Psyllium husk powder is different from whole husks and this recipe uses powder. This one ingredient has significantly improved the quality of my gluten-free bread and I am excited to share the recipe with you!
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One Secret To Gluten-Free Bread
Hands down, the best advice I could give to make sure your bread turns out perfect is to get a 9$ digital scale. A scale will not only ensure consistency and accuracy of measurements but will also save you time and reduce the number of dirty dishes. If you are serious about gluten-free baking, do give a digital scale a try!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
– Texture. This soft gluten-free bread is moist and chewy and stays together unlike other gluten-free breads that quickly fall apart as you cut into them.
– Flavor. Since the recipe uses a combination of grain flours and starches, it has a rich flavor profile. This bread is especially good for grilled cheese!
– Easy to make. This recipe is extremely easy to make, the rising stage takes only 10-15 minutes.
– Simple ingredients. My goal was to create the best bread using budget-friendly ingredients available at local grocery stores so that you can have great bread with less effort!
What is the Difference Between Gluten and Gluten Free Breads?
Gluten-free bread doesn’t have any wheat in it. Since gluten provides the structure to regular bread it becomes trickier to bake gluten-free as you need to create structure without using gluten. Gluten-free bread is often made with such flours as rice, corn, tapioca, sorghum, buckwheat, and others. Since gluten-free bread can be made out of multiple different grain flours it oftentimes has a better flavor profile than regular wheat bread!
Substitutes and Swaps
Gluten-Free Flour – I mix my own flours as it gives me more control and is cheaper. However, you can use a premade blend with this recipe, too.
Fresh yeast – can substitute for active dry yeast (20g) or instant dry yeast (16.5).
Milk – the higher the fat % the better! For dairy-free bread use plant-based milk (any kind).
Eggs – gluten-free bread needs as much binding help as it can get. Eggs provide that help along with psyllium husk as well as adding some nutrition and flavor to the loaf. If you want to make gluten-free vegan bread, then try using chia egg or an egg substitute.
Oil – oil adds to the moisture and flavor of the bread. You can use any oil you like! I used sunflower oil.
Apple Cider Vinegar – vinegar helps create a better environment for the yeast to thrive.
Sugar – sugar also helps the yeast to work.
Salt – don’t forget to add a good amount of salt!
Psyllium husk powder – I find that psyllium is way better at binding bread than xanthan or guar gum. I don’t recommend substituting psyllium husk in this recipe!
Tools You Might Need
– Mixing bowls;
– A rubber spatula;
– A whisk;
– A small saucepan;
– A bread-baking pan;
Ingredients
Flour Blend:
Other Ingredients:
How to Make Gluten Free Bread with Psyllium Husk Powder
Step 1
First, pour the milk into a small size saucepan, add the sugar and bring it to room temperature or 110F/43C. Then add the fresh yeast (you will need to break it apart with your hands). Set aside.
Step 2
While the yeast is activating, prepare your gluten free flour blend. Just combine all the flours, starches, and psyllium husk in a large bowl. Add salt and set the bowl aside.
Step 3
Whisk the eggs.
Then, as the yeast is starting to activate slowly (not bubbling very much yet), add the eggs, the oil, and the apple cider vinegar to the saucepan.
Whisk to combine.
Step 4
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until incorporated. You can use a hand mixer with dough hooks as well.
Step 5
Grease a bread loaf pan (I used 9×5 inches or 23×12.7cm size pan) and pour the bread dough into it. The dough will be wet, but that is ok!
Don’t worry if your batter doesn’t look like mine in the picture. If you let psyllium sit and form into a gel then your dough will be the same consistency as in the picture, but I intentionally erased the step where you let psyllium sit. First, it is really messy to try and moisturize psyllium husk powder, second, my bread turns out great (even better) if I add it straight to the flour mix.
Spread the dough evenly in the bread pan with a rubber spatula. Place the bread into a draft-free area for rising (I used a microwave for the rise). As soon as you leave the bread to rise, turn on the oven and heat it to 320F/160C.
