This FABULOUS Gluten Free Italian Bread was a total accident, and I am so, so glad it was! It’s soft and fluffy with a thin softer crust that’s just absolute perfection 🙂
I don’t have a culinary degree, but I’ve been in love with baking since I was a little girl. Since being diagnosed with celiac, I’ve learned SOOOOO much more about baking, I think because I had to. When you’re stuck with this disease and you’re a foodie AND a baker, you learn to make everything yourself.
Sometimes it takes many hours (or even years) before succeeding at gluten free baking, especially when it comes to breads. If you were to look up gluten in a culinary textbook, there’d probably be a picture of yeast bread right beside it. Yeast bread is pretty much an exercise in the formation of gluten. There are still a few breads that elude me in this gluten free baking world, but I’ll never give up. Not just because that’s how I am as a baker, but also because I want what “they” have. I want the good stuff. The real deal. And I know you do, too.
What You’ll Need
- Kim’s gluten free bread flour blend–my bread flour blend is essential to the success of this bread (or any of my breads, for that matter)! If you’re using a store bought blend, you will NOT get the same results as this.
- Sugar–just a little bit of sugar is all you need.
- Salt–every great bread needs a little salt.
- Instant yeast–instant yeast doesn’t require blooming in the liquid before adding to the rest of the dough. Hence, the name “instant.”
- Whole psyllium husks–Ever since I discovered the power of psyllium husks, I’ve been going back through a lot of my breads and adding it for the extensibility it provides. Psyllium husk powder can be substituted in smaller amounts (which are listed in the recipe below). NOTE: This bread can be made without psyllium husks with excellent results! See the notes in the recipe card for further details.
- Milk–you can use non-dairy milk if you need to be dairy free. Almond milk is a great alternative.
- Butter–a small amount of butter in the dough really helps with the softness of the inside of the bread, but also helps the crust remain crunchy but very thin and not overly hard.
How to Make Gluten Free Italian Bread
Each of my gluten free breads are special to me in their individual ways, but I have to say, out of all the gluten free bread I’ve made, this one is by far my favorite (and I’m pretty sure my family’s as well). Like most of my breads, though, it’s as easy to make as it is to eat!
Make the Dough
Whisk together the flour blend, sugar, salt, instant yeast, and psyllium husks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and butter and knead using the dough hook for about 5 minutes on medium high. Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl (or transfer to another bowl).
Let the Dough Rise (Bulk Ferment)
Cover the bowl and place it in a warm, draft-free area to rise until doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours or more, depending on the warmth of your area. In the summertime, it doesn’t take as long in my kitchen. In the winter, I like to turn my oven on to the “warm” function, let it heat up for a few minutes, and then turn it off and place the dough in the oven. This offers a nice and cozy area for the dough to do its thing.
Refrigerate Overnight
So many people always ask me this, but yes, it is really important to allow the dough to chill overnight (or at least six hours) in the fridge. Refrigeration not only allows the dough to develop a little more flavor, it mainly helps to make it easier to work with. Without it, shaping a loaf of bread would be near impossible.
Knead and Shape
After its stint in the fridge, the dough is ready to be shaped. Dump it out onto a well-floured surface and knead it until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to avoid sticking. Start rolling the dough into a fat batard (which is like a short, squat baguette), or a boule if you’d rather. Place it on a piece of parchment paper.
Proof
Place the parchment with the shaped dough onto either a pizza peel or a baking sheet and cover the loaf with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to proof (rise) for 30 minutes to an hour, or until it’s visibly puffed, but not necessarily doubled in size. Meanwhile, place a pizza steel, stone, or overturned baking sheet in the middle of your oven and a shallow oven-proof pan on a rack underneath it and heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Bake
When the dough is ready, slash it with a sharp knife or lame 2-3 times at a diagonal and slide it onto the pizza steel, stone, or baking sheet. Pour one cup of very hot tap water into the shallow pan underneath and shut the door. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until deep golden brown and light in weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve had my gluten free artisan bread, there is a subtle difference, but a noticeable one. In the ingredients, water is used instead of milk, which makes Italian bread softer. Olive oil is the fat of choice in artisan bread, whereas my Italian bread uses butter. This also lends to a softer bread on the inside, and a thinner, less hard crust.
Luckily, this bread is egg free so there’s no worry about subbing eggs. That can be challenging in gluten free baking. As far as dairy free in the flour, see my flour blend page for suggestions. You should be able to swap out the milk with almond, coconut, soy, or other non-dairy milk. For the butter, try a non-dairy butter alternative such as Earth Balance.
Store this bread in a ziptop bag or wrapped in foil on the counter for a few days. After that it’ll start to stale, like any great bakery bread. It can be refreshed by running it under cold water (yep, the entire loaf!), and placing it in a 350 degree F oven, directly on the rack, for 10 minutes. For longer storage, freeze the bread, well wrapped, for 3 months. Thaw it on the counter, still wrapped, and then refresh it as above.
I’m so excited for you to try this Fabulous Gluten Free Italian Bread! I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes your favorite, just like it is ours. What sandwich will you make first with it?
Fabulous Gluten Free Italian Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups plus 3 tbsp (453 g) Kim’s gluten free bread flour blend
- 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp (29 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp rapid rise (instant) yeast
- 1 tbsp whole psyllium husks, or 1 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder*
- 2¼ cups (540 ml) milk (a dairy free milk can be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 4 tbsp (56 g) butter, melted (dairy free butter can be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh bread flour, psyllium husks (if using), sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk to combine. Place on the mixer and turn the mixer on low and slowly pour in the milk and butter. Increase the speed to medium high and knead for about 5 minutes.
- Scrape the dough into a large mass (or into another bowl) and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free location. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but up to 7 days.
- On baking day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and dump it out onto a liberally floured surface. Knead until smooth. Roll it into a torpedo or batard shape (not as long as a baguette, but wider). You can divide the dough into two smaller loaves, if desired. Place the shaped dough on a piece of parchment and onto a pizza peel, but you can also use an overturned baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about a half an hour. It will not double in size, just be slightly puffed.
- While the bread is rising, place a baking steel (or baking stone, or an overturned baking sheet) on the middle rack of the oven and a shallow baking pan (such as a broiler pan) on the rack below it. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Slash the loaf a few times and slide it, parchment and all, onto the steel, stone, or baking sheet. Add one cup of hot tap water to the broiler pan and quickly shut the oven door. Alternatively, you may drop a couple ice cubes on the bottom of your oven to create steam.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until you begin to smell the bread and it feels relatively light for its size (pick it up with gloved hands–if it feels at all heavy, add another 5-10 minutes to the baking time and check again). If the top is getting too dark, cover the bread with aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack before cutting. The crust will soften as it cools.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? I’d LOVE to see it!!! Post a picture and tag @letthemeatglutenfreecake on Instagram.
This bread was originally posted on March 27, 2019 and has been updated with a video, several new tips, and a revision to the original recipe.
Hi Kim, thanks for all your recipes, I have tried quite a few. I have a little problem with this recipe, because the bread is a little dense, just very small bubbles in it. Apart from that it was very tasty. I live in Europe, so when I see tablespoon and teaspoon measurements for a recipe, it is very difficult to convert to grams. Perhaps my problem is converting “2 tsp kosher salt”, “2 tsp rapid rise (instant) yeast” and “1 tbsp whole psyllium husks, or 1 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder” to grams. Could you please also give these measurements in grams? I would be very grateful. Keep up the good work, thanks so much for the recipes! Barna
Oh, I’m so sorry, Barna. I follow several blogs and YouTube accounts that are in Europe and they also use tablespoons and teaspoon measurements. I could try to convert to grams with those, but I’m wondering if my scale would pick up little amounts accurately like that. Do you not use teaspoons or tablespoons at all where you are? I’ll try to see what I can do. It may take some time to work on, but could you please tell me whereabouts you are so I know what I need for each area of the world? In the UK I’m pretty sure they all use teaspoons and tablespoons. Thank you!!
Hi Kim, thanks for your reply. I used these weights in the recipe:
sea salt: 12 g,
instant yeast: 7 g,
psyllium husk: 9 g,
I tried to measure as if TBSP was 15 mL and TSP was 5 mL. To my metric mind, it is very strange why the recipe alternates volume with weight. Of course I’ll admit that other countries do it differently, but I even give water by weight in my recipes. I increase the yeast a little bit to see if that makes the bubbles in the dough bigger. Thank you again, and keep up the good work! I really like your recipes!
I alternate between volume and weight because in the US, people are still using volume measurements (although I would like to convert them all to weight). So you don’t use tablespoons or teaspoons where you are? Because other parts of the world do, so I’m trying to figure out where you are so that I could try to be more conscious of what I can offer for different parts of the world.
Love this bread! My niece and nephew have recently been diagnosed with celiac and I’ve been playing around with different gf recipes. For Christmas this year I decided to try your recipe to go along with our dinner. Everyone loved it! My only question is the bottom portion of the bread stayed gummy when I cut into it. So I wound up cutting it up and putting it back in the oven for a little while longer to complete cooking it. Any suggestions to keep this from happening? I followed the recipe and just made it a second time and it turned out a little better but still the gummy the bottom half. It still tastes delicious and I thank you for the recipe!
Most of the time it’s underbaking, but it could be from cutting into it while it’s still hot or from over or under proofing.
This bread is so good. I’ve just made my first attempt and I’m blown away by not only the taste, but also how moist and fluffy the inside is and how beautifully crispy the crust is. I can’t believe my luck in finding this blog, A huge thank you to Kim. Due to a lactose intolerance I used goats milk and butter and because I happened to have them in the store cupboard, I used chia seeds rather than psyllium husks. I will have a go at using psyllium husks, but if anyone else has a store cupboard similar to mine, I can assure you that using chia seeds certainly doesn’t seem to have done any damage!
I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the bread, David 😊
Hi Kim, Is it preferable to use whole psyllium husks over ground? Thanks for all of these amazing recipes! I’m so excited to get started.
Thank you, Amanda! I prefer to use whole psyllium husks because I feel like they offer more of a “wheaty” taste, but either will work fine.
Hello! I LOVE this bread- it’s great! Just a couple things: 1. I am not seeing the psyllium husk powder in the written ingredients…I added it to the recipe with the flour. 2. The scoring is also not in the written, numbered directions. 3. I am remembering that you used to recommend pouring melted butter over the top of the bread and I’m seeing that, is that still a good thing? or not with the modified version?
