Learn how to make the best squishy soft gluten free bread easily from scratch! My homemade sandwich bread is made using *for real* simple ingredients, requires just a dump and mix, one rise, and, honestly, will be the end-all for GF bread searches. If my word isn’t good enough, read the hundreds of 5-star reviews below, or better yet, make this easy loaf today and let me know what you think!
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Hands-Down Best Gluten-Free Bread (SERIOUSLY!)
It has taken me years to fully stand behind a gluten-free bread recipe. Every homemade recipe I tried was difficult, time consuming, and yielded the most disappointing results. For the longest time, buying expensive, subpar store-bought gf bread sufficed because at least I was saving time.
So many readers, though, have asked for a great-tasting gluten-free bread. Just like when testing squishy-soft gluten-free dinner rolls or a tender, fluffy gluten-free biscuit, there have been a lot of trials, but I finally landed on a recipe that exceeds my essential criteria.
- Easy to make! It mixes together in one bowl, has one short rise, and bake.
- Simple ingredients I have stocked and ready at all times
- Quick and effortless – No one wants to spend all day making a loaf of bread.
- Most important – Tastes BETTER than any gluten free bread out there. Seriously. Read the comments below!
I wouldn’t stand behind this recipe if I didn’t feel it 100% met all these crucial elements. I know what it feels like to waste precious time and expensive ingredients, and I wasn’t about to add another recipe to that vortex!
I truly hope this recipe makes all your gluten free dreams come true, just as much as it has for me! Take a look to see how this magical bread recipe has transformed our community members’ lives, and I hope you will be so convince to start working through the rest of our highly-reviewed gluten-free bread collection!
Delicious, easy bread! I have been gluten free for over 15 years and have tried countless bread recipes. This by far is the easiest AND best tasting 👍🏼
—FancyMom
I never comment on things like this, but oh my god….I’ve tried so many gluten free recipes and none fitted me properly. But this one? AMAZING!
—Ana
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Ingredients Tid Bits
Since sandwich bread is an everyday staple, the ingredients should be simple, affordable, and ready to go whenever. This recipe also works perfectly for making a classic, moist gluten-free stuffing or I like to use leftover slices to make homemade gluten-free bread crumbs (freeze a batch to have on hand for recipes).
- Gluten-free flour – Using a good gluten free flour (I highly recommend Cup4Cup GF flour) makes or breaks the quality of the bread. I tested the recipe with different flours to make sure it consistently turns out, but some performed handedly better than others. See below for alternative GF flour recommendations.
- Psyllium Husk Powder – I’ve made the bread multiples with and without the psyllium husk powder. It doesn’t affect the taste, but it does help maintain moisture and prevents the bread from becoming crumbly. Want to know more? Learn why psyllium helps gluten-free baking.
- Honey – Granulated sugar may be substituted, but I like the moisture the honey adds. Some readers have asked about reducing the amount of sugar, and that is fine.
- Oil – Use any preferred oil. I usually use canola, but whatever floats your boat! Or substitute the same amount of melted butter, but not for gluten-free dairy-free bread.
- (Optional) Milk Powder – This is a new addition to the recipe, so it’s completely optional, but adds moisture to the bread. Recently Cup4Cup removed milk powder from their formulation, so now when I make the bread I remove 2 tablespoons GF flour and replace it with a gluten-free milk powder. Works fabulously!
Watch The Recipe
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Mix dry and then wet – easy enough?
For best results use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add all the dry ingredients – gluten-free flour, instant yeast, psyllium husk, salt, and baking powder. Once that’s combined together, add the wet ingredients – room temp eggs, oil, honey, and water.
Time to beat the dough
Now you just mix everything together on low speed. Once it’s combined, increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. This gives time to hydrate and relax the starches so your bread is soft instead of gritty. When you’re done your dough will be slightly runny and almost pourable. You’re on the right track!
Rising, but how much?
Scrape the dough into a greased bread pan. I recommend using a small pullman loaf pan because you won’t risk the bread overflowing as it bakes and it makes a nice, tall sandwich style loaf (no dinky bread slices here!) Spray a large piece of plastic wrap with nonstick spray and lay over the top of the pan. Set the pan in a warm place while the oven preheats to 350ºF, about 30-40 minutes. The bread should rise about two-thirds to the top of the pan.
How to know when it’s done and cooling tips
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, tenting a piece of foil loosely over the bread for the last 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205ºF.