Depending on the oven, it will heat quicker or slower. Mine heats up fairly quickly, yet, the bread dough rises enough BEFORE the oven is done heating. It could be due to the amount of yeast I am using or the kitchen temperature, but I tend to put the bread pan with the dough in it into the preheating oven when it is not quite ready yet and I find that it helps my bread rise better (IDK why, it just works!).
It is important to only let your dough rise to 30% of its original size, so you don’t want it to come up all the way to the top of the bread pan. If it rises too much, the bread WILL fall flat. Ask me how I know it!
The bread will continue rising inside the oven as the oven is heating up and once the oven reached 320F/160C set the timer to 45-55 minutes. When the bread is ready, it should have a hollow sound if you knock on it.
Once finished, separate the bread from the pan sides with a spatula, then the bread over onto the counter. Place the bread onto a cooling rack or onto the bread pan in such a way that allows for steam to escape from both top and bottom of the loaf. If you leave the loaf in the pan for too long after baking the bottom will become saggy and simply wet. Let the bread cool completely before cutting into it as the crumb is still setting during the cooling time. If you cut into it too early you will get a gooey and wet crumb!
Tips for Success
– Don’t make substitutions other than the ones provided above in the Substitutions and Swaps section;
– Make sure to use good quality yeast as gluten-free bread needs more yeast in order to rise than regular wheat bread;
– Don’t let your yeast mixture sit for too long or your bread will not rise properly and will have a dent in the middle after it is baked;
– Don’t substitute psyllium husk with xanthan or guar gum as it will change the end result significantly! I baked tons of bread with gums before and can testify that psyllium husk is the secret ingredient to great gluten free bread.
– Don’t be afraid to add a lot of salt to the dough. Bread needs plenty of salt to taste great!
– Make sure your bread doesn’t rise for too long. It might be tempting to let your gluten free bread rise much longer than 10 minutes but trust me, it will lose its shape and create a dent in the middle if you leave it to rise for too long. After 10-15 minutes of rising time place it into the preheating oven and you will get a good shape for your gluten free loaf!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Freeze this Bread?
Yes, absolutely! It is best to freeze gluten free bread in slices as you can take out as much as you need without having to thaw the whole loaf. If you know you won’t eat your gluten free bread within 3-5 days, then it is best to freeze it for later.
How Long Will this Bread Last?
After baking the gluten free bread, place it into the fridge and eat within 3-5 days. If you know you won’t use it that quickly, then you might benefit from freezing your bread for later.
Can I Make this Recipe in a Bread Machine?
I have never made gluten free bread in a bread machine, but if you would like to, you can try it out. I think that it should work for the bread machine, but if you do try it, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comment section below!
What is the Trick to Making Good Gluten Free Bread?
The best advice I could give is to get a 9$ digital scale to ensure consistent results. Then, you want to use psyllium husk instead of xanthan gum and add a good amount of yeast as gluten-free flour is harder to raise!
Why is My Bread Dense?
You might have used weak yeast or too little yeast. Another reason could be that you put too much flour into the dough. That might happen if you are using cups instead of a scale as it is easy to get more flour using cups vs. the scale. Make sure you spoon and level your flour if you are using measuring cups. Finally, if you are storing your gluten free flours in the refrigerator or a freezer it will lose moisture and thus absorb more liquids during the baking process creating a denser loaf of bread.
Gluten Free Bread with Psyllium Husk Powder (No Gum!)
Equipment
- 1 baking bread pan (don't get hung up on specific sizes, any medium loaf pan is good!)
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 wisk
Ingredients
Flour Blend
- 1 cup (120 grams) corn flour
- â…” cup (100 grams) white rice flour
- â…“ cup (55 grams) brown rice flour
- â…“ cup (40 grams) tapioca flour/starch
- â…– cup (112 grams) corn/potato starch
- 4 tsp psyllium husk powder note that powder is different from whole psyllium husk
Other Ingredients
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1â…“ cups milk (I used 2.8%) use plant based for dairy free bread
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 50 grams fresh yeast note that fresh yeast is different from instant yeast
- 4 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 medium eggs about 100 grams
Instructions
- First, pour the milk into a small size saucepan, add the sugar and bring it to room temperature or 110F/43C. Then add the fresh yeast (you will need to break it apart with your hands). Set aside.
