Gluten Free Soft Bread Recipe
For most people, a bread binge is consuming a lot of bread in a short period of time. For me, it is baking a lot of bread in a short period of time.
I was on a quest for an incredibly easy, soft, gluten free white (or sandwich) bread recipe that literally anyone could make. And since I have no patience, I wanted to be able to enjoy warm bread in an hour or so not an afternoon.
Aside from being dead simple to make, quick, soft, and tasty, I wanted the bread to be gum free. Psyllium husks are great for use in gluten free baking, they are cheaper and easier to come by than xanthan gum and don’t cause the tummy upsets that gums can for some people. While I have used psyllium husks in gluten free baking I had yet to try it in bread.
I feel a little bit of a ramble coming on so if you would prefer to just scroll down and get to the recipe, be my guest!
The first loaf I baked tasted fantastic, it was light, moist, and soft, it rose up beautifully and sliced well – pretty much everything I wanted – except it sunk in the middle. Not a lot, but enough to send me back to the drawing board (or in this case, kitchen.)
I should tell you that my husband said I could call the recipe a success; he loved the first loaf and didn’t understand why a little sinking in the center was such an issue. Additionally he thought the answer to the problem was to let the bread cool upside down on the cooling rack. I should also tell you that he is not a recipe developer and never will be.
So began the painstaking process of changing just on tiny thing at a time; a half teaspoon less yeast, a tad less salt, more sugar, less water, more psyllium husks, less psyllium husks… With each tiny correction I came closer and closer and the dent in the center began less and less pronounced.
The final change was to swap out the water I had been using in the recipe with milk; I figured a tad more protein couldn’t hurt. That did it – no more sinking!
Although I didn’t try it, I am thinking if you are dairy free you can use a high protein milk substitute like soy or you can just use water, it will sink slightly in the middle but it will still be soft, tasty, quick, easy, and gum free! And you can always try the letting the bread cool upside down suggestion from my hubby.
Prior to creating this Gluten Free Soft Bread recipe, I always thought a good stand mixer was essential to baking homemade gluten free bread. Interestingly, this recipe worked best with just a bowl and a whisk. Yep. Seriously, this recipe just keeps getting easier and easier.
Here are a few more thoughts and notes about the recipe, just in case you are interested.
- I used Erawan brand white rice flour, glutinous (sweet rice) flour, and tapioca starch. Asian flours are milled finer thus giving superior results when you are looking for a soft, even texture and they are about a third of the price of the flours and starches you get at the health food store.
- Look for psyllium husks in the supplement department of your health food store; it is typically sold where they sell colon cleansers and such. Try not to think about that when you are buying it.
- Be sure to grease AND flour your loaf pan; if you just grease it your bread may get a little soggy at the bottom.
- Heat your milk or water to warm (about 110 degrees) not hot. If you stick your finger in it, the liquid should feel warm and you can keep your finger in there for several seconds comfortably.
- Let your yeast proof until it is has a nice head of foam (like a glass of beer) about an inch thick. If you store your yeast in the fridge, it may take about 10 minutes.
- Measure your psyllium husks carefully. Trust me, after making 19 loaves of bread I found that exactly 1 level tablespoon is the correct amount.
- The batter for this bread is thinner than you might expect – it is similar to a thick pancake batter.
- Don’t let your batter rise too much; it should come just under the top of your pan for the best results.
So there you have it, soft, gluten free bread that could not be easier. Enjoy!
And one last thing! To make thing even easier, click here to see my cooking demonstration of this recipe on Daytime TV.
Gluten Free Soft Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups warm 110 degrees milk
- 4½ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar divided use
- 1½ cups superfine or Asian white rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup glutinous sweet rice flour plus more for preparing the pan
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husks powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil plus more for preparing the pan
Instructions
- Whisk together the milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit until the yeast has proofed (almost double in size with a head of foam about 1 inch thick), 5 – 10 minutes.
- Grease a 9.25 by 5.25 by 2.75 inch loaf pan with oil. Sprinkle in some sweet rice flour, coat the pan, and tap out the excess.
- Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, psyllium husks powder, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add the proofed yeast mixture, eggs, and oil, and whisk until smooth and lump free. Pour into the prepared pan, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft free environment for 20 or 25 minutes or until the batter comes almost to the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 375 while the bread is rising.
