This gluten-free sandwich bread is how gluten-free bread should be! It's soft, tender, tasty, and just so good that you can't tell it doesn't contain wheat!
This gluten-free sandwich bread is soft and delicious.
Not words you'd ever associate with any gluten-free bread, right???
It's also a prime example of patience and perseverance because it took me a long time to get this right. A very. Long. Time.
My first attempt at making gluten-free bread was mediocre at best, and at first, I was quite excited about it.
But as I looked at it more, I realized it resembled a brick.
And oddly enough, it was heavy like a brick.
And if you ask my family, it was like eating a brick.
Okay maybe not. No one lost their teeth eating that very first attempt at gluten-free bread. 🙂
But were we excited about it? Not particularly. Did we finish the loaf? Uh...no.
And I could have given up.
But I didn't give up and my family is so glad I didn't!
It wasn't easy making that first loaf, having to figure out all the ingredients only to have it come out like something that could be used as a doorstop...or a paperweight.
What I wanted to achieve was gluten-free bread that someone on a gluten-free diet would love. I wanted to create a real, soft, squidgy bread and prove, once and for all, that gluten-free bread doesn't have to be dense, dry, and crumbly. Just about every gluten-free bread we ever bought was like cardboard...and they wouldn't brown in the toaster. What is that all about??
There are actually some gluten-free bread mixes out there that produce a decent loaf of bread. However, I didn't always want to rely on a pre-packaged mix if we wanted bread, and they aren't very affordable. Once I was able to develop this recipe, I never looked at a bread mix again!
I have made this bread several times and I never tire of watching a mix of basic ingredients transform to a beautiful loaf of bread. And then to have that bread be all soft and squidgy like "real" bread is incredibly satisfying and fulfilling.
Who'd a thought it was possible, right?
I certainly had my doubts, but I'm glad I didn't let my early failures deter me from getting to this result! And I have to say that my family was incredibly patient as I worked through each attempt, having to eat every single iteration. But it paid off and now my family likes my bread more than the gluten-free bread mix I used to buy! I call that a total success!
If you haven't tried making your own gluten-free bread yet, or if you haven't eaten any good gluten-free bread, you have to give this recipe a try! I've done all the research and work and you'll be amazed at how it's just like "real bread"! 🙂
~ Lisa.
Watch How It's Made!
Soft Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
Dry:
- 225 g tapioca starch (same as tapioca flour)
- 100 g brown rice flour
- 75 g sorghum flour
- 1 tbs xanthan gum
- 1 tbs ground flax seed (can be omitted)
- 1 teaspoon whole flax seed
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tbs active dry yeast (instant yeast okay; see Recipe Notes below)
Wet:
- 1 ¼ cup milk warmed to 110 deg F (43C)
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup light olive oil
- 2 tbs honey
Toppings (optional):
- 1 teaspoon whole flax seed
- 1 tbs sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together with a whisk; set aside.
- Combine milk, eggs, olive oil, and honey in mixing bowl; mix well.
- Add dry ingredients to the milk and egg mixture and mix for 1-2 minutes. A paddle attachment, dough hooks, or hand mixer beaters will all work with this dough.
- Pour or scoop into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Make level with a spatula.
- Scatter whole flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds on the top of the dough.
- Gently press seeds into the dough with wet fingers or the back of a wet spoon.
- Let the dough rise in the loaf pan in a warm draft-free location for about 1 hour (check at 45 minutes). Bread dough should be no higher than ½" above the edge of the pan. (see note below)
- Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 C). The bread dough will be slightly "jiggly".
- Bake for 55 minutes. If you do not want the crust to overbrown, drape a piece of foil over the bread AFTER the first 35 minutes of baking (completely optional...see Recipe Notes below).
- Bread is done when the internal temperature taken with a thermometer is over 200 deg F (93 C). A temperature reading close to 210 deg F is even better (98 C).
- Remove from oven and let bread rest for 3-5 minutes.
- Using parchment, lift bread out from the pan and set on a rack to cool completely.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Volume Measurements:
- 2 ¼ cups tapioca starch
- ¾ cup + 2 tbs brown rice flour
- ¾ cup sorghum flour
- Please note that gluten-free recipes work best with weight measurements because they are more precise than volume measurements. Gluten-free baking requires more precision and can be less forgiving than baking with regular all-purpose wheat flour.
- These volume measurements were made from spooning each of the flours into the measuring cups/spoons (so they are not packed) and leveling them off.
- The volume measurements are approximate. Make slight adjustments to the recipe as needed, adding a bit of water or a bit more tapioca starch or brown rice flour to achieve the correct dough consistency.
