If you have been searching for a gluten-free bread machine recipe that actually works, one that turns out soft, sliceable, and tastes like squishy Wonder Bread you remember from childhood, I made this for you. After 15 years of testing this recipe in my own kitchen for my kids, I have perfected this method to ensure your loaf never turns into a “brick.”
When we first went gluten-free almost 15 years ago, we could not buy a loaf of gluten-free bread in any grocery store. My kids were young and picky, and it was challenging to think of things to pack in their lunchboxes. I spent years perfecting this gluten-free bread recipe to work in my bread machine. My kids wanted a bread that was fluffy, not dense.
I made this recipe as easy as possible for you to make, and it is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, with options for egg-free and gum-free as well. Hundreds of readers have made it and shared their success! If you don’t have a bread machine, you can bake it in your oven. See my Gluten-Free Bread Recipe.
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
Tested Gluten-Free Flour Blends
For best results, use one of the flour blends that I tested.
- Works: Cup4Cup (both the old version and new version), Sandi’s DIY All-Purpose Flour Blend.
- Doesn’t Work: Bob’s 1:1, King Arthur Measure for Measure, and bean flour blends. Always check the bag and the website of any gluten-free flour blend to ensure it works in yeast recipes.
Reader-tested blends (please see the comments for reader comments using these blends):
- Walmart Great Value Gluten-Free Flour
- King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour
- Premium Gold Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- Two readers commented that they swapped gluten-free oat flour for the sorghum flour in my blend.
The rest of the ingredients:
- Flaxseed Meal: I add flaxseed meal because it adds moisture, extra binding, and structure. Use finely ground. If you use a 1:1 blend, omit the flaxseed meal.
- Eggs: Use large eggs. For egg-free, many readers have had success swapping Just Egg liquid replacer.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Boosts rise and improves texture.
- Baking Powder: Use aluminum-free.
- Sugar: Just a couple of tablespoons to activate the yeast and balance the flavor.
- Yeast: Always confirm it’s gluten-free. (Red Star Platinum is not gluten-free.)
Allergen Substitutions:
This recipe is very forgiving, and you can swap these common allergens and still make a great loaf of gluten-free bread in your bread machine.
- Egg-Free: Replace the eggs with Just Egg.
- Gum-Free: Use my DIY gluten-free flour blend with psyllium husk instead of xanthan gum.
- Yeast Swap: Use rapid yeast if needed. The same quantity works.
- Alternate Flours (reader-tested): Great Value GF flour and Namaste have been reported to work by readers, but I haven’t tested them personally.
A Note From My Kitchen
I spent years testing this recipe specifically in my bread machine because gluten-free dough behaves very differently in a bread maker. Small changes, like blending ingredients first, choosing yeast-compatible flour blends, and scraping the sides of the bread pan early, make the difference between a dense loaf and a soft, sliceable one.
I know most of you prefer using a gluten-free flour blend, but many 1:1 blends do not work in yeast-based recipes. I did test one flour blend, Cup4Cup, in this recipe, and it worked well. If you use a different flour blend, check the back of the bag and the brand’s website to confirm it is suitable for yeast recipes.
How to Make Gluten-Free Bread in Your Bread Machine (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together before adding them to the machine.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl. Blend the wet ingredients until smooth.
Testing Tip: I know many recipes tell you to add the wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients, to the bread machine. Mixing them first helps prevent pockets of unmixed flour, evenly distributing the eggs, oil, and vinegar, and it promotes an even rise, especially important in gluten-free baking.
Steps 3 and 4: Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Do not stir them together; the machine requires these layers to activate the yeast.
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Step 5: Sprinkle the yeast evenly on top, then start the gluten-free setting. Use a homemade cycle if your machine doesn’t have one (see the Bread Machine Tips below).
Step 6: Do not skip the 5-minute scrape! Use a butter knife to scrape the flour down from the sides and corners of the bread machine. Gluten-free dough does not ‘self-clean’ the pan walls like wheat dough does. This step ensures you do not end up with crusty flour patches on your finished loaf.