- Bake the bread for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Haha, the part about your husband is too funny. A similar situation plays out in our kitchen frequently.
Those hubbies – they like to get theoir two cents in there, don’t they?
I remember early on, probably 20 years ago, trying to bake a loaf of gluten-free bread with only rice flour and soy flour. They fell and came out so dense I could have killed someone with them! Many loaves went in the garbage! It’s great to have so many flours to work with these days.
I hear you Laurie! I clearly recall my first attempt at gluten free bread 20 years ago – complete and utter disaster!
I remember all the attempts I made for my first bread recipe :) Many of them were okay for us to eat, but not to share with the world! This one looks fab Carol. I love a good bread binge!
Thanks Maggie – nothing like a good bread binge to keep the spirits up :)
Actually letting the loaf cool upside down on a cookie rack works pretty well for that perpetual sink in the middle. It’s been my own solution rather than adding more gums to the mix. :)
Hi Kathryn, ok so now I am going to have to tell my hubby he is right! That will make him very happy :) Thank you!
I’m avoiding white bread like fire. I’m definitely going to try your recipe!
Hi Melissa, I understand! I will be working on some more easy bread recipes with more whole grains so check back! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
where would I obtain the superfine or Asian white rice flour? I cannot find it anywhere; asked a few bulk stores but they have not heard of it
Asian store.
Pingback: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Roundup: Just a few nibbles.
I’m new to gluten free eating and baking. So I’m confused about glutinous rice flour. What is glutinous rice flour and is it consider to be gluten free? Also I’m vegan how can I substitute the eggs in these recipes?
Hi Venus. It can be confussing! Glutinous rice flour does not have gluten in it, it comes from a sticker rice which is why it is called “glutinous”. It also goes by the name of sweet rice flour. I would try using egg replacer for 2 eggs and possibly you may have to add a tablespoon more liquid. I have not yet tried it that way, but it should work. You may get that little indentation in the center as it falls slightly when you make it vegan as I found the increased protien helped with that but it will still taste great and you can always try cooling it upside down like my husband suggested :)
Does it have to be psyllium powder & not husks?
I use the powder because it is easy for my to find but I believe there is no diffence. I would not swear to it though, it is just what I have heard, no actual hands on expirience. Good luck!
I could not find the psyllium with out the husks so I used it and my, o my, we are smiling for we are eating white bread. It rose lovely and the taste is so much like my home made white bread with reg. flour (that we have been missing so much, by the way!) hope this helps.
Great Bonnie, did you just add the husk whole or gind them up?
hmmm, you know it just said, “psylliym with husks” its not a powder like flour is, it reminds me of All Bran flakes that you use in muffins (it is cream in color, the one that comes in the green box) I purchased mine at a bulk barn where you can purchase just what you need. I did ask for the powder but she said this is all they have. Sorry I can’t help more.
That’s ok Bonnie. Thanks. I am really happy to know the recipe works with both ground and whole husks!
Hi Carol,
I did research on the “psylliym” yes it was with the Husks.
I am thrilled that it works with it for I couldn’t find the powder and the owner of the store
where I purchased it said there isn’t the sales to carry it.
Again thanks for the recipe!!!! Best bread yet!!
Hi Bonnie, it seems that psylliym wirks wheather it is husk or podwer. Thank YOU!
I have the psyllium with husks and I plan to grind it into a powder to use. I thought that the husks would make it healthier due to the increased fibre thus a lower glycemic index.
Hi Virginia,
I agree. I haven’t tried it but let me know how it comes out!
xo,
Carol
This bread looks fantastic. Bread that’s good for sandwiches has seemed to be the biggest GF challenge so far!
Thank you! And it is really so easy. Enjoy!
This bread looks fantastic. I’m definitely going to try your recipe! Thank you for your informative post.
My pleasure Salima, thank you!
“The final change was to swap out the water I had been using in the recipe with milk; I figured a tad more protein couldn’t hurt. That did it – no more sinking!”
Its all in the experimentation. Keeping trying you’ll eventually get there in the end.
