Gluten-Free Bread (xanthan-free, vegan)
Today I have a very unique recipe to share. A gluten-free bread recipe that needs to be kneaded! It is made of whole grain flours and is also free of xanthan gum, starches, nuts, eggs, and dairy. Last August I began creating kneadable dinner rolls and braided bread free of the above mentioned ingredients. But something was missing. You see, I grew up making whole wheat bread from scratch with my mother. When I was two years old I was at the counter kneading bread. In high school I would bake my own bread for sandwiches. I have missed the feel of bread dough.
A few months ago I decided to try adding psyllium husk to my bread to see what would happen....and wow....gluten-free bread that really kneads! I was already using ground chia seeds, which help to hold moisture and bind everything together. But the combination of psyllium husk and ground chia works wonders! Psyllium is a fiber that is used in colon cleansing. It also works wonders on lowering cholesterol levels. It can be found on amazon.com or at your local health food store. Be sure to look for "whole psyllium husk." Whole chia seeds can be found at your local health food store and online. See the tip at the bottom of the recipe for grinding them.
If you try this bread, I would love your feedback in a comment below. Or, share your photos on Instagram and tag me @nourishingmeals! I have many more kneadable gluten-free, xanthan-free, vegan bread recipes in my book, Nourishing Meals. Some examples include Buckwheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Everyday Sandwich Bread, and Sourdough Teff Bread! Enjoy!
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Farmhouse Seed Bread
I worked for many years to create a gluten-free, vegan, xanthan gum-free yeast bread recipe. Finally, I tried using ground chia and psyllium together early this year (2011) and the results were incredible! Previously, I had only been using ground chia seeds in my vegan and gluten-free bread recipes, and then one day it dawned on me to try adding in psyllium husk! Psyllium forms a strong gel when mixed with water. It worked beautifully! There are so many variations to this bread. I've made it into an Olive-Rosemary bread using 1 cup pitted kalamata olives (thinly sliced) and 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary. You could also try a Garlic-Seed bread by adding in chopped fresh garlic and seeds. I am sure there are many more variations. If you have a corn allergy, try replacing the cornmeal with almond meal. I have made this bread with many different flour combinations so feel free to experiment, but this one is my favorite for flavor and texture. The bread gets its crusty crust from being baked on a stone pan with a pan of water on the lower oven rack. The steam from the water helps to form the crust. The bread will be a little gummy hot out of the oven so be sure to let it cool a bit before cutting into it. Slice it and serve with a good quality olive oil for dipping. It is also delicious spread with either almond butter or hummus!
Be sure to buy whole chia seeds and then grind them very finely in a coffee grinder or the dry container of your Vitamix. If using a Vitamix, it is best to grind at least one cup at a time so they grind properly. Store them in a glass jar in your fridge for no longer than a week.
Wet Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
Topping
Prep:
- Place the warm water in a bowl or 4-cup liquid glass measure. Add the yeast and teaspoon of maple syrup, whisk together. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture should get foamy or bubbly. If not, dump it out and start over.
- While the yeast is activating, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- After the yeast is activated whisk in the olive oil, maple syrup, ground chia seeds, and psyllium husks into the water-yeast mixture. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes (not any longer) to let the chia and psyllium release their gelatinous substances. Whisk again.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a large wooden spoon until thick.
- Then knead the dough on a floured wooden board to incorporate the flour. Add more teff and sorghum flours, a little at a time, until the dough holds together and isn’t too sticky (about ¼ to ½ cup total). Don’t add too much flour, otherwise the dough will become very dense; it should still be slightly sticky.
- Form dough into a ball, place back into the large bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm spot to rise. I like to place the bowl over a pot of warm water.
- Let dough rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Rising time will depend on the temperature of the environment around the dough.
Preheat:
- After the dough has risen, place a pizza stone in your oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven (the one beneath the pizza stone). I usually use an 8x8-inch glass pan filled ¾ of the way full.
- Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured wooden board. Knead the dough for about a minute. Then form into a round ball. Place on a square of parchment paper and use a sharp knife to score a “tic-tac-toe” pattern on the top (or use your favorite scoring pattern).
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds. Let rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place while the oven and stone are preheating.
Bake:
- Carefully lift the parchment paper with the risen loaf and place it onto the stone in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool 30 to 60 minutes before cutting into it. The bread will be very gummy hot out of the oven. The texture is perfect once cooled. It reminds me of a hearty whole wheat bread.
Note: If you are adding garlic or olives to this bread, add them in when you are kneading the dough the first time.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Comments
Sunflower - try a bread recipe that uses all coconut flour, which is high protein and fiber. It's usually just coconut flour, a bunch of eggs, and some rising agent. No starch. I don't have a recipe to recommend off the top of my head, but if you do a search for "coconut flour bread recipe" you'll get some ideas.
