This Gluten-Free Honey White Bread is the most-visited bread recipe on my blog, and for good reason. It’s soft, fluffy and, most important, it holds together. You can slice it thin, toast it, spread it with butter and build a real sandwich without it crumbling in your hands.
I now eat mostly gluten-free, so having good bread at home matters to me. I know it matters to a lot of you too. Store-bought gluten-free bread is expensive and usually disappointing, and the best way I’ve found to have bread I actually want to eat is to bake it myself.
The beauty of this loaf is how simple it is. There’s no kneading and no shaping. You bloom the yeast with warm water and honey, beat everything together in a stand mixer, pour the batter into a loaf pan, let it rise and bake it. It uses one flour blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, which you can find in most grocery stores.
Over the years I’ve baked a lot of gluten-free breads with different flours, from teff and oat to psyllium sourdough. This is still the one I tell people to start with. If you want to see the others, they’re all in my roundup of 7 Gluten-Free Bread Recipes I Actually Bake.
Jump to Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Honey White Bread
- It holds together. Eggs, xanthan gum and a good flour blend give it real structure, so it slices and holds a sandwich.
- No kneading. The dough is more like a thick batter. Your stand mixer does the work.
- One flour blend. No need to buy five different gluten-free flours.
- Soft and lightly sweet. The honey gives it a tender crumb and a golden crust.
- Great toasted. Perfect for grilled cheese, French toast and breakfast sandwiches.
Key Ingredients for Gluten-Free Honey White Bread
Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
This is the base of the loaf. It’s a well-balanced blend that behaves a lot like regular flour. If you’d like to learn more about how different gluten-free flours work in bread, see my Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Flours for Bread Making.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum helps bind the dough and keeps the bread from crumbling. Bob’s 1-to-1 already contains some, and the extra 1½ teaspoons in this recipe gives the loaf more structure.
Honey
Honey feeds the yeast, adds a gentle sweetness and helps the crust turn golden. Use 3 tablespoons for a lightly sweet loaf, or 4 if you like it a little sweeter.
Eggs and Olive Oil
Two eggs add structure and richness, and the olive oil keeps the crumb soft and moist.
Yeast, Baking Powder and Apple Cider Vinegar
Active yeast gives the bread its rise and flavor. Baking powder adds a little extra lift, and a splash of apple cider vinegar helps it all work together for a lighter texture.
Water or Milk
Either works. Water gives a lighter loaf, and milk makes it a bit richer and softer. Warm it to about 110°F so it wakes up the yeast without killing it.
How to Make Gluten-Free Honey White Bread
The full recipe with exact amounts is in the recipe card below. Here’s how it comes together.
Tips for the Best Loaf
- Don’t let it over-rise. Stop the rise when the dough is just below the top of the pan. If it rises above, the bread will likely fall in the oven.
- Use a thermometer. The surest way to know it’s done is an internal temperature of about 210°F.
- Watch the crust. If it’s browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil and keep baking.
- Cool it completely. Unlike wheat bread, gluten-free bread needs to cool all the way before you slice it, or the inside will be gummy.
- Bread machine? A lot of you have asked. One reader, Birdie, told me it turned out in her bread machine, but she liked it even better when she mixed it in the machine, moved it to a loaf pan and baked it in the oven.
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
We say “the best thing since sliced bread” without thinking about it, but sliced bread is younger than you might guess. Otto Rohwedder, a jeweler from Iowa, spent years building a machine that could slice and wrap a whole loaf. The first bread sliced on it was sold in 1928 by a bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri, and within a few years most bread in American stores came pre-sliced. Soft, square sandwich loaves like this one became the standard for the lunch box, which is exactly what I wanted from a gluten-free loaf: something you can slice evenly and use every day.
Serving Suggestions
- Grilled cheese: butter the outside and toast low and slow.
- Sandwiches: it’s sturdy enough for turkey, tuna salad or a BLT.
- French toast: day-old slices soak up the custard beautifully.
- Toast: with butter and honey, or avocado and an egg.
- Leftovers: turn the ends into breadcrumbs or croutons.
More Gluten-Free Breads to Try
- 7 Gluten-Free Bread Recipes I Actually Bake
- Gluten-Free Psyllium Husk Bread
- Teff and Oat Flour Gluten-Free Bread
- Gluten-Free Artisan Oat Bread
- Gluten-Free Flax Bread
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been disappointed by gluten-free bread before, give this one a try. It’s simple, soft and sturdy, and it’s the loaf that convinced me homemade gluten-free bread was worth the effort. Let me know in the comments how yours turns out.
This recipe was adapted from A Little Insanity.
The Recipe
Delicious Gluten Free Honey White Bread
Ingredients
Yeast Mix
- 1 1/2 Cups Water or milk, heated to 110 degrees
- 2 1/2 Tsp Active Yeast
- 3 – 4 Tbsp Honey
Wet Mix
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 Large Eggs
Dry Mix
- 3 Cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1 1/2 Tsp Xanthan Gum
- 4 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
Instructions
Yeast Mix
- In measuring cup, pour in 110 degree water (or milk), add the honey and the Yeast. Set-aside & let bloom for approximately ten minutes.
Building the Gluten Free Bread
- Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix everything together.
- Next, add the yeast mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Once absorbed, add the eggs and olive oil and beat on medium-high for approximately 3 minutes. The dough will be wet and a tacky. Spray the loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Pour the dough into the loaf pan. Note, that you want the mixture to come up about 3/4 of the way up the loaf pan. Find a warm spot in your kitchen and let the loaf proof until the dough gets to just below the bottom of the loaf pan. This will take anywhere from one to three hours. You do not want to let the proof rise above the loaf pan or your bread will likely fall during baking.