Step 7: Let the bread sit for 10 minutes after baking is finished, then remove it from the pan to cool. This keeps the bottom from getting soggy.
Do not slice the bread too soon! Let the loaf cool completely (100%) so the crumb can set. This will prevent gumminess. The slices of bread should feel soft and springy. The crust should feel firm, but not hard like a crusty bread.
Store your freshly baked bread properly! Read How to Store Gluten-Free Bread so you can keep it fresh longer.
Bread Machine Troubleshooting:
Here are some tips to help you know which settings to use when baking this bread recipe. I use a Hamilton Beach machine, but bread machine settings vary by brand and model. Here’s how to get the best results:
Why is my bread underbaked?
If your bread is underbaked, it means your bread machine’s gluten-free setting is too short. You can tell if your bread is underbaked because it will be doughy in the middle, which can cause the top to sink. To fix this problem, run a short “bake-only” cycle to finish the browning.
What adjustments do I make if I live at a high altitude?
Yeast can be a lot more active at higher altitudes. This article explains how to adjust your ingredients so your recipe will work in a bread machine.
What if my bread machine doesn’t have a gluten-free cycle?
If you have an older bread machine or a machine without a gluten-free setting, these settings can be used. Use the Homemade setting:
- 20 min mix
- 45 min rise
- 90 min bake
Why didn’t my bread rise properly?
The most common reasons are inactive yeast, chlorine in tap water, or you used a gluten-free flour blend not designed for yeast baking. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure state on their websites that they do not work well in yeast recipes, yet many people try to use them anyway. Also, check your bread machine’s baking cycle length.
I have a lot more troubleshooting advice available for you. Read my Gluten-Free Bread Troubleshooting Guide. Also, check out my top recommendations for my favorite Gluten-Free Bread Making Tools.
New to gluten-free bread baking? Don’t miss my Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Bread Recipes That Work. It’s packed with all of my gluten-free bread baking tips, gluten-free flour advice, and reader-favorite recipes.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
This gluten-free bread machine recipe makes a 1.5-pound loaf.
Always add the wet ingredients to the bread machine first. It helps prevent flour pockets at the bottom of your bread loaf. Note, I recommend always blending the wet and dry ingredients in mixing bowls first, then pouring them into the bread machine with the wet ingredients first and the dry ingredients on top.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean at the end of the cycle, immediately start a ‘Bake Only’ cycle for 10-minute increments. Once the machine cools down, you can not easily start it back up, so check it the second the timer beeps.
Thank you for coming up with this seriously easy, no-fail recipe. My wheat-eating husband said it’s his favorite bread ever, including regular gluten bread.”
Angela H., Facebook comment
More Gluten-Free Bread Machine Recipes:
I have several great bread machine recipes, and you can get all of these delicious gluten-free bread machine recipes in one place. If you prefer to bake bread in the oven, check out all of my delicious gluten-free bread recipes!
1. Gluten-Free Hawaiian Bread – This bread is easy to make in your bread machine or oven.
2. Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread – This whole-grain blend is deliciously easy to make if you prefer a whole-grain sandwich bread.
3. Several readers have made my Gluten-Free Oat Bread in their bread machines.
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free bread machine sandwich bread recipe? Drop a comment below, and let me know how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
The Best Gluten-Free Bread Machine Recipe (Fluffy Like Wonderbread!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sorghum flour 156.09 grams
- ½ cup brown rice flour 88.1 grams
- 1 cup tapioca starch 143.4 grams
- ½ cup potato starch 93.4 grams
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup light oil * see note
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast rapid rise also works
- 1 ½ cups warm purified water * SEE NOTE
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Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, 1/2 cup potato starch, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal, 2 tablespoons cane sugar, 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder and whisk to blend.
- TIP: Always blend the dry ingredients before adding them to the bread machine. Dumping everything in at once can lead to uneven mixing, which affects how well the bread turns out.
- In a smaller bowl, add 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup light oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups warm purified water, and whisk to and blend.
- Check that the paddle is securely attached to the bread machine's spinner and spins freely. Pour the mixed wet ingredients into the machine's bread pan.
