Soft, Fluffy Gluten-Free Bread (Dairy-Free) (2024)

Bread lovers rejoice! This soft and fluffy gluten-free bread recipe is moist, light, and oh so good! It’s super easy to make, has a short rise time, and a loaf is ready in just over an hour! No need to buy storebought bread ever again! You’ll want to eat this loaf with everything – think avocado toast, or spread with jam, or to make a sandwich or French toast. Dairy-free too.

Months of Testing Gluten-Free Bread Recipes

I’ve always had a penchant for baking bread – and especially since we’ve been spending so much time at home this year, I’ve been testing and experimenting with so many bread recipes.

In the past few months, I’ve made gluten-free no-knead bread (beautiful and rustic!), rosemary focaccia (Juan absolutely loves this), easy gluten-free naan bread (a huge favorite among readers!), among plenty of other bread recipes that I’m still tinkering with and testing out.

Super Easy Homemade Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

One of my pet peeves with buying storebought gluten-free bread or baked gluten-free products is that they tend to be expensive, dense, or dry (and many times all of the above). That means that by making my own loaf, I can enjoy fluffy tender bread that is easy and inexpensive to make!

I can tell you with all certainty that this yeast bread recipe I’m sharing today (adapted from a recipe by Mama Knows Gluten Free) is probably one of the best gluten-free bread recipes I’ve ever made (and tried)! You probably won’t miss regular wheat bread anymore after trying this!

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple, Affordable Ingredients: Most of the ingredients in this recipe are easily accessible and not costly. Which means that by making your own gluten-free bread in the comfort of your own kitchen, you can end up saving quite a bit (especially if you tend to eat quite a lot of GF bread like we do)!

• Short Rising Time: There’s a very short rise time of just 30 minutes, the dough rises beautifully, and it’s baked in a under an hour! Once baked, the top of the bread is a gorgeous golden brown and upon cooling, the loaf slices very easily and well.

• Incredibly Soft and Fluffy: Many gluten-free breads (whether store-bought or homemade) tend to be hard or dry (many times both). In this case however, this bread is flexible and moist, and fluffy and all things good, which is usually hard to come by with gluten-free baked goods. And that, my friends, is really nothing short of a miracle. Trust me. I’ve baked and eaten too many hard and dry gluten-free loaves, so when a recipe works out so beautifully, I can’t help but want to share it from the rooftops!!

• Totally Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: Now only is this bread recipe gluten-free, it’s also totally dairy-free too, which means those with Celiac disease or on a gluten-free diet, and those with lactose intolerances can enjoy it without any issues!

What Makes This Gluten-Free Bread Fluffy?

A main reason why many gluten-free breads turn out dry is because there is not enough liquid in the dough. In this recipe, the total wet ingredients are in roughly the same quantity as the dry ingredients (almost a 1:1 ratio). While this results in a relatively wet and shaggy dough, it’s also the reason why this bread comes out flexible, soft and fluffy.

The eggs in the recipe, along with the apple cider vinegar and baking powder and yeast, also help the bread to rise more and achieve a dome-shaped top (whereas gluten-free breads without eggs generally do not hold the dome shape well and are often flat on top). If you wish to make a vegan loaf, here’s a well-loved gluten-free vegan bread.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required to make this delicious gluten-free bread. This recipe only requires 10 ingredients. Dry ingredients include all-purpose gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour blend already has it), baking powder, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Wet ingredients include vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, non-dairy milk, and eggs.

For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend: Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. I highly recommend using a good-qualitygluten-free all-purpose flour blendthat is made of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, or potato starch) to ensure a fluffier and lighter final texture. I do NOT recommend using gluten-free flour blends that include heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a densier final texture.

• Xanthan Gum:Xanthan gumis a replacement for gluten in gluten-free baked goods, and is what helps to bind the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not include xanthan gum, make sure you include it to get the best results.

• Baking Powder:To make this gluten-free bread light and fluffy, one of the secret ingredients is baking powder to help give the dough extra rise (on top of using yeast). If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to usecertified gluten-free baking powder.

• Instant Yeast:I like usinginstant yeastbecause there’s no pre-activation time required. If you are not using instant yeast, make sure to activate the yeast according to the packet instructions.

• Sugar:I used granulated white sugar in this recipe. The sugar is required as “food” for the yeast to feed on and activate it to create the gases required to make the dough rise. By the end of the process, the sugar would have been consumed by the yeast and hence will not make the bread sweet.

• Sunflower Oil:I like usingsunflower oilbecause I always have a bottle of it on hand. You can also use other vegetable oils in equal quantities (olive oil and avocado oil will work too). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you may also use melted butter in equal quantities.

• Apple Cider Vinegar:Theapple cider vinegarcreates an acidic environment that helps the gluten-free bread dough to rise even more. If you don’t have ACV on hand, you can also use white vine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or fresh lemon juice.

