The gluten free bread of our dreams! This Whole Grain Gluten Free Artisan Bread recipe is soft and chewy on the inside with a nice crusty exterior. Made without starches, eggs, or dairy!
This is one of those recipes that nearly got the best of me.
I set out to develop a recipe for an artisan whole grain gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, starch-free, soy-free, nut-free, and gum-free yeast bread.
And on top of that it hat to be knead-able and soft in the center with a crusty exterior. The was the perfect compliment for any meal, soup, sandwich, or toast. Ready to top with nut butter or avocado and perfect for sopping up rich sauces.
Tall orders.
If you are familiar with gluten-free breads there aren’t many artisan options.
You can find tiny loaves of sandwich bread in the freezer section of your health food store. And if your lucky, they might carry rolls or English muffins as well.
I was craving a good whole grain loaf that you might find in a good old fashioned bakery. Something special, rustic, and versatile.
I spent weeks of testing trying to develop the gluten-free vegan loaf that fit all these requirements.
I tried flour combination after flour combination and six different leveaners.
Flour dusted and in the kitchen for hours I nearly gave up. Was I ever going to get this one right?
A few weeks later my testing was rewarded!
I promise this bread will shatter your low expectations of gluten-free loaves. Whipping up this loaf brings back memories of baking crusty loaves before my diet changes.
The kitchen is filled with the warm smell of fresh yeast. The dough can be kneaded by hand. It feels remarkable like baking a gluten-filled loaf of years past. Better actually. This loaf comes without a stomach ache.
If you miss baking bread or miss the taste of a good artisan loaf, this one is for you.
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The gluten free bread of our dreams! This Whole Grain Gluten Free Artisan Bread recipe is soft and chewy on the inside with a nice crusty exterior. Made without starches, eggs, or dairy!
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Wet ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups warm water, between 105 and 110 degrees
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons if your yeast is in a jar)
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon gluten-free brown rice syrup OR honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup chia seeds, ground into a powder (I use a spice grinder)
- 1/3 cup psyllium husks
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
- In a bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, and one teaspoon of the brown rice syrup. Let sit for 7 minutes. The mixture should be frothy and smell of warm yeast. Add in the olive oil and remaining brown rice syrup. Slowly whisk in the ground chia seeds and psyllium husks, making sure there are no clumps. Allow this mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes, until thick.
- Add in the wet mixture to the dry. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated and the dough forms a loose ball.
- Remove from the mixer and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm, even temperatures place (I usually let mine rise in an off oven with the door closed) for 45 minutes to an hour. The dough should double in size.
- Once the dough has risen, kneed a few times in the bowl. Form into desired shape (see notes) and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Slit the top a few times, drizzle with olive oil, and top with a pinch of course salt. Place a baking stone on the lower middle oven rack. Allow the bread to raise for 30-45 more minutes on the counter while the oven preheats to 375 degrees.The bread should double in size.
- After the second rise, bake the bread in the oven for 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely on a wire rack, several hours, before cutting.
Notes
– The oat flour can either be purchased at a health food store or made by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in a blender until a fine flour forms.
– If your yeast does not get frothy or bubble once it has sat for 7 minutes, chances are your yeast is dead. I would recommend starting over with new yeast.
– Eat within a few days or store the slices in the freezer. Since there are no preservatives, this loaf will spoil faster than those from the grocery store.
– This loaf bakes best when divided onto two medium sized loaves. I divide the dough in half and shape it into two baguettes. It can also be made into two round loaves, also called boulles.
– If you don’t have a baking stone, a pizza stone works just as well. As a last resort, you could try a sheet tray.
– You want to let the oven preheat during the entire second rise. This ensures that the oven is at an even temperature when baking the loaves.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 loaf (1/8th total recipe)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 290mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 53g
- Fiber: 24g
- Protein: 5g
Keywords: dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, no nightshades, nut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, oat, sorghum, brown rice, quinoa
Leona Cornwell says
This is the absolutely the best gluten free bread I have ever eaten! Thank you for letting me be a taste tester. I am so glad to finally get the recipe so I can bake this for myself.
Laurel says
I am SO thankful that you were my taste tester!