- Pour the whisked dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients, ensuring an even layer.
- Dump the 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) on top of the dry ingredients. Close the lid, select the gluten-free setting, and press start. If your bread machine has no gluten-free cycle, refer to my notes below.
- If your bread machine has this setting, use it. After 5 minutes, take a soft rubber spatula and push the flour down from the sides of the pan. This tip will help prevent unmixed flour pockets on the side of your bread.
- The dough should look wetter than traditional bread dough and that’s exactly what you want. Once mixing stops, you can remove the paddle with long tongs or wait until the baking cycle is complete.
- When the cycle ends, let the bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently slide the bread out of the pan and place it on a cooling rack. This prevents the bread from overcooking and drying out from the residual heat in the bread pan.
- The only downside to using a bread machine is the little paddle comes off into your bread. The bread stays hot for some time so I highly recommend you using tweezers or these pointed tongs to remove the paddle. It is easier to remove when the bread is hot.
- Do not slice the bread until it has fully cooled to room temperature!!! (I know it is tempting to eat warm bread, but this is critical!!) This helps the crumb set and prevents the bread from becoming gummy.
Notes
- Many bread machine recipe directions will say you can dump all of the ingredients into your bread maker. Do not do this! When you are mixing as many ingredients as are needed for gluten free bread, you risk the ingredients not getting mixed thoroughly, and that can affect how the bread turns out!
- Most yeast is gluten-free, except for Red Star Platinum. It has wheat. As always, check the ingredients label for any yeast you buy. Also, check the expiration date of the yeast to ensure it has not expired.
- Always use purified water when baking with yeast. Tap water often contains chlorine and other chemicals that can weaken or even kill your yeast, preventing your bread from rising properly. Choose filtered or bottled water free from these additives to get the best rise and texture.
- I prefer light oils, including avocado and canola oil. You can use other oils, but they may impart a flavor to the bread, which can be good or bad.
- Note: Cup4Cup recently changed its flour blend formulation to remove the dry milk powder. It behaves a little differently. I haven’t had a chance to retest this recipe with the new flour blend formulation, but two readers have and wrote to tell me the new blend works well. If you use Cup4Cup, add 3 cups Cup4Cup instead of the individual flour/starches. Omit the xanthan gum, vinegar, and flaxseed.
- WATER – For some reason, some readers have reported the middle caved from the batter being too wet, indicating there is too much water. Others don’t experience this. I am assuming it is the bread maker, they live at a high altitude, or if someone is using cup measurements. If you notice the bread sinks in the middle, use 1 1/4 cups of water.
- You can bake this bread in your oven. The full directions are here in my Gluten-Free Bread recipe.
- Store leftover bread in an airtight container. Gluten-free bread tends to spoil fast, so I recommend slicing the bread and freezing the slices. I flash freeze the slices, then put them in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
- Undercooked Bread: If the gluten-free setting underbakes, run a short “bake-only” cycle to finish browning. The gluten-free time/cycle settings differ for every machine and model number. I am not sure why this is, but I am noticing it. Here are things I noticed and some ideas to make your machine work in this recipe:
- High Altitude: Yeast can be more active. Use less yeast and consider baking in the oven instead.
- No Gluten-Free Cycle? If you have an older bread machine or one without a gluten-free setting, use the “Home Made” cycle: 20 min mix, 45 min rise, 90 min bake.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
More Gluten Free Bread Recipes:
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I absolutely love this recipe! Thank you so much! One question, I mix, then proof then bake in my oven. I proof directly in my bread pan. If I want to add cinnamon and raisins, when should I do that, as I’m reading that cinnamon can kill the yeast, causing it not to rise??? Thank you! You’ve enabled me to have great bread again!
Hi Kim, I have a great gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread recipe. I shape the dough then put it in the pan and proof. Here is that recipe. https://www.fearlessdining.com/gluten-free-cinnamon-raisin-bread/ I suspect the bread dough in my bread machine recipe is wetter, so maybe swirling the cinnamon and raisins in the pan, before proofing would work?