Hi there! Thank you so much for finding those mistakes, and I will correct them right now!! You were correct in adding the psyllium to the flour.
I used to brush melted butter over the top of the baked loaf in the old version, but I found that it really didn’t need it. Feel free to use the butter yourself if you’d like to, though. 🥰
I did two things differently with this recipe:
1. My family is mostly dairy-free, so while I did use real butter I substituted almond milk for the milk and used pea protein powder in the flour blend.
2. I made it in my bread machine using the normal GF setting and simple dump method (though I did melt the butter first, didn’t do that the first time I tried this recipe and that ended badly).
I doubt if it mine came out as excellent as yours, but it was very easy, only took about three hours start to finish (well, plus an hour of cooling in the freezer), and was still the tastiest and best-textured GF bread I have ever eaten. Thanks!
Awe, that’s awesome, Laura, especially that it still came out great with all the changes you made 😊😊😊
Kim- I’ve been doing my proofing in my turned off. Warm oven lately. Works great. My concern is even though the ovens off the kitchen aid glass. Mixing bowl feels warm still. So I wanted to know should it cool off before going into fridge?
Like resting on countertop ,after oven ,before fridge? Just to cool off some?
I have a glass bowl for my Kitchen Aid too and I take it straight from the oven to the fridge with no problems 😍
Kim, went to 3 shop rites – no xanthan gum. Is there a replacement for xanthan gum or should I keep trying to find it.
thanks
Unfortunately, there is no substitute that I know of for XG. Walmart usually carries it, but if not Amazon is a definite option.
thank you .will try bob’s fine white rice flour next time. Hope it makes a difference.
Bob’s is not really that fine either. Sorry! I know it’s a pain, but the ones I recommend are the ones that will work best for getting a soft interior that’s not gritty at all. I actually state not to use Bob’s Red Mill right in the list of ingredients.
thanks for getting back to me. I am using your blend . the only thing is that I am using asian white rice. Does that make a difference?
Yes, it would make a huge difference. I really recommend superfine white rice flour (I have listed a few options right on my flour blend page). If you just can’t get it, you may be able to use the Asian white rice flour, but you’d most certainly need to adjust the milk content. I don’t know by how much because I never use Asian rice flour and don’t recommend it.
still waiting for reply. Would like to try recipe again.
have tried to make this italian bread recipe twice today & both times batter is all liquid. 2 1/4 cups of milk seems to be way too much. Please advise – love italian bread.
charles
Hmmm. I’ve made this bread more times than I can count and the amount of milk is exactly as it should be. What flour blend are you using? If using my flour blend, are you substituting anything within it? That’s usually the culprit of poor results.
I am looking for a pan bread recipe that I can use to make a sandwich for my granddaughter’s lunches. It’s may sound silly but I needed to look like everybody else’s bread. It cuts down the teasing.
I completely understand (kids can be cruel). I have two sandwich bread recipes on the blog, one is just a basic white sandwich bread and the other is my brioche loaf. I personally like the brioche loaf better, but it is a light yellow color because of all the egg yolks so that may be something to think about when it comes to teasing. If you go to breads from the main menu, you’ll be able to find them (or you can use the search function).
Hi Kim- can I substitute the to the yeast for some thing? I have a yeast sensitivity. Thank you
Unless you want to make a sourdough starter (which I have a recipe for right here on the blog) in place of the yeast, there’s no substitute for yeast. Search sourdough from the main menu and you’ll find everything you need 🙂
Great recipe! I’m not a baker or cook. I just made the GF Italian bread following Kim’s recipe to the letter and it came out really really well! I put together Kim’s GF flour blend then followed all the steps and am very pleased with my first attempt. The hardest part was the rolling of the very sticky dough so my first loaf looks a little strange (but tastes great) and the second was more presentable after using a more liberal amount of Kim’s flour to gently roll the loaf into shape. Thank you Kim for such a tasty, and rather easy, recipe to give me back the Italian bread I lost when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Absolutely no other GF store bought bread comes close to the taste and texture of Kim’s recipe. 5-stars ★★★★★.
Awe, thank you so much!!!! I’m thrilled that you liked the bread (it is probably my absolute favorite bread I make). You’ll find that adding more flour to shape the dough won’t hurt it at all, like it would with regular (wheat) bread. 😍😍😍
This was a huge hit with my gluten-free guests. They said it was the best GF bread they’d had. And even guests who aren’t GF enjoyed it! Though my GF experience is limited, I haven’t tasted anything GF that tastes this good. Used your flour blend & your hard work definitely paid off. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Awesome, Margie!! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Hi, This looks great and I’m going to try it soon! My question is: I’d like to make rolls instead of an entire loaf. Should I be adjusting the temperature or amount of cook time? Please advise. Thanks so much!
I’ve never made rolls with this, so I’m not sure of the exact bake time, but I would start with 20 minutes and check them at that point.
Looks delish. Can’t wait to try.
Its fab! Perfect VEGAN GF bread bread… Im Polish so this bread looks and feels like the bread I grew up with – not the super soft lacking bite or texture bread usually sold in UK. Its proper bread with holes, lovely crust, body which has some bite to it YUM! Id share a phot if i could but..it got devoured 😛 Used plain pea protein and rice flour bought in UK. I added more liquid than on the recipe to achieve the same batter consistency as in the video. Id recommend going to the youtube severs times to look at consistency of the batter. I went with this methods on my second try. My first try was a brick as my protein/rice flour needed more liquid and I didn’t realise. Also bought fresh yeast to be on the safe side.
It does need a fair amount of flour at the second stage so the minimum amount of flour as per authors website is enough to make dough and shape it using generous amount of flour to prevent sticking. I used raising dough / sourdough starter setting on my breadmaker to raise dough over 2 hrs than put it in the fridge. Final proof in warm oven @40 degrees Celsius did the trick. Baked on upturned baking sheet as per authors recommendation for ppl who don’t own pizza stone. Crust was hard taken out the oven but softened once it cooled. I made whole recipe into one loaf took about 60 mins for me, next time I ll do two smaller loaves and bake one at a time to ve fresh bread throughout the week. THANK YOU FOR MAKING AND SHARING this recipe and flour blend. It’s superior bread to anything from the shops, cheaper too. Win win!
Rather sad one has to join a monthly fee purchase source. Busted me right out of the running to get your flour. I cannot afford $20 a month for a bag a flour, plus the cost of the flour. Bummer!
I wish they sold the superfine rice flour elsewhere, but they don’t (that I know of). I’m hoping to one day sell my flour blend and make it accessible to many.
It’s probably fine but I was wondering if the yeast amount is right here? It’s much less than in the artisan bread and when I made this mine didn’t get a very good rise even though I’m sure the yeast was good. I made it again with more yeast and it worked better, but it was also a more hydrated dough because I used soy protein and I have found that when I do I need to add more liquid. Anyway I just wanted to check.
Yep, it’s the right amount of yeast. It doesn’t rise substantially (double in size) on the second rise, but will puff up quite a lot in the oven.
Kim, I cannot thank you enough. My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this March and as an avid baker, I was determined to find things that were just as delightful as our previous gluten-filled life. My mom found your blog early on while I was frantically ridding the kitchen of everything unsafe and panicking about how I would handle it all — time and time again I’ve come back to your site (like when I tried someone else’s banana bread and immediately trashed it all after the first bite…) because you really have it figured out! I only make your flour blends and swear by them already (as a search marketer — make it so people can review your blends too!! Five stars all around!! You deserve the traffic and engagement!).
I tried the artisan blend to go with a big ol pot of spaghetti and meatballs and woooweee is it good. But this morning was my ultimate test – nothing speaks to “pre-diagnosis” life like a buttery piece of toast + jam in the morning and this bread, the crunch of the crust, the delightful soft inside, really brought me back. I will make the second half of my dough today or tomorrow and I am GIDDY with excitement.
THANK YOU, endlessly, for your blends and your recipes. KIM FOR THE WIN!
Wow, Lissa!! You don’t know how much your comment means to me! I appreciate each and every one of you who follow my blog because I feel we’re all a little connected in this crazy gluten free world we have to try to adapt to. I feel like we’re on this journey together and as long as I can, I will always try to find the best ways to make those things I miss the most.
Thank you so much for following me and for your wonderful and meaningful words 😍😍😍
What brand of whole psyllium husk do you use?
This is what I buy. They have great high-quality products: https://amzn.to/2V7U2Uf
This is my first attempt at a recipe using Kim’s bread flour blend, and it turned out beautifully! My husband was just diagnosed with celiacs disease a few months ago, and he’s not loving the store bought alternatives, and I hate the rip off prices for worse bread. We ate a whole loaf of this in a day and a half! I’ve baked a lot, and found the recipe pretty easy, although it definitely will take some adjusting to the batter consistency of non wheat bread!
Thanks so much, Neva! So glad you and your husband liked the bread. And good news–this coming week I’m reposting this recipe with the addition of psyllium husks, which makes the dough able to be kneaded and shaped 🙂
I tries the GF Italian bread. Its been rising for an hour and it looks exactly the same as when I put it up! I didn’t have whey protein isolate so I used egg white powder. Would that be why it doesn’t seem to be looking any different?
It doesn’t double in size really, but it usually does look bigger. I’ve never tried egg white powder, so that could possibly be what’s causing a problem. You could still bake it off and see if it rises further in the oven.
Hello Kim! I was wondering, do you heat the milk before mixing it into the ingredients to help the yeast activate? Or do you just put it in cold? Thanks 🙂
No need to heat it since it’s instant yeast. Instant yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients without needing to be activated first. However, you can heat it if you want to. I won’t harm it, as long as it’s below 110 degrees F.
I followed the recipe and after the first 5 min mixing mine looks like very this soup. I ended up adding in the total 5 cups of the flour blend I made and it now looks like thin mashed potatoes. Is it supposed to be this soupy consistency or more susbstantial in texture?
It is a pretty thin batter-like consistency. It does change consistency somewhat after it goes through the first rise, but even more so after it’s been in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Did you watch the video? It shows just how sticky and kind of messy it is. I also state this in the recipe and within the post itself. You’ll probably need to start over because adding that much extra flour would probably ruin it.
Hi Kim: Just made another 1/2 recipe loaf of your Italian Bread and added chopped jalapenos and shredded cheese, Cooling now and will have with our homemade chili and beans tonight. Looks wonderful and will let you know how it turned out. Can’t wait to try. Thanks again for this delicious recipe. Going to attempt your Sourdough started once again, hahaha. Wish me luck! Have a blessed rest of your weekend.
