After many attempts to create a gluten-free sandwich bread, including some encouraging results and one disastrous bread bomb, we’ve finally hit the mark with version 6.0, which we’ve deemed ready for public consumption!
It browns beautifully, and holds it shape very well.
Best of all, the texture is great – good crumb, nice and moist, without being either too gummy (from too much xanthan gum) or too eggy (from too much egg white).
It also cuts into slices really well. Even very thin slices hold together easily, without crumbling or falling apart. I’ll admit, this might be one of the most satisfying gluten-free baking recipes I’ve personally developed (partly because the journey to this point was so long and arduous, and partly because I’m so pleased with the result). 
Here’s the recipe:1 3/4 cups milk (2%)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1. In a medium saucepan, scald the milk with the sugar, butter and salt. Whisk occasionally. (The sugar and salt should dissolve, and the butter should melt.) Remove from heat and allow to cool just until it’s warm, not hot. (You don’t want to scramble the eggs in step 2, or kill the yeast in step 3.)
2. Add the egg whites and whisk to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum and yeast. Add to the saucepan, and stir until well-mixed.
4. Transfer the bread batter/dough into a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. (When done baking, allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the loaf pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.)
Enjoy!
Also, a couple of notes:
For this recipe, I used Fleischmann’s gluten-free Active Dry Yeast. Depending on the type of yeast you’re using, you may need to proof your yeast first before adding it to the recipe. (Even the Fleischmann’s website says the Active Dry Yeast works best when dissolved in water first, though I didn’t find it necessary with this recipe…)
For those of you who live and bake at or near sea level, you may experiment with using slightly less flour (no more than a 1/4 cup less, max). Even so, I’d recommend trying to the full amount first, and downward adjusting your flour amount if necessary the next time around.
– Pete
yaaayy!!! Woohoo!!
Enjoy Camille! =)
Cheers, Pete
Very beautiful – especially in comparison to your bread bomb. 🙂
Thanks Deanna! Compared to the bread bomb, I’d say there is no comparison! =)
Cheers, Pete
Hi Pete, the bread sounds and looks awesome!!!! What type of milk did you use (Skim, 1,or 2%…)? thanks
Hi Anonymous… Thanks for your compliments! I used 2% milk, and have updated the post to reflect that.
Cheers, Pete
YUUUUM!!! I’m so impressed!
Hi Lauren… Welcome to NGNP, and to the world of the newly diagnosed with Celiac! I hope you continue to heal, feel better, and recover from your secondary conditions now that you’re gluten-free. Thanks for your compliments on the bread!
Cheers, Pete
It looks fantastic, Pete! And, doesn’t appear to be difficult to make either–that’s a big plus. 😉 I’m not in bread-making mode at the moment with the heat we’re having, but would definitely like to give it a try. I’ll share the link with my group, too. 🙂
Thanks for your persistence!
Shirley
I’m making this today!
The bread looks amazing. Have you tried Udi’s brand bread? If so, how does it compare.
Congratulations on your success. I’ve had MANY bread disasters and find I like the convenience of having Udi’s in the freezer.
Beautiful bread! Definitely going on my to-try list! Glad you guys found a way to perfect this 🙂
Thanks for posting this! I’m new to gluten-free cooking and feeling quite overwhelmed, but this looks simple and very “do-able” (and delicious!).
Hi Shirley… I can sympathize with not being in bread-baking mode. We’re expected to hit 96 today, and I’ll be very glad NOT to turn the oven on. =)
Hi Rachel… Sounds good! How did it turn out?
Hi Kim… Udi’s is very good. Based on my memory, I believe they use both yeast and chemical leaveners. Their bread is drier, lighter, and “whiter.” Ours has more moisture, is a little heavier/hearty, and has more of a whole grain flavor.
Hi Stephanie… Thanks for your compliments!
Hi Kat… Welcome to the gluten-free world. Though it can seem overwhelming at first, you’ll get the hang of it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.
Cheers, Pete
Do you think this one is better than the one in the book and the one you released to replace the book one?
I find that the rapid rise works best for me when baking breads. I know it doesn’t have the same flavor as the active dry, but it’s the only one I can get to proof.
Hi Amanda… This bread is quite different than the one in the cookbook (and its corrected replacement). In my opinion, there’s no comparison between them, though I hesitate to call one better than the other. They’re simply different. The bread recipe in the cookbook is denser and more hearty and has a richer flavor. This bread is much lighter, with better crumb, and works extremely well as a sandwich bread (hence the name) and as an all around yeast bread. I’d be very interested to hear about your results and feedback if you decide to make it. And yes, I think the most important thing is to use a yeast that will activate and rise for you, regardless of whether it’s rapid rise, active dry, etc.
