Gluten Free Bread Recipe – Easy Recipe That Actually Tastes Good!

This gluten free bread recipe is easy to make, has a quick prep time and actually tastes good! I had to start eating a gluten free diet a while back and I was disappointed at how difficult it was to find gluten free bread that was edible. Some gluten free bread was OK but was very expensive, so I decided to try to come up with a recipe of my own.

After a lot of trial and error, I came up with the best gluten free bread recipe ever! This gluten free bread is great for sandwiches, toast and French toast. You can easily cut it up and dry it out to make gluten free croutons. The leftover gluten free bread makes wonderful bread pudding. If you don’t have any leftover, you can make the bread and let it dry out just to make the bread pudding!

If you also have to adhere to a dairy free diet, these recipes are dairy free, too!

I am including two versions of my gluten free bread recipe. Both of them are dairy free, too. One of them is designed to be used with some of my favorite store bought gluten-free flour mixes and I indicate which brands of flour worked best when I tested it.

The other gluten free bread recipe is designed to be used with homemade gluten free flour. In case the mix is not available or you prefer to make your gluten free bread from scratch ingredients, I included the particular mix of gluten free flours and starches that worked best.

When I say this is the best gluten free bread recipe, it is important when making the bread that you make it exactly according to the directions. I tested it over and over again (We are talking 30-40 times! It’s really been tested!) and the specific mixture of flours I included in the recipe was the one that made the absolute best bread flavor and consistency.

If you want to substitute ingredients, you will be changing the bread and I can’t say if it would be as good as the original recipe. I highly recommend that you make the gluten free bread exactly according to the directions the first few times so you know how to make a good loaf before you start experimenting.

After you have made the gluten free bread recipe a few times, you can experiment with substituting other ingredients and see how you like it. Be aware that experimenting is always trial and error (which is why I test it for you!), so be prepared to waste some ingredients if you decide to test.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

(using store bought flour mix)

Tested with Walmart Great Value Gluten Free Flour Mix and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Mix.

1¾ cups warm water (100°)
3 tsp. active dry yeast (not instant yeast)
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar or honey

3⅔ cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder (high altitude, use 2½ tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
⅓ cup shortening, melted

Place water, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Whisk well until yeast is dissolved. Then let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients.

Combine the bread dough thoroughly until smooth, either with an electric mixer or vigorously by hand, using a large whisk, until there are no lumps remaining at all.

Pour dough into a greased 9x5x3 inch bread pan. (Note: DO NOT use an 8×4 inch pan.)

Set dough in a warm place until it has risen to ¼ inch below the top of the bread pan, about 15 minutes. (DO NOT let it rise higher than ¼ inch below the top.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place the bread pan with the dough into the oven on the center rack. Bake 40-55 minutes. When baked, the bread will be golden brown and have an internal temperature between 200º-205º or a skewer pushed inside will come out mostly clean with just a slight amount of sticky dough on the end.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan 5 minutes. Then carefully transfer the loaf to a cooling rack, laying on its side to cool.

Let the bread cool for one hour before slicing.

Store in a plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Slice and freeze if necessary.

This bread can be frozen once it is completely cooled. Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap it in foil or freezer paper. Place the wrapped loaf in a freezer bag. The bread can be frozen up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Herbed Bread

Add 6 tablespoons of fresh herbs to flour. Chives, sage and thyme work well.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Add ½-1 cup dairy free Cheddar cheese and ¼ -½ cup chopped jalapeños.

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

(using homemade gluten free flours)

1¾ cups warm water (100°)
3 tsp. active dry yeast (not instant yeast)
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar or honey

1⅓ cups tapioca flour
⅔ cup potato starch
⅔ cup cornstarch
⅔ cup brown or white rice flour
⅔ cup sweet white rice flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder (high altitude, use 2½ tsp.)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
⅓ cup shortening, melted

Place water, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Whisk well until yeast is dissolved. Then let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients.

Combine the bread dough thoroughly until smooth, either with an electric mixer or vigorously by hand, using a large whisk, until there are no lumps remaining at all.

Pour dough into a greased 9x5x3 inch bread pan. (Note: DO NOT use an 8×4 inch pan.)

Set dough in a warm place until it has risen to ¼ inch below the top of the bread pan, about 15 minutes. (DO NOT let it rise higher than ¼ inch below the top.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place the bread pan with the dough into the oven on the center rack. Bake 40-55 minutes. When baked, the bread will be golden brown and have an internal temperature between 200º-205º or a skewer pushed inside will come out mostly clean with just a slight amount of sticky dough on the end.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan 5 minutes. Then carefully transfer the loaf to a cooling rack, laying on its side to cool.

Let the bread cool for one hour before slicing.

Store in a plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Slice and freeze if necessary.

This bread can be frozen once it is completely cooled. Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap it in foil or freezer paper. Place the wrapped loaf in a freezer bag. The bread can be frozen up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Herbed Bread

Add 6 tablespoons of fresh herbs to flour. Chives, sage and thyme work well.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Add ½-1 cup dairy free Cheddar cheese and ¼ -½ cup chopped jalapeños.

Troubleshooting The Gluten Free Bread Recipe:

Here are some problems some people encounter making the dairy free gluten free bread recipe, along with how to deal with them:

• My gluten free bread overflowed and made a huge mess. You CAN NOT let your bread rise higher than 1 inch below the top of the pan. If you do, it will overflow. If it does overflow, it may still be edible so, if possible, place a baking sheet under it and let it finish cooking.

  Also, MAKE SURE your bread pan is 9×5 inch and NOT 8×4 inch.

• My bread is flat. Make sure your pan is 9×5 inches. This is the pan that works the best to make the most “normal” loaf of bread.
• My bread didn’t rise. Either your yeast is dead or not fresh or your water wasn’t hot enough. Use a thermometer to make sure your water is the right temperature and buy fresh yeast.
• The bread fell in the middle. You let it rise too high and then it fell when cooling OR you slammed the oven door or jarred the bread while baking in some way and it fell. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR to the oven until your bread has cooked AT LEAST 40 minutes.
• My bread is undercooked in the middle. Use a meat thermometer to stick into the bread and make sure the temperature is AT LEAST 200º before removing from the oven. If the top is getting too brown and you need to let it cook more, place a piece of foil over the top to stop the browning.
• I want to substitute (fill in the blank). These recipes were tested as written and work IF you follow the directions EXACTLY! Feel free to substitute anything you want, but the results may or may not work out.
• I just can’t get this gluten free bread recipe to work. I tested more than 25 loaves of gluten free dairy free bread. This IS the easiest and most delicious gluten free dairy free bread. If it is not working, try making it at least 5 times, paying careful attention to the instructions, to see if you can get it to work. It REALLY is MUCH cheaper ($1.50) than the store bought bread and MUCH tastier, so it IS worth learning how to make it.

More Gluten Free Recipes You May Like!

Easy Gluten Free Dinner Rolls Recipe

Gluten Free, Sugar Free Peanut Butter Dough Cookies

This easy gluten free bread recipe is from our gluten free dairy free cookbook: