Yes, gluten-free flours are more dense than wheat flours. So you might be thinking bread machines don’t work with an alternative flour. That is not the case. Bread machines can and do bake up delicious gluten-free bread.
So forget the gluten-free bread brands. Instead, learn how to make gluten-free bread at home. Read on for some information on all things gluten-free flour, and then discover the best gluten-free bread machine recipes around.
Jump to:
- Gluten-Based Bread vs Gluten-Free Bread
- Basic Ingredients of Gluten-Free Bread
- Bread Machines and Gluten-Free Flour
- 1. Banana Bread With Figs
- 2. Cinnamon Bread
- 3. Cranberry Bread With Orange, White Chocolate, and Hazelnuts
- 4. Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- 5. Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread
- 6. Cornbread With Honey
- 7. Banana Bread With Browned Butter Frosting
- 8. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- 9. Blender Zucchini Bread
- 10. Focaccia
- 11. Honey Oat Quick Bread
- 12. Pita Bread
- 13. Naan Bread
- 14. High-Protein Lentil Bread
- 15. Irish Soda Bread
- 16. Challah Bread
- 17. Olive Bread
- Wrapping Up
- Comments
Gluten-Based Bread vs Gluten-Free Bread
This is not a battle between grains. Instead, it’s a bread background story. So most commercially marketed breads use grains such as wheat, rye, or barley, which contain gluten. Gluten content depends on the types of flour used when baking the bread. Most companies opt for wheat flour because gluten makes bread dough more elastic resulting in fluffier bread. However, there are ways to make fluffy gluten-free bread.
Basic Ingredients of Gluten-Free Bread
Gluten-free bread starts with a gluten-free flour alternative. Be sure that this flour is gluten-free. Rice flour used to be the king of gluten-free flours, but now there’s an array of alternative flours like almond, amaranth, buckwheat, or sorghum.
Besides the flour, you’ll need an ingredient to mimic the gluten in commercial bread. Psyllium husk and xanthan gum are used because it gives the bread dough an elastic-like texture. These ingredients are gluten-free. If you didn’t know, xanthan gum is produced by fermenting sugar with Xanthom*onas campestri. This process is what creates its stretchy quality.
Bread Machines and Gluten-Free Flour
Yes, you can bake gluten-free bread in a bread machine. Just be sure your unit has a gluten-free option to get the appropriate baking times and rising intervals. Gluten-free bread is typically denser and harder than regular bread. Hence, it does not need as much time as standard bread recipes. That's why it's important to have a bread machine with a gluten-free option.
That being said, you can use gluten-free flour to bake a wide variety of breads, including classic white, focaccia, or brioche bread to make sandwiches and burgers. Keep in mind that gluten-free flours have a different taste and texture than wheat flour, so your bread will not be exactly like the wheat-based bread you’re used to. Be sure to include gluten-mimicking gluten-free ingredients. Doing so enhances the dough's elasticity to make for fluffier bread.
Now you know a bit about gluten-free flour and how they work in bread machines. So let’s get to the recipes, shall we? Here is a collection of delicious gluten-free bread recipes to make in your bread machine at home!
1. Banana Bread With Figs
Bananas, eggs, xanthan gum, oil, vanilla extract, and gluten-free flour are the basis for this delicious banana bread with figs. The figs are sweet and tart to compliment the even sweeter bananas.
2. Cinnamon Bread
Ancient grain muffin mix is the basis for this gluten-free cinnamon bread recipe. Yeast helps it to rise and become a fluffy consistency. While you can use water, substituting milk will help it taste creamier and more luscious. A third cup of white sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon is what you need to sweeten the bread without overpowering flavors. This cinnamon bread is even more delicious when topped with cream cheese. Strawberries would make a nice compliment, too!
3. Cranberry Bread With Orange, White Chocolate, and Hazelnuts
Cranberries and oranges are a fruity match made in heaven. Pair with white chocolate chips and hazelnuts for an extra light sweetness and nutty bite. The recipe calls for buttermilk and dairy butter. Dairy-free vegan butter works just as well and maintains the same consistency. If you do not have buttermilk, mix regular milk with vinegar per the instructions as a substitute.
4. Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Whether it's autumn or any time of year, pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread hits the spot! To perfect the swirl, pour half the batter into your bread machine, sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top, and mix in the remaining batter. Bake up in the bread machine and then savor the flavor.
5. Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread
This gluten-free cheesy pull-apart bread starts with Canyon Bakehouse's gluten-free rosemary and thyme focaccia bread. Butter, olive oil, minced garlic, fresh parsley, and your choice of cheeses meld into this flavorful, Southern-inspired crack bread.
6. Cornbread With Honey
With eight simple ingredients and only a 10-minute preparation time, you'll enjoy down-home cornbread with honey in no time! Mix up gluten-free cornmeal and flour, butter, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil, honey, an egg, and milk.
7. Banana Bread With Browned Butter Frosting
If figs aren't your thing, here's a standard banana bread recipe with the added sweetness of a browned butter frosting. Browned butter goes into the banana bread batter and is the basis for the frosting. Heat enough butter for the recipe until golden brown for a savory, nutty flavor.
8. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Chocolate chips and bananas? Yes, please! As you can see, we are silly for bananas in this bread machine recipe lineup. As with any banana bread recipe, overripe bananas work best for a sweeter flavor. Choose a cooking oil according to your taste; canola, avocado, vegetable, or coconut oil are great options. Add in xanthan gum only if your gluten-free flour does not contain it. Stir in mini chocolate chips into the dough for bits of luscious sweetness in every bite!
9. Blender Zucchini Bread
To make this delicious bread, pulse zucchini with eggs and oil. Then add in sugar, salt, xanthan gum, and gluten-free all-purpose flour to create a bread dough. Blend, then sprinkle in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and the contents of a fresh vanilla bean pod. Blend again, then place in your bread machine on the gluten-free setting and cook thoroughly.
10. Focaccia
Versatile gluten-free focaccia bread works with so many delicious toppings. We're talking sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, roasted garlic, olives, cured meats, asparagus, and cheese. While you can cook this in a bread machine, cooking in a black skillet makes a crisper bottom.
11. Honey Oat Quick Bread
Craving a sweeter sandwich at lunchtime? This honey oat bread is a flavorful gluten and dairy-free option you'll adore. Almond milk and coconut yogurt make this bread dairy free. Gluten-free rolled oats add the homestyle flavor to this honey oat flavor.
12. Pita Bread
Pita bread is thinner and more pillowy than other denser gluten-free bread and is a great alternative for lunchtime sandwiches. Warm water, yeast, rice flour, psyllium husk flour, and tapioca starch are the main gluten-free ingredients for this recipe. While you can cook gluten-free pita bread in your bread machine, the skillet works as well! You will get more of a crunch cooking with the skillet. However, less maintenance is involved in using your bread machine.
13. Naan Bread
Naan bread is an Indian flatbread with a chewy and soft texture that does not need any yeast. However, this gluten-free version does call for xanthan gum, so it maintains the original consistency of the gluten-based variety.
14. High-Protein Lentil Bread
Lentils make for a bread-like consistency, and they’re high in protein for added health benefits. Chickpea powder matches the bean theme. Just like xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder is another ingredient that creates gluten-like consistency in gluten-free bread. Use your favorite seeds for added crunch and nutrients in your lentil bread. We recommend pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but chia or flax seeds work just fine.
15. Irish Soda Bread
This recipe uses baking soda instead of yeast to make the bread rise in this gluten-free Irish soda bread. Incorporating currants or raisins enhances the subtle sweetness and adds a chewy element to each bite.
16. Challah Bread
This gluten-free version of Challah bread will delight you! The dough is made and shaped into a large jumbo braid-like design and garnished with your choice of sesame or poppy seeds.
17. Olive Bread
Savory olive bread is oh-so-good whether you use black or green olives or a mixture. Millet flour, sorghum, tapioca flour, and xanthan gum are the gluten-free dry ingredients needed to achieve the doughy consistency. Sugar, instant yeast, sea salt, and olive oil activate the dry ingredients for a fluffy bread.
Wrapping Up
Whether sweet or savory, the possibilities are endless with the many gluten-free bread recipes you can cook in your bread machine. Which is your favorite out of our recipe lineup?
Let us know in the comments which recipe you'd like to try first! If there's a favorite gluten-free bread recipe we missed, tell us about it!
