If you can’t have dairy or gluten, I have you covered with my easy No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread. Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside. This is what all gluten-free bread dreams are made of. Even if you are not gluten-free, I highly suggest you try this bread because it’s actually softer in texture than my other no-knead bread recipes. When I first made this recipe, I didn’t tell anyone that it was gluten-free, and my family wasn’t able to tell the difference. This is hands down the best gluten-free bread you will ever try.
No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread
This recipe will blow you away and definitely on repeat. If you can’t have dairy or gluten, I have you covered with my easy no-knead bread. Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside.
Ingredients
Activate The Yeast:
- 1.5 cups warm water (370 ml)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (4 grams)
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast (2 grams)
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups gluten-free flour (420 grams) I used Caputo
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 grams)
Instructions
- Start by adding the first three ingredients to a bowl and stir. Wait five minutes and if it does not activate you have to start the step all over. Make sure the water is warm. If it's too hot or too cold, it may not activate. It should be lukewarm.
- Add the flour and salt to a separate big bowl and stir. Slowly add in the activated yeast mixture and stir until you get the right consistency. You should have a thick sticky dough; it shouldn’t be too wet or too dry.
- Let it rest covered for 5 hours at room temperature away from drafts. Once the dough has risen, flour the counter and pour out the dough. Flour the top of the dough and shape it. No-kneading, just shape it into an oval even dough ball.
- Transfer into ANY baking dish that's lined with parchment paper and put the lid on. If you don't have a lid, you can add double foil on top instead.
- Put the bread in the cold oven, turn the oven to 450F and bake for 40 minutes. DO NOT pre-heat the oven. Put the bread in, turn the oven on, and the start the timer for 40 minutes right away. After 40 minutes, uncover it, and bake for another 30 minutes or less depending on the oven. The bread is done once it’s light and golden all over.
- Let the bread cool for 5 to 10 minutes and dig in! Enjoy.
Video
Notes
The water must be warm — not hot, not cold. If the yeast does not foam up and activate you have to start that step all over.
I have NOT baked this recipe in a higher altitude so you will have to experiment and adjust. Please add a little warm water at a time until you have sticky dough. It’s important to look at the consistency.
Never add all of the activated yeast mixture all at once, add the liquid a little at a time until a thick but sticky dough.
If the dough is too wet, you can always sprinkle in a little more flour and adjust. Bake covered with a lid or foil on for 40 min and keep an eye on it for the remaining 30 minutes as your bread could take less time.
You can use any oven-safe baking dish you have on hand. Mine is a corning ware dish I have had for 20+ years but any dish that can fit a loaf of bread will work.
I have not tried making this bread with any other type of yeast as my favourite yeast is active-dry yeast. I like to activate it myself, so I do not waste any of my ingredients.
I am linking my gluten-free flour here Caputo Fioreglut (1kg) – Italian Gluten Free Flour – Ideal for Bread, Sweets and Neapolitan Pizza Crusts : Amazon.ca: Grocery & Gourmet Food as I have found this is the best flour out of any others I have tried. You can absolutely try another type of gluten-free baking flour, but I cannot guarantee the same quantities or result.
Tried this recipe?Mention @themodernnonna or tag #themodernnonna!
63 Responses
Hello, I wanted to ask if this bread can be frozen?
Hi Mary,
yes once it’s fully cooled but it’s always better fresh 🙂
Hi hun! I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not
Can any gluten-free flour be used? Thanks so much!
Hi Barb,
I have only tried bobs red mill and Caputo’s gf flour. Make sure its 1-1 baking flour
Wow I’m glad I looked through these comments. Your recipe never said 1 to 1 so I would have used All Purpose GF (also Bob’s)!! Also, you might consider putting in at least a range of degrees on water temp. Thx.
Hi Deb, yes the water should be at 100-100F I will add that in there. Some of these recipes are much older so I am editing them all with more details
Hi. Thanks for sharing. I used to bake my crusty bread by using all purpose flour + bread flour with 2 tsp yeast. But you only use 1/2 tsp yeast for this glutter free bread. Is it glutter free flour doesn’t require more yeast? Can I use oat flour instead of glutter free flour?
I would not add oat flour in here, I would follow the recipe as is and use a gluten free 1-1 baking flour. I love the one by Caputo
This looks great, I baked it but it was somewhat gooey in the middle. Any tips?
Hi beautiful,
it definitely shouldn’t be. My guess is too much water or it wasn’t baked enough.
Hi Hun, it definitely shouldn’t be. I don’t think it was baked enough if it was
You have to let gluten free bread cool completely before cutting, it will always be gooey if you don’t.
Yes definitely has to be cooled completely.
Question – Did you bake your bread in the liner from your crockpot? (if so – genius idea!)
no love, I used a regular corning ware dish but any baking dish will work 🙂
Hi! I was wondering if it can be left to rise for longer than 5 hours? I’d love to be able to make the dough before bed and bake in the morning.
absolutely you can 🙂 I let it rise overnight all the time
If I let the dough sit over night, do you let it rise just on the counter top? Or does it need to go in the fridge?
I put mine in the oven away from drafts. Oven turned off of course. It needs a nice warm spot for it to rise
Can you bake at 425? I have a silicon bread maker and it cannot go to 450
Definitely but it may take longer
Can I add chopped olives to this without adjusting anything in this recipe?
Should work but I haven’t tried that yet love.
Hi, I’m new to baking bread. So I hope this doesn’t sound like a dump question. Can I use all purpose flour?