Karen S says
If you ever get to the point that you can tolerate potatoes, then you could use potato water in your bread. The bread will last longer that way. A natural preservative. Good luck!
Laurel says
Thank you, Karen! I’ll have to give that a try :)
Farzana says
Hi, I have tried making this bread several times and each time my dough did not rise (leaving the bread quite dense). I tried following each step quite closely- don’t know what I an doing wrong. Help!
Laurel says
Hi Farzana! I am sorry you are having trouble! The bread definitely isn’t light and airy, it’s more of a dense whole grain loaf but I am happy to help track down what could be causing you the problem! Are you using the same exact flour combination? What type of yeast are you using? Are you baking at a high altitude?
Farzana says
Hi Lauren, thank you for responding, sorry I did not see it and did to reply back. Since August I have been making this bread and it has turned out perfectly. Since last month, I have changed my oven from an electric one to a gas one. Since then, my bread rises beautifully but is hollow inside and gummy and dense in the bottom. I revisited your blog again and you mention a baking stone. What is its role?
Laurel says
Hi Farzana, I am glad that you had success for so long, but am sad to hear otherwise! Bummer! My guess is that your new oven bakes at a warmer temperature than your old oven. A hot oven would make the bread rise faster, but cause the middle to be underdone. Even though you are preheating to the same temperature as you did with your old oven, ovens can vary a surprising amount in actual internal temperature. I would get an oven thermometer like this one, and preheat the oven and then see what the actual internal temperature is. Once you know how much your oven varies from the temperature on the recipe, you can adjust accordingly.
Baking stones can help to regulate the temperature of the oven, and help to give the bread a better bottom crust, but I would bet your problem is the oven temperature. The baking stone wouldn’t vary the results that much, and especially not if you were having success without it before. Let me know how it goes for you!
Ginger says
Stumbled across this while searching for gluten-free, starch free, egg free, baking powder free……wondering if that is possible… bread! This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it.
Laurel says
Hi Ginger, I am so glad you like it :) When I realized that I could eat fresh bread again, I was in seventh heaven. Please let me know how it turns out for you! I have helped a few people perfect the recipe at different altitudes and with different oven temperatures. So if you need any assistance, just give me a holler!
Ginger says
Thanks! I have everything now to make it. (Except the baking stone ). I plan to try it very soon. Does it work on a cookie sheet? Have you tried it in a loaf pan?
Laurel says
I have made it on a baking sheet with okay results, but it didn’t turn out well in a loaf pan. Happy baking!
Clara says
This bread looks amazing! I’ve been looking so long for a gluten free bread that has oat flour (I LOVE oat flour) but no starch. Would it be possible to make this in a bread pan for sandwich bread?
Laurel says
Hi Clara, I can’t say I had great success in a loaf pan, but I will sometimes shape the dough into a square log instead of two rounds for sandwich bread! Nothing beats a good sandwich :) Oat flour is absolutely my favorite!
Ana says
Hello, I am allergic to gluten AND quinoa. Based on your experiments do you think this recipe would still work well without the quinoa flour, and is there one of the others flours you’d recommend bulking up as a substitute?
Laurel says
Hi Ana, Being intolerant to so many things myself, I so wish I had an easy fix for you! I am afraid that the quinoa flour plays a big role in this bread. It is a highly absorbent flour and without it, the moisture level will be thrown off. Have you ever heard of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day? They have come out with a gluten-free version of their book and posted their main bread recipe online. I just double checked that it was free of quinoa flour. It might be worth a try! I have made it many times, and can vouch for how good it is. Here is the link: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5
Happy baking!
Laurel
Anna Whitby says
I just mixed up the dough for this bread and I need some clarification about the chia seeds. The recipe states “1/3 cup chia seeds, ground into a powder.” So, I took 1/3 cup chia seeds, ground them into a powder, and added all of it to the recipe. (I didn’t measure, but the powder that resulted was significantly more than 1/3 cup.) When whisked in with the remaining wet ingredients it seized up immediately, and when I then added that to the dry ingredients the result was unmixable. I ended up adding an additional cup of water, and it was still quite stiff. It’s rising now, so I don’t yet know how it will turn out, but I am wondering now if what you meant was “1/3 cup ground chia seed powder” rather than “1/3 cup chia seed, ground to a powder.” That little comma changes the meaning and, obviously, the results. Remember: Punctuation saves lives! (“Let’s eat, Grandma” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma.”) So, please tell me which it is — 1/3 cup ground chia seed powder, or 1/3 cup chia seed, ground to a powder. Thank you!!!
