My Gluten Free Rye Bread Recipe is so authentic in both taste and texture that you'll never believe it's made without rye.
UPDATE: Gluten Free Mock Rye Bread was originally posted on March 18, 2020 and has been updated with new pictures, new tips and information, and an in-depth video.
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You know what one of my top favorite sandwiches of all time is? A Reuben. You know, the sandwich piled high with corned beef, swiss cheese, and a healthy dose of sauerkraut? And of course we can't forget the bread. Rye bread is the traditional bread used to make a Reuben sandwich. But, as we know, rye is also filled with gluten. So how do we make a bread taste like rye with the texture of rye without rye? I've got the answer to that question, so read on!
How to Get the Flavor of Rye Without Rye
Since we can't have rye flour, we need something that will make the bread at least taste like rye bread. Caraway seeds are in seeded rye bread and the taste of caraway, although not the true taste of rye, is something we all probably associate with rye bread.
But seeds sprinkled throughout the dough would only give it a slight flavor, so we need to amp up that caraway flavor. By putting some of the caraway seeds in a coffee/spice grinder and creating a caraway "powder" we can really concentrate the caraway flavor into the bread.
Here's What You'll Need to Make Gluten Free Rye Bread
- Kim's gluten free bread flour blend - there really is no substitute for my bread flour blend.
- Caraway seeds - these are to make the caraway "powder" but you can also add the whole seeds into the dough if you like seeded rye bread.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - sounds strange in a bread, but for a darker rye bread that's what gives it the color. You won't taste it and it doesn't make the bread sweet or chocolatey.
- Milk - helps create a very soft dough.
- Butter - also helps with the softness of the dough. For substitutes, see below.
How to Make Rye Bread
Add all ingredients for rye bread into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium high for 5 minutes. Cover and allow to proof until doubled in size, approximately 2-3 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
After dough has been properly chilled, knead it on a well-floured surface until smooth. Shape into a torpedo shape (also called batard) on a sheet of parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until nearly doubled in size.
Once dough has fully risen, remove the plastic wrap and slash it three times with a bread lame or serrated knife. Slide it into a preheated 450 degree F oven onto a baking steel or stone and cover with an oven-safe dome (such as an overturned large stainless steel bowl here). For more options to produce steam, see below. After 15 minutes, remove the bowl and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom or registers at least 200 degrees on a thermometer.
Rye Bread FAQs
No, normal rye bread is not gluten free. Rye is one of the grains that contain gluten. However, my "no rye" or "mock" rye bread uses caraway "powder" to flavor the bread so it will taste like rye without any of the gluten.
It is best to eat gf rye bread the day it is made. However, it will last at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to 5 days. It may be toasted after that, or it can be frozen for a longer time frame (up to 3 months).
Yes, you will need to reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F after the first 15 minutes at 450. Continue to bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 200 degrees F.
More Gluten Free Bread Recipes to Try
- Gluten free potato cheddar bread
- Soft and buttery gluten free brioche
- Perfect gluten free marble rye
- Gluten free crusty French rolls
- Gluten free Mexican conchas
- Gluten free spicy cheese bread
- Fabulous gluten free Italian bread
- Gluten free sandwich bread recipe
What are you waiting for? Bake a loaf (or two) of gluten free mock rye bread and make a sandwich! Reuben perhaps?
Gluten Free Rye Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 grams whole milk (a dairy-free milk may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 56 grams butter, melted (a dairy-free butter may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 5 grams whole psyllium husks* (3 grams of psyllium husk powder may be used instead) (SEE BELOW for how to make the bread without psyllium husks)
- 6 grams instant yeast
- 29 grams granulated sugar
- 14 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 14 grams caraway powder (caraway seeds ground fine in coffee/spice grinder)
- 7 grams caraway seeds, if desired
- 453 grams Kim's gluten free bread flour blend
- 12 grams kosher salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all the ingredients for the dough in the order in which they are listed above. Mix on low to combine and then increase speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. Remove from the mixer, scrape into the center of the bowl (or scrape into another bowl), and cover; proof until doubled in size. Proofing times will vary depending on your ambient temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. (Dough will fall slightly while refrigerated. This is normal).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop into onto a well-floured surface (use extra bread flour blend as bench flour). Knead until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to keep from sticking.
- Shape the dough into a batard (torpedo) shape or boule and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza peel (paddle). Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft-free area to rise until nearly doubled in size. While the dough is rising, place a baking steel or stone on the middle rack of your oven. If using the shallow pan steam method (see below for steam methods), place the shallow pan on the bottom rack at this time). Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- When dough has fully risen, slash the dough in three places across the top of the dough and use the pizza peel (paddle) to slide the dough onto the baking steel (or stone), parchment and all. FOR THE BOWL STEAM METHOD, immediately cover the bread with a large oven-safe bowl. FOR THE HOT WATER STEAM METHOD, pour one cup of very hot tap water into the shallow pan and close oven door. Bake bread for 15 minutes. Remove the bowl (or shallow pan) and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped and is nicely risen. If the top is getting too dark before bread is done baking, cover lightly with aluminum foil.