I’ve never tried gluten free bread before, but I will definitely give this a try. I’ve been baking my own bread as the so called white bread they sell in stores is not real bread. Plain white bread should only have 3 key ingredients flour, water and salt. But the white bread in stores is full of emulsifiers and other ***p that I would not touch it.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks Maria. Unfortunately in my expirience, gluten free bread can’t be made so simply. Gluten free flour lack the protuen from the gluten so it needs something like eggs or flax or chia seeds or something to help hold it together.
Hi Carol,
Your simple bread is so amazing. Just want to ask if what will be the substitute for the milk? I don’t like much of milk.
Thanks for sharing.
You can just use water or rice milk. It may have a slight dip in the center without milk but it will taste great. And you can always try letting the bread cool upsoide down as my hubby suggests :)
Pingback: Gluten Free Soft White Bread | canada jenny
Do you scoop your flour from the container or spoon it into the measuring cups to get 1.5 cups?
I scoop it from a canister, I find it is lighter that way.
Pingback: Gluten Free Soft White Bread | Gluten Free Jenny
Another fantastic gluten free recipe. I worship this website. I’m always on the lookout for wonderful gluten free bread recipes. I like to toss my bread recipes into my machine. I have three of them, a Cuisinart among them. They each have strengths and the aforementioned works well with gluten free. The machine kneads but with gluten free it’s not entirely necessary, only to bring the ingredients together so being able to adjust kneading time is helpful. Anyone else have machine faves?
That’s great Jackson. I have not tried this in a bread machine.
I tried this recipe this last week. My yeast proofed but not as high as called for in the recipe. I followed through anyway and ended up with really flat (but edible) biscuits. I am trying again today with new yeast. The yeast proofed really well. I am waiting for the bread to rise….it has been 30 minutes and it is not looking good. I was unable to find tapioca starch so ground my own from tapioca. Is that why it isn’t working? The dough is very stiff (cannot whisk it) and seems to really such up the liquid quickly. What do you think?
Hi Beverly. I have not tried this recipe with ground tapioca. Tapioca starch is fairly easy to find in health food stores or on the internet. Not excatly sure what’s goiung on here. My dough is more like athick batter. Maybe you could email specifics andI can be more helo – carol@simplycluten-free.com.
I have been looking for a gluten free bread and I was wondering if you have or know of a gluten free bread recipe that does not call for yeast or eggs? My daughter (and I to an extent) is gluten free but she also can not have eggs, yeast or dairy. I have used the egg replacer in my recipes and the dairy can be replaced but the yeast – not sure what to do with that for breads…any suggestions? Also, I will be trying your flour mix (homemade version) for the first time tomorrow and I am very excited! Hope I have good results….thanks for your response and many hours of trial and error to help all of us who are searching for good, easy and delicious gluten free options!
Hi Helen. You can try this recipe with a egg replacer. It is a quick bread. You can play with the seasoninings to suit your tastes. You could use 1 1/2 cups of my glour instead of the flours it calls for. I so understand about the trial and error! Good luck and I am sure the improved health will be worth the effort.
Hi Carol, Yes this recipe of yours is terrific! However, I can’t seem to keep the top from sinking. I’ve adjusted the liquid, given I live at a high altitude, added a tad more GF flour to no avail. Every loaf tastes great but I want it too look better. Do you have any other suggestions for me?
Thanks,
Cindy
Hi Cindy. I am not sure if the altitude is the problem. I live at sea level and I did a ton of tweaking to get the top not to sink in. Make sure the bread is not rising too much – just under level with the top of the pan is best, even if it only takes half the time to do so. You could also try degreasing the yeast just a tad. I have heard that decreasing the sugar or increasing the salt with help slow down rising but I am not an expert at baking at higher altitudes. However if you are happy with the taste I might suggest you try my hubby’s suggestion of cooling the loaf upside down on a cooling rack. It actually works pretty well!
Hi Carol, I am used to measuring flours etc by gram weight. Can you advise me of the gram weights for the rice, glutinous flours and tapioca starch. Anxious to try this bread!