Cheers, Pete
Hi, I tried your recipe but mine didn’t work. 🙁 It came out as the classic gf bread brick – exactly 1 inch tall. I used fresh yeast (proofed it separately to be sure) and followed the recipe with only 2 exceptions – I used soymilk instead of cow’s (I’m lactose intolerant) and I substituted arrowroot for cornstarch in the mix according to your suggestion. Help! (By the way, we love the chocolate chip cookie recipe in your book. Full marks even from my gluten-eating kids.)
Hi Lily… Soy milk is your problem. It’s a major departure from the recipe, and in my own experimentations with soy milk, it hasn’t worked either.
Cheers, Pete
I will try again with cow’s milk (and take my lactaid pills). I wonder why it doesn’t work with soymilk….from what I understand soy and cow’s milk have similar fat and protein content. Since the problem seemed to be lack of rising, I suspect soymilk may be lower in sugar and thus not feed the yeast as well. Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Lily… Please let us know how it turns out when using cow’s milk. I expect (and hope) you’ll see a big improvement. Soy milk has never worked well for us in baking. Using it to make GF pancakes resulted in dense hockey pucks, and it created a much denser bread as well. Good luck!
Cheers, Pete
Maybe Lily could try the SO Delicious Coconut Milk (I prefer the unsweetened). It has a consistency closer to dairy milk than soy milk does. Also, goats milk is easier to digest for those with lactose intolerance (in many cases) so it might be worth a try too.
Hi Amanda… Thank you for your helpful suggestions! I’m sure Lily will appreciate them. (And I plan on experimenting with them, too, in order to try my hand at developing dairy-free versions of some of our popular recipes…)
Cheers, Pete
Hi everyone, I’m new to gluten-free also but an old hand at baking. I was very excited to see the bread recipe here and made it up this morning. I am also allergic to cow’s milk and have used soy milk in baking in the past with great success. I did use it in this recipe and it turned out great! I also used Red Star regular yeast as that’s what I had in the pantry. One problem could be the temp of the milk mixture, it’s got to be warm enough to let the yeast rise but not too hot for the eggs. Thanks for the great book and the great blog.
Hi Pat… Thanks for sharing your perspective and results! Much appreciated!
Cheers, Pete
Unfortunately it didn’t get a lot of rise. I do think I have to proof on the side and/or use rapid rise yeast.
It has a really nice crust to it though. I haven’t tasted it yet.
I did this dairy free with SO Delicious Coconut Beverage and Coconut Oil instead of butter.
Thanks for sharing your results, Amanda! I’m still putting my finger on the science of exactly why, but I find that making the bread dairy free (with coconut, soy or another milk) results in less rise and a much denser bread. I’m going to try to perfect a dairy free version, since so many of our readers have that dietary restriction in addition to gluten.
Cheers, Pete
I’m going to give this a try this weekend. I used to make my own whole wheat bread prior to having to eat GF. It was easy to make compared to GF versions! I’ve had SO MANY GF flops!
Sounds good, Kim! Please let us know how it turns out!
Cheers, Pete
Peter, Thank you sooooo much for investing the time to give us such wonderful alternatives to wheat flour. I have made many of my old favorites substituting the gluten free flour recipe and I have had wonderful results. My guests haven’t even noticed a difference! There is one recipe I can’t seem to get right and it’s the bread. I tried the cookbook version twice and the first never would rise. The second I was super careful to check the temperature of the milk mixture before adding it to the dry. It rose maybe a 1/2 inch after 2 hours. On the third attempt, I used this recipe on the blog and proofed the yeast and checked the temperatures…the dough got to right below the top of the pan about an hour later. I popped it in the oven and 30 minutes later the bread had caved in on itself. It tasted great but not exactly sandwich material. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Tara
I just made this. It turned out SO well! I had to tweak it a bit though. I am lactose intolerant, so I used unsweetened almond milk. And my mother can’t have sugar, so I used honey instead. It worked out great. It sliced so nicely! Thank you for this recipe!
Katie
P.S. Your cook book rocks too!
Hi Katie… So glad to hear you enjoyed the bread! How much unsweetened almond milk did you use? A 1:1 substitution for the cow’s milk? And how about the honey? (I’m always curious to see how people successfully adapt our recipes to be dairy and/or refined sugar free…) Thanks!
Cheers, Pete
Hey Pete,
Is there any chance you have perfected the dairy free version of this recipeyet?
– Joe
Okay, I made the bread and it really didn’t rise very much. I’m thinking I probably let the milk cool too much before adding the eggs and the flour mixture. Any suggestions as to temperature to cool to? Also, I am at 50 feet above sea level so I will probably take your suggestion to decrease the flour mixture a little. The joys of baking experiments! 🙂 I’m not sure which of the flours give the bread a slightly “different” flavor/aroma; may have to sub one of them out.