- Remove the bread from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
CLAYTON LEONIDAS DUVALL
hello, may i substitute the sugar out? what will be a good replacement?
Kim
I don't recommend it as the sugar is there for tenderness. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with subbing sugar.
Gillie
Hi! I am having trouble with all of your recipes that have the liquid in grams. Do you use the fluid grams measurement on the scale, or the same scale as one does for dry ingredients ? Thank you!
Kim
HI, Gillie! I use the same scale I use for dry ingredients. It has 4 different measurements: grams, milliliters, ounces, and pounds. I set my bowl or whatever measuring vessel I'm using to weight out my ingredients on the scale, tare it out to zero, and then pour my liquid in. I always leave it on grams when measuring either dry or wet.
Hope this helps!
Bonnie
I don’t want to rate this, because this is the first recipe I’ve tried that didn’t turn out right. I’m wondering why. Mine was so wet it would not form any kind of cohesive mass. I have no idea what went wrong.
Kim
Oh no! I wish I knew what went wrong, too. Did you use my flour blend, with superfine or ultrafine white rice flour? Or substitute anything within it? That's usually where the problem is.
David
What I love so much about your blog is how much I feel you’ve taught me. I’ve learnt how to make sour dough starter and achieve some incredible results such as gluten free panettone, hot cross buns and stollen. This rye bread is just the latest. I’ve not been to the US for at least 20 years but this recipe brought back great memories of Rueben sandwiches in Boston. I used my sourdough starter, banneton baskets and the multi seed flour blend (but with white rice flour rather than brown) and I’m really pleased with the results. As other people have said, the taste is spot on and the texture is lovely, soft and springy. Thank you for this great recipe and for teaching me so much about gluten free baking in your blog!
Kim
Awe, thank YOU so much for such kind words!!!! I am absolutely thrilled that you are having wonderful success with my recipes 🥰🥰🥰
Chantale
GF kids were so excited to finally have a "rye" bread for their rueben sandwishes. The taste and texture was soo good! I've already had a request to make more. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Kim
It's my pleasure, Chantale! I'm so glad your kids liked the bread so much 🥰
Priscilla
Kim, I am amazed at your incredible skill to create such bread recipes! I have been GF since 2008 (not bc of diagnosed Celiac, just painful eating), and pretty much gave up on any decent bread. More recently I have begun baking again, and came across your Multigrain Seeded bread recipe, and was excited bc of the fiber in it. WOW! What a great recipe! I love this bread, and make two 7" bannetons with the recipe, slice it after cooling, and freeze it until I want to have a piece of toast. AND, I just made your GF Rye Bread recipe--unbelievable! It really is convincingly rye bread! Thank you so much for your passion and willingness to share your love of baking GF! I hope to explore more and more of your recipes!
Teresa Dehmel
Kim,
I am making this bread for the second time and I am having problems with the dough being very wet when I take it out of the refrigerator. I am adding about 2 cups of flour to get the right consistency before shaping. Despite this it came out good the first time. It is rising now so I will let you know how this one comes out. I guess I wanted to double check the milk amount which came to over 2 cups in grams. Is this correct or is this normal for the dough to be so wet? I am using the psylllium husk as recommended. Let me know; it was absolutely delicious though. Thank you for your yummy recipes.
Kim
Thank you so much!
Typically I find if someone says their dough is really wet, it's because they used the wrong ingredients within the flour blend, such as a gritty rice flour that's cheaper. Using a gritty rice flour will make your dough super wet as the rice flour is unable to absorb as much liquid as a superfine rice flour.
Teresa
Can you please share which white rice flour to get. I am just learning there is a difference between them. Thanks for your help and wonderful recipes!
Rowan Terrell
Hi there! I'm a huge fan of your sourdough recipe and looking to give this one a try... Any chance you've tested baking this with a dutch oven? (With lid on initially to trap steam and removing lid to finish baking?) Wondering if you have any thoughts on that! Thanks in advance 🙂
Kim
I have not, but there is no reason why it wouldn't work just the same. I would use the same baking instructions as my sourdough or artisan bread recipe for Dutch oven baking.
Chris Johnston
HI Kim: I just made the Rye bread it is absolutely the best bread we have ever made. Soft interior, wonderful crumb, just the right amount of crust texture.
Absolutely Superior.
Thank you
Chris
Kim
That is AWESOME Chris!! So glad you liked it, and thank you for your wonderful comment 🥰
Sandy
I have made so many GF bread recipes trying to find an acceptable bread. I have not been happy with any of them until I tried your recipes.
The only reason I make corned beef in March is so my husband and I can have Reuben Sandwiches. After trying (and loving) your Italian Bread, I knew I was actually going to enjoy a Reuben Sandwich again. The Rye Bread recipe is amazing. My husband who does not have to be gluten free is very impressed with the Rye Bread and all the other recipes of yours I have tried. This morning we had the cinnamon rolls. OMG, soooo good!! Thank you!! Thank You!!
I have yet to be disappointed! Thank you for all your research and for sharing your recipes with us!!
Sandy in Tuolumne, California
Kim
It is MY pleasure!!! Thank you so much for your kind words and for following along in my gluten free journey 🥰