Gluten-Free Bread That Doesn't Taste Like Cardboard
Let's be honest: most gluten-free bread is terrible. It's dry, crumbly, dense, and tastes like a concession rather than something you'd actually choose to eat. The reason? Bakers try to simply replace wheat flour with rice flour 1:1 and hope for the best. But gluten-free baking requires a completely different approach.
Without gluten, there's no elastic protein network to trap gas. So we need substitutes that mimic what gluten does. The star of this recipe is psyllium husk powder — a natural fibre that forms a gel when hydrated, creating a stretchy, elastic network remarkably similar to gluten. Combined with the right flour blend, eggs for structure, and proper hydration, the result is a loaf that's genuinely enjoyable.
Ingredients
- White rice flour — 200g (the base — neutral flavour)
- Tapioca starch — 80g (adds chewiness and stretch)
- Potato starch — 40g (adds moisture and softness)
- Psyllium husk powder — 20g (the gluten substitute — this is essential)
- Warm water — 300ml
- Eggs — 2 large (room temperature)
- Olive oil — 3 tbsp
- Honey — 2 tbsp
- Instant yeast — 7g
- Salt — 8g
- Apple cider vinegar — 1 tsp (strengthens the psyllium gel)
Method
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, psyllium husk powder, yeast, and salt. Unlike wheat bread, you don't need to worry about salt killing the yeast in GF baking — the psyllium creates a buffer.
Mix Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk warm water, eggs, olive oil, honey, and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar creates a slightly acidic environment that strengthens the psyllium gel network — a small but significant improvement in texture.
Combine & Mix
Pour wet into dry and mix vigorously with a spatula or stand mixer for 2–3 minutes. The dough will be much wetter than wheat bread — more like a thick batter. This is correct. Do not add extra flour. The psyllium will continue absorbing water and the dough will firm up. Let it rest for 10 minutes — you'll notice it becoming noticeably thicker.
Shape & Proof
Scrape the dough into a greased 23×13cm loaf tin (a standard loaf pan). Smooth the top with wet hands or a wet spatula. Cover with a damp towel or oiled cling film. Let rise for 60–75 minutes until the dough reaches just above the rim of the pan. GF dough rises more slowly because the gas-trapping network is weaker — be patient.
Bake
Preheat oven to 190°C fan. Optionally brush the top with olive oil for a nicer crust. Bake for 45–50 minutes. The top should be golden-brown and firm. The internal temperature should reach 96–98°C — GF bread needs to be baked to a higher internal temp than wheat bread to fully set the starches. If the top browns too quickly, tent with foil after 25 minutes.
Cool Completely
This is the most important step. Remove from the tin after 10 minutes and cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. GF bread is not fully set until completely cool. Cutting early will result in a gummy, wet interior. The texture improves dramatically as it cools and even more after resting overnight.
Why This Flour Blend Works
- Rice flour — the neutral-flavoured base. Provides structure.
- Tapioca starch — adds chew and stretch. Without it, GF bread is crumbly.
- Potato starch — adds moisture and tenderness. Prevents the dry, sandy texture common in GF bread.
- Psyllium husk — forms the elastic gel that replaces gluten. Traps CO₂ from yeast. This is the most critical ingredient.
- Eggs — provide additional structure and binding. Also add richness and colour.
Essential Tips
- Weigh everything — GF baking is less forgiving than wheat baking. Small weight changes have big effects.
- Don't over-proof — the psyllium gel network is fragile. Over-proofing causes collapse.
- Cool completely — GF bread's texture transforms as it cools. Day-old GF bread is often better than same-day.
- Toast it — GF bread is almost always better toasted. The heat re-crisps the exterior and improves the interior texture.
- Freeze early — slice the loaf and freeze immediately after cooling. Take out slices as needed and toast from frozen. This preserves freshness better than room-temperature storage.
Storage
GF bread stales faster than wheat bread because starches recrystallise more quickly without gluten. Room temperature: 1–2 days max. Frozen: up to 3 months. Always pre-slice before freezing.