The crusty exterior and soft interior of this gluten free potato bread recipe will have everyone reaching for seconds! It’s easy to mix together, rises beautifully and bakes up nice and golden. Sliced thick or thin, slices of this homemade bread will quickly become a favorite!
Looking for more gluten free recipes for traditional breads? Check out this gluten free buckwheat bread, these gluten free breadsticks and this gluten free oat bread.
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Gluten Free Potato Bread at a Glance
No kneading, no complicated ingredients, just reliable, delicious potato bread. I describe this recipe as a cross between a dense, hearty bread and an airy bread – from one extreme to the other right? Well, it’s all about the moisture content. Potato bread is typically moister than other breads (due to the mashed potatoes), so the end result is an airy textured bread that’s still hearty enough to hold together.
This bread is unique in that it uses potato flakes instead of whole potatoes, which makes it seriously easy as there's no need to cook potatoes. If you have real potatoes in mind for your bread though, these gluten free potato buns are a perfect fit!
By the way, one of my favorite ways to serve this gluten-free potato bread is with this dipping sauce. It’s like a little taste of heaven in every dip!
Ingredients & Substitutions in Gluten-Free Potato Bread
The ingredient list for this potato bread recipe includes:
Dry Ingredients:
- White Rice Flour - Rice flour is the best balance with the sweet rice flour and potato starch. Other gluten-free flours like almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour or even a gluten free flour blend are not one-for-one substitutes. Brown rice flour can be substituted however.
- Sweet Rice Flour - Also called glutinous flour, this is not the same as rice flour.
- Gelatin - If you'd like to substitute the gelatin, reference this post about other thickener options.
- Potato Starch - Make sure to use potato starch, not potato flour. As a substitute for potato starch, use tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) or cornstarch.
- Dry Potato Flakes - These are normally sold in a box or bag, and stored at room temperature. Sweet potatoes or even whole, white potatoes have not been tested.
- Swerve or Granulated Sugar - Use either Swerve granular sweetener or regular granulated sugar.
- Salt - The salt may be cut down or omitted.
- Xanthan Gum - The xanthan gum functions as a binder, if you'd like to substitute the xanthan gum, reference these xanthan gum substitutes.
- Instant Yeast - Also called fast rise or rapid rise yeast. Active dry yeast may be used.
Note about Sweet Potato Flour
Several readers have asked about using this sweet potato flour in the recipe. I have not tested this in the recipe as it has been quite pricey every time I look for it, so it's not a flour I have experience with using in this potato bread recipe.
Wet Ingredients:
- Water - There is no substitute for the water.
- Vegetable Oil - As a substitute for the oil, melted coconut oil, olive oil (not extra virgin), or melted vegan butter can be used.
- Eggs - Whole eggs are used in the recipe, flax eggs or chia eggs may be substituted as outlined in this post about egg substitutes or you may also use 3 egg whites instead of the whole eggs.
- Dairy Free Milk - Almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk may be used. Regular dairy whole milk may be substituted.
Exact measurements and instructions for making this gluten free potato bread are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Gluten Free Potato Bread
Step One: Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Step Two: Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Step Three: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 30 seconds. Turn mixer to medium speed and mix for 3 minutes.
Step Four: Prepare an 8"x4.5" standard loaf pan by buttering well with vegan butter. If you'd rather skip the vegan butter and use parchment paper to line the pan, that is an option as well.
Step Five: Scrape batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top of the bread dough.
Step Six: Allow bread to rise in a warm place until it hits the top of the pan. If the room temperature is cooler, you may need to cover the pan lightly with a piece of plastic wrap (spray it with cooking spray before placing over the pan otherwise it will stick to the top of the risen loaf).
Step Seven: After rising, make 3 diagonal slices before placing in the oven to bake. Bake the bread for about 50 minutes until the top is golden brown or until an instant read thermometer registers between 205-210F.
Step Eight: After baking, remove the bread from the pan and place on its side to cool completely. Flip to the other side after 20 minutes. Cool the bread completely before slicing.
How to Store Potato Bread
Storing this gluten free potato bread just requires two things: some wax paper and a freezer safe plastic bag. If you’re storing it for longer than 1 day, freezing it is the best way to preserve the quality and the taste.
I’d recommend slicing it first before freezing since a loaf of frozen bread is nearly impossible to slice.
