Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

Before you start

Gluten-free bread fails in familiar ways: it crumbles, it gums up in the middle, or it collapses as it cools. This loaf uses psyllium husk powder to do much of the job that gluten normally does. Psyllium forms a stretchy gel with water, which holds gas from the yeast and lets the loaf bend when sliced. A blend of brown rice flour, sorghum flour and tapioca starch gives a mild flavor and a soft crumb.

The dough looks nothing like wheat dough. It is thick, sticky and pliable, more like soft modeling clay, and it needs far more water than a wheat loaf. Weigh every ingredient, since volume measures for these flours vary a lot. The bake is long, and the loaf must cool completely before slicing; cutting it warm is the most common reason for a gummy center, because the starches are still setting.

Ingredients

• 400 ml (1⅔ cups) warm water — about 38°C (100°F)
• 1 tbsp (15 g) honey or sugar
• 7 g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 20 g (about 3 tbsp) psyllium husk powder — not whole husks, which absorb differently
• 180 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) brown rice flour
• 100 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) sorghum flour
• 120 g (1 cup) tapioca starch
• 1½ tsp (8 g) fine salt
• 1 large (about 50 g) egg — room temperature
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil — plus more for your hands
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Line the loaf pan with a parchment sling and grease the exposed sides.
2. Whisk the warm water, honey and yeast in the mixer bowl. Whisk in the psyllium powder and let it stand for 5 minutes, until it thickens into a gel.
3. Whisk the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Add the egg, oil and vinegar to the gel and mix briefly. Add the dry ingredients and beat with the paddle on medium for 3 to 4 minutes. The dough should be thick, smooth and sticky but hold its shape when scooped.
5. Oil your hands and shape the dough into a smooth log about the length of the pan. Lay it in the pan and smooth the top with a wet hand or spatula.
6. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough reaches the rim of the pan. Do not let it go higher; overproofed gluten-free dough tends to collapse. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
7. Brush or spray the top with water and score a shallow line down the center. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding, with an internal temperature of 98 to 99°C (208 to 210°F).
8. Lift the loaf out by the parchment and cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Tips for success

• Check your psyllium powder. Some brands turn the crumb purple-gray; it is harmless but you may prefer a different brand.
• Bake to the full internal temperature. Gluten-free loaves can look done on the outside while the middle is still wet.
• Slice the whole loaf once cool and freeze the slices; they toast well straight from the freezer.

Substitutions

Sorghum flour

Millet flour or oat flour certified gluten-free works by weight. Oat flour gives a slightly softer, sweeter loaf.

Egg

Leave it out and add 40 ml more water for an egg-free loaf. It will be slightly less tall and a little denser.

Tapioca starch

Potato starch (not potato flour) or cornstarch can replace it by weight; the crust will be slightly less chewy.

Variations

Seeded gluten-free loaf

Fold 40 g mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds into the dough and sprinkle more on top before baking.

Gluten-free cinnamon raisin

Add 2 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients and 100 g raisins, soaked and drained, to the finished dough.

Troubleshooting

Gummy, wet center

The loaf was underbaked or sliced while warm. Bake to 98°C inside and cool for the full 2 hours.

Top collapsed after baking

The dough overproofed or had too much water. Bake as soon as it reaches the rim, and weigh the water rather than measuring by volume.

Crumbly slices

Too little psyllium or not enough water. Use 20 g of powdered psyllium and let the gel form fully before adding the flours.

Storage

Keep the loaf wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, slice and freeze in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Gluten-free bread stales quickly, so toast older slices.

Safety notes

For people with celiac disease, use flours and psyllium labeled gluten-free and clean shared equipment, bowls and toasters first; wheat flour dust lingers. Contains egg. Do not taste the raw dough, which contains raw egg.