• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Zest for Baking

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Bagels
    • Biscuits
    • Bread Machine
    • Cake
    • Cookies
    • Cupcakes
    • Donuts
    • Frostings
    • Muffins
    • Pancakes
    • Quick Bread
    • Rolls
    • Sandwich Bread
    • Scones
    • Snacks
    • Gluten Free Side Dishes
    • Waffles
    • Yeast Breads
  • Resources
    • Baking Tips
    • Gluten Free Flours
    • Using Substitutes
  • About
    • Contact
    • Get 15 Free Gluten Free Bread Recipes!
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact
  • Classes & Books
×

Your Gluten Free Bread Baking Problems, Answered

By Christine February 2, 2016 Updated November 2, 2019 20 Comments

Baking gluten free bread has its fair share of challenges. From being too dry, or not rising, or just plain not tasting very good, it can be frustrating to get that perfect loaf.

For the next couple weeks, here at Gluten-Free-Bread, we will be talking a lot about gluten free breads and recipes. We’ll be examining some of the problems that come up when baking gluten free bread. Things like, why is this bread dry and falling apart or why are these rolls gummy - we are going to not only explain why it happens but also troubleshoot them too.

Welcome to the first post in our series, Your Gluten Free Bread Baking Problems, Answered! This first post is about the problem every gluten free baker has faced or will face at some point…

Problem: The freshly baked gluten free loaf is dry, crumbly and falls apart

Why it happens

First, the obvious answer is that it gets dry and crumbly because it doesn’t have the gluten necessary to hold it together. But there is more to it than just that. Gluten free bread gets dry and crumbly because the way that the flours, liquid and the baking process is coming together is not working in a particular recipe.

The solution

To get tender, perfectly texture gluten free breads, here are some important points to keep in mind, like with this recipe…

 

problems with gluten free baking

Use a combination of flours that will interact well together. In this article about gluten free flours, flours all function in different ways – some are very moisture rich and others act as sponges so they tend to absorb a lot of liquid. Coconut flour is a good example of a spongy flour. It soaks up liquid so the end result could be dry if too much is added to the recipe.

However, gluten free breads need a good protein flour. Protein adds structure and in a bread without gluten, it is essential. Some good protein flours are coconut flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, teff flour and the less common, chia flour (we’ve never used this one, but it has 6 grams of protein per ¼ cup!)

Keep in mind though, if you make substitutions for flour, you must keep a starch in the mix! There should be at least 2 different flours and a starch in a gluten free bread recipe.

too much flour makes dry and crumbly bread

If you do not use xanthan gum in your recipes, flour combinations are extremely important. More on this in the next few articles.

Resist the urge to add more flour to a gluten free bread batter because it looks too runny or soupy. In this white bread recipe, for example, the batter is extremely soupy. BUT, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Adding any more four to it would make it way too dense.

Bake the bread only until done, about 205° to 210° F. It may or may not get that golden color you’d expect from a bread. But bake it only until it registers done and then remove it from the oven. For the most accurate detection, use an instant read thermometer like this one.

And remember the term ‘over-mixing can make it tough’? Well not in this case, mix that dough well! You have to really beat bread batter – use a stand mixer and set your timer for at least 3 minutes of mixing time.

Finally, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature – temperature is really important to gluten free bread dough. Gluten free flours do not get along well with cold eggs.

Hopefully these ideas will help solve some of your dry and crumbly, gluten free baking issues. Unfortunately with any gluten free bread, they will inevitably dry out quicker than their gluten counterparts. That’s just the unavoidable part. They have less binding agents and a shorter shelf life than other breads. Storing it in the refrigerator or freezing it will help, but toasting slices or warming rolls in the oven will be your best bet at that point.

Get the next post sent to your inbox, subscribe below!

 

Filed Under: Baking Tips, GF Ingredients, Gluten Free Flours Tagged With: baking, bread, challenges, crumbly, dry, falling apart, gluten free, problems

Reader Interactions

Previous Post Amazing Gluten Free White Bread Without Xanthan Gum
Next Post Why does my Gluten Free Bread have a Gummy Texture?