Hi love please look at my no knead peasant bread as it uses all-purpose flour
Hi! is the 5 hours of rest time absolutely necessary or more of a recommendation? My dough has at least doubled in size in only 2 hours, so i was wondering if it’s necessary to finish the whole 5 hours 🙂
Thanks!
Hi hun it’s not necessary but the texture can vary. Try both and see 🙂
Followed the recipe but it doesn’t seem wet enough. Suggestions?
You can always adjust the flour or water. It should be sticky
Hi – I tried making this with bob’s red mill 1-1 flour and it didn’t rise at all, do I need to add xantham gum or would it just be that my yeast didn’t activate properly? Do you think I can bake this into anything (garlic knots, crust, etc.) or is it garbage?
Hi Justine, I wish I was there to see but it probably didn’t activate, was the yeast expired? so sorry
Hi! My bread didn’t rise at all. I tried 3 different yeasts! I’m so gutted
Hi Deb,
Did you look at the yeast to see if it’s expired? I think you should proof the yeast FIRST and make sure it’s activated.
This was so yummy! Thank you so much for sharing. I would love to ship this to my daughter. How long does it stay fresh and how do you store it.
Hi Linda,
I am not sure where she lives but this bread is best eaten the same or following day. The same day is always best
I am struggling with activating my yeast. How much should it foam up since I am adding 1/2 tsp. to 1.5 cups of water?
Hi Deborah, have you checked to see if the yeast is expired or bad? That can happen so please make sure. It should bubble/foam up within 10 minutes. If it doesn’t then the water is too hot too cold or the yeast is bad! The water should be warm
I’m new to bread making and I love this recipe! I have to be gluten and dairy free but everyone else in my family can eat whatever. My husband tried it and his response was, “you aren’t missing anything with that bread!” I did find it helpful to put a thermometer in the water I had heated slightly on stovetop and wait till it was between 105-110 degrees F. (I wasted so many bowls of yeast first time around cause I wasnt sure I was doing it right) then add sugar and yeast. I always see just a little foam on top after waiting 5 min for it to activate. Works everytime! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am so grateful to have found something I can eat that tastes like the real thing.
Omg Heidi, this review made me super happy and emotional in the best way! I am VERY proud of you! Kisses
Hi
Can I bake this in my Dutch oven?
Should definitely work if the Dutch oven is preheated
Please expand on the comment you made about the Dutch oven having to be preheated
Hi Tracey, you have to pre-heat the DUTCH oven in the oven for at least 30 minutes as DUTCH ovens take a much longer time to heat up. Take it out of the oven, place in the bread and add on the lid. Bake covered 30 min, uncover it and bake for another 20-30 minutes depending (until golden).
If I use a Dutch oven you mentioned to pre heat it first? So heat it up on the stovetop then stick the dough in and put it in the oven/turn the oven on?
Dutch ovens take a lot longer to get hot due to the material it’s made of so please pre-heat it for about 30 minutes first in the oven, then add the bread and a lid, 30 minutes later uncover it and continue to bake it until golden. Keep an eye on it.
do you think this recipe would work if I made just half the recipe and made a smaller loaf? If it’s best the day of or next day, I couldn’t eat that large loaf in 2 days.
it will work but definitely less bake time 🙂
How big should the baking dish be? The size of a regular loaf of bread?
There’s no particular size, you can use any baking dish as long as the bread fits in there 🙂
“….another 30 minutes or less depending on the oven. Let it rest for a few minutes and enjoy. The total baking time will depend on your oven so keep an eye on it”
You haven’t said how to tell if it is done before 30 minutes. Can you advise?
Hi Elizabeth! The bread should be light and golden in color all over once it is done baking.
I tried this recipe and it didn’t turn out. Even with proofed yeast this dough did not rise at all.
I’m sorry to hear this Kirby. It’s possible that your oven did not reach the full temperature necessary or perhaps you are baking at high altitude?
So, if I use a Dutch oven, I should ignore not preheating the oven? I’m confused. Thanks for your help.
Hi Lee! No matter which oven-safe dish you bake the bread in, the bread needs to go into a cold/turned-off oven. After you put the bread in the oven, then turn it on to 450F. No preheating.
I really want to make this for my son! But I am struggling with the proofing of the yeast. I am at 6500ft so does that change things? I have tried 3X now and the yeast foamed a little the third time but it took 20 minutes for that to happen. help!
Hi Micheline! Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the recipe. Altitude absolutely effects the success of this recipe. I just updated the recipe with this note: I have NOT baked this recipe in a higher altitude so you will have to experiment and adjust. Please add a little warm water at a time until you have sticky dough. It’s important to look at the consistency.
There are some good tips on this site: https://gfjules.com/high-altitude-gluten-free-baking-tips/
BTW: I used Fleischmann’s ActiveDry Yeast. Expiry date October 2024.
Hi! I am wondering about the non-preheating instructions and the times. I bake in two ovens, one (gas) takes 10 minutes to preheat to 400 degrees, while the other (electric) takes 20 minutes to reach 400. So putting the dough in a cold oven and then turning it on for 30 minutes, would have very different results depending on the oven. Can I use a thermometer to judge when it’s ready and if yes, what temperature should it be? Or some other way?
Thank you!
Hi Sofia, either oven should work fine. I recommend you keep a close eye on the bread as it bakes in the second part of the recipe (when it’s uncovered), to watch for burning or overcooking. The loaf is ready when it is crusty and golden-brown all over.
I would like to use a cast iron dutch oven and I understand I have to preheat it so how do I start with a cold oven if I use the oven to preheat it ?
Hi Allan, don’t preheat the oven nor the dutch oven. Just put the dough in a room temp dutch oven and then into the cold oven.