This gluten-free white bread is the perfect everyday bread recipe. It's made with super simple ingredients and requires zero skill. The machine does all the work to give you light, fluffy white bread without a trace of gluten.
This easy bread recipe is perfect for all your bread-based needs. Turn it into crunchy toast, sandwiches for kiddies' school lunch boxes, or as a warmed, buttered slice with soup or chili.
I adore a good homemade loaf. If you do, too, try my gluten-free pumpkin bread and this chocolate chip banana oatmeal bread. Here's my guide to making gluten-free breads for further reading.
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Ingredients
This bread is made with classic ingredients, just gluten-free. I've designed it with RapidRise yeast so the process is easy and the result as light as possible.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour: King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Bread Flour mix provides an ideal texture and structure for gluten-free bread. If your flour blend lacks xanthan gum, add a teaspoon to help bind ingredients and achieve a better rise and crumb.
- Sugar: Sugar does more than add sweetness; it fuels the yeast, boosting the bread's rise and making it lovely and soft.
- RapidRise instant yeast: RapidRise yeast is faster-acting and perfect for gluten-free baking, where extra rise is key. It also cuts down on proofing time.
- Melted butter: Butter adds moisture, tenderness, and rich flavor to the bread, resulting in a more enjoyable texture and taste.
- Eggs: These act as a binding agent, helping trap air within the dough.
- Apple cider vinegar: Vinegar improves the dough’s elasticity and helps boost the bread’s rise, which is crucial for gluten-free baking, where texture can be challenging.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This recipe is simply about getting the ingredients into the bread maker. That's it. The machine does all the work!
- Step 1: Add the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to a large mixing bowl until everything is well blended.
- Step 2: Whisk the ingredients together lightly and add xanthan gum if using.
- Step 3: Add the warm water, butter, apple cider vinegar, and whisked eggs to the bread pan. There's no need to combine everything.
- Step 4: Add the dry ingredient mixture on top of the liquid mixture. Once again, there's no need to mix.
- Step 5: Bake for 2 hours and 10 minutes on the "gluten-free" or "basic" setting.
I highly recommend allowing the bread to cool completely before slicing it. This will firm the bread and create a perfect texture.
Substitutions
Play around with this with the recipe; here are a few swaps to easily make:
- Flour blend: If King Arthur Bread Flour isn’t available, use another high-quality gluten-free all-purpose blend with similar properties. Make sure it contains xanthan or guar gum; if it doesn’t, add one teaspoon to your recipe.
- Sugar: Swap the sugar for honey, maple, or agave syrup. Each will add a subtle flavor to the bread. If using a liquid sweetener, reduce the water slightly.
- Butter: For a dairy-free alternative, use melted coconut or olive oil.
- Eggs: To make this recipe egg-free, replace each egg with a chia or flaxseed “egg” (1 tablespoon of chia or ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water, then allow to gel for 5 minutes). This swap will keep the bread moist and help bind the ingredients.
- Apple cider vinegar: If apple cider vinegar isn't available, white vinegar or lemon juice works well. These acidic ingredients will still help with the rise and texture, though lemon juice adds a hint of citrus flavor.
Variations
Play around and add to your white bread recipe to make it your own. You can turn it into a herby, savory loaf or a sweeter, more breakfast-type bread.
- Herb and garlic bread: Add 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme and a few minced garlic cloves to the dough. These simple additions infuse the bread with savory flavors, making it perfect for dipping in olive oil or serving with pasta.
- Cinnamon raisin: Stir in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ cups of raisins before baking. This is a yummy breakfast bread.
- Cheddar and jalapeño bread: Add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 1 chopped jalapeño for a spicy, cheesy, delicious bread with soups and chili.
- Sunflower seed and honey bread: Swap the sugar with honey for a gentle sweetness, and add ¼ cup of sunflower seeds for a nutty crunch.
- Everything Bagel bread: Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of “Everything Bagel” seasoning (poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, and onion) on top of the dough just before baking.