Thanks, Shari!! You are cranking out these recipes, and I just LOVE it 😍😍😍
Absolutely amazing! This is the third recipe of yours that I have tried. All have turned out perfect and were delicious. Thank you for all of your hard work in creating these recipes. I am so grateful that you share them out with everyone.
Awe, thank you so much, Mary! It’s my pleasure 😍
After searching and reading all these positive comments I’m very tempted to try this gluten free flour bread for my son. I looked at the flour blend and don’t have any protein ingredient that you mention. Is it possible to use something else? I have any kind of flour you can imagine, maybe one of them will work with this blend? It has to be dairy free and without eggs as well. Many thanks, Christine.
There are a few options for dairy free protein powders right on my flour blends page. Each of the substitutions I list that are in pink are links to where you can buy them 🙂
Excellent recipe! My loaf turned out perfectly and even impressed my sourdough loving (and baking) husband 🙂
2 questions – My understanding of the instructions is to allow for a 2 hour initial rise, but I see comments mentioning a 6-8 hour rise before refrigerating. Did I misread something?
Also, do you have nutritional information for this recipe?
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, DeeDee! So glad you liked it!!
I think maybe what they’re talking about is the refrigeration time? The 2 hour bulk rise is correct and then I always recommend putting it in the fridge for several hours, just to make it easier to shape. It absolutely doesn’t have to be in there all that time, but it definitely makes it easier to work with.
I’ve been debating on spending the money required to get the nutritional information on my blog. It’s not cheap, but several people have been asking so I’m looking into it for the near future.
Kim thanks for the wonderful recipe. I’ve tried several bread recipes since having to go GF and none have been edible. This bread is amazing I’ve made it twice and it’s so easy and delicious. I’ve tried several of your recipes and they have all been fantastic. I can finally get back into baking again.
BRAVO! This bread is amazing! The first time I tried to make the bread, it did not rise and was very dense. Because of all the fantasic reviews, I was determined to find out what I did wrong and not give up! after re-reading the recipe and flour blend, I realized the following (1) I accidentally used potato flour instead of potato starch – big mistake! And (2) I used Bob’s Red Mill for the rice flour. I tried again using Authentic Foods superfine white rice flour and, of course potato starch and the results were spot on! The first loaf I made was gobbled up by my family that very afternoon. It has been about a month since I made that first loaf and I am not exaggerating when I say that I have made this bread about 12+ times! I have also made your Hawaiian rolls and cinnamon rolls— so fantastic! THANK YOU so much! I am your new #1 fan. 🙂 I need to make a meal for someone who is GF and Vegan tomorrow- Yikes! so I am going to try this recipe with almond milk and plant butter – since someone commented earlier that those substitutions worked for them. Let me know if you suggest any different substitutions. Hugs from Seattle.
Oh my gosh, Kimberly! Thank you so much for your kind words!!! I’m so happy you found what the problem was and persevered 🙂
I made this bread for my vegan daughter to enjoy with us using almond milk and Earth Balance butter and it was delicious!!
I would love to make your bread recipes but I am allergic to rice and corn. Do you know of a substitute for the rice and corn that works and is successful?
I’m sorry, Sharon. I really don’t know what could be a substitute for the rice flour. The cornstarch would be easy as you could use arrowroot, but without the rice flour I’m not sure if the dough would work.
I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for all of your hard work that you have put into all of your recipes! I made your delicious bread recipe today and it was amazing! I have had to eat gluten-free for five years now and it is definitely the best I have made so far! This week I also tried making your English muffins and they were just as tasty! I have made your chocolate chip cookies and your cinnamon rolls as well. When I made the cinnamon rolls I did half of the batch into orange rolls and they were so yummy! Thank you so very very much for all of your hard work and expertise I can tell you spend hundreds of hours and all of these recipes and I appreciate it so much! I can’t wait to try many more of your recipes! Thanks again! You are amazing!
Wow! Thank you so much, Tracy!!! You don’t know how much I truly appreciate your kind words 😍 The orange rolls sound wonderful 😋
I wish I knew how to send you a picture. Someone else asked if this could be made in a loaf pan, and when I saw your recipe I really wanted to try it but i wanted a sandwich slice so I gave it a try. It turned out fabulous! I sprayed the pan with oil and sprayed the top of the loaf with oil, instead of kneading it in extra flour..I used a thermometer to check for doneness because a bread with so much starch can turn out gooey. I cooked it to an internal temp of 200 then let it cool completely. It was a beautiful loaf, moist but not gooey, with nice fine air holes. Thanks for the recipe and flour blend!
That’s awesome, Sharon!!! I’m so glad you like the recipe. It is my absolute favorite bread ever 🙂
Hello Kim. As I live in the northern side of the world, it is a challenge to find all the ingredients needed. My question is; Is the Superfine Rice flour a starch-like flour? I’ve managed to find two different types of «fine» rice flour, but they look different. The «finest» of them has a starch-feel to it, so is that the one I should use in your blend?
I’m thinking what you’re talking about is sweet rice flour and it won’t work in this blend. If you can’t find superfine white rice flour, just substitute an equal amount of regular white rice flour (not sweet) and add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) more liquid (milk). You may need to play around with that amount, though, because I’ve found if the rice flour isn’t superfine, it will soak up more of the liquid.
Let me know how that works for you 🙂
Thank you for your reply. I found out from different websites that there was a difference between the rice flours but here they’re all called the same…🙄 (but at least I know what sweet rice flour is now…) Ok, I will try with the «regular» fine rice flour and update you with the result 👍🏻
OMG!! this is amazing!!! I haven’t had bread this good in 10 years!!
Yay!!!!! I’m so glad you love it and had success! I’m crossing my fingers that your next batch of pizza dough will be successful as well 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this and have made it a few times this year. However, the fluid measure in ml is wrong. Its a lot more than you need unless you want flour water. I appreciate the time and effort involved in creating this recipe as gf cooking can be a bugger. To the people in the UK querying the flour types, if you go to a company called Shipton mill, they have a great range and their coeliac safety procedures are good. No point making such a nice bread with supermarket flour
Hi, Gina! I just went in my kitchen when you said the measurement was wrong and weighed 480 ml of water and it was 2 cups, which is exactly what this recipe requires. So I’m not sure what is wrong. It’s supposed to be a very sticky dough.
Hi, sorry I have to say I feel like the biggest eejit. I have been using your all purpose flour which seems to work great woth your recipes and also other people’s recipes so great. I have just realised that I was having everything to make one loaf for 2 people… however… I was somehow forgetting to halve the fluid measure on the milk. I work in accounts too so I’m appalled at myself. I haven’t made this recipe in a while and tried it again and it was perfect and thats when I realised what I’d done before. Kim,you’re great, me, I’m a moron. Thanks for the flour blend by the way, shop stuff is shockingly bad
You’re not a moron, Gina. I’ve done the same thing more times than I’d care to admit! I’m just glad you were finally able to have wonderful bread 🙂
Hi Kim, I alway like to go to you page to see all the GF recipes. One thing I want to ask. On your blend for bread I read there’s a whey isolate ingredient, can I skip it?. Thanks before for creating recipes and keep producing your work.
I am very excited about this bread! We just went GF for my daughter and she LOVES her bread. I am not a baker so I have perhaps a silly question…what is a baking steel (or baking stone)? I looked up baking steel on Amazon and they listed steel baking pans and cookie sheets made of steel. Is that sufficient to get the desired results? They had a baking steel, but it was $99!
Also, (I didn’t see a place to ask questions on the Flour Blends page) the Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour blends both had Tapioca Flour and Xanthan Gum, but the links are to different brands. Is it possible to get the same results using the same brands for both blends? If so, which brands are best if I only get one? Switching to GF is becoming an investment and any savings I can figure out is appreciated.
Thank you! I can’t wait to try these!
Hi, Catherine! You don’t need the baking steel, but it is well worth the money in my opinion. However, you can use an overturned cookie sheet or a baking stone, such as this one: https://amzn.to/3mJS58W
It doesn’t really matter what brand you use of tapioca starch or xanthan gum. I just list whatever is the cheapest on those, especially because the superfine white rice flour is so expensive (which I would highly recommend using, namely Authentic Foods brand). I do find I really like the quality of Anthony’s brand for most other gf baking flours, though, but Bob’s Red Mill is more readily available, especially in stores, so I’ve given lots of options in my bread flour blends. Make sure you’re making the correct blend for this bread, though. My regular (all purpose) flour blend lists two different brands between tapioca starch and xanthan gum, but my bread flour blend lists only Anthony’s for those two. The two blends are on the same page, so it can be confusing for some (I need to make separate pages when I can find the time).
Good gluten free baking vibes coming your way 🙂
This recipe is amazing! The first I tried this I used store bought gluten free all purpose flour. Of course, that loaf was more of a brick than bread. I figured that would happen since your flour recipe is wildly different than the ingredient list on the back of King Arthur GF All Purpose, but I was feeling both hopeful and impatient. I then waited somewhat patiently for the ingredients for your flour mix to arrive from Amazon, broke out the kitchen scale, and made 20 cups of flour mix. This recipe was very easy to follow and the bread rose beautifully in a warm oven. The hardest part after that was waiting until the next day to bake it. The crumb, texture, and flavor are the closest thing I’ve had to real bread in 10 years. I’m now making the Artisan bread and there’s a sourdough starter on my counter. Thank you so much for posting these recipes – they are truly a blessing.
Thanks so much, Tabitha!!! I’m so glad you liked the bread. It’s my family’s favorite. I hope you like the others as well 🙂
I had trouble with my bread not rising. I did refrigerate overnight. Also, I subbed Guar Gum for the Xanthan Gum as I am allergic to corn and Xanthan Gum is grown on corn. I am wondering if I should use Active Yeast instead of the Instant Yeast to achieve a rise.
Just to add: I am also dairy free so I used Ripple milk, which is a pea protein milk, instead of the regular milk.
I don’t know anything about guar gum. I would switch to psyllium husk powder if you can’t have xanthan gum. The yeast shouldn’t make a difference (the instant yeast is actually probably a better ingredient for this purpose), as long as your yeast is still alive.
