This is THE BEST gluten free white bread you’ll ever try, and it’s super easy to make! It’s soft and fluffy, with a gorgeous open crumb and a deliciously crisp crust. This is the perfect bread for making sandwiches or garlic bread, and absolutely everyone will love it, even non-gluten-free folks.
This is my new favourite gluten free bread recipe. I’ve been trying to develop a soft gluten free white bread with a thin, crisp crust for ages – and this is it. And in addition to being one of the best gluten free breads I’ve ever made (yes, it’s THAT good), it’s also one of the easiest ones.
The dough comes together in no time and it handles like an absolute dream, you can easily knead it and shape it without any issues whatsoever. The recipe also calls for just a single proof, which makes the whole process even quicker. Another advantage of this recipe is that you don’t need to use a banneton or bread proofing basket, the loaf proofs free form, directly on the baking sheet.
And the texture of the final, baked loaf is simply INCREDIBLE. Soft and fluffy, with a gorgeous open crumb and a deliciously crisp crust, this is the perfect bread for making sandwiches or garlic bread.
And, importantly, you seriously can’t tell that it’s gluten free – even non-gluten-free folks love it!!
When it comes to the shape and texture of this gluten free white bread, I took inspiration from so-called “Italian bread” loaves that are popular in the US. It’s a fairly long loaf, slightly wider and squatter than a baguette, and generously scored before baking. It’s wonderfully crusty – but the crust is crisp and thin rather than crunchy. And the crumb is absolutely gorgeous: soft, fluffy and plush, with plenty of holes and the most amazing flavour.
(Also, I have no idea why people in the US call this “Italian bread” – when I think of Italian bread, I think of focaccia or ciabatta… and this is none of that. All I know is that it’s delicious, even if the Italian connection seems somewhat tenuous.)
All that said, you can easily shape the loaf into a round shape if you prefer, or even bake the dough as several smaller rolls. There are so many options when it comes to this gluten free bread recipe, and I seriously can’t wait to explore them all! (And, of course, you can also double the recipe to make two loaves at once.)
How to make THE BEST gluten free white bread
This gluten free white bread seriously couldn’t be easier to make, and I’ll take you through the whole process step by step.
The ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this gluten free white bread:
- Psyllium husk. This acts as a gluten substitute and it’s what gives the bread its chewy texture. Psyllium husk gives you a gluten free dough that you can actually handle, knead and shape, and it also gives the dough enough elasticity and extensibility so that it can expand, first during proofing and then as it enters the oven. You can’t substitute the psyllium husk with another ingredient. This recipe uses WHOLE psyllium husk, but you can also use psyllium husk powder – if you use the powder form, use only 85% of the amount listed in the recipe below. I also recommend using “blond” psyllium husk, as it won’t add any colour or flavour to your bread. You can read more about the role of psyllium husk in gluten free baking here!
- Lukewarm water. You’ll use the water to make a psyllium gel: just mix the psyllium husk and water together until evenly combined. The mixture will form a gel within about 30-45 seconds.
- Tapioca starch. (For substitution options, check out the Substitutions section or the recipe below.)
- Millet flour. (For substitution options, check out the Substitutions section or the recipe below.)
- Sorghum flour. (For substitution options, check out the Substitutions section or the recipe below.)
- Sugar. You can use either caster/superfine or granulated sugar for this recipe. This helps with browning and it also gives the yeast an extra activity boost, but it doesn’t actually make the bread sweet.
- Salt. It’s important to add salt to any bread recipe, as it brings out all the flavours.
- Instant yeast. You can also use active dried yeast, but you need to active it first – for more details, see the Substitutions section and the full recipe below.
- Olive oil. Adding a few tablespoons of olive oil to the dough results in a more open final crumb and a crust that’s both thinner and crisper. You can substitute olive oil with other oils, such as sunflower or vegetable oil – but I personally love the extra depth of flavour that it adds.
- Apple cider vinegar. This creates a slightly acidic environment in the dough, which boosts the yeast activity and helps to achieve a more open, airy crumb in the final, baked bread.
Making the dough
You can make the dough by hand or using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Both options work great, you’ll just need to knead the dough a bit longer if you’re doing it by hand.
The final dough should be smooth and supple, with no lumps of un-mixed flour or psyllium gel, and it should come away from the sides of the mixing bowl. It shouldn’t be sticky to the touch (note that this refers to when you gently touch it with clean hands – it will stick to your hands as you’re kneading it).
Resist the temptation to add more flour to the dough, as that can make your bread too dense and dry.