- Olive and rosemary bread: Add ½ cup of chopped black or green olives and 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary to the dough. This variation is perfect with olive oil, cheese, and fresh tomatoes.
If you love gluten-free baking, try my zucchini loaf next!
Equipment
The ultimate easy-to-use bread machine, in this case, has a gluten-free setting. Other than that, you'll need a mixing bowl!
Storage
Store the bread in an airtight container or a resealable bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. Keep it stored in a dark, cool area.
Place the bread in a sealed bag in the refrigerator to extend shelf life. It will stay fresh for up to a week. Refrigeration may cause the bread to firm slightly, so warm slices before eating.
For long-term storage, slice the bread and place it in a freezer-safe bag or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil.
Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let the bread thaw at room temperature or toast it directly from frozen for a quick refresh.
Top tips
Tip 1: When adding the wet ingredients to the pan, I like to add the eggs last so the warm water doesn’t alter them.
Tip 2: Try adding flavors to the bread for variations. Some ideas may include fresh herbs or garlic, seeds, nuts, seeds, etc. Modifying the recipe may alter the texture and flavor.
FAQ
Yes! I used this same bread recipe but with olive oil and it came out with the same texture as with butter. However, it did alter the flavor a bit, but it was still delicious! You can use any oil and butter substitute. Just beware that the flavor may be changed with each type of oil you use.
If your bread is really crumbly or even falling apart, check to make sure the gluten-free bread flour that you used contains xanthan gum in it. If it does not have any, try adding ½-1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the mixture. That should help hold everything together.
For the best flavor and texture, I highly recommend a gluten-free bread flour. I have tried this recipe with a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour and the flavor and texture were not quite right. It could work in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it if possible.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Gluten-free white bread recipe
Equipment
- 1 bread maker
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour Buyer Note: I used this King Arthur Bread Flour: https://a.co/d/icYJiNu
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons RapidRise Instant Yeast one whole packet
- 1 ¼ cups warm water right around 110°F
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Begin by making sure your bread maker pan is in place with the paddle attached.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, and yeast until everything is well blended. If you need to add xanthan gum to the recipe, this is when you will also be adding it to the recipe.
- Next, pour the warm water, butter, apple cider vinegar, and whisked eggs to the bread pan. You do not need to mix everything together.
- Once the liquid ingredients have been added to the bread pan, add the dry ingredient mixture on top of the liquid mixture. Once again, don’t worry about mixing everything together.
- Close the lid and select the “gluten-free” setting. If your bread maker does not have a gluten-free option, select the “basic” setting with a medium crust. The bake time for this should be about 2 hours and 10 minutes. However, each bread maker may vary.
- After the first 5 minutes, take a rubber spatula and gently press down the sides where the flour may have built up and gently fold the flour sections into the dough. I very carefully try to do this until there is no flour showing. Then, level the top of the dough mixture as much as I can to try and help the dough mixture ride level across the top and not in a wonky shape. Making sure the flour is thoroughly mixed in during this step will help prevent pockets of flour on the sides.
- Close the lid and allow the bread maker to finish the remaining time by running through all of the cycles. Do not open the lid going forward.
- Once the bread machine is done, carefully remove the pan using oven mit. The pan and handle may still be warm to touch. Very carefully remove the bread from the pan by flipping the bread pan over onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing or before attempting to remove the paddle if it gets backed into the bread.
- Serve and enjoy!
BakeryObsessed says
Just tried out this gluten-free white bread recipe, and I gotta say, it's a game changer. The instructions were super clear, which I appreciate. Got a bit creative with some of the substitutions suggested, and it turned out amazing.
GFreeMommy says
Really appreciate the substitutions part. It’s not easy keeping things fresh and varied on a gluten-free diet, especially with picky eaters at home. Any chance more kid-friendly gf recipes are coming?
Dave_the_Rave says
The step-by-step approach really helped me nail it on the first try. Cheers!