Use a high quality, serrated knife and slice the entire loaf, placing wax paper in between each slice. Place the whole loaf in an airtight container (a large plastic bag works great), seal it well and place it in the freezer. For best results, enjoy it within a month.
Pro Tips for Making Gluten Free Potato Bread
Room Temperature Ingredients
From the eggs to the flours, all ingredients need to be at least at room temperature (the water for the yeast should be a bit warmer – 110 F). If you store your flours in the refrigerator, just bring them out and let them sit while getting everything else ready.
Tip: Eggs can be quickly brought to room temperature by floating them in a cup of warm water for a few minutes.
Checking for Doneness
For best results, use an instant read thermometer to determine when the bread is done baking. Baking time can vary so the best way to tell if the bread is done is if the thermometer registers between 205-210F.
Cooling Yeast Breads
Yeast breads can be very fickle. A tall, nicely baked loaf can all of a sudden start to sink or worse, collapse all together once it’s taken out of the pan. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to yours!
Pro tip: Remove the bread from the oven like usual. Place it on a wire rack to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Now, here’s the cooling tip… when you remove it from the pan, don’t just sit it down and walk away to finish cooling. Lay the bread on its side to cool for 15 -20 minutes. Then flip it over and cool for another 15 - 20 minutes.
This way the bread is balanced on all side for forming that nice tall crown. Remember, gluten free breads need that cool down period. It’s like a second bake time. And it’s crucial for the formation of the loaf.
Helpful Tools
These baking tools are helpful to have when making this yeast bread:
Potato Bread FAQs
Some potato bread contain gluten because of the wheat flour in the recipe. This recipe is gluten free because it uses gluten free flours and starches.
Potato bread can be healthier than others, it just depends on the ingredients. This recipe is lower in sugar and fat than others.
Potato flakes perform better in this recipe than mashed potatoes The mashed potatoes tend to make the bread too moist.
Once you pour the batter into the pan, it will be about ¾ of the way full. Place the pan into a draft-free spot to rise for an hour. After an hour it will have risen to just over the top of the pan. Keep in mind, the moisture content is higher in this bread, so it may not rise as much as other breads like this cinnamon raisin bread machine bread.
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Recipe
Soft Gluten Free Potato Bread Recipe: Dairy Free
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 180 grams white rice flour about 1 cup
- 85 grams sweet rice flour about ½ cup
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 55 grams potato starch about ⅓ cup
- 17 grams dry potato flakes about ⅓ cup
- 4 teaspoons granulated Swerve sweetener or granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 Tablespoon quick-rise also called instant yeast
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup water warmed to 110 F
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 1 cup dairy free milk or regular milk
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together on medium speed for 30 seconds in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- In a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer. Mix for 3 minutes on medium, scraping the bowl down as needed. The mixture will resemble thick cake batter.
- Using vegan butter, or dairy butter, grease an 8” x 4.5” loaf pan.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Place the pan in a warm place, free from drafts to rise for 1 hour. A toaster oven or unwarmed oven works great. The dough should rise to the top of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slices across the top.
- When oven is fully preheated, bake the risen loaf 50 minutes until bread is browned on top and an instant-read thermometer registers between 205-210F.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, in the pan.
- Remove from the pan and cool the bread on one side for 20 minutes. Then flip and let it cool for another 20 minutes on the other side.
- Once the bread has fully cooled, slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Measure ingredients by weight where weight is given.
- Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Then mix together until the batter is light and fluffy.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and let it rise until the bread just reaches the top of the pan.
- After baking, cool the bread by laying it on its side until completely cool.
Nutrition
Originally published 3/18/2015. Updated 2/26/2020 with new pictures and better directions. And then again on 9/10/2023.
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Joan
Hi. I love your recipes. Always looking for alternatives to commercial bread. I was going to print this and then noticed it's measured in grams, instead of cups. Do you have the same recipe using cup measurements?
Thank you
Christine
Hi Joan,
Thanks, glad you enjoy them! So the cups measurement equivalent is right next to the ingredient. (I offer grams first because it calculates the nutrition facts more accurately!)
Let me know if you think of anything else.