Hi! Your blog is gorgeous. Do you happen to have any gluten free bread recipes that don't use starch? I'm trying to find recipes that don't include any extra starches. Thanks! :)
This is far and away the best gluten free bread recipe I've ever tried! My daughter loves it. It bakes beautifully on a baking stone - our only frustration is the round loaf turns out so tapered that there are few slices that are appropriate for sandwiches.
I've solved that dilemma by taking a long sheet of parchment paper and folding it lengthwise into a strip about 4"high. I formed my bread into a nice high loaf shape - it's so "gutsy" that it keeps its shape very nicely.
I then stapled the strip into a circle and then folded and stapled down the outside to create four "sides" so it was in the basic rectangular shape of a loaf pan.
It held the bread into the loaf shape beautifully - I let it cool with the collar in place and now have a more sandwich-friendly loaf of wonderful bread. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
Jo
This is the best gluten-free bread I've tried yet! Thank you thanks you thank you!! It's simply awesome and very delicious.
Thank you sooo much for this recipe! I have been gluten free for about a year now. I have truly missed making bread. I used to make bread every week. I loved kneading it and shaping it. After I entered the gluten free bread world, poof went kneadable. This loaf is reminiscent of a loaf that my husband and I loved out of James Beard's book "Beard on Bread". I never thought I would taste anything that was gluten free that ever tasted anything like that of my gluten memories.
Thank you for making so many things that my whole family can eat and enjoy. You are truly a lifesaver!
Oh my word, I just made this and waited for it to cool... and now I scarfed three slices down in no time at all! This is absolutely delicious, and rather easy to make, once you collect all the ingredients. I will definitely make it again and again and again!
I might bake it for five extra minutes though. It looks like the centre of the loaf dropped down a bit since it cooled. Could be gooey in the middle?
I and my family all have a terrible time digesting Teff. I have tried this with Coconut flour and oat ban instead of Teff and cornmeal.
Annie
This looks great. Can't wait to try it! I'm a gluten free mommy who loves to try new recipes, especially without the gums. I've blogged a few of my adventures at www.forhimandmyfamily.blogspot.com FOllowing you!
Kristen, here's another psyllium husk recipe from my own blog for a pizza crust: http://growinghealthy.posterous.com/gluten-free-pizza-crust-vegan-xanthan-free
Thank you for the psyllium husk tortilla recipe! It looks very interesting, and I will try it for sure. I have seen general references to replacing xanthum gum with psyllium husks - anyone know the how to do this/what the ratio might be??? Thanks!
Here's another great, easy psyllium husk recipe for tortillas from Gluten Free Easily: http://glutenfreeday.com/?p=77
I just tried this recipe - and it is AMAZING! This bread is so good. I think it's the only bread I will make from now on! Just curious...do you have any other recipes using Psyllium Husks???
Made this bread tonight for dinner with chili...my family LOVED it! I wish I could post a picture of my results. Also, I wanted to know if I can make other bread products with this? (hamburger buns, bagels etc.)
actually, the recipe is perfect - my printout just cut out the psyllium husks . oops!
I made this tonight, following the recipe to the tee, except using foccacia spices as a topper instead of sesame seeds. Everyone loved it, the bread was easy to make and the instructions extremely easy to follow (except it doesn't say how much psyllum husks, so i did 1/3 cup). Love it!! Will be making it again and I'm extremely excited!!
I made this this afternoon, for tonight's dinner. Everyone loved it, including my friend who is a big traditional bread baker. I did use flax instead of chia, and after reading the comments I know why it was a bit too moist. It is still good. I can't wait to have it toasted tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
We have made this bread several times, it's our favorite for soup night. So tonight....we're making mini loaves; breadbowls!! I know it will be just perfect!
I've made this bread many times and love it! Today I absentmindedly forgot to grind the chia seeds. (woops!) It still tastes great. WHEW! Just wanted to post for those of you who were concerned about not having a means for grinding the chia.
Just made this bread and LOVED IT!! Thanks so much for the recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients (no psyllium, no chia, no teff) so i changed a few things. The dough was VERRY sticky and not kneadable, but the resulting loaf was excellent. Here's what i did:
2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup corn flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp xanthan gum (i think i could probably have left this out)
1/4 cup flax meal
The wet ingredients i did the same as the recipe. And just for kicks i sprinkled caraway seeds on top instead of poppy/sesame, ala rye bread. Also i don't have a pizza stone so i did parchment paper on a steel baking sheet and it worked great.
I can't say enough how delicious this bread was!!! Definitely a keeper. I'm making it again today. Thanks again!
Can I sub buckwheat flour for the sorghum? I have made this before realizing I have problems with sorghum and corn and it was really good but I did have trouble with it being too moist in the middle.