I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer (the linked one is my fave!) before pulling the bread. GF breads often “look done” before they are cooked through inside, means not enough time for moisture to evaporate and a dense, gummy crumb.
If you use the recommended pullman loaf pan, you may even want to lay the loaf on its side to cool, since the loaf is a lot taller. That way you won’t risk the bread sinking in the middle as it cools. Voila, now you have the most legit, soft and squishy sandwich bread ever!
Most Important Part – Quality Gluten-Free Flour
Once the recipe was perfected, it was tested with different gluten free flours to make sure the results were consistent. This is the process I use with many of my bread recipes, including my signature artisanal GF sourdough loaf.
Initially I tested withCup4Cup, which rates as the top gluten free flour, King Arthur Measure-for-Measure, Bob’s Red Mill, and Pillsbury gluten free flour because some readers have been asking about its performance. However, as new blends have been introduced and formulas changed, I have expanded my tests.
From an ease and baking standpoint, they all performed well. Pillsbury had the most solid structure, which turned out to be a not very good thing. Cup4Cup was the softest, with King Arthur in between.
As far as taste, Cup4Cup was the clear winner. There was nothing “gluten free” tasting about the bread. It was soft, squishy, and slightly sweet. Since King Arthur has came out with their bread flour formula, I also found this to work very well.
King Arthur Measure-For-Measure and BRM absorbs liquid at different rates. Since I want this recipe to be accessible to many flour blends, I added some recommended adjustments to the recipe below yielding great results!
Sadly the bread made with GF Pillsbury flour went straight into the trash. It tasted like dry cardboard and was inedible. Pillsbury GF flour might work for other recipes, but definitely did not work well with this one!
If you have a question about using a different flour, other than mentioned here, I encourage you to read the comments below. A lot of readers have written in with which brands they used, and I have added my notes in the recipe card below.
Important Note About Serving
Generally GF bread requires toasting or a buttered griddle to taste good, but not with this GF bread (another reason why it’s the cat’s meow). Room temperature bread is exceptionally soft and fluffy.
However, please note, if pulling from the freezer and serving at room temp, thoroughly defrost the bread first. If it is chilled slightly it will become more crumbly.
Do I Need a Stand Mixer?
Yes and no. It definitely makes the sandwich bread recipe easier to throw together. It may be done with a hand held mixer, but since it uses a large amount of flour, it will be a lot more taxing on the mixer and yourself.
If you don’t want to invest in a stand mixer (although don’t get me started on how obsessed I am with mine!), a gluten-free bread machine would be a cheaper option and just as easy!
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Legit Squishy-Soft Gluten Free Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (438 g) gluten free all purpose flour, Cup4Cup gluten free flour highly recommended – see recipe notes for optional milk powder addition and alternative flour notes
- 1 (9 g) packet (2 ¼ tsp) instant rapid rise yeast
- 1 tablespoon (11 g) psyllium husk powder (optional), helps with bread moisture & structure (what is psyllium husk?)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½* cups (338 g) warm water (110°F), *see recipe note if using alternative flour
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey
- ¼ cup (55 g) oil , any preferred
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together gluten free flour, yeast, optional psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined.3 cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) instant rapid rise yeast, 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder (optional), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add warm water, eggs, honey, and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed to let the dough come together, about 1 minute.1 ½* cups warm water (110°F), 2 large eggs, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup oil
- Increase speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, scraping down paddle and bowl halfway through. The batter will be stiff, but sticky.
- Grease a 9X4 baking pan (recommended). Pour into the pan and smooth top evenly with a spatula. Spray a large piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the plastic, greased side down, over the pan.
- Set in a warm, draft-free place to rise until the bread reaches two-thirds to the top of the pan (do not let it go over this point because it rises more in the oven). This should take about 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove plastic and bake bread on middle rack for 40-50 minutes, tenting a piece of foil loosely over the bread halfway through. The internal temperature of the bread should read 205°F.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool completely, at least 2 hours, before slicing. For best results, serve the bread at room temperature, toasted, or grilled. Chilled, cold bread has an adverse effect on texture.
