Getting started baking gluten free bread doesn’t have to be difficult. But it’s important to remember that gluten free flours work a little differently. To make life easier, we’ve pulled together our favourite tips for baking gluten free bread.

Top tips for baking gluten free bread

1. Avoid cold ingredients that may prevent yeast growth. Instead, allow ingredients like eggs or milk to come to room temperature before starting a recipe.
2. Avoid hot ingredients as they’ll impact the yeast as well. For example, if you add warm milk, take care not to overheat it.
3. Use a hot oven for gluten free bread that’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, bake in a hot oven for a short time.
4. Cover your dough with a damp tea towel as this helps with the proving process.
5. Experiment with bread pans to work out what breads work best for your recipe. Metal and glass are both good options, but you also use muffin tray or a baking sheet for rolls.
6. Bread that sinks may have too much moisture so try reducing the liquid a little.
7. Buy an oven thermometer to get accurate oven temperatures.
8. Measure precisely by spooning flour into a measuring cup then level with a knife. If you scoop it the flour can compress, meaning you’re using too much dry ingredients.
9. Measure by weight to get the exact amount of flour needed for your recipe.
10. Don’t let the dough rise too quickly by keeping it away from spots that are too hot.
11. Use warm water to combine with the yeast. This is necessary to activate the yeast
12. Ignore advice from wheat bread recipes as they don’t apply to gluten free bread. Excessive kneading and punching of the dough won’t do your bread any favours. Knead the dough for a short time until it forms a smooth consistency and no more.
13. Brush the dough with olive oil as the dough proves. This helps trap the moisture and creates a lovely environment for the yeast.
14. Allow the bread to cool gradually by leaving it in the oven after baking. Switch the oven off and open the door, then remove after 10 minutes.
15. Test your yeast by proofing it. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 ¼ teaspoons of yeast to one cup of warm water. Stir briefly then allow to sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should have risen and be frothy with a yeasty smell. If it has done nothing, the yeast is dead.
16. Make sure the loaf is cooked by inserting a thermometer to check the bottom of the loaf has reached roughly 95°C.
17. Use a wooden spoon and hand mix rather than using a mixer.
18. Avoid using a cold kitchen for rising the dough. Instead, heat the oven to 95°C and then switch it off, before adding the dough with a bowl of water next to it. Wait for the dough to double in size before removing it.
19. Use fizzy lemonade, soda water, or gluten free beer as a replacement for some of the liquid in the recipe. The bubbles will give your bread excellent lift.
20. Set your oven to convection bake if you can as it provides more consistent heat throughout.
21. Cover the loaf with foil if your loaves are nice and crusty on top but the bottom is underdone.
22. Correctly position your loaf in the middle of the oven. If it’s up high the top will rise too quickly and split.
23. Don’t overdo the stabilizers like guar gum or xanthan gum if you’re baking bread from scratch.

Summing up

We hope these gluten free bread baking tips help you out in the kitchen. The team at Well and Good are passionate about creating products and recipes for people living with intolerances and allergies to certain foods. Our gluten free bread mixes are gluten, dairy, nut, and soy free. So if you’re looking for an easy way to bake bread, check out our Crusty Bread Mix and Seriously Low Carb Bread Mix.

All the best of luck with your gluten free bread baking. If you have any further tips send us a message and let us know.