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An easy everyday gluten-free white bread can seem like an impossible ask. Well this Gluten-Free White Sandwich Loaf is the answer to all your bread cravings. It’s an incredibly easy bread made with instant yeast, no xanthan gum, it’s rice-free, there is no kneading and only requires one prove. The results are a deliciously tasty and soft loaf with a lovely golden crust. With a few simple swaps you can also make a delicious gluten-free vegan white bread.
Baking a Gluten-Free White Sandwich Loaf can seem complicated and daunting, even if you are a seasoned baker and especially if you are familiar with the regular bread making process.
In gluten-free bread recipes there may be the odd unfamiliar ingredient, you may think vital steps are being missed and the ingredient list may be slightly longer than you are used to.
Well, I am here to take you through the whole process. I will be breaking down each step and will introduce you to each ingredient to explain exactly why they have been chosen for this recipe and what their role is in the process.
My hope is that you will soon realise that baking a successful gluten-free white sandwich bread can be easy, foolproof and will give you deliciously tasty, soft and fluffy results that can be eaten everyday and at any time of day.
Table of contents
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Watch the video to see how to make it
- Gum-Free Gluten-Free Bread
- What ingredients do we need?
- How to make it
- Tools you'll need
- Ingredients you'll need
- Troubleshooting: My bread won’t rise
- Gluten-Free Vegan White Bread
- How to store
- How to freeze
- More gluten-free bread recipes you’ll love
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The bread dough is quick to come together. You can use a stand mixer but it’s not necessary.
- There is no xanthan gum in this recipe so perfect if you are intolerant to gums.
- This is also a rice-free gluten-free bread.
- The dough only needs one rise and I’ll share my tips on guaranteeing a sky high loaf.
- This gluten-free soft sandwich loaf has a lovely open crumb and not too crusty crust.
- Delicious taste that is both neutral in flavour but not in any way bland.
- This recipe can easily be made vegan.
Watch the video to see how to make it
Gum-Free Gluten-Free Bread
The omnipresence of xanthan gum in gluten-free bread baking can be frustrating if you are intolerant or need to avoid gums.
READ MORE >>> Why I don't bake with xanthan gum
I’m here to tell you happily that you do not need xanthan gum to produce a delicious gluten-free white bread loaf with an elastic dough, lovely oven spring and a light soft fluffy crumb. So what do we use instead?
- Gluten-free flours. We choose starchy flours that are that will give great structure to our bread.
- Psyllium husk. This is an ingredient which you might not be as familiar with but it’s hugely popular in gluten-free baking as it creates a strong elastic gel when mixed with water which will give softness and bounce to you bread. It’s incredibly simple to use, easy to source and is an invaluable ingredient in this bread.
- Egg whites. Strengthens the bread and adds more elasticity to the dough.
What ingredients do we need?
Dry active yeast
This recipe uses a quick dry active yeast. Make sure it is gluten-free though, it’s surprising how many brands are not. Also, check the expiry date. The yeast should be from a freshly opened packet (or at least one that hasn’t been hanging around for a couple of months in your cupboard).
Milk
We mix our dry yeast initially with warm milk. Milk adds vital protein to the bread to help it rise and also softens the crust. Make sure the milk is at the right temperature to activate the yeast (between 100-115 F / 38-46C). Too cold and the yeast won’t wake up and too warm and it will kill it. I recommend using a digital thermometer if you have one.
Sugar
Sugar is mixed with the dry yeast to feed and activate it when you are initially adding it to the milk. It also keeps the bread soft and helps it to brown. Brown sugar is chosen for flavour.
Psyllium husk
This ingredient is high in fibre which you can source from health food shops. It works as an excellent binding agent in this recipe and gives the finished loaf a softness and elasticity. Do note, you want to buy the whole husk, not ground.
