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Gluten-Free Bread – plated and served
Bread & RollsBasic RecipesVeganVegetarianInternational

Gluten-Free Bread

Without gluten the structure is missing. Psyllium husks rebuild it, and the dough is intentionally liquid.

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Preparation
20 min
Cook/bake time
55 min
Total
2 hr 45 min
Difficulty
Medium
Calories
145 kcal
Servings
14 slices
Prep
20 min
Cooking & baking
55 min
Resting
1 hr 30 min

Only 1 hr 15 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.

Without gluten the structure is missing. Psyllium husks rebuild it, and the dough is intentionally liquid. Gluten-free bread almost always fails because people treat it like wheat bread by kneading, shaping, and pulling it tight. None of that works. What works is a pourable dough, a loaf pan, and a binder that holds water.

Why this works

Gluten is an elastic protein network that forms during kneading and traps fermentation gases. Without it, the carbon dioxide from the yeast simply escapes upwards, and the bread remains flat. Psyllium husks replace this network in a different way. They bind up to fifty times their weight in water, forming a gel that performs the same task. It holds gas, gives the dough structure, and prevents the bread from crumbling. For this gel to form, the dough must be significantly wetter than a wheat dough. A kneadable gluten-free dough has too little water and turns into a dry brick. Kneading is actually harmful here. There is no network to align, but the gas bubbles that have already formed are destroyed in the process.

Step-by-step instructions

Conventional · 220 °Cor Fan 200 °C

  1. Mix the dry ingredients

    Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. The psyllium husks must be distributed really evenly. They swell immediately upon contact with water, and a lump will remain as a gel-like nest in the finished bread.

  2. Add water and stir

    Pour in the water, oil, vinegar, and sugar, and stir vigorously with a spoon for one minute. The dough is now liquid like a thick batter, and that is exactly right. A kneadable gluten-free dough has too little water and turns into a dry brick.

  3. Let swell for ten minutes

    Let the dough stand for ten minutes. During this time, the psyllium husks bind the water, and the mass becomes visibly thicker and moldable. The batter turns into a soft, sticky dough that supports the structure of the bread.

  4. Transfer to the pan and let rise

    Spread the dough into a greased 30 cm loaf pan using a wet dough scraper, smooth the surface, and sprinkle the seeds on top. Let it rise covered for ninety minutes until it has visibly domed. It does not double in size like a wheat dough. A third more volume is the goal.

  5. Bake and cool completely

    Bake the bread for 55 minutes at 220 °C top and bottom heat. It is done when it sounds hollow and the core temperature is 98 °C. And now for the most important step. Let it cool completely for at least four hours. Gluten-free bread is always gummy when cut warm because the starch only finishes binding as it cools.

Our best tips

  • The dough must be liquid. Anyone who makes gluten-free dough kneadable gets a brick. The psyllium husks need all that water to form their gel.
  • Let it cool for at least four hours. Gluten-free bread only finishes binding as it cools. Cut warm, it is always gummy, and that is not a baking error.
  • Use ground psyllium husks, not whole ones. Whole ones swell more slowly and unevenly. With the same amount, ground husks bind significantly stronger.

Tasty variations

With sourdough instead of yeast

Replace the yeast with 150 g of gluten-free rice or buckwheat sourdough and reduce the water amount by 75 ml. The rising time doubles to three hours, but the bread stays fresh for two days longer.

Seeded bread

Add 80 g of sunflower and pumpkin seeds as well as two tablespoons of flaxseeds to the dough. Seeds provide structure that gluten-free bread otherwise lacks and make the crumb less crumbly.

Nutrition facts

Per serving (1 slices)
Calories145 kcal
Protein3 g
Carbohydrates28 g
– of which sugar1 g
Fat3 g
Fiber3 g

Where the 145 kcal come from

per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it

We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:

  • Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
  • Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
  • Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
  • Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.

A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.

How we calculate nutrition →

Frequently asked questions

Is the bread suitable for celiac disease?

The ingredients contain no gluten. Whether the product is suitable depends on cross-contamination. Buckwheat and rice flour often run on equipment that also processes wheat. For celiac disease, only flours with the gluten-free symbol are safe. The ingredient list of a recipe cannot replace that.

Can I substitute the flours?

Within the groups, yes. Rice flour for millet flour, buckwheat for teff, cornstarch for potato starch. What does not work is changing the ratios. The starch provides the airy crumb, the whole grain flours provide flavor and structure. Too much whole grain makes the bread dense.

Why did my bread collapse in the middle?

Overproofing or taking it out of the oven too early. Gluten-free dough has no reserve. If it proofs too long, the gel structure collapses as soon as the heat hits. Ninety minutes and a third more volume are the goal, not doubling.

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