While ours Measure for measure has long been the ideal gluten-free substitute flour—perfect for popping into cakes, cookies, and more—it has just one caveat: it's not meant for dry recipes. If you wanted to make a conventional gluten-free bread recipe, there was nowhere to turn. Until now.
After years of hard work, our R&D team cracked open the code, creating a Gluten-free bread flour that is specially designed for baking yeast. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? The age of delicious and beautiful gluten-free breads – from buttery sandwich loaves to chewy bagels to fresh-crust and open-crumbed baguettes has arrived! The R&D team has developed many gluten-free bread recipes that make use of this exceptional flour, such as Artisan gluten-free bread AND Chewy gluten-free bagels. But if you want to do your own experiment, there's more great news. This flour is also a gluten-free substitute for both bread flour and all-purpose flour – just swap 1:1 by weight or volume.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Liz Neily
How to substitute gluten-free bread flour for regular flour
Gluten-free bread flour can be exchanged 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.
To get started, Jonathan Brasil, a member of our R&D team, recommends trying one of these our gluten free bread recipes to understand what the gluten-free version of that dough should feel like and how to cook it. For example, bake Gluten Free Butter Bread test the dough for a piece of sandwich before substituting gluten-free bread flour in your favorite sandwich bread recipe.
But once you get your sea legs, feel free to substitute gluten-free bread flour in any bread recipe that calls for traditional bread (or all-purpose) flour; you'll just need to make a few changes to the recipe using the tips below, which can also be found at product page.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne; styling prop by Brooke Deonarine
Tip 1: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons more liquid per cup of flour
Because gluten-free bread flour is more absorbent than regular wheat flour, your recipes will need a little more liquid. The exact amount will vary, but start with 2 to 3 tablespoons per cup of flour.
And keep in mind that the dough itself will look and feel different when made with gluten-free bread flour. Jonathan explains that most gluten-free bread doughs should initially look more like dough, ranging from a thick paste to a cake batter texture, depending on the types of bread. “A hard braided bread like challah will be thicker, while sandwich bread dough will be thinner,” he says.
Tip 2: Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before cooking
These dough-like doughs need time to rest before cooking. The rest gives the gluten-free bread flour time to absorb the liquid in the recipe, at which point it will be easier to handle. “While gluten-free bread flour is more absorbent than conventional flour, it is slower to absorb than gluten,” explains Jonathan. Hence the rest added to give it time to absorb the liquid. “After twenty minutes, it will turn from a dough to a dough.”
Because gluten-free bread flour is very absorbent, the dough will continue to tighten and firm up as you work and cook it. “But if you try to cook the dough without the rest, it will be very sticky and difficult to handle,” warns Jonathan.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Liz Neily
Tip 3: The dough will rise about 50% faster, so preheat your oven
“During bulk fermentation, the dough only needs about 40 minutes to an hour,” says Jonathan. This is partly because gluten-free dough is not as firm as regular dough, and also because the slower absorption of water by gluten-free flour leaves more available for the yeast.
During the final rise after shaping, watch the dough closely as it will set faster. It should be nice and puffy. “Erre on the side of under-resisting rather than over-resisting,” Jonathan recommends. “These loaves spring well in the oven.” If the dough resists too much, it will start to fall apart on the surface. It might not be the prettiest bread, but Jonathan says it “will still taste good, so definitely bake it.”
Tip 4: Bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the bread
These breads take longer to bake because the meats and fibers in gluten-free bread flour hold more water than gluten (which is typical of gluten-free flour), so they take longer to bake. completely and “dried”.
If you have one digital thermometer, the internal temperature should be between 208°F to 212°F. Another good indicator of readiness is the color of the crust; a fully baked loaf should be deep golden brown. To get a feel for the color you're after, try baking one of our existing gluten-free bread recipes before you start experimenting.
Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
What types of bread are good to put in gluten-free bread flour?
Enough! Jonathan recommends buns, rolls, and even artisan breads as good places to start. (For the latter, using brotforms AND steam are helpful for achieving great shape and crust.) “Hamburger rolls and buns made with gluten-free bread flour have a soft exterior with a durable crumb that won't fall apart,” says Jonathan. You can even do gluten free baguette with this flour that rivals traditional baguettes, with an open crumb and a fresh crust. (Watch our baking ambassador Martin Philip walk you through how to bake gluten free baguettes.)
Note: If you're using gluten-free bread flour in an artisan bread recipe that calls for folding, you'll want to skip this step, although you may find that you don't need to do as much folding as the original recipe calls for.
What types of bread can't you put in gluten-free bread flour?
In short: None! “I haven't found one that has ever failed,” says Jonathan. He mentions that when making sandwich bread, it's hard to achieve a characteristic domed top without the elasticity of gluten, but the gluten-free version still turns out great. And an enriched bread like challah won't have the same feathery crumb you get with regular flour (that all comes from gluten development), but it will still have a soft crumb and the dough is firm enough to be braid it.
If you have a particularly difficult or complicated artisan bread recipe, Jonathan also suggests starting with our simple one Artisan gluten-free bread to get a feel for the process we prefer when using gluten-free bread flour and then apply those techniques to another recipe.
Ready for a whole new era of gluten-free bread? Take a bag with Gluten-free bread flour and bake, then let us know what you think! (And if you need help, our Baker's hotline is always a phone call or email away.)
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne; supporting styling by Brook Deonarine.