~Christine
Angelica
Two comments, the yeast should probably be packets if you're gluten free. I've been talking to manufacturers of yeasst, both Red Star and Fleischman's emphasized that their packets of rapid rise and active dry yeast are gluten free (and even packets had certain ones which aren't GF like Red Star Premium yeast). They made no promises to me about the jars of dry yeast or cake yeast. I bake bread about every 3-4 days.
I'm not sure if Swerve is a food for yeast, did you make it that way and the bread rose OK? You can make bread with no sugar if you let the flour autolyse, but I don't think you can do that with pure starches. The white and sweet rice flour should, in theory, autolyse if you mix them with the water and let them alone for at least an hour before continuing with your recipe.
Frank
love the fact it is in weight( grams) and not volume (cups)but then in the middle of the recipe we have 1/3 cup dry potato flakes what weight is this please ?
Christine
Hi Frank,
Thanks and sorry about that - the potato flakes come in at 17g. I'll update the recipe too.
Thanks,
Christine
Bonnie hunter
Can u please tell me if I can’t find the potato flakes can I use potato starch In place of this. I can’t find them anywhere here in Canada .
Christine
Hi Bonnie,
So they are not the same thing, so not a good substitute. I haven't tested the recipe with a sub for the potato flakes, but actual potatoes would be my first choice. Try 1/3 cup of prepared potatoes without butter or milk or anything added and then decrease the water to 1/4 cup. If you try it, let me know!
~Christine
Bonnie hunter
My buns are turning out wonderful make them all the time and I am sharing them with friends and family. I use russet pot, thank you
Christine
Wonderful! Great to hear Bonnie!
~Christine
Tilly
I am interested in trying this recipe, but I am a vegetarian so I can't use gelatin. What is the function of the gelatin in this recipe, and can you recommend a plant-based substitution? Thanks.
Christine
Hi Tilly,
So it functions as a binder, along with the xanthan gum. The best substitute is agar agar powder. A secondary option is ground flax seed.
~Christine
Ana
And the eggs? how to replace them?
Christine
Hi Ana,
Sure so the best thing to use in this recipe would be something like Ener-G egg replacer.
Thanks for asking,
Christine
Joanne
Hi there! I have an intolerance to tapioca, so I substituted potato starch in this recipe. Also substituted cornstarch for the xanthan gum (same reason). The bread is brown/crispy on the outside but dense/moist on the inside. Is that maybe due to the substitutions or is this bread heavy by nature? I was hoping for a lighter, less dense crumb Thank you!
Christine
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for asking - so let's see, it could be the substitutions but it also sounds like it needed to bake a bit longer - did you use an instant read thermometer to confirm that it was fully baked? Should read between 205-210F. It is more on the heavy side than light though.
Let me know, would love for you to enjoy this one!
Christine
Joanne
Christine - Hi! I didn't use a thermometer, although I use one for cooking meats, etc. all the time! Will try that. Also I purchased a Nordic pan, hoping that will help with consistent baking, height, etc. Might try tenting the top with foil if it starts to get too brown, too. Fun in the kitchen!
Do you have any homemade flour mixes without tapioca starch/flour that I can make ahead?
Thanks!
Christine
Hi Joanne,
A thermometer should help a lot - depending on the weather, I've sometimes had to bake a few minutes longer or shorter.
And I use this mix https://zestforbaking.com/how-to-make-gluten-free-bread-flour-mix and subbing the tapioca starch is pretty easy - just use arrowroot starch.
Let me know how that all works out.
~Christine
Melodi
Can you make this in a bread machine?
Christine
Hi Melodi,
So I haven't tested it in a bread machine, so I can't say for certain, but it would be a good one to try out.
Add the wet ingredients to the pan first, then the dry, with the yeast last. Then try the gluten free setting.
Let me know!
Christine
Beverly
Loved this recipe,! Came out so good! I feel it has some good nutrition too. Just wondering why you want the water 110 degrees. Did you mean to soften the yeast with it? You didn’t show it in your steps. Love the taste.
I made a mistake and put it in my smaller bred pan because that’s what I thought I did the last time! I was so mad at my self because I did everything perfect. It sunk in the middle a bit, but still came out to my satisfaction. It will be my favorite bread. Thank you for all your delicious recipes.I do many.
Christine
Hi Beverly,
Glad you enjoy it!
And you are right, it's not in the steps - I will add it, good catch. It's just to be able to activate the yeast.
Hope that helps,
Christine