is incredibly easy to make and only requires a single rise.
Hi friends! Your eyes do not deceive you – this is indeed a brand new gluten free bread recipe, and one that’s been in the works for a while now.
In fact, this is probably one of my favourite gluten free bread recipes I’ve made to date. It’s incredibly soft and chewy, with a crisp crust and an amazing flavour thanks to the abundance of mixed seeds. On top of that, it’s also incredibly easy (and relatively quick) to make, requiring only a single rise rather than the more standard two rounds of rising.
(Side note: if you’re after even more delicious gluten free bread recipes, you should definitely check out my upcoming book on gluten free baking, Baked to Perfection. It includes over 15 gluten free bread recipes – from artisan loaves and burger buns, to baguettes and bagels. You can find more information and all the pre-order links here!)
I’ve received numerous comments and messages about my Ultimate Gluten Free Bread recipe since I published it back in April. I still can’t actually believe just how many of you have made it since then (many on a weekly basis!), and it warms my heart to see the photos of all your gorgeous loaves.
There have also been many questions about adapting the recipe, and most of these fell into one of four categories: how to scale up the recipe (to make a larger loaf, so it will last longer), how to bake the bread in a loaf tin (so it’s more convenient for making sandwiches), whether it’s possible to skip the first rise, and whether it’s possible to include seeds.
This recipe is my answer to these questions and requests.
In developing this gluten free seeded loaf:
- I’ve increased the amount of dough by 50%, so that it perfectly fills a 2lb/900g loaf tin. The result is a gorgeous, tall loaf that is perfect for slicing and making sandwiches. At the same time, it’s still small enough so that it bakes through nicely without its middle becoming sticky or gummy. Instead, it has a beautifully open, chewy crumb.
- I’ve tested the bread with only a single rise – and it works really well! While two rounds of rising give a slightly richer flavour, you can definitely get away with just one proof in the loaf tin, if you want to save on time.
- I’ve added a very generous amount of seeds into the dough. I used a seed mix (consisting of linseed, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds), but you could easily use whichever seeds you have on hand. The bread also works great with chopped nuts (walnuts are a favourite of mine) or dried fruit (figs or cranberries work particularly well).
- I’ve optimised the baking times and temperatures to give a crust that isn’t too hard – instead, the crust is caramelised and pleasantly crisp.
Before we get to the bits and bobs of making this wonderful bread – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest recipes and tips!
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
How do you make a gluten free seeded loaf?
For detailed step-by-step photos of making a gluten free bread dough and more information about the importance of psyllium husk in gluten free bread baking, I recommend you have a look at my Ultimate Gluten Free Bread recipe.
Making this gluten free seeded loaf is incredibly easy:
- In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes until the mixture starts frothing – this is a good indication that the yeast is active.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and water to make a psyllium gel.
- Whisk together the buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, millet flour and salt.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the yeast mixture, psyllium gel and apple cider vinegar.
- Knead all the ingredients together into a smooth, soft and slightly sticky dough that should come away from the sides of the bowl. You can knead it by hand or using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Add the seeds and knead them into the dough until evenly distributed.
- On a lightly oiled surface, shape the dough into a log that comfortably fits into a 2lb/900g loaf tin.
- Transfer the dough into the tin and gently press it down to even out the top.
- Cover loosely with cling film and allow it to proof in a warm place for 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes, until approximately doubled in volume.
- Sprinkle with extra seeds and bake!
See? Not difficult at all.
Top tips
Here are the most important things to keep in mind when making this recipe:
- Make sure that all your gluten free flours are finely milled/ground – they should be fine powders, not coarse like polenta. Coarsely ground flours don’t absorbs moisture as well, which can result in a runny, very sticky dough.
- I recommend you use the rough husk form of psyllium husk rather than the powder. However, if you do use psyllium husk powder, use 75-85% of the quantity of rough psyllium husk listed in the recipe. Note that there is no substitute for psyllium husk!!
- If you don’t like your bread to be moist, I recommend you remove the loaf from the baking tin and bake it directly on the oven rack for the last 15 minutes (keeping the top covered with aluminium foil, shiny side up). This will help dry out the middle of the loaf even more – just note that this will also further crisp up and dry out the crust.
- Allow the loaf to cool COMPLETELY before cutting into it! While I 100% get the temptation of cutting into a warm loaf of bread, cooling is a very important step in gluten free bread making. If you cut into a warm or hot gluten free loaf, the inside could be quite sticky. Allowing the loaf to cool sets the crumb and ensures that beautiful open, chewy crumb – no stickiness in sight.
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.
- 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 75-85% of the weight listed in the recipe.
- Buckwheat flour: You can use white teff flour, sorghum flour or oat flour instead.
- Tapioca starch: You can use corn starch, potato starch or arrowroot starch instead.
- Millet flour: You can use brown rice 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.
