Gluten-Free

A Simple Homemade Bread Recipe So Good, I May Never Go Back to Buying It

And it's gluten-free to boot.

July 11, 2019
Photo by Julia Gartland

Whenever I'm having a bread crisis, I turn to King Arthur.

Not the head of the Knights of the Round Table—the flour brand and virtual compendium for all things carb.

So on a recent Saturday, days-deep in some random cleanse I'd cursed upon myself (no gluten! No dairy! No—gasp—no alcohol!), I found myself scrolling through King Arthur's recipes. I had it bad for a sandwich. Not a particular sandwich, but rather the idea of any sandwich: soft, toasted bread spread with mayo and Huy Fong chili garlic sauce; lettuce for crunch; a mild, funky cheese (Comté, is that you?); sprouts for flair; perfect waves of turkey, or salami, or ham, piled high like yoga mats at the class I'd skipped earlier that day.

King Arthur to the rescue: I identified a recipe for gluten-free sandwich bread that looked so soft, I briefly fantasized about a nap on its surface. To rid its batter of dairy, I swapped in almond milk for its whole-fat regular milk, and warmed refined coconut oil for butter. (I also upped the salt, because I am who I am, and used cornstarch in place of xanthan gum, which I can neither pronounce nor ever locate in a grocery store.)

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Top Comment:
“So this bread doesn't hold up well for a "hold in your hand" type of sandwich and only works for open-faced one? I just want to be clear on this before I move my very heavy kitcheaid mixer to the counter.....”
— Jana
Comment

And with just a bit of mixing, then some downtime while the batter rose, I ended up with...the best gluten-free sandwich bread I've had in a very long time. It was slightly sweeter and crumblier than a regular loaf, almost like a bread-scone hybrid. It evoked sandwich bread that'd spent too much time with a horde of biscuits, and which had recently started trying to act like one.

It made the perfect complement to savory sandwiches and sweet open-faced ones alike.

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Maybe I leave it to the pros next time?

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Here are the combinations I enjoyed so much, my boyfriend asked if I was leaving him for bread:

  • Toasted and layered with turkey, Swiss, arugula, Dijon, and mayo on one day, and ham and cheddar on another.
  • Broiled for a minute, then brushed with a clove of garlic, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt.
  • Used for a classic peanut butter and jelly, which in my case was an almond butter and raspberry chia jam.
  • Topped with a handful of crumbled cheese, melted under the broiler, and finished with a pinch of salt, chopped chives, and hot sauce.
  • Oven-warmed and spread with dairy-free cream cheese and jam on one slice, and almond butter, honey, and Maldon on the other.

Do you have a favorite formula gluten-free sandwich recipes? Let us know in the comments.
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Ella Quittner

Written by: Ella Quittner

Ella Quittner is a contributing writer and the Absolute Best Tests columnist at Food52. She covers food, travel, wellness, lifestyle, home, novelty snacks, and internet-famous sandwiches. You can follow her on Instagram @equittner, or Twitter at @ellaquittner. She also develops recipes for Food52, and has a soft spot for all pasta, anything spicy, and salty chocolate things.

7 Comments

Jana July 15, 2019
How can you be dairy free and still be eating cheese? Am I missing something here? So this bread doesn't hold up well for a "hold in your hand" type of sandwich and only works for open-faced one? I just want to be clear on this before I move my very heavy kitcheaid mixer to the counter.....
 
Anna July 11, 2019
Hi! Can you use almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe instead of gluten free flour?
 
Krystal W. July 11, 2019
Almond flour and coconut flour are gluten free
 
Rebecca K. July 12, 2019
I don't think it would turn out the same - all purpose gf is a blend primarily consisting of rice flour and is quite a bit lighter. The consistency would be very different. Try it and let us know!
 
Nicole J. July 13, 2019
It's not a straightforward substitute. Many (most? All?) GF all purpose flour mixes also have binding agents and starches which help the flour form a cohesive mass. If you've only got almond flour or coconut flour, you're best off looking up Keto or Low Carb bread recipes, which in my experience involve at least 6 eggs and taste like it.
Dove Farms, King Arthur Flour, Trader Joe's, and Bob's Red Mill all have good GF flours. You can find them online or in specialty sections of large grocery stores.
 
Linda July 14, 2019
There are some fabulous ket o bread recipes out there...look around. Two of my favorite ket o recipe blogs are Gnom -Gnom and Sugar Free Londoner.
Also, I made a ket o baking soda bread for St. Patrick's day that was just incredible!
 
E July 15, 2019
Thanks for this info! I would love the recipe for the soda bread if you would be willing to share?