• Almond Milk:I used my5-minute homemade almond milkfor this recipe, but you can also use myhomemade cashew milk, or other non-dairy milk of your choice. If you are not lactose-intolerant, you can also use normal dairy milk instead. I find that using non-dairy milk gives the bread a richer taste, but I’ve also made it with warm water instead of milk and it comes out delicious as well! Make sure the temperature of the milk or water is between 105 to 115F, as the warmth is required to activate the yeast, but if the liquid is too hot, it might kill the yeast.

• Eggs:The eggs provide extra structure and also help the ingredients to bind better together. If you would rather not use egg yolks, you can also just use 3 egg whites as opposed to the 2 whole eggs. I have not tried making this gluten-free bread recipe without eggs, but if you are allergic to eggs or vegan, you can try using aquafaba or anegg-replacer(please let me know how it goes if you do that)!

How to Make Gluten-Free Bread (Step by Step)

1. Preheat and Grease

Preheat the oven to 350F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Grease an8″x 4″ loaf panwith oil.

2. Whisk Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, instant yeast, sugar, and salt together to combine.

3. Add Wet Ingredients to Form Wet and Sticky Dough

Add the vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, warm milk and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix for one minute until combined. Add the beaten eggs and mix for another minute until you get a dough that resembles thick cake batter (the dough will be wet and sticky, but that’s completely fine).

4. Transfer Dough to Pan

Transfer the gluten-free bread dough to the prepared loaf pan and use a spatula to smooth out the top of the dough.

5. Let Dough Rise

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, and let it rise for the next 30 minutes in a warm place that’s not exposed to drafts or wind, until it has roughly doubled in size.

(I like to place the pan in my microwave – without turning it on of course!)

6. Bake Until Golden Brown

Once the dough is done rising, lace the loaf pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

7. Remove Loaf from Oven

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it to finish cooling on a rack (this will prevent the bottom from getting soggy).

Tip: If the bottom is not brown enough for your liking, you can simply bake the loaf for another 10-minutes bottom-side-up on the middle rack at 375F to brown it a little (it’s mainly for aesthetic purposes, and even if you don’t do it, the bread will still taste just as good).

8. Cool Fully Before Slicing

Allow the loaf to fully cool before slicing (this is important as the loaf may disintegrate if it’s still hot when you slice).

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• The Gluten-Free Bread Dough Will Be Wet and Sticky: Don’t be alarmed when you see that the bread dough is wet and shaggy and sticky and shapeless – strangely resembling cake batter as opposed to the firm and shapable traditional bread dough. It is completely normal and desired to have a wet bread dough when making gluten-free baked goods, because this will ensure a moister crumb once baked. Please DO NOT add more flour in an attempt to make the dough drier or more manageable. Gluten-free bread dough, unlike normal bread dough, does not required kneading, so it doesn’t matter that you can’t shape it with your hands since it will go straight into the loaf pan and take the shape of the pan.

• Extra Fiber and Binding Power: If you want even more fiber and more binding powder, you can mix in 2 tablespoons of psyllium husk powder with the dry ingredients.

• Add Flavor with Other Flours: If you would to add a bit more flavor and texture, you can replace 1/2 cup of the GF all-purpose flour blend with brown rice flour, sorghum flour, millet flour, buckwheat flour or almond flour.

• Pan Size Will Determine the Height of Bread:I like using an8″ x 4″ loaf panbecause the bread rises slightly more in this smaller pan. If you use a larger pan (such as a9″ x 5″ pan), just note that the dough will spread out more and as a result will not rise as high compared to baking in a smaller pan.

• Use a Serrated Knife for Slicing: It’s important to use a serrated knife, which has a scalloped, toothlike edge that is ideal for cutting through foods with a hard exterior and a soft interior, such as this loaf of soft fluffy gluten-free bread. Using a smooth-edged knife will place excessive pressure on the top of the loaf and squish or flatten the bread (and we don’t want that, especially after all we’ve done to make it rise and keep it fluffy)!

Recipe FAQs:

What To Eat with This Gluten-Free Loaf:

This soft and fluffy gluten-free bread is so insanely versatile, you can literally have it alone (either toasted or not), or make French toast, or eat it with other foods, both sweet and savory. Here are some of our favorite foods to eat with it:

• Easy Apricot Jam (Gluten-Free Vegan)
• Easy Plum Jam (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Kumquat Marmalade (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Strawberry Chia Seed Jam (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Creamy Hummus (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Savory Pumpkin Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Carrot Turmeric Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Other Gluten-Free Bread Recipes to Enjoy:

• 10 Easy Gluten-Free Bread Recipes to Make on Repeat
• Soft, Fluffy Buckwheat Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Fluffy Brown Rice Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Tender Sorghum Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Rosemary Focaccia Bread (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Gluten-Free Naan Bread (No-Yeast, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Gluten-Free No Knead Bread (Dairy-Free)
• Flaxseed Coconut Bread (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Honey Oat Quick Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Easy Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread (Vegan)

Bake a Loaf of Bread Today!

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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