And… that’s it. A brand new, glorious gluten free seeded loaf recipe that’s as delicious as it is easy to make. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Happy baking,
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Gluten Free Seeded Loaf (Mixed Seed Bread)
You will love this gluten free seeded loaf, with its soft and chewy crumb, deliciously crisp crust and amazing flavour thanks to the abundance of mixed seeds. This gluten free bread recipe is incredibly easy to make and only requires a single rise.
Ingredients
- 12 g (1 tbsp) active dried yeast
- 20 g (2 tbsp) superfine/caster sugar
- 585 g (2 ⅓ cups + 1 ½ tbsp) warm water, divided
- 30 g (⅓ cup + ½ tbsp) psyllium husk (rough husk form)
- 195 g (1 ⅓ cups) buckwheat flour
- 150 g (1 ⅓ cups) tapioca starch
- 135 g (1 cup) millet flour
- 10 g (2 tsp) table or sea salt
- 15 g (2 ½ tsp) apple cider vinegar
- 150 g (1 cup) mixed seeds, such as linseed, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, divided
- 1 UK medium/US large egg, whisked, for egg wash (optional, omit if you want the bread to be vegan)
Instructions
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and place a baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 480ºF (250ºC) and get a 2lb/900g loaf tin ready to have on hand (you can line it with baking/greaseproof paper, which will also help you remove the baked loaf from the tin).
Tip: Dimensions of a 2lb/900g loaf tin: 8.5 inch/21cm long, 4.5 inch/11cm wide and 3inch/7cm high.
In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar and 240g (1 cup) warm water. Set aside for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing.
In a separate bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and 345g (1 ⅓ cups + 1 ½ tbsp) water. After about 15 – 30 seconds, a gel will form.
In a large bowl, mix together the buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, millet 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 fitted with a dough hook.
Add about 120g (¾ cup) of the mixed seeds and knead them into the dough until evenly distributed.
Transfer the bread to a lightly oiled surface and knead it gently, forming it into a log that comfortably fits into the 2lb/900g loaf tin. Transfer the dough into the tin (seam side down) and gently press it down to even out the top.
Tip: This recipe works really well with just a single rise. But, if you want to do two rounds of rising, first place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Then proceed with this step.
Lightly cover with cling film and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour 15 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes or until approximately doubled in volume.
Once risen, lightly brush the top of the bread with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining seeds.
Tip: If you want the bread to be vegan, brush it with a bit of water instead, before sprinkling on the seeds. To make sure that the seeds stick better, you could add a bit of sugar or maple syrup into the water.
Place the proofed bread into the oven on the middle rack, pour boiling hot water into the bottom baking tray, spray the bread 4-5 times with water (optional), and close the oven door.
Bake at 480ºF (250ºC) with steam for 15 minutes – don’t open the oven doors during this initial period, as that would allow the steam to escape out of the oven.
After the 15 minutes, remove the bottom tray with water from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 430ºF (220ºC), and bake for a further 60-70 minutes in a steam-free environment. The final loaf should be of a golden brown colour. If the loaf starts browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminium foil, shiny side up, and continue baking until done.
Tip: If you don’t like your bread to be moist, I recommend you remove the loaf from the baking tin and bake it directly on the oven rack for the last 15 minutes (keeping the top covered with aluminium foil, shiny side up). This will help dry out the middle of the loaf even more – just note that this will also further crisp up and dry out the crust.
Remove the baked loaf out of the baking tin immediately out of the oven and transfer it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into it.
Storage: The gluten free bread keeps well 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 75-85% of the weight listed in the recipe.
- Buckwheat flour: You can use white teff flour, sorghum flour or oat flour instead.
- Tapioca starch: You can use corn starch, potato starch or arrowroot starch instead.
- Millet flour: You can use brown rice flour instead.
NOTE: All substitutions should be made by weight not by volume.
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26 thoughts on “Gluten Free Seeded Loaf (Mixed Seed Bread)”
Do I bake this fanbake or ordinary bake? Thanks!
Hi Louise, I recommend using the conventional (not fan) oven setting.
Hello there, can I just use 1/2 the ingredients for a 1lb loaf? Thanks!
Hiya, I haven’t tested it, but it should definitely work. Happy baking!
Another brilliant recipe, thank you! I have made this twice now and it was great. Toasts wonderfully too! Quick question, if I’m using instant yeast should I reduce the quantity or the rise time at all? I’m finding the loaf to be coming up over the top of the tin really quickly during proofing and it lead to a bit of a muffin top on the first go.
Hi Alisha, so glad you enjoyed the bread! Instant yeast is often more active than active dried yeast, so use 75% of the amount listed in the recipe. Alternatively, you can use the same amount and just shorten the baking time – once the dough doubles in volume, it’s ready to bake.
Thnx a lot!
Hello! This looks amazing. I’m wondering if you could only use rice flour? I can’t use the other ones you recommended. Also, have you tried using any nut flours? Hazelnut or tiger nut?