Sorghum flour
This is a wholegrain flour which will give our loaf a lovely fluffy light crumb and a gentle neutral taste.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Sorghum Flour
Potato starch
This starchy white flour has great binding properties which will give your bread a lovely structure. It is a very fine powdery flour and will give your sandwich loaf a great lightness. It’s great for breads as when added to water and heat the potato starch expands quickly so will make for a tall and fluffy loaf.
Tapioca starch
This is another starchy flour which will add a lightness to your bread and will help to bind the ingredients. It is especially useful as it browns well so will give an excellent golden crust to your loaf.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Tapioca Starch
Butter
We use a good unsalted butter. Fat is needed in the recipe to soften the loaf and butter is chosen for a deliciously rich flavour. You can substitute with a mild olive oil or a plant based butter.
Apple cider vinegar
The acidity of the vinegar helps to keep the bread soft and to preserve the loaf. Use a good brand of apple cider vinegar that includes the mother for delicious flavour complexity.
Egg whites
They add elasticity to the bread and help the ingredients to bind together. You can substitute for aquafaba for a vegan bread without any discernible differnce.
Ground ginger
Sounds a bit odd, right? But ginger helps to activate the yeast and aid in a sky-high loaf. You only need about ½ teaspoon so the flavour can’t be detected in the finished loaf.
Salt
Essential for a tasty bread. Don’t underestimate the amount the recipe requires, without it you could have a bland loaf.
How to make it
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
The steps are simple:
1&2) Yeast. Mix the yeast with warm milk and sugar and let stand for 10 minutes to activate.
TIP. Use a glass bowl and a wooden stirrer, like the end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, to stir the yeast. Sometimes it can react to metal which will affect the yeast’s activation.
3&4) Psyllium husk. Mix with the water then let stand for 2-4 minutes to form a gel.
5) Dry ingredients. Mix the sorghum flour with the tapioca starch, potato starch, ground ginger and salt.
TIP. To make sure the dry ingredients are really well combined you can sift them together.
6) Mix. Beat together all the ingredients. Start with the dry ingredients then add the yeast mixture, psyllium gel, melted butter, apple cider vinegar and egg whites. Beat for at least 5 minutes to make sure everything is well combined.
7&8) Shape. With floured hands form the dough into a log shape and place in a greased loaf tin.
TIP. Make sure the surface of the dough is lovely and smooth in the tin, any lumps, bumps or cracks will show up in the baked bread. Now is the time to make it look good.
9&10) Prove. Place the loaf tin in a warm damp place for 1 hour to rise.
11&12) Bake. Brush the surface of the risen bread with melted butter then bake for 50 minutes.
13) Cool. Turn the bread out and cool on a wire rack.
TIP. Gently tip the bread out of the tin straightaway and allow to cool completely on a wire rack to avoid a gummy loaf.
Tools you'll need
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Ingredients you'll need
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Troubleshooting: My bread won’t rise
There are a couple of factors which may affect the rise of your loaf:
- Yeast. The first thing to do is to check expiry of your yeast. However, even if it is within its expiry it still could be dead. You will know your yeast is alive and well if once it has been added to the milk and sugar the surface is thick, frothy and bubbly. It’s active and ready to use. If the yeast just floats on top of the milk without any change to its appearance then you will need to open a new packet of yeast.
- The Prove. The other issue which might be preventing your bread from rising is how you are proving it.
How to prove your bread
Your yeast might be good and strong but it will only reach its full potential if your bread is given the right environment for proving. And this is:
Warm and slightly damp.
Great places to prove your bread are:
- Utility room – with the tumble dryer on.
- Kitchen counter – on a warm summer’s day with a damp cloth draped over the top of the bowl.
- Bread proving drawer of the oven.
- Boiler room
Ultimate Proving Tip
If you can’t find a decent place in your house then the following method gives consistent results every time:
Place your bread in the middle shelf of the oven (switched off). Slide a roasting dish filled with just boiled water onto the bottom of the oven, then shut the door. The steam of the water will help activate the yeast in the bread and the oven will provide a warm yet damp environment for a successful prove.
