This loaf of homemade gluten-free bread is made from my homemade sourdough starter. It’s soft, puffy, and moist. It’s healthier and tastes much better than the store-bought ones.
In my last post, I shared with you how to make gluten-free sourdough starter with 2-ingredients. Have you tried that yet? Are you eager to move on to making the best homemade gluten-free bread possible?
After my last post on gluten-free sourdough starter, I had requests for instructions on how to make GF bread from it. So, today’s post is all about why you should make it at home and how to make it. It’s going to be your favorite homemade gluten-free bread. I know it!
Have you struggled with making a loaf of vegan, gluten-free bread that is soft, puffy, and moist?
I sure did. Ever since I started my gluten-free baking journey, I have been struggling with trying to make a good loaf of bread that is fantastic for sandwiches. My homemade breads (both vegan and non-vegan) were always quite dense and crumbly. There were times I just threw in the towel and used store-bought gluten-free sandwich bread for sandwiches.
Why should you make homemade gluten-free bread?
Short answer is it’s much healthier and tastes much better.
Store-bought gluten-free sandwich bread is definitely convenient. However, after trying different brands, I found they are either too salty or have too much of those empty calories that are definitely not good for our bodies. If you can’t tolerate xanthan or guar gum that we found in almost every store-bought gluten-free loaf, you definitely should make your own bread at home.
How to make the best homemade gluten-free bread?
Whether it’s vegan or not, the key to make the best homemade gluten-free bread is using homemade sourdough starter. This is an age-old forgotten method. It has now been resurrected to reign once again as the king of the bread basket.
Some have just accepted that there GF bread is always going to be dense. Some bloggers claim to have found a way to make soft textured gf bread that tastes and smells like a real loaf. However, it usually comes with a very long list of tips and instructions.
Although this recipe is simple, there is no fast way to make this homemade gluten-free bread. Don’t get discouraged. Your bread is going to taste a million times better. It’s absolutely worth it.
Fermentation is biochemical reaction that happens between live bacteria and flour dough. It takes time for the bacteria/yeast to react with the carbohydrates, proteins, and fibers in the dough. Food industry offers us a fast way to make bread by using packaged instant dry yeast. However, using active dry yeast doesn’t solve my problem with homemade gluten-free bread.
I used my sourdough starter and homemade all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (gum free) for this recipe. After the dough ferments at room temperature overnight (12-16 hours), I added a little bit of baking soda. This step neutralizes the sourness that was produced during the fermentation. The fermentation occurs evenly throughout the dough so there are almost no dense spots like you get with active dry yeast. The taste of this bread brought back many good old memories.
Sidenote: My mom and grandma used to make steamed wheat buns using sourdough starter. They would always save a piece of dough as starter for the next batch. They taught me that adding baking soda will remove some sourness from the fermented dough. Simple chemistry in the kitchen goes a long way!
Although I haven’t tried any store-bought all-purpose gluten-free flour mix with this recipe, I’m sure it will work beautifully. It will be on my experimenting list.
I hope you’re eager to start your first batch of homemade gluten-free bread. I’d love to see and hear about what’s going be the best homemade gluten-free bread you’ve ever made.
- 500 Joyce’s all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 20 grams protein powder vegan if desired
- 10 grams psyllium husk powder
- 20 grams sugar this will be consumed during the fermentation
- 1⅔ cups water
- 50 grams homemade sourdough starter
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons water
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Combine water and sourdough starter in another bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients mixture. Use a clean hand to knead the dough. It should form a soft dough.
- Let the dough ferment at 70-76 ℉ for 12 -16 hours. After the fermentation, the dough should be softer and have somewhat of a sour smell.
- Preheat oven to 450 ℉.
- Mix baking soda and water in a small bowl. Add the mixture into the fermented dough and knead to mix well. This will neutralize the acid and take away some of the sour taste of the dough.
- Lightly grease a loaf pan (I use a glass 9” x 5” x 3.5” loaf pan) and transfer the dough into the pan. Smooth the surface of the dough with a damp hand. Insert a knife on top of the dough ½ inch deep and cut the dough lengthwise so the hot steam will escape from the gap instead of creating random cracks during baking.
- Spray the surface of the dough with canola oil and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven. Reduce the temperature to 400 ℉. Bake with the foil on for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 40 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
- Remove the bread from oven and transfer the bread onto a cooling rack to completely cool before cutting.
- This recipe may work with other kinds of all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. You may need to adjust the amount of water added into the dough.
- The first batch of sourdough starter may not turn the fermented dough very sour, so use only ½ teaspoon of baking soda when using the first batch of sourdough starter.
Hi,
Can you please give the measurements of ingredients which is easy for us to use.
What is 500 grams of flour, or 30 grams of Psyllium Husk.
Can we please have it in cup or Tablespoon measurements.
Thanks.
Hi Daphne, the reason that I don’t use tablespoon or cup because it’s the volume measurment. The volume varies by the coarseness the grains are milled to. It also varies depending on how tightly you pack the flour into the cup. But when you measure by weight, it is more precise. I also explained why I use weight instead of volume in my DIY all-purpose gluten-free flour from grains post (https://lightorangebean.com/diy-purpose-gluten-free-flour-grains/).
Daphen,
I seem overwhelming at first. Because it’s not what we are used to. But , once you learn , you will like it better.
Hi Joyce, I would definitely try this recipe. I have tried making GF bread with no success.often times, it’s too dense and caved in from the sides after cooling down and shrunk to tiny small loaf. Very discouraging and frustrating. I have given up since.