It was quite tasty with some peach jam.
p.s. What happened to my other post re: using whole milk? It seems to have disappeared.
Hi Peter: I’m GF day 31. huge difference in health excepting fatigue and lactose intolerance. Also, unable to digest meat without causing pain. I’m beginning to tolerate eggs again. What a relief.GF baking is a brand new world. This bread looks great. I was wondering if the bread rise is only 30 minutes or if it doubles? Can you let me know please.
Hi Anonymous… Welcome to the GF lifestyle! Hope it’s going well. After 30 min, you should expect about a 50% or more rise from the bread dough. Enjoy!
Cheers, Pete
Hello!
First, as a newly diagnosed Celiac, I was very excited to find your website! I actually found your cookbook first! 🙂 (Barnes Noble)
I tried making the sandwich bread -the height was good, sides browned nicely but the texture was too doughy. I did use Lactose-Free Lactaid Milk. (problem?)
I baked it for recommended time and it was firm to the touch. Maybe I just needed to bake it longer or was it the milk?
The Crispy Treats were awesome! 🙂
Thanks for your wisdom, recipes and encouragement!
Thanks! 🙂
Jody
Hi Jody… Welcome to No Gluten, No Problem! Glad you’ve found us! I haven’t tested the bread recipe using lactose-free milk, but I wouldn’t expect it to cause a problem. Lactose helps with browning in bread crust, but shouldn’t impact the texture inside the loaf. A little extra time in the oven might help. You might also try one less egg white, or just a touch less xanthan gum, or just a touch more flour.
Cheers, Pete
Hey, I was wondering how this recipe compares to typical gluten-included sandwich bread because my mother and I suspect my dad has Celiac’s but when confronted he say “doesn’t matter I wont give up bread” so I wanted to find a good bread recipe to show him he doesn’t have to.
Hi Carly… We think the bread is delicious, but tasted side by side with a loaf of wheat bread, you’d likely notice differences (of taste and somewhat of texture). It’s plenty yummy, none the less. Or, you might try offering him a lightly toasted slice of Udi’s or Rudi’s GF bread. They make a wonderful product.
Cheers, Pete
Does this work for the bread machine?
Hi VtSpinner… I know some folks have tried our breads in a bread machine. However, we don’t own one, and haven’t tested this recipe in one, so I can’t vouch for the results. If you try, please let us know the results!
Cheers, Pete
Hi Pete
I tried making the bread last night, a big flop. I don’s know what I am doing wrong. Followed your instructions to the letter, but the bread would not rise. Left it for more than 30 minutes but nothing. The dough was more like dough than batter, what should it look like?
Maybe you might have ideas. I don’t. Have tried every recipe I can find in the shops for pre mixes as well as making it from scratch but no luck. My husband has not had bread now for 2 years. May I should try rolls…
Thanks Lizel
Hi Lizel… A few possibilities come to mind. Did you make any ingredient substitutions, such as using a non-dairy milk? How new or old is your yeast? What kind of yeast did you use? Was the sugary milk warm, rather than hot or cold? (Which could either kill the yeast or not allow it to activate… If you have a thermometer, it should be 100-115 deg F.) You could proof the yeast first, getting it nice and active in the milk before adding the flour and other ingredients. If the batter/dough seemed to thick, you can always decrease the flour. Try using 1/4 cup less. Hope this helps!
Cheers, Pete
Hi! Thanks for the all the great recipes. What size pan do you use? Thx, Marisa
Do you think this recipe will work with an egg substitute??? I usually make chia gel for my egg.
Hi Kelk,
You can certainly use an egg substitute! In fact, we used chia as an egg sub when making this recipe who has a child with egg and other food sensitivities.
Cheers, Pete
Hi there! Will it matter if I use a glass or metal loaf pan? Thanks!! 🙂
Hi London,
We only have metal pans so I have not made the bread in a glass pan, however, the recipe should work just fine in a glass pan. I believe glass cook a little faster so just keep an eye on it for doneness.
If you try it, let us know how it works out!
Thanks,
Kelli
This works fabulously in a bread machine! It did end up a bit under cooked on the “white bread” cycle though, so next time I will try a longer cycle. I used the standard bread machine technique – liquids in first, then dry ingredients and yeast on the top, didn’t have to do the saucepan part of the recipe 🙂
Please help! Mine did not rise and my yeast is just fine. What did I do wrong?
I started making this bread before my family became gluten-free, and we all loved it. Now we’re on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, but the only problem with the recipe was the milk. I tried almond milk and that was not good, as some other commenters noted. After doing some research, I discovered that cream doesn’t have casein, so I experimented, substituting one cup of cream and 3/4 cup of water. The bread came out beautifully. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!