Hi Ali,
After a few times of making the farmhouse seed bread, I succeeded in making a good bread and figured out how much flour and how much kneading is needed. I turned some of the dough into pita and bagels.
Thanks so much, Ali for the wonderful recipe. I look forward to any new bread recipes you write up, whether leavened with commercial yeast or wild yeast.
Have you tried a grain free version of this? I'd love one ;0
This is an AWESOME recipe. We make it every time we make soup. THANK YOU for such a healthy, full fiber, wonderful textured recipe!
This is my all-time favorite gluten free recipe, hands down! I have always wanted something kneadable, that my little ones could help to pat and shape, and this fit the bill, but I wasn't expecting it to be as delicious as it was!! We have made this several times with several different blends of flour, and it hasn't gone wrong yet. Perfect every time and tastes like "regular" bread- and the smell and feel are the real thing. Thank you so much! I share it with everyone :)
For those of you who have had this bread turn out too gummy or "wet" after baking, just add more flour (teff or sorghum) while kneading. Kneading gluten-free bread dough until the right consistency has been reached will take some getting used too but after a few times it will become second nature.
Make sure you use ground chia and not flax. Chia seeds absorb quite a bit more liquid than flax. Using flax could cause the bread to turn out too gummy.
I am not sure that quinoa flour would have caused poor results. Maybe next time use part quinoa and part sorghum and see how that works.
You can also let it rise only once in a 9 x 5-inch bread pan and then bake after one hour of rising. Bake on your oven rack, no need for the pizza stone or pan of water when making it into a bread loaf. You can coat the top with a nut milk or hemp milk for a crustier crust.
I have made this bread many different ways now. Try different flour blends. I have used quite a few. The bread works great with at least 1/2 cut sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, or arrowroot powder. You don't need to add cornmeal...try another flour instead.
Good luck everyone and happy bread baking!!! :)
I made the Farmhouse Seed Bread. I subbed quinoa flour for the sorghum flour and ground flaxseed for ground chia seed.
(I used a pizza crisper rather than a pizza stone). An hour after removing the bread from the oven, it is still quite gummy.
I guess the fact that the chia seed, which I later read in your blog, has double the binding power of flax is the answer... or part of it?
Quinoa flour may also be involved in the equation. Quinoa is a wonderful flour (or so I find) that I've used in my attempts at GF sourdough bread.
It thickens the batter and makes it spongy. It also has a faster rise than other flours. Hence, my decision to use it.
My batter rose more and spread much more than the one in your photo. I even tried to fold the dough under to make it smaller.
I'll give this all another try with ground chia seed and maybe keep the quinoa flour and let it rise less. Or maybe I'll try it with sorghum flour.
If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks
I have made bagels with my recipe (which is a variation of Ali's recipe combined with AB in 5's GF boule). The bagels are AMAZING. They really are bagels! Here's my xanthan-free bagel recipe: http://growinghealthy.posterous.com/homemade-gluten-free-onion-salt-bagels-xantha
YOU'RE A GENIUS! This is great! It's crusty, hearty, healthy, pretty, forgiving, variable. DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing.
To poster above me, I was also thinking that it would be great for Everything Bagels. Do you know how to make bagels?
Q: How do you tell when bread is done baking? I wonder if it needed another 5 minutes? I think it needs to cool a bit more, and if I baked it longer, it might be too dark on the outside.
I've taken this great recipe and combined it with the GF Boule recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes to make a lighter-flavored loaf. Here is the combo recipe at my blog, "Growing Healthy": http://growinghealthy.posterous.com/delicious-kneadable-gluten-free-bread-recipe
I made this bread last night - it is delicious! Finally a gluten free bread that tastes like regular bread!. I followed the recipe exactly as is, although I didn't grind the chia seeds (didn't realize my mistake until it was too late). It has a really nice crust on the outside, and is moist (but not gummy) on the in side. This will definitely become my go-to gluten free bread recipe!
I find the chia/psyllium trick to be very useful. I made a loaf using only corn meal. Where I live, blue corn is what grows locally (altitude), so I can get it cheap and grind it myself. It suits me because I do not like xanthan gum or complicated flour mixtures. Finally, something simple. The only draw back is that chia imparts a slightly bitter taste. However, it is very mild, and I find that I am coming to like the taste.
I am so excited to try this recipe! I just ordered the psyllium husks and chica seeds online (I haven't seen them up here in Alaska) and hopefully this will be my go to recipe. Thanks!
Hi Everyone,
My son and I have multiple allergies and can't have most commercially made anything. So, I decided to give this bread a try. It's also my first ever bread that I made. The first time I tried I kept husks and seeds for 3 minutes and it was WAY too long since they all got thick and unmanageable. I didn't give up though and mixed the "liquids" with flours. I just had to add more oil while kneeding to bring it all together and the outcome was really good.