- While the yeast is activating, prepare your gluten free flour blend. Just combine all the flours, starches, and psyllium husk in a large bowl. Add salt and set the bowl aside.
- Whisk the eggs, then as the yeast is starting to activate slowly (not bubbling very much yet), add the eggs, the oil, and the apple cider vinegar to the saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until incorporated. You can use a hand mixer with dough hooks as well.
- Grease a bread loaf pan (I used a 9×5 inches or 23×12.7cm size pan) and pour the bread dough into it. The dough will be wet, but that is ok!
- Spread the dough evenly in the bread pan with a rubber spatula. Place the bread into a draft-free area for rising (I used a microwave for the rise). As soon as you leave the bread to rise, turn on the oven and heat it to 320F/160C. Only let the bread rise to about 30% (it shouldn’t come up all the way to the top of the bread pan) and then place it into the preheating oven. The bread will continue rising as the oven is heating up. Once the oven reached 320F/160C let the bread bake for 45-55 minutes.
- Once finished, separate the bread from the pan sides with a spatula, then the bread over onto the counter. Place the bread onto a cooling rack or onto the bread pan in such a way that allows for steam to escape from both top and bottom of the loaf. If you leave the loaf in the pan for too long after baking the bottom will become saggy and simply wet. Let the bread cool completely before cutting into it as the crumb is still setting during the cooling time. If you cut into it too early you will get gooey and wet crumb!
Notes
Nutrition
What’s Next?
Have you made this gluten free bread with psyllium husk powder? Share your experience and insights in the comments below! If you have any questions, ask in the comment section and I will get back to you.
Hi! How many eggs?
2 eggs per loaf of bread. Thank you so much for pointing out that I forgot to add eggs to the recipe card!
Great recipe! My bread rose very well.
I’m loving this bread, making it for the second time today. I’m a little confused by the end of the instructions: “Place the bread into a draft-free area for rising (I used a turned-off oven for the rise). As soon as you leave the bread to rise, turn on the oven and heat it to 350F/175C. Only let the bread rise to about 30% (it shouldn’t come up all the way to the top of the bread pan). The bread will continue rising as the oven is heating up and once the oven reached 320F/160C let the bread bake for 45-55 minutes.”
So the bread is rising in a draft-free area, and then I turn on the oven and heat it to 350F (i.e., the top temp). But apparently the bread is intended to do part of its rising while the oven is heating up — so, when does the bread go into the oven? I’m also confused about the idea that the bread actually bakes at a temperature lower than the top temp.
Is the the bread *supposed* to do its rising in the oven (rather than that just an option), an oven which starts out unheated but immediately gets turned on? Do I turn the oven to 350F but start the timer when it’s at 320F (not yet at full temperature)?
Thanks! Still a lovely loaf my questions notwithstanding 🙂
Oh my, I totally see what you mean!
1. So, you are right, you shouldn’t use the oven as a draft-free spot for rising but rather place the bread into the microwave. However, I normally make 2 loaves at the same time, so they both don’t fit into the microwave. For that reason, I cover the bread tins with kitchen towels and leave them on the kitchen counter until the dough rises by about 30%.
2. The temperature of the oven should be 320F, not 350F, I think I initially wrote 350F, then with time realized that the bread turns out better at a lower temperature but I did not correct all the places in the post about the temp. So sorry about that and thank you for pointing it out!
3. As soon as the dough starts its rising time, turn on the oven at 320F. It won’t heat all the way up to that temperature by the time the bread is done rising (remember, only 30%), and it will do the rest of the rising process in the preheating oven. I find that if I place the bread into a fully heated oven it doesn’t do as much of a rise!
4. Start the timer when the oven has come up to 320F.
Thank you so much for your comment! I have corrected the info in the post!