From the photo, your bread was beautifully puffed to full size. Any precaution needed to get to this shape? Must I use glass loaf pan? Mine is aluminium pan and 8″x4″.
For the Wet, water is 333ml?
If you use aluminum pan, be sure to check the bread more often towards the end of baking. Aluminum transfers heat much faster than glass. How deep is your pan? This dough is not very runny so I don’t think it will overflow. But sure to cut a line on top of the dough so the hot steam can escape rather than cracking the bread randomly. For the wet, water is 1 2/3 cups that gives 395 mL. Send me a picture through FB or Instagram (if you use them) when you bake your bread. Can’t wait to see how that turns out for you!
Question! Are we truly kneading the dough? Or is it more of a thorough combining of ingredients? I’m new to all of this but I thought kneading was … something for the gluten?
What’s your Instagram? I’d like to follow you.
Yes, you can knead the dough if you follow the ingredients in the recipe. Using psyllium husk is the key. Without it, the dough can fall apart really easily. My instagram is @lightorangebean
Do you have to use a protein powder?
I have an issue with dairy and was wondering if you can make this without the protein powder?
You don’t have to. I used a pea protein powder which is vegan and dairy-free.
hi, just tried to make it without the use of protein powder and would like to try again including it. which one do you use? i don’t want to adversely effect the taste.
I use Now brand pea protein powder. You can find the link in the recipe section.
Hi Joyce-canI substitute ground flax seeds for the psyllium husk powder?
it may work similar but won’t be the same. The dough with ground flax may not be easy to manage. You can try to increase the amount of ground flax seeds in the recipe and let it soak with water (make it to be flax-egg) instead of mixing the ground flax seeds direct into the dry ingredients. I hope this helps.
Hi great bread recipe thank you for sharing, what would you advise to substitute for the psylium husk which I cannot tolerate due to chronic IBD. kind Regards Deborah.
substitute it with 2 tablespoon of ground flax seeds (mix the ground flax seeds with water first to let them swell). Or you can use 2 eggs for the recipe.
Hi joyce. I have attempted to make this twice and the bread comes out very stodgy. As aposed to light, moist and fluffy. Very condensed, like the dough doesn’t rise. The starter seems to be fine so im not sure what the issue is. Any recommendations?
When you ferment the dough, does your dough have sort of yeast smell? When you add baking soda, does your dough bubble a little bit? These are all signs of good fermentation. If the dough is not fermented enough, the bread can be heavy.
Can this recipe be baked in a round pan or a cast iron pan. Joan
Yes, as long as you don’t use thin metal baking pan.
Hi Joyce, I was just wondering, is there no salt in the recipe? I’m sort of thinking I’ll miss it, if I don’t put any. Maybe at the end of the fermentation process with the baking soda?
Yes, I don’t put salt in my bread. Some family members of mine have trouble with their heart and/or kidney so they need to be on a low or no sodium diet. You definitely can add salt to yours. 🙂
Hi Joyce. Are you supposed to cover the dough during the fermentation process?
Yes, I do cover the container/bowl with a lid.
I tried this last week but turned out super tough. Outside so hard and crusty yet inside like dough still yet didn’t change even with 40 mins extra cooking, checking regularly. Im going to do a take 2 as it looks delicious, and im missing bread! Im using all purpose flour that contains guar gum as i cant find one without. Could this be the cause for my mishap last time maybe? I followed the instructions to a T last time ? but maybe I didnt let the dough ferment enough?
Im a brand newby to this bread making biz so any advice welcomed! ? fingers crossed for this one! ?
Yes, the guar gum can change the texture a lot since it absorbs more water.
Hi, I missed your gluten free sour dough mixture. Kindly pass this on to me as I would like to make your gluten free bread. Have had many flops. Thanks
Hi. I dont have any protein powder. What would happen if I totally omit the protein powder from this recipe? Thanks
It will still work if you don’t use protein powder. You may want to reduce the amount of liquid using in the recipe so it won’t be too wet.
So, is the protein powder added for nutrition, or do you think it contributes to the texture of the bread (or both)?
It’s added for the nutrition.
I don’t have the grains to mill up. Can I use the same gram measurements of each of the flours from bobs red mill already milled up?
Yes, absolutely.
Can I use this recipe in a bread machine? How do I figure out measurements…I’m used to cups/tsp etc…
approximate 1 cup of my homemade gf flour is about 140 grams.
How do I convert regular measurements to your recipe? Can I use this recipe in a bread maker? Thanks
I haven’t tried bread maker yet. Because this recipe required adding baking soda in the end so I’m not sure how to do it with bread maker.
Hi Joyce,
How long should the dough rise in the bread pan before putting into the oven to bake?
After the dough being fermented 12-16 hours, you add baking soda to neutralize the acid that is produced during fermentation. Once transfer the dough into a bread pan, you can let bake it directly in the oven or let the dough rest for 5 minutes at room temperature before baking.
Hello! Thanks for this recipe! Can I use quinoa flour or teff flour instead of the all purpose gluten free flour ?
Thank you!
I think teff might work better than quinoa flour.
Hi! Can you switch protein powder to buckwheat flour for example?
Yes, I believe so.
Is it necessary to add the baking soda? I like the sour flavor of sourdough am all looking for a recipe that will produce something closer to a sour batard (or crusty on the outside, tender on the inside).
If you don’t mind the strong sour flavor, you don’t need to use the baking soda.
I tried with my teff starter and teff flavor in 450 ℉ owen. But, the result was burnt outside uncooked inside.
I haven’t tried use just teff flour for the loaf of bread. Every little difference can make the result very different.
The dough is ready for fermentation. I’ll post again after!