Homemade Gluten-free, Dairy-Free White Sandwich Bread

… A Loaf with Excellent Texture!

Do you feel like living a gluten-free and dairy-free lifestyle means your choices for delicious sandwich bread are limited? I do. While there are a few companies out there offering certified gluten-free breads, such as Udi’s, Rudi’s, and Genius, I still feel that they don’t completely satisfy my noshing desires (but I’ve turned to them many times when baking my own loaf was not an option). I long for a soft chew, a fresh bread without yeast, and a versatile loaf that can satisfy my sandwich-making and recipe needs (like for croutons, bread crumbs, even French toast).

This recipe fills all of those requirements. It is easy to make, turns out a loaf that’s tender, has a good tooth resistance, and is light with just enough mass to provide substance – not a wonder-bread style result. The flavor is very mild – which is exactly what I want in a white bread.

If you’ve never made a homemade gluten-free bread dough before, I must tell you that it won’t look like a bread dough that rolls neatly into a ball the way gluten-containing dough does. This is important to understand because, not knowing this, your tendency will be to want to keep adding flour until you hit “dough ball” stage. Don’t! You’ll end up with a very large hockey puck. Just follow the directions and trust that scooping/pouring your dough into the parchment-lined bread pan is okay, even necessary. I made this mistake many times before I allowed myself to trust that the gooey dough would do right by me in the end. But I do so long for those days of having dough that I could knead. Oh well. Gluten-free is my life now and I’m embracing all of its gooey-ness. Trust … and you will too! Making dough without gluten, dairy, soy, or yeast can raise questions, so please, please leave me a comment or question and I’ll be happy to help. I hope this recipe opens new gluten-free, dairy-free noshing doors!

Homemade Gluten-free Dairy-Free, Yeast-free White Sandwich Bread

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Bake time: 60-70 minutes

Oven temp: 375º F

Rest time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups almond milk – I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup minus 1 Tablespoon (85g) superfine brown rice flour – I use Authentic Foods

3/4 cup minus 1 Tablespoon (85g) sweet white sorghum flour – I use Bob’s Red Mill

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (125g) arrowroot starch/flour – I use Bob’s Red Mill

3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon (125g) sweet white rice flour – I use Bob’s Red Mill

5 Tablespoons Dari-Free Milk Substitute

4 teaspoons baking powder – I use Clabber Girl

2 teaspoons guar gum

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 Tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted – I use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread soy free

2 Tablespoons honey

3 eggs, plus 1 egg for egg wash

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a 9×5 inch bread pan with parchment paper (large enough for some to extend over sides of pan).

Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a cup and let sit while combining all other ingredients.

Whisk together brown rice flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, white rice flour, milk substitute, baking powder, guar gum, salt, and cream of tarter in a medium bowl. (This dough will be too stiff to mix with a electric hand-held mixer.)

Combine margarine, almond milk/vinegar mixture, honey, and 3 eggs in a stand mixer (this dough will be too stiff to mix with a electric hand-held mixer), and stir with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds to combine.

Add the mixed dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend on low until well moistened, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, scraping sides once with a spatula.

Scoop/Pour dough into parchment paper lined pan. Smooth dough with a damp spatula, if necessary, but don’t press down.

Spray or lightly oil a piece of foil large enough to cover pan. Place pan in oven on center rack and cover with foil, just draping it over the pan but not crimping over edges.

Bake at 375ºF for 55 minutes. Remove pan from oven and remove foil. Whisk remaining one egg lightly, then brush top of bread lightly to cover. Return bread to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs.

Remove from oven and rest pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then lift bread out of pan using paper as lifter. Remove paper from bread and continue cooling loaf completely on cooling rack before slicing. (You can slice the bread while warm, but use a serrated knife and be careful not to press down on the loaf or this may cause it to compress. (Fresh, hot bread from the oven is so good though, I can never wait until it is completely cooled.)

Store room temperature bread in an airtight re-sealable bag or container, slicing only when ready to eat. This helps prevent the entire loaf from drying out too quickly. To freeze, slice entire loaf, then store as mentioned above, and freeze. Re-warm bread in a microwave between two pieces of paper towel just until warm, or use toaster to reheat or toast.

Safe food is a journey … Thrive!™

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