- Liquid Measurements in Grams:
- 1 ¼ cup milk = 305 grams
- ¼ cup oil = 55 grams
- Volume Measurements in Milliliters:
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- The ground flax seed can be omitted if you have an allergy to it.
- You can substitute the milk in the recipe with water or nut milks without any problem.
- I add the active dry yeast directly to the dry ingredients without proofing.
- If you want to proof the yeast first, you can test it in ¼ cup of the warm milk/water with the honey before adding it to the dry ingredients with the remaining 1 cup of warm milk/water.
- You can use the same amount of instant yeast in place of the active dry yeast, but the bread may take less time to rise. Check how much the bread has risen after 30 minutes.
- In case I wasn't too clear in my description, the dough for this bread will not be like your typical wheat-based bread dough which you can actually handle. The dough will be more like a thick batter that you have to scoop into the pan. Do not worry if you see this as it is normal for some gluten-free bread recipes to be like this! Just scoop or pour the dough into the pan, even it out, let it rise, and then bake!
- Topping the bread with seeds is completely optional and can be skipped.
- Let the bread rise in a draft-free area on the counter. I also have let my bread rise in the oven with only the oven light on, carefully removing the bread to preheat the oven before baking.
- Covering the bread with foil while baking is an optional step if you do not want the bread to overbrown (it is still good if you skip the foil).
- If you cover the bread with foil, bake it UNCOVERED for the first 35 minutes and then cover for the remaining baking time. This will help reduce any chances of bread "shrinkage" while baking.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing to avoid any gumminess.
- Store any leftover bread in a sealed bag or container for 2 days on the counter. If keeping for longer, keep bread slices in the fridge or freezer and then reheat in the toaster.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on May 21st, 2017, republished in November 2018 with new photos, instructional photos, slight recipe modifications, and updated recipe notes. Instructions regarding covering the bread with foil while baking and Recipe Notes were updated April 9th, 2021.
Christine Lewis says
This is the best gluten-free bread loaf I have ever made! I don't have to eat gluten-free, but my daughter and her daughter do, so I made it for them. I tried some and was amazed. I made it in an 8x4" Norpro pan. What size pan do you recommend? This made a small loaf, but I'm thinking it might work well in a bigger pan, too.
The only problem is the cost of ingredients. I calculated it all out and gave up when I got to $10.77 Canadian, and that wasn't including the toppings, my oven gas, kitchen equipment, or my time. (I sell bread that I make from freshly milled organic flour for $8 per loaf, and barely make profit at that!)
I'd have to sell these loaves for $18 each in order to make a decent profit, and that's not a realistic price. I've got to find a way to get the ingredients for less cost. The tapioca starch alone was $7.19 for a small bag, and I need half the bag for one loaf!
Hi Christine! Thank you for making the recipe and for your comments. I'm so glad you all liked it! As for cost...for the tapioca starch, I actually buy mine at Asian grocers because it is a very common ingredient in many Asian cuisines and it is very affordable. However, if you plan to make the bread to sell and advertise it as gluten-free, it makes sense that you need to buy ingredients that are certified as gluten-free and I can see those costing much more. I wonder if there might be affordable options at places like Costco or even online. Good luck with your search!
Marcia says
I could kiss you!!! This made the best GF bread. I have tried so many GF bread recipes and this was the first one that actually works like it says - soft & chewy. LOVE IT. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Marcia! I'm so glad you found the recipe and gave it a try.
Su says
Hi Lisa, can you use white rice flour instead of brown rice flour ?
Hi Su! Yes, you can substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour. Thanks for asking!
Su says
Lisa, you were right, this is the best gluten free bread I have tried even with white rice flour. It’s soft ,flavourful and chewy. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks for making the recipe and for checking back in, Su! I'm so glad it worked out and that you liked the bread!
Sandy says
What gf flours can be substituted for sorghum flour? Thank you!
Hi Sandy! Good substitutions for the sorghum flour are more brown rice flour, oat flour, or millet flour. Thanks for the question, and I hope that helps!
Sandy says
Thanks so much. This bread is by far the best GF bread for routine eating that I have made! buy GF flours in bulk so I never have to pay top dollar for cardboard textured tasteless GF ever again!
Thanks for the update, Sandy, and for trying the recipe! I'm so glad you liked it!
Chris says
Hi, can you make this in a bread maker?
Thanks 😊
Hi Chris! I have had readers make this recipe in a bread maker successfully. Make sure that the gluten-free setting is on (the bread only goes through one rise/proof before baking). I hope it works! Thanks for the question!
Chris says
Thanks for getting back to me, it worked fine.
Wonderful! Thanks for trying the recipe in the bread maker! I'm glad it worked out!