Gluten Free Artisan Bread
How do you make crusty, melt in your mouth gluten free artisan bread that gets rave reviews every time? You turn to this recipe! Hands down, it’s the tastiest artisan bread ever!
But I’ll warn you, this recipe is unlike any other. It’s not like any other gluten free bread and it’s not like any other artisan bread. But that’s the beauty of it. It’s unique, full bodied, full of flavor and hand shaped. And those are just a few qualities that make it an amazing recipe.
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How is gluten free artisan bread different from regular gluten free bread?
Depending on who you ask, gluten free artisan bread has features that define it as truly ‘artisan.’ Things like hand formed, time intensive and with a general texture of: crusty exterior, soft interior. That's why other gluten free breads, like this gluten free white bread, don't classify as an artisan bread.
This gluten free artisan bread recipe successfully checks two of those boxes.
Each loaf is hand formed and smoothed to a nice round loaf and the texture is definitely crusty yet soft. But the time has been cut down dramatically. In fact this recipe doesn’t require any overnight refrigeration.
How to Make gluten free artisan bread
Ingredients should be at room temperature
This is an important step since the water is the only thing warmer than room temperature. Adding a cold egg to lukewarm water will make the rest of the liquid ingredients cold too. And yeast won’t activate in cold temperatures.
Gluten free artisan bread dough is thick
This is a welcome relief as so many gluten free bread doughs are more like batter than dough. But this one is thick so that it will hold it’s shape on the pan.
Shape each portion into a round loaf
The easiest way to portion the dough equally is to set your pans up and spoon the batter out in a rotating pattern on the pans. There will be three loaves total, so place one drop of dough for the first loaf, then another drop of dough for the second loaf and then another drop for the last loaf. Then keep repeating until all dough is portioned out.
Then form the loaf with the spatula. Remember the beauty of artisan bread is that it can be any shape. Some are oval, others are round.
Pro tip: Wet your hands slightly and smooth out the top of the dough so the end result is a smoother topped loaf.
Bake the bread with a water bath
Here’s the secret to the ultimate gluten free artisan bread… to get a nice crusty exterior with a tender interior, place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour water onto the sheet, filling until it reaches halfway up the sheet. Then turn on the oven to the baking temperature of 425 F.
This will create a wonderful steam filled oven for your loaves. That steam produces a crust like no other. And it keeps the interior nice and soft. Here is another recipe that bakes in a steam oven too.
And now for the most delicious gluten free artisan bread ever…
If you enjoy this recipe, will you give it a rating and a share?!
Recipe
Gluten Free Artisan Bread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the flours, salt, and xanthan gum. Whisk to combine.
- In a 4 cup measuring cup or medium bowl, mix the water with the sugar. Stir until almost dissolved.
- Add the yeast and set aside to proof for 5 minutes.
- In the mixing bowl, with the flours, add in the proofed water-yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 9 minutes.
- Scrape batter into a bowl and cover tightly with a lid. Refrigerate the batter for at least 6 hours.
- When ready to bake, place a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter. Slice off ⅓ of the bread batter (it will be sticky).
- Place the bread batter in the middle of the parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in a large pot and cover with the lid to let rise until 50% larger.
- Preheat oven to 450F. While the oven is preheating, place a Dutch oven with the lid on, into the oven to heat. See the instructions below for preparation without a Dutch oven.
- Once the bread is ready to bake, use potholders to very carefully remove the pot from the oven. Place the bread, parchment paper and all, from the large pot into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on the Dutch oven.
- Bake at 450F for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for about 10 minutes.
- Test the bread for doneness with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 205F).
- Remove the baked bread from the oven and very carefully lift the parchment paper from the Dutch oven to a wire rack to cool.
- Let the bread cool for at least 4 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature - water slightly warmer.
- To easily portion out 3 loaves, alternate dropping spoonfuls of batter on the pan.
- Bake these loaves using a water bath for a wonderful crusty exterior.
- Before the oven gets too hot, move the racks so one is about 3 inches from the bottom one. Place a baking sheet on the bottom one and fill the baking sheet with water. (It should reach about halfway up the sides of the sheet).
Check out these other delicious gluten free recipes:
- Gluten Free Garlic Bread with Cheese
- Buttery Gluten Free Biscuits
- Gluten Free Potato Rolls
- Gluten Free Breadsticks
And here are some helpful gluten free baking tips:
- How to Substitute Xanthan Gum in Gluten Free Baking
- Alternatives to Xanthan and Guar Gum in GF Baking
- How to Substitute Potato Starch and Potato Flour
- Gluten Free Flour Substitutes
Hi there I’m not seeing the note on how to bake these loaves without a Dutch oven. I have one but will need something to bake these loaves without other two. Also wondering about the water in the oven is that enough to bake all three loaves at once. Thank u
Hi Kathie,
I have updated the notes to be more clear on this recipe.
But the best thing is to make one loaf at a time. The rest of the batter will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you are using a dutch oven to bake the bread, you do not need to do anything with adding water for steam or using a cookie sheet below the dutch oven. That is only for baking without one.
If you are opting for the cookie sheet/water method (no dutch oven) then place the bread on a cookie sheet and fill an oven-safe baking dish (I suggest a ceramic dish) with water. The bake as directed, without stopping to remove the lid. This method will create the steam needed for a crispy crust.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.