I can’t attest to the best results when more than one thing is substituted, though. I would suggest trying again with psyllium husk powder and see how that does. Sometimes people think the dough is going to rise significantly before baking, and it doesn’t. It’s a barely noticeable rise (see the video), so quite often they have overrisen the dough and it doesn’t get good oven spring (rise after it hits the hot oven). Make sure you’re using the steam method, too.
I don’t have a baking stone/steel. I just used a cookie sheet. Would that make a difference?
It could make a difference in the oven spring, yes, but I do think it would still rise.
I made it again. I accidentally put both Guar gum and Psyllium in the flour mix. It turned out great! Even my son said it tasted like real bread. I am trying it now with Cashew Milk and Earth Balance for my GF, DF daughter. I will let you know how it works.
While the bread tasted very nice, it was gummy and undercooked. This is my third attempt. This time, I only cooked half the dough, made a thinner shape. I found that my bread never cracked on the crust (I made slits this time) cooked it for 65 mins. Followed all the steps. I’m in Australia. I used McKenzie Rice Flour and Plant protein. Any suggestions would be welcome
Hi, Louise! I’m so sorry your bread didn’t come out right. I know you can’t always get what we have here, so if your rice flour is gritty at all and not superfine (I’m guessing it’s not), try adding about 1/4 cup more liquid to the dough. The dough should be as fluid as it is in the video so you probably won’t be able to make slits.
I hope this helps, Louise! Please let me know 🙂
Tried more fluid. Unfortunately I didn’t have any luck. The bread still had a hard crust and the dough uncooked. Do you have anymore suggestions or should I try another recipe.
The potato starch I’m using is Lotus. It says “Potato Flour (starch)” on label. Is that my problem?
Yes, that could be the problem. Potato flour and potato starch are two totally different things and produce very different results. I had one reader who was using potato flour instead of starch and she had the same problems. Are you able to get Bob’s Red Mill products in your area? Or can you order through Amazon? You said it’s Lotus brand? Is that an Asian market brand? Sometimes the Asian market brands don’t produce satisfactory results. I know they’re much cheaper, but you often get what you pay for and you may not get a superior end product when using them.
I dont think that MacKenzies rice flour would work, its very very coarse. I am also in Australia. I would try some rice flour from a health food shop. I have only found brown rice flour in Hobart but it works very well with both of Kim’s flour mixes. Its almost a powder consistency, very very fine.
I had pretty much given up getting any kind of yummy gluten free bread until I found your blog! It took me some time to dive into making your flour blend, but man was it worth it! Thank you for all the time you have spent and for sharing this. My family all loves the bread and now look forward to easy spaghetti nights because of the awesome bread!
Oh, thank you so much!! I am so glad you could find something you like from my blog 🙂
Forgot to rate!
OMG!! Am in heaven. This is by far the best ever bread. I honestly did not have high hopes, I’ve tried several other gluten-free bread varieties and none of them have ever tasted good or even like bread. I gave the first slice to my kid, who is one of the pickiest eaters, he took a bite he’s like oh my god this doesn’t even taste gluten-free! I didn’t even butter the bread before I gave it to him. I was still skeptical but the moment I put the first bite in my mouth…wow! Thank you so so much for all your years of experimenting and painstaking research. So worth it! I shall now be baking this every weekend. Your instructions are spot on.
Awe, yay!!!! I’m so, so happy you found a gluten free bread that you like! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment 🙂
Love this recipe! The texture of this bread is amazing! Has anyone calculated nutrition facts for a slice of bread?
Thanks!
Thanks, Mindy! I chose not to get the nutritional facts plugin on my blog because it costs more and is a lot more work per recipe.
I cannot thank you enough for bringing bread back into my life! I made this today and the results were amazing.
Awe, you are so very welcome, Dee Dee!! I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Kim!!! I cannot thank you enough for your flour blends and this recipe!! The results shined through and it showed your immense hard work in development. I appreciate all of it and you so much because I’ve made many gf bread recipes with store bought gf flour but they weren’t what I was looking for. My boyfriend is the one who cannot have gluten and has done his fair share of experimenting but has given up due to less desired results and has bought gf bread at the stores. Making a good gf loaf of bread was a goal of mine because I want him to enjoy some good ol’ bread. I am so glad I gave this a shot and it’s wonderful. I cannot thank you enough!!
Hi, I really want to try this recipe and recently I bought loads of standard gf flour. Do you reckon that it would be okay with any gf mix or should I find your recommended?
Hi, Ausrine! Please read my disclaimer at the bottom of the recipe card (in the “notes” section) 🙂
Kim you are a genius! I’ve make your breads about 3 times, once you’ve got the flour blend down and oven spring you’re good to go. I love how simple your bread recipes are. I took a picture of my beautiful loaf and tagged you on Instagram. Thank you 🙏🏽 I’ve been trying to make good bread for over a year and now I can stop searching.
Awe, thank you so much Indi!! I’m so glad you love the bread 🙂
This was delicious! Soft, tender, great flavor. Hubby keeps eating it, eat your gluten filled bread hubby! lol.
I don’t have a stand mixer, and at first was stumped on how to mix the batter. Then it occurred to me, I have a tricky bread machine that has different “courses” and it has a mix, raise but not bake course. It works perfectly! And I don’t need to buy another appliance.
That’s so resourceful of you, Gillie!! I think with the Italian bread, you could also mix it by hand vigorously. It’s such a wet dough that I think it would work just fine. It’s the stiffer doughs that really need the power of a stand mixer.
Hi Kim, I saw your response in anther comment that this recipe won’t work without a mixer, but do you think it will with a healthy application of elbow grease? There is zero chance I’ll be getting a mixer, but I’d really like to try this recipe. I have no bread baking experience to compare to so not sure what to expect.
I’ve since learned a little more and I DO think it could work with elbow grease. Also, a Danish dough whisk would offer an even better chance of it being successful without a mixer.
I made cinnamon rolls the other day and saw this recipe on that page. I miss good bread and I hate the pour into a loaf pan bread that is most of the gluten free recipes. Once the dough is ready to rise I oil a rubber spatula and work the dough into the center of the bowl. Once coming out of the fridge I oil a spatula to coax it out of the bowl. It landed in a perfect torpedo shape. I oiled the top since I didn’t cover with plastic. Got the oven ready while it proofed in the 2nd oven. Baked 35 mins and let cool till warm. This had the chewiest (in a good way) texture. Can’t wait to see how it holds up in a grilled cheese.
Yay!!!! So glad you liked the bread. It is one of my absolute favorites.
Ok! Seriously, this is my first time EVER posting on a recipe EVER. I bake a lot and I’ve struggled with grainy grossness of Gluten-Free baked goods. NO MORE! Wow! This bread is amazing. I used my dutch oven to bake and it turned out perfect! Thank you!!
Awe, thank you so much Heidi!!! I’m so glad you loved it! It’s one of our favorite breads, too 🙂
What was the process of using the dutch oven? The same as with the other bread on the site?
Yes, pretty much. It’s used to create a nice steamy environment for the bread to rise properly and get that “oven spring” before the crust gets too hard to not allow anymore rising of the dough.
Okay. Something’s wrong. My dough was much more dry/dense and so was the final product. It was not at all loose when I turned it out. And when I mixed it, it was stringy (not at all like the batter in your photo) and pretty dry. I’m ordering a new scale today. That’s the only thing I can think of that may be the issue. I purchased every one of the ingredients, as instructed. I split the dough and will possibly made pizza from the other half.
Oh no! That does sound like something went wrong because it’s a really loose, wet dough normally.
I hope the scale fixes the problem. That happened to me once, well the battery died on my scale right in the middle of weighing ingredients.
Okay. Don’t listen to me. I did NOT buy potato STARCH! Instead, I accidentally bought potato FLOUR! I’m going to try this again and I’m sure it will be as wonderful as the cinnamon rolls I just made!
I made 1 loaf and it was HEAVENLY but I had to go and replenish my stock of Kim’s flour. So I also accidently bought potato flour instead of STARCH!!! I have mixed a HUGE quantity! Any idea what can I use it for?
Oh no! Unfortunately, potato flour will NOT work well as a sub in my flour and I’m not sure if it will work for any of my recipes, unfortunately. I’m so sorry, Brenda 🙁
Hi Kim, just made the italian loaf but it looks nothing like yours, it has a nice crust and good taste but very gummy in the middle and not pleasant to eat, I cooked it for 35 mins. I used your bread mix but subbed the whey protein for pea protein the only other difference is the rice flour I used wasnt the superfine one you suggested as I cannot buy this in the uk. I used organic rice flour from shipton mill instead. Could you help me work out where I have gone wrong as really want to nail this recipe. Thanks
Also as I dont have kosher salt I looked up the conversion to weigh normal salt in grams @ 2 tsp = 12 grams. This seems very high (2.6% of flour weight) and the bread is noticeably salty. what should the salt weigh in grams please?
Hi, Phil! I’m sorry your bread didn’t turn out as expected. I’m trying to think about what could be the cause of the gumminess and one thing that came to mind is did you try to shape it more like a boule, where it was more of a round bread than a longer loaf similar to a ciabatta? If so, you’ll need to add some more time to your baking. Usually when readers tell me their bread is gummy in the middle it’s because they haven’t baked it long enough. The shape of loaf I make in the video takes 30-35 minutes in my oven. But if you’re making a taller loaf, you’ll definitely need to add more time to it. That’s why I also mention to go by smell and feel because that’s more of an indication as to when the bread is done than an actual number.
I’ve been trying to find a suitable superfine rice flour for you all in the UK and am still working on that, but if your rice flour was gritty at all you may need to add another 60 ml of liquid (milk or dairy alternative) to compensate for the grittiness and the texture. The grittier the rice flour, it will soak up more of the liquid, which could cause the bread to be more dense and gummy.
As far as the salt conversion, I looked up using table salt as a substitute for kosher salt and you’ll need to use about 1/4 less, which would total 9 grams.
When developing my bread recipes, I tend to not stick to baker’s math because it never seems to work in gluten free baking (at least my recipes). The hydration of this dough is over 100%, which I don’t believe is very typical in normal (gluten) baking of bread. I’m not a trained chef so I hadn’t had much experience with baker’s math until learning it after I was diagnosed with Celiac. It doesn’t seem to equate very well with gluten free baking.
I hope this helps, Phil!