Comments

  1. Liesbeth

    July 02, 2020 at 2:39 am

    Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
    Do I still need to add the extra water to the recipe or can I leave that out?
    How much instant yeast do I need then, less than active dry yeast right?
    I am planning to make your “Amazing gluten free bread without xantangom”.
    Hope to hear from you soon.

    Best regards, Liesbeth

    Reply
  2. Chris Towning

    January 03, 2021 at 10:46 am

    Why doesn't gluten-free setting on breadmamer work

    Reply
    • Christine

      January 03, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      Hi Chris,

      Thanks for asking - so it can definitely work, bread machines often produce really nice loaves of bread. I don't use a GF setting in most of my recipes just because my bread machine doesn't have it!

      The settings I use in the recipes are proven winners though!

      Hope that helps.

      ~Christine

      Reply
  3. Lila McClellan

    February 23, 2021 at 1:06 pm

    what is the purpose of carbonated water in the GF buckwheat bread recipe? Can I substitute regular water with vinegar?

    Reply
    • Christine

      February 23, 2021 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Lila,

      So the carbonated water actually helps with the texture of the bread. It functions as a leavening agent, which contributes to the light and airiness of the bread. If you're going to sub with regular water, you'd need some baking soda in there too, to mimic the carbonation.

      Hope that helps!

      Christine

      Reply
  4. Jane Ambrose

    April 08, 2021 at 10:32 am

    Hi Christine.
    I would like to make gluten free dough in my Panasonic breadmaker, but I cannot find a recipe anywhere to be able to do this. I was wondering if you had a recipe to help me. I have spoken to Panasonic but they don't have one.
    Thanks Jane.

    Reply
    • Christine

      April 11, 2021 at 11:35 pm

      Hi Jane,

      So I have some bread machine recipes here https://zestforbaking.com/category/gluten-free-bread-machine

      Those should work in your machine - I don't use that type of machine, but they should work just wonderfully, so I'd suggest those!

      Christine

      Reply
  5. C

    April 23, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    I make french onion soup. Since becoming GF I find the bread, even after being toasted disintegrated into the soup so the baked cheese sinks to the bottom of the bowl.
    Any recipe to share that might solve this?

    Reply
    • Christine

      April 26, 2021 at 9:13 am

      Hi!

      Try this one https://zestforbaking.com/golden-gluten-free-french-bread-dairy-free I bet it will work nicely for you.

      ~Christine

      Reply
  6. Susan

    July 05, 2021 at 9:00 am

    I actually cannot have baker's yeast or brewer's yeast, no oats, no gluten, etc. because of Candida, do you have a bread recipe that would not be dry or crumbly for Candida? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Christine

      July 06, 2021 at 1:44 pm

      Hi Susan,

      So try this one https://zestforbaking.com/ultimate-gluten-dairy-yeast-free-white-bread that should meet your needs.

      Let me know if you think of any other questions.

      ~Christine

      Reply
  7. Leslie

    November 01, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    Hi,
    I’m tried to bake GF Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread). It turned out really hard like biscotti. The bread should be fluffy and soft. What can I do differently?

    Reply
    • Christine

      November 01, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      Hi Leslie,

      Oh I'm sorry to hear that - so it really depends on the recipe, but did you measure the ingredients by weight? Check for doneness with a thermometer? Did you make any substitutions in ingredients?

      Those are the things I'd start with.

      Christine

      Reply
  8. Leslie

    November 01, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    Thank you for any suggestions with Pan de Muerto.

    Reply
  9. Jill

    December 26, 2021 at 9:03 am

    Hi Christine,
    I've made the Hearty Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bread several times. I love the flavor but can't seem to get it to rise. My ingredients are all room temperature, but the dough is very heavy and sticky when I set it out to rise.

    Jill

    Reply
    • Christine

      December 29, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      Hi Jill,

      Glad you enjoy it - Thanks for asking about the rise. Let's see, so my first question would be are you measuring the flours by weight? If not, that might be the reason for the extra heaviness.

      I will say that this bread does not have a tall rise. It should just hit the top of the pan.

      Hope that offers some help!