Christine
Hi
I would like to try this recipe, but I am gum intolerant. Can I add chia seeds and ground flax instead?
Thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Sandra,
I haven't tested it without the gum, but those would be my recommendations so yes, try it out and I'd be curious to know how it works.
Thanks,
Christine
This had a great texture - just what I was looking for. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for storing the extra loaves since you make all three at once. Thanks!
Hi Libby,
Thanks - so glad you enjoy it! So you're right - the good news is there's a lot of bread, but the bad news is GF yeast bread just doesn't preserve very well. What I'd recommend is slicing the loaves and then placing small pieces of wax paper in between each slice and reforming the loaf into a plastic freezer bag, then just freezing it - because of the wax paper you can easily remove the number of slices you need. Toast as usual.
Hope that helps!
Christine
This is going to be my first go at gf bread and, I will surprise many, I am going to miss kneading!
I was wondering, have you baked gf bread on a baking stone?
Thanks
Hi,
Great - hope you enjoy it.
And I have used a baking stone long time ago. Mine broke and needs to be replaced 🙁
~Christine
Very tasty
Thank you Roo!
Really appreciate the feedback!
~Christine
Can I make this bread in bread machine??
Hi Sarah,
Possibly, but I haven't tested it, so I'm not 100% sure of the results. Let me know if you try it!
~Christine
I really want to try your recipes, you go through every detail to make sure that we are successful and end up with a delicious product. And the pictures are awesome! But I can't eat tapioca, being severely allergic (this has thrown my ten year gluten free diet because of Rheumatoid in a quandary because most of foods use tapioca (or soy, also allergic) and both are epi-pen serious for me. Do you think I can replace the tapioca flour with true arrowroot (the real stuff, not the cassava based that is still tapioca)? Thank you, you work hard and it shows!
Will sweet white sorghum flour act the same as plain sorghum flour? I'm excited to try this recipe!
Hi Tricia,
Yes, it should work just fine!
I like having more recipes other than biscuits, loaf bread, and pancakes. I need to know how to substitute guar gum for xantham gum. I am not only allergic to wheat germ, bran, and gluten. I am also allergic to corn, most nuts, meats, and most eggs. My wallet and my taste buds have taken a big hit. I need a second job just to afford food. Any advice or recipe is greatly welcomed.
I found the dough to be very wet and sticky. Is this normal? Haven't baked it yet.
Hi Scott,
Yes, it is going to be very sticky, more like a cake batter than bread dough.
How many loaves of bread does this recipe make? I have made many artisan loaves from the "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a day" cookbook, but have recently been diagnosed with IBS and have been advised to stay away from wheat. But I miss my artisan loaf! I would love to try this but have found if I make enough dough for two loaves, it works best for my husband and I. I bake the loaf in a large baguette pan, which helps to keep the dough in a loaf shape, since the dough is pretty wet and tends to rise sideways. Thanks for your help.
Hi Vicki,
I get 3 or 4 loaves out of this recipe. Just depends on how big you want the loaves.
I think 3 loaves would be good for larger loaves of bread.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks!
so, I made a half recipe of this last night and tried to bake it today. The yeast was causing it to expand last night and today, but it just grew horizontal...it didn't keep its shape. Was my dough too wet? I know that GF dough is not going to look the same as wheat bread in terms of consistency, but this seemed pretty wet.
Can I cut this recipe in half?
Hi Sherilyn,
I have not cut it in half, but I do that alot with other recipes and have never had a problem.
So I would venture to say yes, but its not from experience with this bread, but with others.
Does that help?
hi chrissy,
i like your detailed description how to handle and bake the GF bread. have you tried making GF bread without xanthum gum? if not do you have any suggestions for using it as well as substituting the tapioca flour?
thank you for all your hard work and experiements with the gift of bread.
leah
Thanks for the recipe! This turned out very well and I was quite happy making paninis for myself in the days after this came out of the oven!
What substitutions might you suggest to lower the starch content (through tapioca flour) by increasing other flour combinations (millet, almond, garbanzo, etc.)? I realize how integral the tapioca flour is, but I'd rather be ingesting a bit more nutrition through other flours.
Any thoughts?
Winner!
I cannot believe how easy this recipe is and I'm surprise more glutten free (GF) people are not talking about it online. My wife cannot have gluten or sugar or milk so I struggled finding a good bread recipe and have visited every GF site. My first attempt with recipe from another site was complex and a total failure. This one was easy and really good. The crust is amazing. The bread itself is a little yeasty but very good. I may try to tweak the recipe just a little to change the yeast flavor. My wife who has missed her daily bread was really happy. yay! My kids (6) and (4) really like it. You could serve it to gluten eaters and they would be perfectly happy.
For those of you who are searching for GF bread 1) invest in a stand mixer. 2) invest in a dutch/french oven 3) try this recipe exactly as written.
P.S. The hardest part is gathering all the ingredients but most of them I got online so I avoided going to 5 different stores looking for xanthum gum (whatever that is). Finally for those afraid of making bread from scratch this was my second attempt at bread (except for cornbread from a box) so I'm not a seasoned pro.
Hi Chris,
So awesome to hear your feedback!
You make a great point - that even people who can have gluten will enjoy this recipe. It's just that gosh darn good!
Great to hear all of your tips as well.
Happy baking!
~Chrissy
What did Chris use instead of xanthan gum please?