Hi Kim, thanks for your reply. I have been baking gluten loaves for a few years and really want to make something my wife (gluten intolerant) can eat too. I shaped the loaf into a ciabatta sort of shape, the dough was refrigerated for 3 days before baking but looking at your video my dough didnt look as wet as yours and was very easy to shape. The rice flour Is not gritty but may not be as finely ground as the one you use so I will try adding more water next time and also adjust the salt, fingers crossed
Hi Kim, I’ve been reading all your comments/replies and have just one question. I purchased all the recommended flour brands and wanted to know if that goes for the xanthum gum too. I use Bobs Red Mill xanthum gum and have that on hand. Didn’t want to mix the blend if it will make a difference without what you use if needed. Thank you.
Any xantham gum will work 😊
Thank you, will let you know how my first loaf of bread turns out. Have a blessed day 🌞
Hi Kim, just had to let you know that this is the best GF bread I have made, bought or tasted. Thank you very much for creating your flour blends and sharing it with all of us. Look forward to more of your delicious recipes!
Oh my gosh, thank you SO much, Shari!!!! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Hi Kim, your all purpose flour blend can you use any nonfat dry milk powder or only Anthony’s. Thank you.
Any brand is fine 🙂
Hi Kim, quick question. when freezing dough should you freeze on cookie sheet before wrapping in plastic and foil or can you wrap the dough from the fridge. Making a half loaf now and saving half for later. Not sure if it matters either way. Thank you, have a blessed day. 🦋
Hi, Shari! Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I’m out of town currently and didn’t have access to my laptop for a while.
Not necessary to place on cookie sheet, but you could if you wanted to. I usually spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick spray, plop my dough on it and wrap it up, and then rewrap that in foil.
The first three times I made this bread it rose beautifully and tasted fabulous, the last two times it has collapsed and seems really wet. I use your bread flour recipe, any suggestions? Love your recipes and the blog thank you.
Oh gosh, I’m not sure! It’s hard without being there with you. But if I were to guess, maybe they were overproofed???
WOW! This was fantastic bread and so simple to make! Would I be able to use a bread pan for this dough? Would I need to make any adjustments to the oven temp or cooking time?
Thank you for the recipe!!
I tried it several times in a loaf pan and it didn’t rise very well and was dense. You’re welcome to give it a go, though. Maybe it would work for you. I would maybe start it out at the same temp, 450 degrees, for the first 5 minutes to give it a good chance for oven spring. Then drop it down to 350 and let it back through for about the same time (30 minutes or so).
Let me know if you have success 🙂
Hi, I’m so excited to be trying this bread after procuring all the ingredients and substitutions (almond milk for my dairy free kid, and hemp protein for my legume/dairy free kid!). I’ve just mixed it up and set it for the initial rise. But its beyond sticky—more like a batter than a bread dough. Is this ok? Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic recipes.
Hi, Marci! Yes, the dough is very wet and sticky. Did you see the video? I don’t even touch it with my hands because it’ll just stick completely to my hands. I use a couple of bench scrapers (or bowl scrapers) to maneuver it around on the parchment paper, sprinkling with extra flour as needed so the dough won’t stick to those. It is probably my family favorite bread I make, so I hope it turns out for you 🙂
It worked!!!! It was a weird green from the hemp protein, but it was delicious.
That’s fantastic, Marci!
Hi Kim,
I actually followed your recipe using an Italian GF mix for bread and Pizza , which I had on hand and it turned out fantastic. The mix is a bit expensive so now I will like to try it using your GF mix, for the whey protein isolate, do you think I can use regular whey protein powder ?
Thanks again for posting this recipe, it’s a real keeper !
You could try it! I don’t know how it will turn out, but it’s worth trying at least!
Can you substitute superfine white rice flour for superfine brown rice flour in the italian loaf?!
I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
Absolutely the BEST gluten-free bread recipe I’ve made! And I’ve been baking GF for five years and trying multiple recipes, but this is my favorite. I also love, love that it doesn’t take eggs as with GF bread baking, that seems the only option. Not now. BTW, I used the pea protein and it worked perfectly. Will this be a good option for pizza dough? Seems like a perfect fit.
Thanks so much, Pauline!! I’m so glad you liked the bread 🙂
I use the Italian bread dough for my pan pizza dough (which is fabulous btw), but for regular pizza dough I use my artisan bread dough. It gives more stretch for something like a New York style pizza. Here’s the links for both of those: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/best-gluten-free-pan-pizza/ https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/amazing-gluten-free-pizza-crust/
Can I suBstitute pea protein with chickpea flour or another as I am lactose/soy intollerant
You can try, but there isn’t that much protein in chickpea flour so I don’t know if it will work. However, pea protein is free of gluten, dairy, AND soy.
Love this bread, had to make an adjustment on your flour because I am allergic to tapioca but ir worked great. Now I just need to get a new pizza stone because I broke mine. Thank you so much.
Ok, I don’t see my first comment up yet but a follow up. The first time I made the bread I used almond milk and plant butter. For that batch I made 6 “mini” loaves so they were more like rolls for our Italian beef sandwiches. The bread was a little doughy (uncooked) in the middle once we cut it open but it had a crispy, brown beautiful crust and it was just a bit in the middle. I just made again today, same ingredients but this time made one large loaf. Again, baked beautifully with crisp brown crust but the inside was practically raw! Popped back in the oven covered with foil so it wouldn’t get too brown – it’s been there over an hour and I just checked again and it’s still basically raw. My thoughts – please let me know what you all think – after some research I discovered almond milk has a higher water content. I’m new at dairy free baking… DH was only diagnosed with allergy a couple months ago. So, anyway, if I reduce the milk by 1/4 or 1/3 cup I wonder if that will work? Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for all your help! The bread looked like Italian bread, just uncooked!
I would give it a try, Abbi! It doesn’t hurt to try to reduce the almond milk, or maybe even just change it to water completely. I’m not familiar enough with dairy free baking either to know what works, unfortunately.
So, I’m really doing something wrong! For the third time making this bread I made it with regular dairy milk just to see how it should be before experimenting with the dairy free milk (again) and it came out the same way. Beautiful brown crust on the outside, completely raw in the middle. I ordered all ingredients via the links, weighed to make the bread flour blend per instructions and then followed baking instructions to a “T”… I’ve given up! The flours are too expensive to keep throwing the result away. I don’t know if it’s the pea protein or what but something is very wrong.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Abbi 🙁 I don’t think it would be the pea protein because others have had great success with it. What I’m wondering is if either your oven is registering too high to bake the crust on the outside before the rest is done, OR you’re just not letting it bake long enough. If you’ve made a terribly large loaf, you’ll definitely need to add some time to the baking. My recommendation is to get your oven nice and hot (allow it to preheat for about 15-20 minutes MINIMUM, make sure you do the steam method, which is a must, but lastly when you pull it out of the oven, using gloved hands, feel the weight of the loaf. If it feels relatively heavy for its size, put it back in the oven. If it’s way too dark on the outside, tent it with tin foil and leave it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes and check it again. All of the breads I make shouldn’t feel super heavy for their size. In fact, they should feel just about as light as any store bought gluten-filled loaf would feel. Heaviness is the best indication that the loaf just isn’t done yet.
Sometimes bread baking, especially gluten free bread baking, is such a fickle beast to tame. I hope you don’t give up, and if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you Kim! I really don’t want to give up but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, I bake gluten free a lot and have never had as much trouble as I have with this bread. I pre-heat the oven with an air-bake cookie sheet in it while the bread is resting/rising before the bake so it pre-heats for at least 30 minutes. I pop the bread in and throw 2-3 ice cubes into the bottom of the oven and shut the door. With the second loaf I had it in for 30 minutes and it was raw, I covered it and put it back in the oven for another 10 mins. still raw, let it go 10 more mins. still raw, I followed this 10 min cycle for almost an hour and it was still raw… when I tried the third loaf and it was raw after 35 minutes I said forget it, I didn’t have time to babysit the oven for an hour hoping it would bake. If you have any additional insight I would appreciate it.
Gosh, Abbi. I’m so sorry to hear you’re having this much trouble. It is usually one of the easiest breads on my site. Something has got to be going wrong, though, because after an hour the bread should definitely not be raw in the middle. Might I suggest looking through some of the others’ comments to see if there might be an “ah ha” moment. I wish I could be there with you to try to troubleshoot what’s going on.
I followed this recipe to a tee and it was hands down THE BEST GF bread I have ever had! I’ve had celiac disease for 15 years now and i’m sad it took this long to find this!! Crunchy outside and moist inside. 10/10. Thank you!!
Can your bread flour blend be used in the Zojurishi Bread Machine?
I think I had a reader state that she used it in her bread machine, but I’m not sure what brand her bread machine was. I don’t own a bread machine, so I can’t say myself if it will work or not. I would give it a go, though!
In the bread flour blend can I substitute the whey protein isolate for whey protein powder? I accidentally bought the wrong one.
I’m not sure if it will work, but the only way to know is to try 🙂
I tried this recipe. Oh my!! My 16 y.o. Grandson made a face when I said it was gluten free. He proceeded to eat half the loaf . My best attempt at GF bread. Your artisan bread recipe dough is in the refrigerator to be baked tomorrow. Thank you for a very tasty bread.
Awesome, Faith!!! I’m so glad you both liked it 🙂
can i subsitute whey protein concentrate protein powder for whey isolate powder
Isolate has more protein per serving and the entire reason I used whey protein isolate in my flour blend is for the protein (since gluten is protein in regular wheat flour). I really don’t think concentrate would work.
Thank you so much for the reply. I’ll take this back and find the isolate !!
Can you adapt this into a sourdough bread? Especially with the yeast shortage right now.
I’ve had sourdough on my short list of things to work on, but I haven’t done sourdough before so it’ll take some learning and time on my part. If I’m successful, I’ll surely share it with everyone 😊
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try your sourdough!
We have just enjoyed our first one of your recipes—donuts! They were amazing! My celiac kids are thrilled. Thank you. Next we want to try your bread, and this recipe looks great. The only thing is, one of my kids can’t have dairy or legumes, so the whey/soy/pea protein isolate won’t work. Do you have any ideas for what I can substitute for that ingredient in your bread flour? Thank you for doing what you do….
I’m so glad you and your kids liked the donuts!!!
I’ve found a couple more options for you, brown rice protein powder https://amzn.to/2UwTmVs or hemp seed protein powder https://amzn.to/2vYoaF4
I can’t vouch for whether or not these will alter the taste, but I would say the one less likely to alter the taste would be the brown rice protein powder.
