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
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.
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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!
is this a 1.5 lb loaf or 2 lb?
Hi Carey, it should be a 1.5-pound loaf.
Hi, Sandy,
I’m trying to locate sorghum flour in my area and It’s been hard to find. Is there another flour you could substitute in place of sorghum?
I’m going to attempt to make this.
Thank you
Leslie
Hi Erika, I usually find it by Bob’s Red Mill in stores, or I order it on Amazon, to be honest, I have not tried any other flours to sub. I find the gluten free flour blends don’t work as well in this recipe either.
thank you
Hi, Sandi,
I am baking the bread now in the bread machine. I followed your directions and my Secura Bread Machine has a GF setting. It looks very wet though still with only 43 minutes left in the cycle. Do you have any recommendations if it doesn’t cook right when the time is up? I hate to waste all the precious ingredients. Thank you, Leslie
Hi Leslie, 43 minutes is still a long time. Did you substitute any ingredients or follow my recipe exactly? Thank you.
It’s looking much better right now. I’m not used to seeing the dough so wet over the last 40 minutes or so. But it’s baking better now, the heat rose in the BM. It doesn’t look as nice as your photo though, a bit sucken rather than a nice rounded top.
After the bread cools, feel free to send me an email with a photo. Did you use my exact recipe or substitute ingredients?
If you have an Indian grocery store nearby, they usually sell Sorghum Flour. It’s also known as Juwar Flour.
I think foodtolive.com has it and Vitacost.com. Of course, Amazon too.
That is good to know. Thank you so much Dawn. I get my sorghum on Amazon.
Have you tried Cassava Flour in place of the Tapioca Flour?
I’ve read that both come from cassava root. Cassava flour is from the whole root (more fiber & less processed) and Tapioca is just the starchy part
However, cassava flour is said to be thicker and to reduce other thickeners/ gums.
Hi Dawne, that is a good question. I have cassava flour but have never tried substituting it. If you try it in the recipe, please do let us know how it turns out.
I found a trick on a YouTube video (I think?) on a way to avoid the paddle being baked into the bread. After the kneading cycle, take the paddle out. I tried it and the only indent was from the peg that holds the paddle and the bread slid out of the pan………Thanks for sharing
That is an awesome tip Robin, thank you!
I’m looking forward to making this bread! Since I do not have a bread machine, am I correct in assuming this will not require kneading? Seems reasonable, just confirming…thanks!
Hi Leslie, you really can’t knead gluten free dough like you would wheat dough. You would just drop it into the loaf pan and let it rise, then bake it.
Notes on yeast:
Most baking yeast contains Sorbitan Monostearate (SMS) which is a SYNTHETIC ingredient made from Sorbitol (derived from corn/potato) and Stearic Acid. SMS improves the activity of instant dry yeast when it’s rehydrated.
If you are looking for all-natural yeast WITHOUT SMS, these 2 do NOT contain it:
1) RED STAR Active Dry Yeast (Gluten free) Only ingredient is Yeast. Sold ONLY in individual packets (3-packet strip) that contains 2.25 tsp (1/4oz) in each packet.
According to Red Star:
“This is all-natural, pure yeast, is grown on cane molasses and without any other ingredients added.”
2) Hannaford brand Active Dry Yeast. Only ingredient is Yeast.
Sold in individual packets (3-packet strip) that contains 2.25 tsp (1/4oz) in each packet. Unsure if gluten free.
Thank you, Dawne.
Couple questions..
1) For oven method, the recipe says 1.5 cups of water and 1/2 cup water for proofing yeast. Is that a total of 2 cups water for the whole recipe (oven cooked) OR is the total amount 1.5 cups water which is inclusive of the 1/2 cup needed for proofing yeast?
(I tried the recipe using 2 cups water but it was overly watery and bread was way too moist and took forever to cook. It tasted good though.)
2) Re: “Light Oil”. You mention seeing a note regarding the oil, but I’ve read the recipe at least 2-3x and can’t find the note. Can you please clarify what is considered a “light oil”?
(I used avocado oil)
Thanks.
Hi Dawne, You would want a total of 1.5 cups of water total. Light oil is something without a strong flavor. I use canola or avocado oil most for this bread.
Thanks for clarifying that. I’m looking forward to trying it again… with less water as you suggested.
I’ve tried the recipe 3 times now (oven baked) with the water amount you suggested. Yes… it worked better. Hubby loves it!!!
Also, since a packet of yeast is 2 1/4 tsp (recipe is 2 tsp) and I didn’t want to waste yeast, I added 12.5% more to the ingredients. Still worked great.
Last batch, I sprinkled some home-grown rosemary on the top. Yum!!
Hi Dawne, I m so glad you love this recipe and the rosemary sound lovely. I usually dump the whole packet in if I am using a packet.
I just made your bread recipe. The whole family just loves it. It is so soft and tastes better than store bought bread. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You made my day coming back to let me know everyone loved it! Thank you!
I have an older bread machine and it doesn’t have the gluten-free button. What setting would be best to use? I am anxious to try this!
Hi Beth, Thank you for your note. I really am not sure what setting to recommend. You want to make sure the setting you choose doesn’t knead the dough endlessly as gluten free bread doesn’t need this. Try to find a cycle that has one mixing cycle.
Finally, a light & fluffy gluten-free bread machine bread that tastes wonderful!
I really want this to work. It rose to within 1/4” of the top of the bread pan – and then the center caved in to 1/2 the height. The crumb was still nice and fluffy and the crust was great too. The only modification I made to the recipe was to substitute aquafaba powder & water in place of the eggs.
My bread machine is a Cuisinart CBK-200.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you,
Steven Williams
Hi Steven, I am not familiar with aquafaba so I am not sure if that was it. Usually, if the bread rises way up, then caves it means the yeast activated causing it to rise too quickly. Did you use a packet of yeast? I am wondering if reducing the amount of yeast may help?
Hi Sandi,
I used 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. I had a thought – when I mixed the aquafaba powder with water to egg substitute, perhaps I added too much water. If the dough was too thin would that result in a sinking loaf?
Anyway, this bread was so good I want to try it again. Maybe next time I will use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer instead.
Thanks,
Steven
Hi Steven, I don’t have experience with aquafaba as an egg substitute, but thin dough can definitely cause the loaf to sink. Keep us posted on your progress to make this recipe egg-free :-).