Water is the last ingredient after the yeast; do you mix the water with the wet ingred then pour the yeast on top of the dry ingred? I have never made bread so it may be a dumb question lol
Hi, Are you making it in a bread machine or baking in the oven? For bread machine: The wet ingredients go into the bread machine first, then dry ingredients on top. Sprinkle the yeast on last. If you are making it in the oven, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let it bubble then pour it into the dry ingredient.
Oh my gosh. I’ve been experimenting with different gf bread recipes and I’m thrilled I found this one. I love using my bread machine and baking but since having to be gf, I had given up. I honestly haven’t had bread this good from anywhere since going gf. I measured ingredients by cup, not by weight. My husband, who is diabetic, loves bread and his numbers respond better to gf bread. He, too, love this. I think I’m going to mix a batch of the dry ingredients to have on hand to just mix and go. Thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try others from you!!
You made my day. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know you both loved my recipe!
Hello, is it ok to use warm water to activate the yeast more in the bread machine version? I made this 2x and it was excellent; however, it didn’t rise as much as your photos. Mine was 3 1/4” high. Thank you.
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried this, so please let me know how it turns out.
I finally – with some coaching from Sandi (thank you so very much!) made a loaf of this bread!!! I followed the oven baking instructions, didn’t make any drastic changes, used Cup4Cup flour, and it came out looking just like the picture. Two notes: first, I had to bake it at least 20 minutes longer, just checked it every ten minutes or so. Second, if you’re of an age and need to use glasses to read, be sure to do so when grabbing your 1/2 tsp measurer, because when it’s indented on a silver handle, tb sp can look a lot like tsp. Just sayin’.
I am so glad it worked out and you were able to enjoy fresh bread!! I also have to wear glasses to read :-).
Hi,
What can I use instead of rice flour?
Hi Ash, I haven’t tested any rice-free flour blends so I am not sure how to advise.
I was really in the mood to try baking a loaf of GF bread. I searched around and found yours. However, I didn’t have all the different types of flour so I just used my King Arthurs GF Bread flour. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I took the dough out after the dough cycle and let it rise in a bread pan, then baked it in the oven as you directed in your notes. I have to tell you this bread turned out amazing! It’s the best gf bread I’ve ever had; soft and full of flavor. Thank you so very much!
Hi MJ, I am so glad you loved this recipe and I am thrilled to hear the KA Bread Flour worked well. That is the one with gf wheat starch?
Sandi
That crumb is fantastic! I love using sorghum in bread recipes, in my opinion it is a very underutilized ingredient in gluten free baking.
I am really glad you love the bread. I agree about sorghum, I find it is healthier than straight rice flour blends.
What type of YEAST do you refer to ? (regular ? fast-rising?). Thanks
I almost always use active dry yeast. Our store usually has Fleischman’s brand yeast.
I just read some more comments and my question (below) was answered. Thank you.
I just tried this bread for the first time last night. I followed the instructions exactly. The outside got super done but the middle just wouldn’t cook all the way! I have a Cuisinart bread maker and the gluten free setting is under 3 hours total for all the steps. My machine doesn’t have the option to customize and doesn’t break the steps down, so I don’t know how long each step takes. After baking I tried to run a bake only cycle but my machine runs an error if you try to do anything else right away bc it is “too hot”. Even to just bake apparently. So I stuck it in the oven at 350 for another at least 40 minutes. It was getting better but still not done. Problem is I kept checking it. My husband was hovering and didn’t want it to burn so kept having me check like every 5 minutes. 🤣 I think it may not have cooked properly since I kept opening the oven to check? I wonder if I stick it in the oven right away for another 30 minutes or so if that would help? Would love to hear any thoughts to help me troubleshoot! Thanks so much!!
Hi Mary, I am not familiar with that breadmaker. You can try baking this bread in the oven instead of the bread machine. Did you substitute any ingredients? It definitely sounds like it didn’t bake enough. When cake or bread is baking, it is critical not to open the oven door. The fluctuations in temperature will cause the middle to sink. How do you measure your dry ingredients?