Hi Janice,
This website might be of use to you. :) http://dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/
xo,
Carol
I love the bread. I did sink in the middle but most likely due to the fact I used potato starch as I cannot tolerate corn or tapioca starch. Do you know of an alternative that I can use in lieu of potato starch? I have coconut flour but don’t know if that would work or even how much to use. You may want to indicate in your recipes for those of us who are intolerant to tapioca that when substituting corn or potato starch they need to halve the amount used. 1 tbs corn or potato starch = 2 tbs tapioca starch. This may be why some are having issues with there end product.
Best recipe ever. My bread came out perfect. Thank you for sharing. What is the best way to store the bread after it cools.
Thanks Kim. To be honest we usually just eat it so fast storiung is not much of a problem howevr it is fine wrapped up in the fridge for a day or two – after that I suggest freezing it, Cut into slices and freeze, so easy to use that way!
Carol – I’m rising my first loaf of your Soft White Bread and I’m wondering, to what purpose is the psyillum husk powder in this recipe? Is it to add fiber? Can’t wait to try this bread. My hubbie is a big French bread and roll fan, so I’m hoping to WOW him with this so he’ll be convinced to get away from the other breads he’s been eating…… Thanks, Christy S
Hi Christy,
It adds stickiness to the dough and helps hold the bread together in lieu of xanthan or guar gum. Gluten is sticky and without it we need to add some back in there. Good luck! Hope the hubby is Wowed!
I keep looking at this! Looks great! I have been gluten free since August 25, and found out within days that I also can’t do xanthan gum. I need a sandwich. I ordered all the ingredients, and am just waiting!
Let me know what you think! Enjoy.
Can you use your flour mix in this recipe? Or do I have to buy the separate flours?
Yes just substitute the flours and starch with my flour but still add the xanthan gum. Enjoy!
Hi there! This is my go-to quick and easy bread without gums. The kids love it. Thanks very much for your hard work! A quick question – if I use instant dried yeast do I still need to carry out the first step of proofing the yeast?
Thanks so much,
Em
I have just begun a gluten free diet and bread is what I miss the most. This is delicious and finally I sat and ate two pieces of “real” bread with butter. Thank you!!
Yay Shelly! Glad you enjoyed it! You’re very welcome!
My pleasure Em. I still proof the yeast even for instant. I am happy you like the recipe!
Pingback: Gluten Free Bread Challenge | Gluten Free Thailand
I,m tryin this one!
Let me know how you like them!
xo,
Carol
Can you tell me if I can substitute can’t him gum for the psyllium as I am allergic to it?
Margaret, did you mean xanthan gum? If you did, then yes you can surely substitute it for psyllium.
xo,
Carol
Why can’t I see the comments?
Hi Helen,
I’m not sure because when I go to the site I can see the comments.
Can a Gluten Free All purpose flour like Better Batter be used in place of the other Flours. Gluten free baking is very new to me and I’m trying to find a bread that tastes good!
Hi Sallie, Yes it can! xo, Carol
Here in Canada we have a Robin Hood Gluten-free flour blend from their mills. I may try that too.
Hi Carol,
Is the Sweet rice Flour superfine as well?
Nancy,
Yes, I typically use erawan, which you can find at Asian markets. It’s a lot less expensive than the super fine sweet rice flour that you generally find in health food stores. xo, Carol
Hi Carol
Can I replace the sweet rice flour with normal rice flour? Sweet rice flour is difficult to get it in my city.
Lucy,
Yes, it wont be exactly the same, the sweet rice flour sort of evens out the texture and helps with browning, but it should still be very acceptable. Enjoy!
xo,
Carol
Pingback: Creamed Salmon and Eggs | Recipe | Simply Gluten Free
Pingback: Gluten Free Allergy Free Lunch Recipes for Kids | Simply Gluten Free
Pingback: Bacon Asparagus Egg Soldiers | Gluten Free Recipes | Blog
Pingback: Mac and Cheese Bites with Quick Tomato Jam
Pingback: Gluten Free Scalloped Tomatoes Recipes | Gluten Free Diet | Dairy Free
Pingback: Gluten Free Crunchy Sunbutter French Toast
Hi Carol, I just tried your recipe and my bread came out delicious I substituted the psyllium with xanthan gum and added cinnamon and raisins and it was delicious. Thank you!
Carol I also went to an Asian market for the different flours, thanks for that tip, the 16 oz bags were 99 cents.