Laurel says
Hi Anna, Yes, the recipe should read: 1/3 cup chia seeds, ground into a powder. You want to measure out 1/3 cup of whole chia seeds and then grind them into a very fine powder with a coffee grinder. This can result in more than 1/3 cup. The mixture should thicken up, and be a gel like consistency, though it should take about 5 minutes to do so. It is a dough that hard to mix, that is why I recommend only using a KitchenAid or other stand (not hand) mixer for this recipe. The thickness of the dough really helps to give the gluten-free bread its structure.
Were your psyllium husks a fine powder or in their whole form? For this recipe, they should be in there whole form and not the powdered variety. This makes a huge difference in the thickness of the mixture. I tested the recipe both ways and powdered psyllium husks do not work. They create a similar problem to what you are describing. I would check your psyllium husk package to see which type you are using.
If all your ingredients are correct, I would recommend you power through with the recipe as written and resist adding in any extra water. It is a thick dough, but that is what gives it structure and allows it to keep its shape while baking. Gluten-free baking is quite touchy and adding in extra ingredients can really throw it off and create an inedible loaf. If you continue to have problems you can always email me at catchingseeds@gmail.com.
I do hope this recipe ends up working out for you! It is one of my favorites. Happy baking! :)
Laurel
Anita says
Hi Laurel. I’ve been looking for a brown rice and chia recipe, and came across your site. I would like to make this recipe but I don’t do well with sorghum. Do you think the recipe would work well if I eliminated it and used an extra 1/2 cup each of brown rice and oat flour, or a cup and a half of quinoa flour? I realize you may not know, and I am willing to try it regardless. But I thought I would see if you had an opinion on it first. And, I would prefer not to use as much yeast; do you think this would respond well to a slow rise method, such as in a “no knead glutenous bread”, where the bread would rise between 12-24 hours, with only 1/4 tsp of yeast?
Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!!
Laurel says
Hi Anita! Sorry for my delayed response. I was out in the boonies of Montana without an internet connection for Thanksgiving. I think that substituting the sorghum for brown rice and oat flour would work the best. Quinoa flour is a highly absorbent flour and would soak up too much of the liquid and make the bread dense and dry. The recipe does call for a lot of yeast, partially because without it, gluten-free bread is so dense. I have had a few gluten-free bread recipes that use the slow rise method, but I wouldn’t know if it would work with this loaf. I would hate for you to try it and waste all the ingredients if it didn’t work out. I often make bread from the book Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. They are all slow rise breads and many of the recipes are vegan. Honestly, I make their bread more that I do my own recipe. If you wanted to try their bread without buying the book, I found that they have one recipe for free online! If you do tinker with my recipe, let me know how it turns out! Happy baking :) – Laurel
Carol Shaw says
I can’t rave enough about this bread recipe!!!!!!! It is FANTASTIC!!!! My kids love it too, it has become a daily staple. Thankbyou for your fabulous work!!!
★★★★★
Laurel says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Carol! I am so happy that your family is loving this recipe!
Jojo says
Hi,
I’m allergic to psyllium husk, but I’m really attracted to this recipe. Could I subsitute with flax?
Laurel says
Hi Jojo, I don’t think so. The psyllium husk is essential in getting the bread to hold together and have the correct texture. I also love the book Gluten Free Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for baking bread. I know their recipes are free of psyllium husk! I would feel better pointing you in the direction of a bread that I know will work for you rather than having you experiment with this loaf and potentially have to scrap the recipe – gluten free flours can be expensive! Happy Baking!
