Sandwiches are a staple of our diet. When John first started a gluten free diet we searched through grocery store after grocery store hunting the elusive frozen rice bread that our internet searches indicated should be there. We finally found some and, upon trying it, promptly spit it out. It was horrible! John kept eating it though, because what else is one to do when you don’t know how to cook and your girlfriend is away at grad school.
By the time we married the following year, we had a bread machine and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix. Thus started the four year saga of baking gluten-free bread that was either dense, wet, full of air holes, or incredibly misshapen. At last count we’ve been through three different recipes plus innumerable variations of each when I just couldn’t keep my hands off the recipe (which would be at least 95% of the time). But do not be disheartened – Finally, after four years, I have worked out a recipe that consistently turns out really good sandwich bread. The loaves are definitely of a gluten-free stature (i.e., not that tall), but it’s Good Bread.
Really Good Sandwich Bread
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)
2 ½ cups "Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix Recipe"
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt
2 eggs (or 6 Tbsp. water and 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1. Start by combining the yeast and sugar in a small bowl (I use the smallest in my set of three nested mixing bowls). Add the water while gently stirring the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients – bubbles and foam should form if the yeast is happy.
2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in the largest mixing bowl and stir well.
3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.
4. By this point the yeast mixture should be foamy, so you can pour the two liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed and then dump into your bread machine. Cook on the 80 minute setting – the stirring paddle is not necessary.
I tried this recipe but I added rosemary to the flour mix and it came out delicious. One more way to add flavor to already really good sandwich bread. =)
Ok, I’ve tried this recipe several times now. My son has wheat and egg allergies, so this has been a life changing find. We can have sandwich bread in our house again after more than a year of going without! Thank you for this recipe…awesome! Better than the whole wheat bread I used to buy in the store, and a close second at least to my all time childhood favorite, white Merita bread! I have made it with the rice flour/potato starch/corn starch mix that someone suggested…very good, but I like the combo of rice flour, corn starch, soy flour and potato starch (could not find masa harina) the best. It has wonderful texture, exactly like regular bread. Exactly. What I don’t understand is why commercially prepared GF breads haven’t discovered this combo…it’s really great! Of note, I made with flaxseed meal instead of egg, and also used the oven method. AWESOME!
@ Annette – Arrowhead Mills makes gluten free soy flour.
What a great website!
On Christmas day, when I made regular bread for all of us gluten eaters, I made a loaf of your bread for my friend. She was speechless; she just couldn’t believe that it was gluten-free. I’ve been making her a loaf a week ever since. Even we gluten eaters loved the bread.
I am so glad that I read all of your comments. The tips were wonderful and very helpful.
Mary Frances, your hints about leaving the bread in the oven while rising and then bake from there after it had risen was great. And your hint about letting it cool in the oven with the door open, so as not to allow the bread to go through extreme temperature changes was genius. I have not had a fallen loaf of bread yet. The loaves come out as high as the pan and look picture perfect.
Jodi, your flour mixture is the best. It is inexpensive and easy to find. The best hint that you gave is to let the mixer beat the bread for 4-5 minutes for the best volume and you are right as rain! No small loaves for me.
One last comment, someone mentioned a Gluten Substitute (by OrgraN) that you could use to have more elasticity in the bread. I tried this product and this is what I found:
The directions on how to use the product are not specific. It says: “Simply add 1 part GfG (product) to 5 parts of gluten free flour…” It gives examples that put you in the ball park of what you need. I finally figured out that I needed to add between 1/3 to 1/2 Cup of product to my recipe. It also doesn’t mention that you should add a little more water to the batter. I added about 1/8 Cup (+/-) water. The dough was very thick and sticky, but it came out great. The slices had more elasticity and held together very well. I also didn’t need to mix the bread as long – maybe 3-4 minutes top.
I can recommend this product whole heartedly and without reservation. It does a nice job and the added cost is only about $1.50 more to the bread, which is still way cheaper than commercial non-gluten bread.
However, I can say that using your recipe with Jodi’s flour mixture and the extra beating, you really can do without the product if you would rather keep the cost of the bread down to a bare minimum.
Thanks for all of your help.
I am looking forward to trying the sandwich bread recipe, am wondering how long to bake in oven?
Thanks for making the infomration available!
After 8 years any many disappointing loaves of g.f. bread, I can say that I think this ‘really good sandwich bread’ has given me some hope. As I read the comments and some said beat the batter for 3 or 4 min. the light bulb went on in my head. I did use 3 eggs and beat the batter before pouring it into regular oven pans and could tell that something was right about it. No gooey middle after baking – very, very light texture that didn’t crumble at all. How exciting. Only snag is bland flavor which can be fixed. Next I’ll try a little more salt and sugar or add garlic, basil… I found cinn. and sugar as well as prune butter the best stuff to put on so far and rubbing on garlic with some cheese melted good too. To one batch I made three 7″ loaves. One slice is about a half slice of real bread. Next time I’ll use little bigger pans and make 2. Not worried about wet inside. I think they baked 375 for 20-25min. I’ll be taking the recipe and samples to our next celiac meeting. So many sad breads out there!!! and adults and children are stuck with them – and NOT cheap!! Many thanks for all the experimenting and sharing.
This bread is awesome! I’m newly diagnosed with wheat gluten allergies and have only tried a couple of bread mixes before and this a million times better. I added 4 Tbs. of powdered milk for more protein and my bread machine doesnt have an 80 minute cycle either. I used the lowest setting, which let it rise for 90 minutes, then baked it on the lowest possible setting, which was about 50 minutes and it turned out perfect! Thanks to whoever originally posted this recipe, I couldnt be more grateful!!
Help! I don’t have a bread machine. What’s the oven method?
I made this yesterday. And we love love love this bread. This will be my everyday recipe for now on. Thank you very much. I’ll be making this for now on. Can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thanks!
Super work. You have got a recent regular reader. Please maintain the great writings and I look forward to more of your gripping updates.
Just tried this recipe over the weeken and let me tell you it was great. Bakes like regular bread, texture like regular bread, freezes like regular bread must be regular bread – NOT. Like the others I have tried many recipes and none of them can compare to this one. Thank you