Notes
Adding Milk Powder
This is a new addition to the recipe, so it’s completely optional, but adds moisture to the bread. Recently Cup4Cup removed milk powder from their formulation, so now I remove 2 tablespoons GF flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons gluten-free certified milk powder. You can do this with any GF flour blend, it doesn’t have to be C4C.Alternative Gluten-Free Flour Adaptations
KA Measure-For-Measure – I find this flour to be more absent of flavor and moisture, so adding an additional ¼ tsp salt, as well as modifying with milk powder (use method explained above) can help. I also recommend cutting the water to 1 ¼ cup + 2 tbsp (305 g) to build out the structure and prevent the bread sinking during cooling. King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour – I recently tried this and loved the results! It has a great taste and nice soft texture. My only recommendation would be to cut back on the psyllium husk powder to 1/2 tbsp since it’s already in the flour’s blend. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-To-1 Baking Flour – I worked with this flour quite a lot to try to mimic the texture with C4C. To counteract a “spongy,” wet crumb I recommend omit milk powder, cutting water to 1 ¼ cups (295 g), and adding ¼ cup cornstarch to the dry ingredients.Psyllium Husk Powder
I’ve made the bread multiples with and without the psyllium husk powder. It doesn’t affect the taste, but it does help maintain moisture, prevents the bread from becoming crumbly, and makes it softer. Psyllium husk powder is very affordable to buy, lasts a long time, and greatly improves GF breads texture because it helps absorb moisture. I recommend the psyllium listed in the ingredients because the lighter color doesn’t affect the bread. Some powders are darker, which will make GF baked goods a grayish, purple color.How to Make in a Bread Machine
Although I have not personally tried making this recipe in a bread machine, several readers have written in and said they’ve had great results using one! You will need a bread machine with a gluten-free setting. Add all the wet ingredients to the bottom of the bread baking pan. Then add the dry ingredients over that. Start the bread machine and set it to the “gluten-free” setting.Freezing / Storing
Gluten-free bread does not have the shelf life like normal bread. Refrigerating will dry it out, and is not recommended. It may be wrapped tightly and left at room temperature, but will lose optimal taste and texture quickly. For best results, slice and freeze the bread after it has completely cooled (at least 3 hours). Pull slices as needed from the freezer to defrost or toast from frozen. Generally GF bread requires toasting or a buttered griddle to taste good, but not with this recipe. Room temperature bread is exceptionally soft and fluffy. However, please note, if pulling from the freezer and serving at room temp, thoroughly defrost the bread first. If it is chilled slightly it will become more crumbly.This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
SOOOOO good light and fluffy. might have over proofed but maybe use 2 pans next time. LOVE
So glad you enjoyed it, Mari! Thank you for sharing!
Best,
Melissa
I have made this recipe using the Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour with the milk powder substitution as recommended (I use a lactose-free milk powder), and it turns out amazing! I decided to use the Cup4Cup Ancient Grains gluten-free flower and, keeping everything else the same, the read turned out just as amazing as the bread made with the Cup4Cup multi-purpose flour. We can’t get enough of this bread! We’ve never found commercially available bread that is this good!
Love this, Polly! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
Very good! And easy to make! I used the xantham gum instead because its what I had. My flour is an all-purpose mix featuring garbanzo bean flour with potato starch, tapioca flour and sorghum flour. I can’t use any white rice flours due to inflammation and I found this recipe worked very well however I think I will double the salt next time.
Thank you for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Rosemary! And found a flour that works for your situation. I appreciate you sharing.
Best,
Melissa
Am I able to use a different oil? I prefer coconut or olive. Thank you
Hi Darcie,
Yes, that wouldn’t be a problem. Enjoy!
Best,
Melissa
This is very good gf bread. One of my favorite bread recipes actually. But I have to admit, I am still searching for a recipe that eliminates that gummy bit at the bottom the bread (and sometimes along the sides). I have yet to find it, but I will enjoy this recipe as the search goes on…
Hi Elle,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Those gummy ribbons have to do with the moisture not being absorbed in the GF flour. It could be the GF flour you are using or the environment you are baking in. I would try decreasing the water in the recipe by 1/4 cup. Also, when the bread is “done,” leave it in the oven, open the door slightly, and let it sit for 10 minutes to make sure the excess moisture is evaporated off. If the top is getting too browned you can loosely tent foil over the top.
Best,
Melissa
Has anyone tried powdered butter milk instead of regular?
Hi Victoria,
I know people have written in saying they have done it. It works!
Best,
Melissa
Hello from Washington State! This will be my very first GF bread recipe and I’m excited to try it for myself and the hubs. Question, on your video I noticed you scooped the flour rather than spooned it in. Is that okay to do with GF flour? With traditional flours, we are always (always) told to spoon-in otherwise we end up with too much packed flour. Thanks for the advice.
