If you've been missing the classic taste of French bread on your gluten-free journey, fret no more - I've got the perfect solution for you! This delightful gluten-free sourdough baguette recipe is not only super simple to make, but it's also vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free. Don't be surprised if your family devours them in no time and you have to make more!
You can make garlic bread or toast these baguettes to serve with dips next to a fresh Caprese salad!
Jump to:
What Is Gluten-Free Sourdough?
Gluten-free sourdough is gluten-free bread that is made with a gluten-free sourdough starter. You can make regular boule loaves, bread pan loaves, sourdough bagels, and even baguettes with it!
Regular sourdough is not suitable for gluten-intolerant people in spite of what some sources might be saying. If you are celiac or allergic to gluten, you need to grow a gluten-free starter using gluten-free flour. My favorite flours for a starter are brown rice, millet, buckwheat, and teff.
New to gluten-free sourdough? Watch my 16-minute video tutorial for beginners!
Ingredients
Psyllium husk - this is one of the most important ingredients in this sourdough French bread recipe. I recommend using whole husks although it is possible to use powder. If you need a full guide of psyllium husk types & uses, please read my psyllium husk in gluten-free baking article!
Gluten-free sourdough starter - you need a mature starter at its peak activity. Read my gluten-free starter 101 to make sure your starter is strong and active!
Brown rice flour - use fine brown rice flour. For substitutions, refer to the next section!
White rice flour - use regular rice flour and avoid glutenous rice flour. For substitutions, refer to the next section!
Starches - you can use a combination of available to you starches. I like to use 50% tapioca and 50% potato flour but you can use arrowroot or cornstarch instead.
Water - use tap water unless it is not drinkable. It is best to use tap or filtered water to ensure there is still some natural bacteria in it. However, if you must, you can use boiled and cooled water as well.
ACV - apple cider vinegar is used to help bacteria in the natural yeast to activate better thus raising your gluten-free baguettes and providing those air pockets! It doesn't impact the flavor of the bread.
Sugar - just like the ACV, sugar is used to help bacteria activate better. Gluten-free wild yeast needs extra help in order to work properly!
Oil - oil ensures that your crust is not hard (fat content in the bread contributes to the softness of the exterior).
Substitutes
Psyllium husk - you can use xanthan gum, eggs, or chia/flax seeds gel but the consistency of your dough will be impacted significantly.
If you are using xanthan gum, your dough will be runny and you will need a special baguette baking dish that will be able to hold the dough without it flowing out. Plus, keep in mind, that your baguettes will crumble if you use anything other than psyllium husk as a binder.
Flours - you can use sorghum, millet, or teff in place of brown rice flour and you can use buckwheat flour in place of white rice flour.
Cornflour is not as commonly used but it is worth experimenting with, make sure you know the difference between cornflour and cornstarch!
Starches - use any gluten-free starches you have! Tapioca and potato starches are my favorite ones.
If you can't have starches, check out my sourdough recipe made with 100% brown rice flour.
Sugar - you can use honey/maple syrup in place of sugar.
Sesame seeds - if for whatever reason you can't have sesame seeds, here is a list of sesame seed substitutes you can top your French bread with.
Variations
You can add olives, sundried tomatoes, or seeds to the dough to make loaded baguettes. You can also make garlic butter sourdough baguettes (one of my favorite treats!) This recipe is naturally vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Levain
Step 1, make the levain. Mix 100g of active starter, 100g of brown rice flour, and 120g of water in a medium-sized bowl. Scrape the sides and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the mixture come to its highest point of rising (4-6 hours depending on the temperature in your house).
Dough
Step 2, make psyllium gel. Once the levain is ready, take a medium-sized bowl and add your psyllium husk, water, apple cider vinegar, oil, and sugar to it. Whisk to incorporate and set aside. It will form a gel in a few minutes while you are completing the next step!
Step 3, add psyllium gel to the bowl with levain and mix to incorporate.
Step 4, add all the flours, starches, and salt to a large mixing bowl, then add your wet ingredients. Mix very well either by hand or an electric mixer.
Shaping
Step 5, shape the French bread. First, turn the dough over onto a floured working surface and shape it into a ball. Separate the dough into two equal pieces using a bench scraper or a knife. Take one half and flatten it into a rectangular, then roll it onto itself as you see in the pictures to form baguettes.
My baguettes are normally around 35 cm (13-14 in) long.
Step 6. Once both of your baguettes are shaped, transfer them onto the baguette baking tray lined with parchment paper. Then, brush them with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the baguettes into the oven with the light turned on for 3-4 hours to rise and proof. The exact timing of this stage will largely depend on where you are proofing the baguettes and the temperature you are proofing them at.
Baking
Step 7, score and bake. Once your baguettes have fermented enough, take them out of the oven and start preheating the oven to 450F/230C. Score the French breads with a sharp razor before placing them into the preheated oven.