Shaping the loaf
When you shape the loaf, work on a lightly floured surface. Note the emphasis on the “lightly” – you really want just a sprinkling of flour (I usually use millet flour for this) on your work surface, otherwise you could incorporate too much extra flour into your dough.
To shape the white bread loaf, first roll out the dough into an 11 inches (28cm) long rectangle, about 7-8 inches (18-20cm) wide.
Then, roll it up, like you would a Swiss roll. Working along the wider end, fold the dough over itself and press down gently to seal. Continue folding the dough over itself (and pressing down to seal) until you get an approximately 10-inch (25cm) log. Pinch the seam together to seal it.
Finally, transfer the rolled-up dough, seam side down, to a large baking sheet lined with parchment/baking paper. It’s now ready for proofing!
Proofing
You’ll proof this loaf directly on the baking sheet – you don’t need a proofing basket or any other specialty equipment.
Lightly cover the loaf with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film (to prevent it from drying out) and proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. If your kitchen is on the cold side, put a cup of boiling hot water into your (turned-off) oven – that will create the perfect warm, slightly humid proofing environment.
Scoring & baking
Make sure that you thoroughly preheat your oven to 425ºF (220ºC), start preheating it about 30 minutes into the proofing. You’ll bake the bread on the lower middle oven rack, and you also need to put a cast iron skillet or heavy duty baking tray (not glass!!) on the bottom of the oven – you’ll place a couple of ice cubes into it to create steam during the first part of baking.
Once your loaf has doubled in size, brush it with a whisked egg white, score it 5-7 times with a bread lame or a sharp knife and pop it into the oven. Place a couple of ice cubes into the skillet or baking tray on the bottom of the oven, close the oven door and reduce the temperature to 400ºF (200ºC).
You need to bake the loaf with steam for 15 minutes, and then without steam for a further 25-30 minutes until it’s golden, crisp and gorgeous.
Side note: the egg wash
I like to egg wash this loaf before baking, to ensure that it has a lovely thin, crisp crust and a gorgeous golden brown colour. Note that I use only the egg white for the egg wash, not the whole egg – using the whole egg would give you too much browning too quickly, and your loaf would get much too dark in the time it takes it to fully bake through.
If you want to make this recipe egg free or vegan, you can brush the loaf with a bit of oil instead.
For improved oven spring & a taller loaf: bake on a baking steel
If you want to improve oven spring and get a taller, even more rounded loaf, you can preheat your oven with a baking steel or heavy duty baking sheet on the lower middle oven rack.
Then, when it’s ready for baking, slide the loaf (along with the parchment/baking paper) onto the hot baking steel or baking sheet. This will improve the shape of the loaf and result in a slightly crisper crust.
Note that this is optional – you’ll get a gorgeous loaf with a beautiful texture even if you bake it on the baking sheet that it proofed on.
Can I double the recipe to make two loaves at once?
Yes, absolutely! So long as your oven and baking sheet comfortably fit two loaves side by side, you can easily double the recipe – just double all the ingredient quantities.
How long does this gluten free white bread last?
This gluten free bread keeps really well for 3-4 days in a bread box, paper bag or wrapped in a clean dish towel in a cool, dry place. I recommend toasting it on days 3 and 4.
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.)
- Instant yeast: You can use active dry yeast instead, in which case you’ll have to activate it first. Mix it together with the sugar and 120g (½ cup) of the water listed in the recipe and allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes or until it starts frothing and bubbling. Then, add it to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel, olive oil and vinegar.
- Psyllium husk: YOU CAN’T SUBSTITUTE IT WITH A DIFFERENT INGREDIENT. But if you use psyllium husk powder as opposed to the whole psyllium husk, use only 85% of the weight listed in the recipe.
- Tapioca starch: You can use an equal weight of cornstarch (US)/cornflour (UK), potato starch or arrowroot starch instead.
- Millet flour: You can use an equal weight of finely ground/milled brown rice flour instead.
- Sorghum flour: You can use an equal weight of white teff flour, light buckwheat flour or oat flour instead (the latter only if you’re not sensitive to oats).
- Olive oil: You can use an equal weight of sunflower, vegetable or your favourite cooking/baking oil instead. I haven’t tested this with coconut oil, so I can’t guarantee how well it will work.
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! This covers everything you need to know in order to make a truly FABULOUS loaf of gluten free white bread, one that’s perfectly soft and has a deliciously crisp crust.
I’m absolutely in love with this one and I just know that (gluten free!!!) garlic bread is in our very near future.
Happy baking!!