Hi Carol, thank you for ALL the information! Would a thermometer to test the internal temperature of this bread be helpful, and if ‘yes’, what would be the ideal temperature to show the bread is done? Thanks.
Virginia,
You can try it. Around 200F° should be good.
xo, Carol
hi- I am planning to make your flour mix, and also to make a couple of your breads. First, I went to get some erawan sweet rice flour on amazon(prime), and it was $5.75 per 16 oz. bag. Is that comparable to what you buy? I would like to know the cheapest way to get this stuff. thx for everything, Jill
Hi Jill,
Yes, I use Erawan. I often get it at an Asian foods market for slightly less, but $5.75 per 16 oz. is not a bad price. Hope this helps!
xo,
Carol
If I replace the flours and starch in this bread recipe with “your” flour, how much xanthan gum do I add? And do I still use the psylliym powder that it calls for if I add the xanthan gum?
Hi Mary,
If you use my flour blend, you won’t need to use the psyllium husk powder, because the flour contains xanthan gum (and no need to add any additional xanthan gum to the bread recipe). Just replace the white rice flour, tapioca starch, and sweet rice flour with equal parts of my all-purpose flour and you should be good to go!
xo,
Carol
Carol, Thank you for clearing this up for me, but I’m still alittle confused. I asked my question in response to earlier comments in Oct. 2013 where someone asked if they could use “your” flour in this recipe. You stated yes, just substitute the flour and starches with “your “flour but still add the xanthum gum. Also, at the bottom of “your” flour blend recipe, you made the following note: For recipes with yeast, add 3/4 tsp of addt’l xanthan gum per cup of flour called for in the recipe. Am I misreading? I’m anxious to make this for Thanksgiving.
Hmm… yes, Mary, on second thought you are right about the xanthan gum. Sorry about the confusion. Using my flour, leave out the psyllium husks and add xanthan gum – 3/4 teaspoon per cup of flour called for in the recipe. Let me know how it goes, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
xo,
Carol
Carol,
I made the bread using your flour blend, left out the psyllium husk powder and added the extra xanthan gum(3/4 tsp per cup of flour). The dough was rather thick, definitely not like pancake batter, more like regular bread dough. It turned out okay, but alittle heavy. I did use alittle more yeast as I didn’t think the yeast was rising well. Would that have made the batter so thick? I think I may buy some psyllium husk powder(as I didn’t have any on hand earlier) and follow the recipe with not exceptions. Hopefully I will have better luck.
Every other gluten-free bread I have seen has been the size of melba toast! I’ve made your bread a few times now, and it is terrific! I will say I substituted xanthan gum which I had on hand instead of psyllium powder, and used melted butter instead of oil. I am so glad to have bread that can be used for sandwiches as well as French toast!
This is a terrible recipe. First, the dough was too tough to even stir, let alone “whisk”. The bread did rise just fine but it collapsed onto itself while in the oven, after the first 15 minutes or so (and no, I did not let it rise more than I should have). Then the inside was uncooked. The inside was gooey and sticky and raw after 45 minutes, so much that it was sticking on the bread knife even after it was cold. This bread was impossible to cook through, and impossible to keep its shape. By the way, I am not inexperienced in baking, and I did measure my ingredients. The recipe is just a bad one.
Hi Nazli,
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out right for you. This bread recipe has been on the site for years and I’ve received mostly good comments about it, although there have been some people who had the issue with it sinking in the middle. If you check out the comments you might find some of the conversations between readers and myself about the issue with the bread sinking, and that might help figure out what went wrong. One woman was curious if the high altitude she lived at was causing the problem – are you at a high altitude? Another suggestion I’ve given is that you might want to let it rise for a shorter period of time – just enough time for it to be level with the pan, not higher than the pan. And then there’s the last-stitch fix of flipping the pan upside down on a wire rack to cool, with the intention of letting gravity un-sink the center a little bit.
As far as the inside being uncooked, I don’t think anyone has come to me with that issue before and if you cooked it 45 minutes I’m not sure why that would happen. Did you substitute any ingredients by chance? And how accurate is the temperature of your oven? If you have an oven-proof thermometer, perhaps double check that the temp on your oven is correct.
Let me know if you have any questions. If you try the recipe again, let me know how it does.
Thanks!