Hope this works for you and your family 🙂
Thanks so much for this. He can’t do brown rice either (he’s paleo) but I will try the hemp. I so appreciate the work that you do, and the fact that you respond to questions like this. Be well!
Thanks so much, Marci! Glad I can be of some help 🙂
Stay safe!
I’m trying it today. The hemp protein adds a green hue to the dough.
I’ll be crossing my fingers for you 🤞🏻
Hi Kim, the hemp seed powder worked pretty well, and my kids were happy to have Italian bread! The only thing is, it turns the bread green. I want to make more of your breads (I have my eye on the challah!) but am hoping I can find a replacement that doesn’t turn the bread green. Do you have any other ideas? Or can you tell me what the function is in the flour mix, so I can go searching for alternatives? Thank you!
What about egg white protein powder? I just saw this as an option when researching something else. Or maybe coconut protein powder? The purpose of a protein powder in my blend is to substitute the role of gluten, which is basically protein in wheat flour. It helps to create a stronger dough, which helps with shaping, rise, and final texture of the dough. You could attempt it without any protein, but I’m not sure it would work.
Hi Kim, the recipe looks great. Your artisan bread calls for extra xanthan gum but this one does not, is it not necessary? Would it hurt if I added some?
It doesn’t need it (the artisan bread needs more of a stretch), but I don’t think it would necessarily hurt it if you added some 🙂
Thanks Kim! Looking forward to trying it today 🙂
My first time making GF bread and it was amaaaaazing! I used non-bread flour (just a 1 to 1 baking flour) and it turned out so good! I’ve been looking for a simple recipe and this is definitely one i’ll go back to!
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked the bread. It is our favorite bread that I make and it’s so easy 🙂
Loaf came out beautiful but my husband had to have a slice right away! So, loa f collasped. Still tasted great toasted with melted cheese on top! Thanks for this recipe😀
Thanks so much, Jamie!!!
For anyone who has been disappointed with the results of gluten free bread baking, fear not any longer. This bread was exceptional – nice exterior crust and wonderful interior texture. I followed the recipe to a tee including the over night rest – well worth the wait. The only change I would make is shaping the dough into a loaf that is longer, narrower and taller. Any suggestions around that? The dough is soft – an expectation of gluten free dough – and perhaps I was just too hesitant. Pulman loaf pans, which are longer, narrower and taller than standard loaf pans, are the preferred pan for gluten free bread baking. I used this same principal when attempting to shape this rustic loaf but couldn’t quite get there. As a result, the center of my baked loaf wasn’t quite as airy as the end of the loaf. It reached, I’ll say, 98% perfection as opposed to 100%! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hi, Mary! Thank you SO much for your kind words!!!
I have baked this bread in a longer, taller loaf. Just for the sake of the video, I made it shorter because I wanted to make sure it showed completely in the video. If you have a large baking steel or stone, put that in the oven and then you can put the bread on the parchment on an overturned baking sheet to slide it in the oven. If you make it longer and shape it a little narrower, it will rise up and not out.
Thanks again for your wonderful comments 🙂
To anyone who has been discouraged by attempts at gluten free bread baking – fear no more! By far the best gluten free bread I’ve had – nice exterior crust and wonderful interior texture and flavor. The only thing I would change is shaping the dough into a longer and taller and narrower loaf – a bit of a challenge since the dough is somewhat soft – which is a known characteristc of gluten free dough. Any suggestions on how to manage this? Perhaps I was just too hesitant in trying to shape the dough to my satisfaction. I know that Pulman loaf pans – which have a narrower and longer and taller shape than standard loaf pans, are preferred for gluten free bread baking so I was thinking of this same principal when shaping this dough into it’s rustic form. The center of my baked loaf did not have quite the airy texture that the ends of the loaf did and I’m thinking that the narrower shape would produce 100 percent perfection as opposed to, I’ll say, 98 percent! Any which way you look at it this recipe is a keeper! Thank you
Wow, winner! Italian bread…. yummy!! That is a given 😄. I have a challenge for you! I have been reading and researching rice (in general), and have come to the conclusion, it is laced with arsenic, now days. 😢. Would you be on board with playing around with cassava flour? Please let me know!
Thanks
Hi, Susan! I actually just bought a bag of it to test some recipes out with! I’m not sure how breads would do, but I’ve seen some people using it for things like tortillas and cookies. I’ll be sure to post if it works 🙂
OMG
This bread is simply inquiry!
My family even doubted it was gluten-free.
Thank you so much for teaching me how to make the best bread.
Next time I’ll make the pizza.
TKSSSSSS
brazil kiss
Awe, thanks so much, Tessia 🙂
I made the batter for the bread and accidentally let it out to proof for four hours instead of two. I did put it in the refrigerator then. It has been in there overnight. Can I continue with the rest of the steps as usual and cross my fingers that it wasn’t over proofed? The dough was almost to the top of my 4.5 at Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. On a side note, I have tried many of your recipes with great success! We love your pizza crust 😊
Thank you, Katie! I’m so happy you liked the pizza crust 🙂
It should actually work just fine for the Italian bread. The original recipe called for letting it proof for about 8 hours initially and I just recently changed the recipe to make it quicker so you didn’t HAVE to do it that long (but you still can if you want) 😀
Hey, Kim
I am totally excited to find this recipe since I’m celiac and 2nd generation Italian ancestry. I miss my bread.
I have a nice stand mixer with dough hooks but no beater blade. Do you think that will work? I’ve used it to make Bob’s Red Mill gf pizza crust and it worked. I’m no baker but my, oh, my, I do want to try this. If I need to buy a new mixer, ok. Thanks!
Hi, Geoff! I think what you could do is first use just a regular handheld whisk and whisk the ingredients together in the bowl and then put it on the mixer with the dough hook. The reason I use the beater blade is because it’s such a high hydration dough (lots of liquid) so it will tend to clump up if not mixed properly.
Let me know how that works 🙂
Hey, Kim
I wonder if you can tell me what brand of whey protein isolate would be best? I’ve not found any yet in my grocery stores or at Whole Foods, but I read that people use it for protein drinks and that some brands are gritty. I guessed gritty wouldn’t be good for bread. Help?I
Thanks!!
Hey, Kim
I wonder if you can tell me what brand of whey protein isolate would be best? I’ve not found any yet in my grocery stores or at Whole Foods, but I read that people use it for protein drinks and that some brands are gritty. I guessed gritty wouldn’t be good for bread. Help?
Thanks!!
What I use is Now Foods brand and you can find it on Amazon. Here is the link: https://amzn.to/2uPgKn8
There is also another brand that I’ve found at my local Vitamin Shoppe or GNC when I’ve been in a pinch, although this is a little more expensive than Amazon. Here is the link for that: https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/isopure-zero-carb-1lb-natural-unflavored-unflavored-1-lb-powder/np-7137
If you need any further brands or recommendations, all of the ingredients in my flour blends are clickable, meaning they will all link to Amazon and what products I buy.
Hope this helps 🙂
The best gluten free bread I ever had. I missed good italian bread for the last 15 years of no gluten. This is wonderful. The flour miss is a stroke of genius for texture and chewiness.
Great cruise with the steam in the oven. Thanks Kim
Thanks, Burl! I’m so happy you like the bread. My husband said it has the same taste and texture of the bread he remembers growing up in Scranton, PA 🙂
Thank you so much for this bread recipe! All the others I’ve tried have come out gritty or inedible. I made my first loaf yesterday morning, and it was gone by last night. I’m super excited to try more of your recipes using your flour blends! Just a side note, if you have an Asian grocery store nearby, most of ingredients for the flour blends (like rice flour, tapioca starch etc.) are readily available and very inexpensive. Thank you again, and happy baking!
You are so welcome, Angela!! I’m so glad you liked the bread. It’s our favorite for sure.
I do sometimes buy some of the ingredients at Asian markets, but not the rice flour. I prefer the superfine rice flour that I’ve only been able to find on either Amazon or at Wegman’s. The others tend to be too gritty for me, but if they work for you, I wouldn’t change a thing 🙂
OMG this bread! Due to digetsive issues, I’ve been on a wheat-free diet for about 3 years now. I love to bake and eat baked goods, so during that time, I’ve been trying to find decent wheat-free breads that I can bake because store-bought is so expensive. This is an amazing bread! The recipe was easy, I had all the ingredients on hand, and it was a cinch to make. When I made this bread dough yesterday, I had some GF sourdough starter discard that needed to be used up, so I adapted Kim’s Italian Bread recipe to account for that addition. The bread came out beautifully, with a subtle sourdough tang to it. I’m going to continue to adapt this to get a richer sourdough loaf.
I’m so excited about this bread! Next up, Kim’s GF cinnamon buns. Thanks for sharing your great recipes, Kim!
Oh, that is so wonderful to hear, Chris!! I haven’t delved into making sourdough yet, but plan on it at some point. I’m so glad you loved the bread and you’re gonna love the cinnamon buns!!
Happy Gluten Free Baking 🙂
I had almost sworn off Pinterest because so many recipes didnt work and just seemed to be ads for products. BOY AMD I GLAD I TRIED THIS ONE!!! When I saw how much it rose in the oven I had to call everyone over to look at it. When we tasted it, everyone agreed that they couldn’t believe it was gluten free. I made mine as 6 sub rolls and my husband ate a whole one right out of the oven. He said it didnt even need butter! I am going to try all of your recipes and my husband cant wait!
Oh, Suzanne, you just made my day!! I’m so glad you all liked the bread! It is our favorite, and if you read through my post you’ll see that it was MY husband who first tasted the bread and said he loved it.
I hope you like all the other recipes, too 🙂 Have a very Happy New Year!!
I also called everyone to the oven to marvel at the amazing rising of the bread!
I wish I could upload a picture of my mom peeling off the crust as soon as she was able to. And she had dibs on both ends.
Kim, this is another winner, WOW!!! Before we went out of town a couple months ago I had half a recipe to use, I usually make pizza, so I figured it was the perfect time to make this bread. Popped it in the freezer and just unthawed it. Can not believe how delicious this is!!!! Thank you so much!
Awe, thank you Pam! It is our absolute FAVORITE bread. I’m so glad you liked it.