Gluten-Free Vegan White Bread
With a few simple switches you can easily make a vegan loaf using this recipe. There is no difference in the two versions at all.
- Whole milk - you can switch for your favourite non-dairy milk. Almond milk or cashew milk work best.
- Butter - you can use either a plant based butter or just olive oil, but if you use the latter you lose the rich buttery taste (it still has a lovely flavour though).
- Egg whites – swap the egg whites for 130g aquafaba.
How to store
This bread is really best eaten within 24 hours. Any longer it starts to harden. However it is still great for toast for up to 3 days.
You can store your bread in a bread tin with the cut side of the loaf facing down. The crust acts as a shield to the outside environment. Or you can store in aluminium foil or wrapped in baking parchment.
If you don’t eat all of the loaf within the first day then another option is to freeze it.
How to freeze
Allow the bread to cool completely. You can freeze the bread whole but I prefer to freeze in slices. Double wrap well in cling film and aluminium foil to avoid freezer burn.
You can use the frozen slices straight from the freezer into the toaster, or you can leave to defrost overnight on the kitchen counter.
More gluten-free bread recipes you’ll love
- Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread (vegan)
- Gluten-Free Naan Bread
- Gluten-Free Cheese Bread Rolls
- Happiness Bread
I urge you to give this Gluten-Free White Sandwich Loaf a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free White Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients
- 7 g active dried yeast
- 220 ml whole milk
- 25 g light soft brown sugar
- 30 g psyllium husk - not ground
- 200 ml water
- 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 240 g sorghum flour
- 160 g potato starch
- 160 g tapioca starch + a little extra for dusting
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 65 g unsalted butter - melted and cooled slightly + 15g extra (for brushing over the top)
- 4 egg whites - medium eggs
Instructions
- Warm the milk to between 100-115 F / 38-46°C . Then pour into a medium sized glass bowl and stir in the yeast and brown sugar. Rest for 10 minutes until the surface is looking thick and bubbly.
- Stir the water and psyllium husk together in a medium sized bowl until combined. Allow to stand for 2-4 minutes until it forms a gel.
- Whisk the sorghum flour together with the potato starch, tapioca starch, ground ginger and salt in a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer.
- Add the yeast and milk mixture, psyllium gel, apple cider vinegar, cooled melted butter and egg whites.
- Beat together for about 5 minutes until the dough is well combined but still a little sticky to the touch.
- Dust hands with extra tapioca starch and scrape the dough out of the mixer.
- Place on a work surface and roll and shape the dough together into a smooth log shape.
- Place the dough carefully into a lightly greased 3lb loaf tin.
- Place the tin somewhere damp and warm to prove for 1 hour (see notes on proving).
- After the dough has been proving for 50 minutes turn the oven onto 190°C /170°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 5.
- Melt the butter for brushing over the top of the loaf.
- Once the dough has been proving for an hour it should have risen by ⅓, just reaching the top of the tin. Brush the surface with the melted butter then place in the oven to bake for 50 minutes. The loaf is baked when golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and take the bread out of the tin straightaway to cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Flours. This recipe hasn’t been tested with any flour substitutions. However an alternative to the sorghum flour is oat flour. An alternative to the tapioca starch or potato starch is arrowroot (although both flours should not be substituted for arrowroot).
- Psyllium husk. This recipe has not been tested with any alternatives.
- Whole milk. Swap for almond milk or cashew milk for a vegan or dairy-free loaf.
- Egg whites. Swap for 130g aquafaba for a vegan loaf.
- Butter. Swap for olive oil for a vegan or dairy-free loaf.
If I only have ground psyllium husk and I want to make this today, lol!, do you know how much of the ground would replace the the kind you used? That's the trouble with me. I see a recipe and I want to make it now. Thank you!(
Hi Alene, for every tablespoon of psyllium husk you can use 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder. Thanks!
Love love love this bread it will be my “go to” bread recipe forever, I cannot thank you enough.
Hi Carol - that's such a pleasure - I'm so happy you enjoy the recipe.