- In a pre-heated 375 degree oven, add the bread on a middle shelf.
- Bake for approx. 35 -45 minutes. If the crust is darkening too quickly, you can cover it with foil and return to baking until done. You do need to watch the bread. The best way to know when it is done is to check with a thermometer. You are looking for approximately 210 degrees.
- When the bread is complete, remove from the oven and after a few minutes, take the bread out and place on a wire rack. Unlike gluten breads, it is best to let the bread cool completely before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
Responses
comments – I answer every one.
I am experienced baker but am new to baking GF yeasted bread. I looked at a lot of recipes and decided to try your recipe. My first attempt the bread was tasty, but I I let it rise too much and it sort of sank in the middle. The second attempt was better as I didn’t let it rise as much. Then I bought a Pullman loaf pan and voila, it was perfect! I been making toast, French toast,grilled cheese sandwiches,croutons. It truly is very versatile! My husbands loves it too.
You made my day. Experience is a great teacher. You knew how to navigate. You definitely can’t let these rise too much. I made that mistake early on. Another real winner of a recipe is the ciabatta. It is very forgiving. I used that same recipe to make sandwich rolls. They turned out great. I have not posted that recipe yet. Let me know what else you try.
I have added about 1/2 cup both pumpkin seeds and sun seeds … very tasty. Makes more complex. I’ve also started baking at 385 f.
Love this bread and so does my hubby!
That sounds like a great idea. So glad the recipe is working out for you. Bread is so finicky, and obviously the 385degrees is working for you.
I’m new to gluten free baking and wondered about the batter thickness of your honey gluten free bread. In your recipe, you said to pour the batter into the PAN. So my question is, is it pourable once it’s mixed up? My batter was super thick and I had to scrape really hard. I let the bread rise to just below the top of the pan and then baked it, and it never went over the top, like in your picture. I put the amount of milk called for in the recipe, should have i added more liquid? What did I do wrong? I had to bake it about forty five minutes for it to reach two hundred degrees internally, i oiled my PAN, but it still stuck to the sides really bad. And I also tried removing it from the pan within five minutes of it baking. Please let me know your thoughts.
Laura
I am glad you found my recipe and I am so sorry it did not turn out as you wanted. If you scroll down my post, you can see step by step pictures. You will see that the consistency is very batter like. That is how I was able to pour it out. As you probably know, bread is very temperamental and there are any number of factors that can effect it. I have had my share of fails. What I do is keep making the same recipe. Then, I really learn what texture I am looking for. I hope this helps. Please respond back if you have further questions. Happy to help.
Thank you for getting back with me promptly and for the advice. I will keep at it until I get it right.
Laura my name is Chris Burkley and I have been baking GF, DF, RSF/SF for many years. My question to you is did you spoon the flour into the measuring cups and level it off with the straight edge of a butter knife, or did you scoop the flour with the measuring cup, then level it off. That might be the issue with your bread.
I scooped it into a cup and leveled it off with a straight edge. I have also started to use a scale and measure my flours more. But that is not always necessary. Thanks for reading and sharing your idea with me.
In your description it says 2 eggs but in your recipe it says 3 eggs – I wanted to know which is correct. Thanks you.
Thx for the catch Shelly. It should be 2 eggs. Let me know how the recipe turns out for you?
Hello, Peter. This is the fourth gluten free bread recipe I’ve tried. The first three were throw-aways. This one is definitely a keeper. Although it had a few bumps in the road process (needed to substitute brown rice flour for buckwheat because I didn’t have any. Second needed to be put in the refrigerator for about an hour because I had to go somewhere. Third my oven didn’t heat correctly. My husband, who is celiac, likes it a lot. Couple of questions I didn’t see addressed in either the recipe notes or remarks from readers The first is about storing the bread-counter for how long, refrigerator for how long and frozen for how long? Macros? We are both prediabetic & need to watch carbs.
Definitely will be making this recipe often. Thank you for the great recipe.
Would omit xantham gum if it’s in flour mix?
It will have some impact because the xantham gum acts as the binder. The biggest challenge with GF breads is holding together.
What does the carb count look like on this break?
I do not know for sure. Based on some searching, it would seem that the carbs are 9 – 12 grams per slice. Hope this helps.
I love this recipe! My boys and husband really liked the texture. The only concern is that my son said it had a strong smell of yeast. What can be done to minimize the smell.
So glad you liked the recipe. There has been such amazing feedback for this recipe. My only idea for the yeast (your boys have a very sophisticated palate – very impressive) – is to add a little more apple cider vinegar or lemon. The acid might balance that smell.
How do you know when it’s done baking?
The best way to know is to insert a temperature gauge. When it reads 205 – 210 degrees, it is done.
Thank you! Trying today.
This recipe is epic! The bread reminds me of regular bread although it’s been so long it’s hard to tell. But boy it is good!
I am so glad you liked it. Epic is an awesome result. Thx for sharing.
Hi I just finished my first gf loaf using your recipe and it tastes delicious! However I did something wrong. The top split from the bottom. I think it rose too quickly? Was it a matter of temp?
Want to try it again definitely!
hard to know. Breads are very temperamental. My guess is, as you noted, the rise was too long. One way to protect against that is to leave it in the oven with the temperature off and the door open for a few minutes after the cooking time is complete. I am so glad you liked it!