Merry Christmas to you 🙂
They only had Milk Protein Isolate at the store. I’m guessing that’s the same as Whey protein isolate, hoping it works as this is the first time I’m trying this recipe. I just made your gf bread flour blend last night. Also soooo excited. The only time I’ve had amazing gf bread was in a really small town in Spain that a restaurant has a baker prepare for them. Looking forward to trying this!
Hi, Sarah! I’m assuming milk protein isolate is the same as whey protein isolate. Whey is made from milk, so it sounds like it would be.
We used to live in Spain eons ago. I haven’t been since being diagnosed, but I’ve heard they have amazing gluten free stuff there! Why the US is behind the times is beyond me, but I’m hoping to change that.
Please let me know how it goes with the Italian bread! It’s our favorite bread that I make 🙂
Does the first rise of 6-8 hrs need to be in a warm environment? I can’t wait to try this. I received all my ingredients today from Amazon!
Hi, Diane! I’m so excited for you to try this bread. It is mine and my husband’s absolute favorite bread!!
No, the dough doesn’t have to be in a warm environment. Room temperature is perfectly fine 🙂
Alrighty !! It’s on the counter til bedtime and then I will be baking tomorrow! I’ll let you know. Thanks
Quick last minute question ,is it better to cook using convection on oven?
I don’t have a convection oven so I would say no. It comes out perfect in my oven.
I hope that helps 🙂
OMG!!!!!!!! It is awesome. First time we have ever had gf bread that tastes and feels real. I wish I knew how to upload a pic. Now I am going to make soft pretzels….
Yay!!!!! I’m so glad you liked it! I love hearing success stories from you all.
You’re gonna love the pretzels, too!
Where can I find the Kims Gluten Free Flour Blend….I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find it. Help!! I NEED this bread in my life!!!! <3
If you click on the link in the recipe (the hot pink text) it will bring you right to my flour blends page. There are three different blends on that page, so make sure you get the one strictly for breads. Here is another link to that page:
Happy gluten free baking 🙂
Hi Kim, for your flour blends, could the potato starch be replaced with arrowroot or another starch?
Hi, Mark! I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why arrowroot wouldn’t work. I’d give it a shot 🙂
Hi Kim
So I made this bread it looked and sounded so good.
However it did not rise very much. Maybe i did not measure in enough yeast. But I followed the rest precisely, well I don’t have a stand mixer so I beat it by hand and not for 5 mins because my arm was dead after 2-3 mins. So the Bread came out heavy a little gummy too. It tasted great. So I may try it again with more yeast.
Hi, Manisha. i’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you. I don’t think adding more yeast will work. I think what the problem is is trying to mix this by hand. It’s simply not going to work. If you have a handheld mixer, that might work better but even still, nothing comes close to the power of a stand mixer. Mixing it by hand for a few minutes won’t activate the xanthan gum or properly mix the ingredients well before allowing them to rise for the first time.
I know it’s an investment, but if you plan on making lots of gluten free bread I’d really recommend buying one. What I use is a Kitchenaid like this one here, but they also have cheaper ones like this one here.
Thanks Kim that might explain it. I will wait until I buy a stand mix before I try it again. Although I might have to sell my first born before I can! 😆
Haha! I hear ya, Manisha! I was just thinking, do you happen to have a food processor? I think a food processor would work great as well.
To make this dairy free can you substitute the milk with almond or hemp milk and the butter with ghee?
You should be able to as I’ve had several readers substitute milk with dairy free milk and butter with a dairy free alternative 🙂
This looks so good! What a great way to have a side for soup or salad. Could you make a sandwich with it?
Absolutely! I’ve made BLT’s, chicken salad sandwiches, you name it!!
Just went of Amazon to find flour that you had suggested. Can not find, do you know something different so want to make this. Sounds heavenly. Please advise!
Have you checked my shop page? It’s all there on the shop page. Here is the link: https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/shop/
Hope this helps 🙂
This recipe is amazing!!!!!! Now I did it a little different and made it in my bread machine I just got and it turned out beautifully. Just followed the order in which to put ingredients in based on the machine’s instructions and set the machine to gluten free. Just fantastic!
Yay, Leah!!! I’m so glad it turned out well! I appreciate the info about the bread machine, which I will add to the notes in the recipe if others want to try it as well.
Hi, I’ve been making your bread recipe for months now and I simply love it!! It took me 2 years to find a great recipe and I’m so glad I found yours.
Recently I decided to do a Mediterranean diet so I changed the melted butter for olive oil. The taste is slightly different but it’s still very good. I wanted to know if it’s possible to change the white rice flour to brown rice flour. Just trying to make it a little healthier.
Also, I made your Gluten Free Artisan Bread in baguette shape, but the taste was like cardboard. What could have gone wrong?
Hi, Catherine! I’m so glad you love the Italian bread!! I think it might work with the brown rice flour, but the only way to know is to try it. I would suggest using the same brand (Authentic Foods) as the superfine might make more of a difference. You may need to add a little more liquid.
I’m so sorry you didn’t have luck with the artisan bread. It definitely shouldn’t taste like cardboard. I’m not sure what could have gone wrong without being there with you. I first always make sure readers who are having problems are using the exact products I recommend. Without those, I can’t guarantee my recipes will work as those are the only ones I use. Next, I would go to the first rise and make sure you got a good rise. Then I would ask if you let it chill long enough in the fridge. Next, I would ask if you allowed it to rise enough for the second rise in a nice, warm environment. Finally, I would ask if you did the steam trick with the shallow pan and water. If all those things are checked off correctly, it should work. If not, please email me at [email protected] and we can go over it step by step.
Thanks again, Catherine 😀
I have never attempted gf bread before, but I followed your recipe and my bread turned out beautifully! The best bread I’ve eaten since becoming celiac! It didn’t have that gritty texture that so much gf baking has and holds together really nicely. It makes me happy that I can now bake this at home and not have to bother with overpriced, dry loaves from the store. I’m off to eat a sandwich with it!
Awe, I love hearing stories like this!!!! It truly makes my heart happy because I know what it’s like to have horrible, overpriced gf bread.
Thank you, thank you, thank you 😀😀😀
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried your recipe yet, however it looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it! I just need a small precision, what is the temperature scale you’re giving us? Is it Celsius (if so, I am afraid my oven won’t make it :(), Fahrenheit or another scale?
Thank you in advance for your answer,
xo,
Marie.
Hi, Marie! It is Farenheit that we use here in the US. I’m sorry I didn’t clarify that in my recipes.
Thank you so very much. Heading to store to buy the ingredients!!!
Awesome, Julie! Can’t wait for you to try the bread. You are gonna LOVE IT 🙂
Hi Kim, thank you so much for responding. Another question. Once the flour blend is made , will that make enough for the 3 cups to make the bread?
Thanks
Julie
The amounts given are for one cup of the bread flour blend. If you need 3 cups, you just have to multiply each amount by 3. So the potato starch would be 3X56, which equals 168. The rice flour would be 3X49, which would be 147, tapioca starch would be 45, whey protein isolate would be 51, and xanthan gum would be 9. I always suggest making more than you need to account for bench flour or for sprinkling on your parchment before you put the dough on it and then for shaping the dough.
Hope this helps, Julie 🙂
This looks amazing. I really want to try it but i don’t react to gums well. Can i sub pixie dust for xanthan gum in your bread flour mix? Have ant experience with it?
Hello, I’m looking forward to making the bread. Question , what is the purpose of the whey protein isolate?
Thanks
Hi, Julie! I’m so happy you’re going to try my recipes. You will love them!!
The purpose of the whey protein isolate is to add the protein into the gluten free flour blend that is normally in regular gluten filled flour. If you have a dairy allergy, some of my readers have had great success with substituting this with pea protein.
Hope this helps!!
O had a wonderful BLT with the fresh tomatoes for dinner… Oh it was sooogood. Had a fried egg and toast, and an almond butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. Best 24 hours eating. Next will be a juicy hamburger with your rolls. Can’t wait.
Haha! That is so awesome!! I’m so glad you liked the bread. I think the Italian is my favorite 🙂
Thanks so much for trying my recipes and your nice comments!
I believe I did it all correctly. I am going to try it again . I will let you know. Thanks!
Another thing I thought of was the flour blend. Did you use my bread flour blend as suggested? Some people have substituted different flours in my blend and had not so great results. I will cross my fingers that this time it will work for you 🤞
I made this recipe over the weekend and baked it off yesterday. I ended up with a very thin very gummy loaf and I have a couple questions.
I took it out of the fridge and shaped it, then let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes. this allowed it to warm up and lose its shape.
Does it have to rest for 30 minutes?
Is there any reason a loaf pan can not be used?
The flavor was outstanding so I would really like to get the gumminess and rising problem solved.
Thank you!
Hi, Lynn! I just made two loaves of this bread over Father’s Day weekend and they came out very tall and not gummy at all. Check back over the recipe. Did you just dump the dough onto a well floured piece of parchment right from the fridge? Did you set up the baking stone or steel (if you have one) and a shallow pan underneath and preheat the oven to the proper temp? Did you add the hot tap water to the pan when you put the loaf/loaves in the oven? That is essential to getting oven spring, or oven rise. Quickly shutting the oven door right after is also very crucial. The steam created from the water is what causes the bread to initially rise in the oven within its first 10 minutes of baking, so if that doesn’t happen it’s going to be very flat and, as a result, very gummy.
Also, covering the bread with plastic wrap while it’s rising for 30 minutes will help it from forming a skin, which would prevent it from rising.
Double check all the above, and if you did everything exactly as the recipe says, it may be your climate. If you want to use a loaf pan, you certainly could try it. I would drop the temp down to about 325 and let it bake for about one hour, checking with an instant read thermometer until it reaches an internal temp of about 190 degrees. You may have to cover the top with foil half way through if it gets too dark.
If all of this fails, email me and we can go over it. My family just loves this bread and on Father’s Day my dad said he thought it was BETTER than any gluten bread he’s ever had (he doesn’t need to eat gf), and may be the best bread he’s ever had! So I know that it works and I’d so much love, love, love for you to be able to experience it, too 🙂
Cutting it too soon while warm will also cause it to deflate and be gummy.
I was just wondering can this be used for Keto diet, too?
I’m not sure. I don’t know the keto diet enough to know if it can or not. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Love this, and it was easy to follow. Very crispy and a great alternate! Quick question, when the loaf was done, is the feeling the same as a tapioca loaf you would get at the market? I ask because, ours had that thick consistency and it wasn’t full of holes or light like a true Italian bread. Wanted to know if this was normal?