Hi Joy,
Yep, good catch, but yes, I scoop mine in. I always include weights too the measurements will be universal. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help!
Best,
Melissa
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I followed your recipe which was so so easy, exactly step by step and for the first time ever, I have bread that is light, soft, airy and squishy the way bread used to be before going gf free 15 years ago. I have tried so many different flour blends and recipes for both traditional oven baking and bread machine. None of them gave me results anywhere close to your recipe and instructions. I wish I could attach a picture to show the beautiful rise and texture of my loaf. Thank you again for sharing!
Oh, this makes me immensely happy, Cam! Thank you so much for making my day!
Best,
Melissa
I’m so excited to try this recipe as my daughter & I were both recently diagnosed with celiac and have been struggling with the bread available in the store. Just got my new GF bread machine set up, but it needs me to specify if I’m making a 1lb, 1.5lb, or 2lb loaf. Any suggestions based on the ingredient quantities listed in your recipe? I’m very new to both baking and GF and I really want this to work. Also, thank you so much for all the tips & adjustments based on different flours. It is so appreciated!
Hi Kristi,
Great question. This will be a 1 pound loaf. Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Melissa
Could I use a hand mixer?
Hi Deanna,
People have, but it is harder because the dough is thick. If you have a bread maker it can also be mixed in that.
Best,
Melissa
My niece is gluten-free and I have been trying forever to find a decent bread recipe. This one is delicious. My only problem is that the sides seem to cave in a little bit as if the top is a little too heavy. I tried taking it out and laying it on its side, but it’s still happens. Any suggestions?
Hi Patricia,
What a wonderful aunt you are! Are you baking it in a pullman pan? Also, which GF flour are you using?
Best,
Melissa
Could this work for a 13×4 Pullman?
Hi Kristen,
For that you would need to double the recipe. If you have a mixer that can handle working that much dough, I don’t see why not!
Best,
Melissa
I am baking in a Pullman pan I am using King Arthur GF bread flour
Hi Patricia,
Have you tried reducing the water a bit, perhaps by 2-4 tablespoons? Also, are you omitting the psyllium or adding any? I know the KA bread flour has psyllium in it, but perhaps adding 1 1/2 teaspoons would help with the structure.
Best,
Melissa
Good texture and decent taste. I’m new to my gf journey. I would make this again, but I still want to search a bit more to see if there’s something l like better. The middle of the bread dipped after cooling. Not sure why
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for taking to the time to share. If your bread is dipping down, I think the amount of water needs to be reduced for your GF flour, or perhaps it overproofed before baking. Both are easy fixes and let me know if you need help.
Best,
Melissa
Excited to try this recipe, could I use a different gluten-free flour like King Arthur‘s or Bob’s?
Yes, if you look in the recipe notes I add adaptations for those. Enjoy!
Best,
Melissa
Thanks for your quick response, Melissa. I have used BRM egg replacer in other recipes with success – was aiming for a more economical alternative. I read 15 pages of comments, only other references I noted were aquafaba (how many cans of beans to get 6T. 😆?) and flax; might try chia egg due to allergy. I’ll use BRM for my first attempt then try an alternate for next loaf. Time to order my Pullman pan!
Diana
Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Melissa
Perfect bread the first loaf! It tastes amazing without putting anything on it too! This will be my go to. I made it with King Arthur Bread Flour.
So glad this will be your to to bread, Cheryl! Thank you for commenting!
Best,
Melissa
It’s the first gluten-free bread I’ve made that’s a total success!
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Best,
Melissa
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’ll even purchase a pullman bread pan to do so! I have egg and flax allergies (flax the usual recommendation for egg substitute). Do you have any suggestions for a successful egg substitute (or any followers who’ve tried any)?
Thanks!
Diana
Hi Diana,
Have you tried the egg replacers, like Bob’s Red Mill? I’m not sure about all the commercial ones, but this one doesn’t seem to have flax. I haven’t personal tried the egg replacers, but I do know everyone who has written in about replacing the eggs has done it with success, so it seems to work with a variety of options. Enjoy!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Diana,
Have you tried the egg replacers, like Bob’s Red Mill? I’m not sure about all the commercial ones, but this one doesn’t seem to have flax. I haven’t personal tried the egg replacers, but I do know everyone who has written in about replacing the eggs has done it with success, so it seems to work with a variety of options. Enjoy!
Best,
Melissa