If not, I’ll give the nut flours a go and let you know.
Hi Alicia, you can’t use only rice flour for this recipe – gluten-free bread recipes require a mix of GF flours to get the best results. I haven’t tested nut flours with this recipe, and somehow, I don’t think they will work very well…
Tasty, whole grain bread! The recipe works like a charm. I tried it this first time as written. Next time I think I may change it up and use some nuts and dried fruit instead off the seeds for a breakfast bread. I also may try subbing Oats for the buckwheat for variety another time.
I’ve been making your GF artisan bread for a few months now and love it so I was anxious to try this one. I love the flavor. It’s great but it’s too wet for my preference. I subbed oat flour for the buckwheat and brown rice flour for the millet. Everything else I followed exactly as your recipe called for – even taking it out of the pan for the last 15 minutes (I actually did 20 minutes) to allow it to dry out. It still came out too wet in my opinion. Is this due to the difference in flours? Also I noticed that steam was rising from the loaf when I took it out of the oven. Should I have left it in the oven until there was no more steam? Just curious how to make it better next time. Yes, there will be a next time!
Hi Carolyn! When you say “wet” do you mean that it’s sticky to the touch when you cut it, or just that it’s very moist?
In general, GF bread baked in a loaf tin will almost always be more moist than bread baked free-form in a Dutch oven or skillet, because a smaller surface area is exposed to the hot oven and therefore moisture evaporation from the bread is inhibited. What you could do is bake it longer (directly on the oven rack, out of the pan), which will remove even more moisture and should dry it out further. Just note that it will make the crust even more crisp. As for the steam rising from the bread: that will always happen with freshly baked bread – as the bread cools, it loses even more moisture via steam evaporation (up to 10-20g of its total weight, in fact).
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll try the longer time out of the pan. And when I said “wet”, I meant sticky/gummy which has made it more difficult to slice easily.
Hi
Which millet flour have you used here?
Hi Kiran, I use millet flour from Shipton Mill here in the UK. You can see it here: https://www.shipton-mill.com/flour-direct/243-organic-millet-flour.htm
Would be trying out very soon. Just for my knowledge why do we add vinegar to the bread dough?
Hi Annuradha! Adding vinegar creates a slightly acidic environment for the yeast, which makes it more active. I’ve found that adding this small amount of vinegar gives a more open, soft crumb in the final baked bread.
The perfect loaf of bread !!
It’s so incredibly tasty, soft, crunchy and easy to make. Better than what you could get from any bakery. You won’t know it’s gluten free. Everyone loved it.
Thank you for this piece of heaven!!!
Wow wow wow!! This is the best bread I have ever made! Crusty outside. Soft inside. Thank you so much. My family ate half of it and they eat wheat bread. My daughter said she prefers it over ‘normal’ bread.
Hi Kat. I’ve made your GF bread from April …. very tastey and easy. Will make this as well. Question: I have a fabulous bread maker, with GF & custom programmable features that I use weekly. Would like to make your breads in that. Any suggestions? Have you ever tried using a breadmaker?
Hi Linda, I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed my bread recipe! Unfortunately, I have no experience with bread makers, so I can’t really help you there… I believe a few people have successfully made my Ultimate GF Bread with the help of a bread maker (mostly for combining the ingredients and proofing), so it could work. If you give it a try, do let me know how it turns out!
On your new gluten free bread recipe there is a discrepancy on how much time the loaf should steam in the oven. #10 says 15 minutes. #11 says after the 20 minutes. My loaf is in the oven now. Since I made your other wonderful gluten free bread and it required 20 minutes to steam in the oven, that’s what I’ll do today.
Thank you so much for catching that, Theresa! I’ve now corrected it to 15 minutes, but if you went with 20 minutes it shouldn’t make too much of a difference.
Thank you- I can’t say how much I enjoy the Ultimate GF bread. It is just amazing. My husband is who is not gf enjoys it enough that I don’t have to deal with separate breads. I can’t wait to try this one. I’ve tried the other with buckwheat, teff, and sorghum and enjoy it each time! I look forward to your book- will preorder.
Hi Mim, thank you so much for your lovely message, I’m so glad you and your husband both enjoy my GF bread recipe! I really hope you’ll love this one as well – and I hope you’ll enjoy the book!
Woohoo! Another great bread recipe. I’ve been making the artisan loaf weekly for months but it may be replaced by this! I love that it is super easy and only requires one rise. So quick & simple to make. I did two loaves, one with millet flour and one with brown rice. The brown rice one worked better for me, it held its shape and rose better than the millet one. But both taste delicious!
*It should be noted that I rarely have luck with millet flour but I think it must be down to the actual flour that I buy, I can only ever get Bob’s Red Mill for millet. I use Anthony’s Organics for everything else and they all work beautifully. I’m in the western US by the way.
Anyway, great loaf! Happy baking!