Once the oven is ready, place a dish with water on the bottom of it to create extra steam. Bake your gluten-free baguettes for 30 minutes, then take the dish with water out, cover the top of the baguettes with foil, decrease the temperature to 400F/200C, and keep baking for another 10-15 minutes. Once the bread is ready, take it out, transfer the loaves onto a cooling rack, and wait for them to cool completely before slicing into them. Enjoy!
Storing
Store baguettes at room temperature in a sealed bag or in a bread box for 3-4 days. You can also freeze these baguettes and defrost by placing them in a microwave for 1-2 minutes! They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Expert Tips
- Pay attention to the consistency of the dough, if it is too wet, add more flour or decrease the water amount.
- Get the baguette baking trays! I tried making this recipe without it and it did not turn out well.
- If baguettes turn out gummy, decrease the water next time and/or bake longer.
More Gluten-Free Sourdough Recipes
Get my new gluten-free sourdough recipes eBook
The top 22 recipes of 2024!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Sourdough Baguette (French Bread)
Equipment
- 1 baguette baking tray
Ingredients
Levain
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 100 grams brown rice flour
- 120 grams water
Dough
- 20 grams whole psyllium husks if using powder, use 18g
- 250-300 grams water you might need more/less depending on the consistency of your dough
- 16 grams sugar you can use maple syrup or honey
- 10 grams apple cider vinegar helps bacteria
- 15 grams olive oil, or other edible oil of choice
- 75 grams brown rice flour you can also use millet, teff, sorghum flour
- 75 grams white rice flour you can also use buckwheat flour
- 75 grams tapioca starch you can also use arrowroot starch
- 75 grams potato starc you can also use cornstarch
- 12 grams salt
Topping
- sesame seeds optional
Instructions
Levain
- Mix 100g of active starter, 100g of brown rice flour, and 120g of water in a medium-sized bowl. Scrape the sides and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the mixture come to its highest point of rising (4-6 hours depending on the temperature in your house).
Dough
- Once the levain is ready, take a medium-sized bowl and add your psyllium husk, water, apple cider vinegar, and sugar to it. Whisk to incorporate and set aside. It will form a gel in a few minutes while you are completing the next step!
- Add psyllium gel to the bowl with levain and mix to incorporate.
- Add all the flours, starches, and salt to a large mixing bowl, then add your wet ingredients. Mix very well either by hand or an electric mixer.
Shaping
- Shape the French bread. First, turn the dough over onto a floured working surface and shape it into a ball. Separate the dough into two equal pieces using a bench scraper or a knife. Take one half and flatten it into a rectangular, then roll it onto itself as you see in the pictures to form baguettes.
- My baguettes are normally around 35 cm (13-14 in) long.
- Once both of your baguettes are shaped, transfer them onto the baguette baking tray lined with parchment paper. Then, brush them with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the baguettes into the oven with the light turned on for 3-4 hours to rise and proof. The exact timing of this stage will largely depend on where you are proofing the baguettes and the temperature you are proofing them at.
Baking
- Once your baguettes have fermented enough, take them out of the oven and start preheating the oven to 450F/230C. Score the French breads with a sharp razor before placing them into the preheated oven.
- Once the oven is ready, place a dish with water on the bottom of it to create extra steam. Bake your gluten-free baguettes for 30 minutes, then take the dish with water out, cover the top of the baguettes with foil, decrease the temperature to 400F/200C and keep baking for another 10-15 minutes. Once the bread is ready, take it out, transfer the loaves onto a cooling rack, and wait for them to cool completely before slicing into them. Enjoy!
Nathalie says
More a question than a comment: 1:30 at rather high heat sounds like a lot of time for baguettes. Are we sure there isn't a typo somewhere?
Natasha Levai says
Hi Nathalie! You can bake them for less if you prefer! Baking them for longer allows for less gumminess.
Tammy says
Thanks for your recipe. Is there a good way to bake this and store (uncut ) for later in the week? i find mine very dry by day 2 or three. i cant bake on weekends but we need bread
thabks you
Natasha Levai says
Try wrapping it into a kitchen towel and storing it that way or slicing and freezing it! If none of that works, try making a gluten-free sourdough loaf instead https://www.natashashome.com/gluten-free-sourdough-bread/
Hailey says
Question: in the ingredient list at the top it lists oil as a necessary ingredient but I don’t see when to add it or how much oil to use. It’s not in recipe summary at the bottom of the page or in the steps. Is there supposed to be oil? If so, how much and when do you add it?
Natasha Levai says
Hi Hailey! Sorry for the confusion! You can add 20g of oil of choice if you would like to have softer crust.
Priscilla says
Is there an option for an overnight fridge ferment?
Natasha Levai says
Yes, you can ferment the baguettes overnight for 12-18 hours in the fridge!