      Christine

      Reply
  10. Ave Katz

    March 04, 2022 at 6:29 pm

    When I added the gluten free flour, when you said "soupy" you were not kidding. It was water runny. I did add more flour as I can't believe it would be ok. We will see! : )

    Also my starter for sourdough doubles in size, you can see air bubbles all thru it BUT with the float test, it ALWAYS sinks. Is this because it is Gluten free??

    Reply
    • Christine

      March 04, 2022 at 9:43 pm

      Hi Ave,

      Thanks for asking - so gluten free batters are typically thinner than gluten bread dough, which recipe are you making?

      And then my sourdough does the same same thing, so yes!

      Christine

      Reply
  11. Trisha

    May 16, 2022 at 4:00 pm

    This is all new to me! Both my daughter and I have been recently diagnosed but not before she dropped to 94lbs ! Question…. Flour - all purpose?? For bread? Cakes? Gravies?? OR 1:1 flour? I still can’t figure out which flour for what. I am a pro at homemade pizza, not using gluten free flour. America’s Test Kitchen uses a multi ingredient flour mix. Going to try that next. Any help here? Thanks, Trisha

    Reply
    • Christine

      May 16, 2022 at 8:22 pm

      Hi Trisha,

      Thanks for asking and welcome! It's definitely a lot to take in for anyone new to GF! But it does get easier. For something like cookies or brownies, King Arthur Measure for Measure is an excellent mix. It's not advised for yeast breads though (which, to be honest, most tasty yeast breads use a combination of flours). I send a lot of good info over email if you want to join my email list. Plus you get 15 recipes too. The link is here if you're interested https://zestforbaking.com/welcome-bakers

      But please feel free to ask any questions you may have, we have all been beginners at some point.

      Christine

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Christine, a gluten free baker living in sunny Texas! Zest for Baking is where you'll find gluten free (and dairy free) recipes, tips for substituting ingredients and help navigating the world of gluten free baking.

Gluten Free Baking Help

brown rice flour in a measuring cup.

Top 5 Brown Rice Flour Substitutes

collection of baked goods pics

Best Gluten Free Baking Recipes of 2021

spoon up close of sour cream

Ingredient Question: Is Sour Cream Gluten Free?

up close shot of xanthan gum in a spoon

Is Xanthan Gum a Substitute for Baking Powder?

jar of gluten free flour

How Long Does Flour Last? {Storage Tips & Signs of Spoilage}

bowl of sorghum flour on a wooden board

5 Reasons Why You'll Love Baking with Sorghum Flour

Start Here

New to Gluten Free?

Gluten Free Recipes

Spring Baking!

4 stacked oat flour brownies on a white plate

Oat Flour Brownies

up close stack of cookies

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

side shot of bite of pie

Gluten Free Apple Pie {Dairy Free}

up close shot of apple crisp

Gluten Free Apple Crisp {Dairy Free}

side shot of a bite of pie

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie {Dairy Free}

side shot of an unfilled pie

Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust {Dairy Free}

More Baking Recipes

Reader's Favorite Roll Recipes

inside of a cinnamon roll on a white plate

Gluten Free No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

gluten free cinnamon rolls on a white plate

Best Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls: Extra Fluffy & Extra Easy

gluten free yeast rolls ready in under an hour sliced on a plate

Gluten Free Yeast Rolls in Under an Hour

gluten free potato rolls after baking, sitting in a pan

Gluten Free Potato Rolls

Gluten free crescent rolls sitting in a basket

Buttery Gluten Free Crescent Rolls

gluten free hot cross buns on a cookie sheet

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns (With Dairy Free Option)

More Roll Recipes

Footer

↑ back to top

Featured On

About

Since 2013, Christine has been creating delicious gluten free baking recipes that no one would guess are actually gluten free. Her Zest For Baking recipes have been featured on The Daily Meal, Bloglovin' and Dr. Axe, to name a few. When she's not hanging out on Facebook or sharing pictures on Instagram or pinning on Pinterest, you can find her in her kitchen, creating more ZestForBaking.com recipes!

Favorites

  • Flaky Buttery Gluten Free Biscuits
  • Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Artisan Bread
  • The Best Gluten Free English Muffins

Copyright © 2022 | Zest For Baking | Privacy Policy 

  • 6