I’m not quite sure what you mean about tapioca loaf. I guess I’ve never had a tapioca loaf so I don’t know what to compare it to. If you’re thinking it’s supposed to be like a ciabatta, it’s not like that at all. It’s more of an Italian-American bread like my husband had from his hometown of Scranton, PA. It’s soft and fluffy, but not holey at all. In the post, I explain how I was trying to make it into a loaf of ciabatta, but it didn’t come out like that at all. Maybe I shouldn’t have named it Italian bread, but that’s what my husband said it reminded him of when I first made it (something from his hometown).
I hope that explains it a little better 🙂 I’m still working on trying to perfect an actual ciabatta bread.
Thanks for the reply! Ours wasn’t soft and fluffy, more thick than anything… wondering what I did to make it thick like that? It’s a great Italian bread when toasted!
Mine turned out thick as well…very dense! It’s fine toasted but you wouldn’t want to eat it not toasted…
Just to confirm – you MUST refrigerate over night after a 6-8 hr rise- correct?
Thanks!
I would highly recommend it. The initial rise (6-8 hours) is mostly for fermentation. Putting it in the fridge overnight helps get the dough nice and cold so it’s a little bit easier to work with. It will still be quite sticky, but the cold (and lots of extra flour) really help shape it 🙂
On baking day you say to remove from fridge, shape and let rise 1/2 hr-ish..mine has been sitting for 45 mins and is still cold and not “puffed” at all..I now have it in a warmer area..is it a big deal if it doesn’t puff at all?
Hi, Cassie! It should be fine to bake now. The Italian bread gets most of its rise in the oven.
Thanks Kim!
So it seemed to rise ok but it was really dense and I cooked it for 70mins! This is my second attempt, the first time I cooked it for 35 mins but it seemed under baked, and seemed the same this time so I left it in longer hoping it would cook more and get fluffier 🙁
I followed the directions step by step and used your bread flour mix, the taste is great I just need to get the consistency right, help!!
I wish I knew what’s causing it to be so dense 🙁 Without being there with you, it’s so hard to figure out. All I can think of is to keep trying and maybe take pictures of your steps so I can see if there’s so.ething that sticks out.
Sorry, Cassie! I was on vacation for the past two weeks and am just now answering all my comments.
Hmmm, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on but it’s so hard to tell not being in your kitchen with you. Did you get all the recommended flours in the bread flour blend, such as the superfine white rice flour? If you substitute a different type of rice flour, like Bob’s Red Mill or a rice flour from an Asian market, chances are the consistency will be way off and you won’t get the same results. You MAY be able to use another type of rice flour but increase the amount of the water until you’ve reached a pretty sticky dough. If your dough is at all thick and not sticky, you definitely aren’t getting the dough part of it right.
Please let me know what happens 🙂
Ok I will take some pics next time!
Thank you 😁
Hi, Kim, I’m having the same issues that Cassie is having. I’ve tried to make this Italian bread twice using your flour blend and everything. It is really dense and looks nothing like your picture. I don’t see any significant rise either until I put it into the oven, but it sinks and flattens once I take it out while it’s cooling. The yeast I’m using is brand new and has worked in other breads, so not sure what I’m doing wrong. Any tips? Btw, I absolutely LOVE your bread flour blend. It has made my trusty bread recipe 100 times better. You are a truly talented woman. I really want to get this bread right before I attempt your croissants. Thanks for any help.
Awe, you are too kind, Angela! I really appreciate it.
I’m so sorry you’re having trouble with this bread. It can be difficult trying to get gf breads just right. Are you kneading the dough at all before shaping it? The less you mess with it, the better. How long are you letting it proof? It shouldn’t rise much, but it will be noticeably larger and maybe you haven’t let it proof long enough. I’ve found this to be one of the most common problems that readers have–they don’t let the bread rise for long enough and are afraid to add a little warmth to the proofing area.
Have you tried turning your oven on to the lowest temp it will go (mine has a warm function at 170 degrees) and then turn it off and put the bread in the oven to proof? Sometimes I will have to do this a couple of times (turn the oven on and back off again several times) especially during the winter months when my house is colder than usual and it takes longer to proof breads.
Try that and please let me know if you’re still having problems.
Thanks so much, Angela 🙂
I went to Houston this spring to visit my daughter and her family. I had been saving the cinnamon roll recipe to try there, it was fabulous! Then I decided to try this recipe, Kim you are the real deal! This recipe is amazing! I have followed many blogs over the years and you are the first, one and only, that has given accurate representations with detailed instructions of your recipes! God Bless Your Heart!!! If you’re ever in Idaho I would love to take you to lunch! -Heidi
Heidi, thank you so very much for your extremely kind words! It is so incredibly satisfying to hear that people like my recipes, but your comment has touched my heart more than you’ll ever know! I recently lost my day job as a medical transcriptionist (replaced by technology) and decided to put all my time into this blog, but was very nervous about it. I think hearing this from you just solidified my decision as the right one for what I should be doing with my life. If I can make one person happy with my recipes, then I feel like I’ve done what I set out to do.
Thank you again for the amazing comment, Heidi! And if I ever find myself in Idaho, I will gladly take YOU to lunch 😍😍😍
Kim
So happy to find this recipe for gluten free bread – it is soooo expensive in the stores!! Very interesting to know that you were a medical transcriptionist. I was too, – worked in-house for many years, then at home as a contract worker.. At the end it was mostly editing. The hospital then let us all go, and hired an agency – very sad… I bet you enjoyed your job as much as I did – we’re a strange breed in that most of us loved what we did… Thanks for your recipes..
Same (I worked in the office for years before going home as a contractor). I loved transcribing for the docs, but in our company it was pretty stressful because we never had enough transcribers employed and someone else couldn’t easily jump in and help out if there were people out, etc. Taking time off was always so difficult. I’m in a much better place now doing what I’ve always been passionate about (baking). But I do miss hearing the docs’ voices and rolling my eyes at some of the things they would say, haha!
Please convert the grams to cups & the other measurements
Hi, Sondra! The best method is using a scale for my breads because it keeps everything precise (plus, it’s so much easier), but I have converted as best I could to cups for everything 🙂
Do you think it would work with non dairy milk?
Hi, Denise! Yes, I do think it would work. I’ve been meaning to give it a try myself, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’d like to try to make all my breads dairy free if possible 🙂
If I don’t try it soon and you do, let me know how it goes! Otherwise, I’ll put it on my list of things to do and try to get to it within the next month or so 🙂
I’d love to know how it comes out, with dairy free milk. I may try it, with rice milk. Looks wonderful!
It’s definitely on my list of things to try in the next month or so, but if you get to it before I do, please let me know how it turns out 🙂
I have made this recipe a few times and it turns out beautifully when I make it by hand but for some reason when I made it in the bread maker it was very dense and the inside was brown for some reason. I have no idea why this is but I won’t be using the breadmaker to make this anymore!
What’s the purpose of putting a pan under the baking pan. Maybe I missed something in the excitement of finding a gf Italian bread.
I understand, Sylvia. It IS exciting finding good stuff for us to eat, isn’t it? The purpose of the shallow pan is for “oven spring,” which is when steam causes the bread to rise as much as it possibly can in the first few minutes of baking. What I like to do is heat the pan up when the oven is preheating, and when I put the bread in the oven, on the stone or steel, I then pour about a cup of hot tap water into the shallow pan. I quickly shut the oven door. This creates immediate steam and helps the bread to rise.
Hope this helps 🙂
OMG! I have made this bread at least 6 times now! I do not have a gf issue, but bake and sell this bread to so many persons who have been missing a soft/delicious bread. At first l didn’t want $, but they insisted, in order for me to keep making it!😂
Awe, that’s awesome!!!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi, Vanessa! It keeps no more than a great loaf of gluten-filled bread, mainly due to having no preservatives. I would say a couple of days before having to freeze it. My suggestion would be to slice it and freeze the slices on a baking sheet individually and then wrap them in plastic wrap or a freezer bag. We always seem to eat it before it goes stale 😉
Are u able to tell how much of each kind of flour is bread in this recipe, without making the full 5 cups of your blend? Hate to waste the extra cup or so.
Hi, Lisa! I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner!! I was on vacation for the past two weeks and have just now been getting back to everyone.
You really need to have more than just the 3 cups plus 3 tbsp bread flour blend in the recipe because you’ll need extra for sprinkling on your work surface and covering the dough with. This dough is a very sticky dough that will stick to any surface that doesn’t have a good amount of flour on it. By the time you’re done, you won’t have much of the flour left anyway. If you’re worried about wasting any, I would just put whatever is left in a small container with a tight-fitting lid. It’ll last for a while on the counter, but you can also put it in the freezer until the next time you want to make bread.
Hope this helps answer your question 🙂
Hi Kim, I was just wondering if I could make these into rolls similar to ciabatta rolls they do look like they’d be similar, or do you have a recipe for ciabatta rolls
I’ve been working on a ciabatta bread recipe for a long time now (over 3 years) and it’s still not where I want it to be. As soon as I have success, I will definitely be posting the recipe. I think the Italian bread is too soft for ciabatta, in my opinion.
I made using almond milk and plant butter (my dh has dairy& wheat allergy, I have celiac) and it turned out great!
Awesome, Abbi!!
This looks so good! What a great addition to a gluten free meal! Everyone likes to enjoy bread with their supper!
Thanks! My husband absolutely loves it and he doesn’t need to eat gluten free 🙂
I made this bread and it was the best GF bread I have had. I used your GF flour mix to make it. No picture as it quickly disappeared. I will make it again and again. I would like to play with the recipe and try to make it sourdough. I have also made the cinnamon rolls. I made half of the dough into cinnamon rolls and the other half into chocolate babka. The GF version was actually better than the gluten bread. Next I’m making the rye.
You’ve been busy, Patricia!! I’m so glad you like all you’ve tried so far 🙂
A few years ago we had to go gluten free when we discovered a sensitivity in our son (and later our whole family). Our kids are 6, 5, and almost 3 and we bake with your flour blends all the time! I’m so thankful to still be able to make delicious treats for them, that they can actually have. We have this bread prepped for tonight’s dinner!
Thank you so much for all your time developing these recipes!! Our family love them!
So happy to hear! Thank you so much, Heidi 🙂
This was my first time ever making gluten free bread and it was amazingly delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe.
That’s awesome, Kelly!!! So glad you liked it 🙂