The second and third time I made this bread I only let husts and seeds soak for 1 minute and it worked. I've been making this bread almost every week and we both like it. The only thing that I wish I could improve is that the bread is still a little gummy and "wet" even after it cooled, but that's not a big deal considering all the benefits this bread has for us :-)
I wonder if anybody tried making hamburger buns instead of the whole loaf and if so, how long was the cooking time?
Okay, so I am the only baker that had challenges. I need to not make comments when I am falling asleep! =) Any suggestions for mixing in the chia/psyllium combo to prevent clumping would be greatly appreciated, though. Thanks! Barbara
So I've made it and, WOW, it's amazing. We can't do corn or nuts, so I ground up sunflower seeds to replace the corn meal/almond flour. I think I understand why you say to use whole psyllium husks. My ground psyllium (I used 1/4 C) didn't completely mix into the water and there are these small pockets of goo scattered around the loaf. Nothing too bad, but I bet the whole husks would go into the water better and less clumpy. Thank you for this amazing, totally different GF bread that will become our main bread (once I buy proper psyllium husks).
I wonder if I might be able to use ground psyllium, which I have on hand? I think I would have to use less than the amount of whole husk used in the recipe. Is there a reason why it has to be whole psyllium husks (other than the fact that there could be gluten contamination in the grinding process)? I think I might just dive in and try it because I'm so curious to make this recipe.
Hi Ali,
After all the exciting posts about how wonderful everyone's bread turned out, it was encouraging to me to read the last post. My bread also did not turn out so well. It was VERY moist. I obviously did something wrong. When I added the chia seeds, I didn't know I had to mix them in RIGHT AWAY (I think I waited 30 seconds) and the mixture started to severely clump. I then spent probably way too long trying to unclump the mixture. Definitely longer than your recommended 2-3 minutes. Do you think that is why my bread turned out a bit on the gooey side on the inside?
Also, I wanted to remind people that cutting a pattern onto the top of the loaf is not the same for gluten laden breads. Make your cut VERY shallow. I cut mine as I would for regular wheat bread and it was too deep.
The flavor was excellent, though.
Thanks Ali. Learning all the time!
Sincerely,
Barbara
We made this bread last week and it turned out quite successful. We are happy that this recipe contains chia seeds instead of flax, as one family member is sensitive to flax seed. Here is my blog post about it. http://wildflowermorningrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/05/farmhouse-seed-bread-part-2.html
I made this for visitors we've had from Holland today (a gluten-loving land if ever there was one) and they loved it. In fact, my friend said it reminded her of Dutch bread - generally a bit denser and hardier than ours. Many Dutch folks eat bread and cheese for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner, so it has to be hardy!. And the true test came when I had some of this gluten-free loaf alongside slices of whole wheat bread in a basket on the table and both my children and the Dutch children went for the gluten-free choice. That is a huge accomplishment! And re: making with honey, with 2 tbsp maple syrup, I don't find the bread sweet at all, just well-balanced. Honey must make it sweeter...
Ali. OMG. This is amazing. I made this tonight, and it's lovely and soft, and a hearty flavor. And it doesn't fall apart! For vegan and gluten-free bread, (and gum-free) that's a miracle. I used almond flour instead of the corn and it came out beautifully.
Ali, just read one of your comments that it can be made in a 9x5 inch pan, so I will try this next time. (My loaf is already half gone in a matter of three hours! My kids love it!)
I made this this morning; it is awesome! I swapped buckwheat flour for teff and almond flour for cornmeal. It made my whole house smell just like the honey wheat bread I used to make before going GF.
I have a question: have you tried making this in a bread pan? If so, what size? I would like to experiment with this recipe, trying to get a bigger "rise" to the loaf for using as a sandwich bread...
This looks really lovely! I definitely need to try this recipe. I love chia seeds instead of gums - the texture is so much better - and although I've never tried baking with psyllium, this sounds intriguing enough I'll have to try it.
Jennifer - I use Arrowhead mills brand which is organic and gluten-free. It is a finer grind cornmeal, not like polenta. Enjoy! :)
Fine cornmeal or polenta-like cornmeal?
Wow kneadable gluten free bread! Can not wait to try this!!
OK, Ali, you did the impossible (I thought) with this one. this will be my go to bread recipe now. I love it! everyone at the Easter dinner table loved it, the gluten free guy the most, of course, but everyone else gobbled it to. and it is lovely and satisfying to knead. Thank you for sharing!
Jan - Yes I believe those are one in the same. I think the only other way to buy psyllium is in the powdered form.
Gretchen - Not sure about using flax - it has about half the binding power as chia so it may not work as well, but is worth a try.
thanks! :)
This recipe sounds great. Can I use ground flax seeds instead of the ground chia seeds?
Hi Ali,
Are psyllium husk whole flakes the same as whole psyllium husks? Can't wait to try this bread. It looks delicious!
Thanks,
Jan