Colleen says
This was absolutely delicious, Laurel! Thank you so much for all your trial and error, and for graciously sharing it! Being a Vegan 8 groupie :) I’m used to measuring everything in grams instead of cups so I wasn’t sure which method you used when making this recipe. I decided to use grams since every flour in your recipe calls for different grams in a cup and it worked out great. I made 2 baguettes and will try circular loaves next time. I sprinkled sesame seeds on top and think you could use sunflower or pine nuts and it would be equally as fabulous. The one thing I wondered is how you easily transfer the loaves from the counter to the hot stone. Even though they’re on parchment they’re heavy and although I had them on a metal pan it was hard sliding the parchment and loaves in a hot oven. I figured you might have a trick I didn’t think of. Thanks again Laurel!!
★★★★★
Laurel says
Hi Colleen! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe! Since you have a scale, I think grams are the way to go :) I actually use a pizza peel (like this one) to slide it onto the stone. I spread some course grind cornmeal onto the pizza peel so that the bread slides off easily and then place the loaf right on top of the cornmeal. I touch the edge of the peel to the baking stone and give it a good shake to slide it off. It’s definitely the easiest method I have found. And I will definitely be trying the pine nuts! That sounds absolutely delicious!
Macro says
Can I use this bread to make sandwich and can we fry it to make potato bread roll?
Laurel says
Hi Macro, I am not sure what a potato bread roll is so I can’t say without more information. As far as sandwiches go, yes! It makes delicious sandwiches. The bread is a bit smaller (as with all gluten free bread) so I often like to enjoy the sandwiches open faced. Happy cooking :)
Don says
Laurel, I’m very excited to try this recipe, but am living in a country where the flours aren’t available. Can they all be ground in my blender the way the oats can?
Laurel says
Hi Don, Great question! To my knowledge, yes. I haven’t tested this out myself, but as long as the grains are ground down to a fine flour they should work in the recipe. Happy baking!
Don says
Thank you, Laurel! I’ll be trying this soon.
Don says
Thank you, Laurel, for this wonderful recipe!
I’ve made it twice now, and a success both times. Flavor and texture are both excellent. Both times both loaves vanished in record time, and I cook for a picky eater.
This is one of only two wheat-free bread recipes I’ve been able to find that aren’t at least 30-60% refined starch. Congratulations on your achievement!
One minor problem with my loaves: the boules spread out flatter than yours, so they look like enormous cookies. I found this dough bakes well in 5×9 bread pans, and that makes a more practical shape.
Perhaps next time I’ll use a little less water, or replace some with egg. I’m in the mountains at 5000 ft elevation, so I increased the temp to 400f and still wound up baking for 75-85 minutes.
All the flours were ground in my blender. My only substitution was brown rice for white.
★★★★★
Laurel says
Hi Don, I am so glad to hear you are enjoying this recipe! It tends to vanish quickly around my house, too :)
The bread pan sounds like a great fix! My thought is that possibly the blender ground flours are a bit larger in size than milled flour. Because they have less surface area they might not be absorbing as much liquid. Quinoa flour happens to be especially good at absorbing water, so you could try increasing that a few tablespoons at a time and see if that helps solve the problem.
I also think tinkering around with the water content and addition of egg could be great fixes too :)
Please keep me posted on your progress if you have the chance! I would enjoy hearing how the changes work at elevation.
Don says
Thank you again, Laurel!
I increased the quinoa flour to 3/4 c, and my boule looked like yours, higher and less wide. I strongly suspect you’re right about my homemade flour being coarser than yours and imbibing less.
Before that change, my dough reminded me of the terrible special effects in the classic 1958 “horror” film “The Blob”.
some notes:
1) I mixed everything by hand, using a large spoon. It wasn’t difficult. Perhaps my dough still could stand to be stiffer.
2) I formed the loaves in the metal loaf pan for one, and on a pyrex pie plate for the other, before the second rise. I just used oil on the pans and no parchment paper. I had no trouble with sticking.
3) I used an inverted 12″ cast iron skillet as a baking stone for one loaf. It didn’t seem to make a difference.
I will continue to tinker with this recipe, but as it is it’s the best bread I can eat.
Thanks again, Laurel, for the key to this wonderful bread!
Don
Laurel says
Hi Don! I am so glad to hear the bread is looking better! I love, love the tip to swap out the baking stone for a cast iron skillet. Genius!