Gluten-Free Peasant Bread Recipe
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This gluten-free peasant bread has such a nice texture — soft and spongy, light and moist — and moreover, when sliced, the pieces hold their shape. Bread lovers, even those not adhering to a gluten-free diet, rave about the texture and flavor of this bread. This recipe comes from my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs!
For the past year, the most frequent question asked on this blog is this: Can the peasant bread be made gluten-free?
Everyone knows someone — a friend, an uncle, a cousin — recently diagnosed with Celiac disease who has had to forget bread as he/she once knew it.
You might have this friend, this uncle, this cousin. I do. And you might want to treat him/her to a loaf of freshly baked bread but you don’t know where to begin.
This is the position my mother found herself in a month ago while preparing for the arrival of her brother-in-law, who had recently adopted a gluten-free diet. Panicked by the thought of serving dinner without warm, fresh bread on the table, she called asking if I had ever successfully made the peasant bread gluten free. I answered as I have to everyone who has asked thus far: no, not yet.
It seemed like a good time to take an earnest stab at making a gluten-free peasant bread. Unfortunately, a respectable loaf did not materialize before my uncle’s arrival, but one has since.
Gluten-Free Bread Baking Tips
- For every cup of flour (128g), use about a teaspoon of xanthum gum.
- For every 2 cups of flour (128g), use 1 egg.
- Use a little more yeast proportionally to help lighten the bread’s texture.
- Use a high-quality gluten-free mix, such as C4C or King Arthur Flour. If your gluten-free flour mix contains xanthum gum, no need to add additional.
Gluten-Free Peasant Bread Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
From my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs.
For best results, use a digital scale. It makes all the difference with bread baking.
Note: If you are using a different brand of gluten-free flour, you may not need all of the liquid. Because all gluten-free flours and mixes absorb water at a different rate, you may find your dough to be much more liquidy than mine — this is due to the flour. This is what I suggest: add the liquid a little bit at the time, mixing with a spatula to combine. Reference the video to see what the dough should look like as far as texture goes.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 g) gluten-free flour—my favorite is Cup4Cup, see notes above if using a different type of gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
- 2 cups (455 g) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) olive oil or grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) white wine or cider vinegar
- softened unsalted butter for greasing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. In a medium bowl, pour the water over the honey and stir to dissolve. Add the eggs, oil, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spatula to form a batter. (See notes above if you are using a different brand of gf flour.)
- Grease two 1-quart oven-safe bowls with the softened butter—be generous. Divide the dough evenly between the prepared bowls. With wet hands, smooth the surface of the dough. Let the dough rise in a warm or draft-free spot for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top of the dough just crowns the rims of the bowls — this may take longer… just be patient and wait till the dough crowns the rim: it might take as long as 2 hours if your kitchen is cool. Halfway through the rising, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F.
- Transfer the bowls to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 17 to 20 minutes more, until golden all around. Remove the bowls from the oven and turn the loaves out onto the cooling racks. Let the loaves cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free
Keywords: gluten-free, bread, yeast
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
374 Comments on “Gluten-Free Peasant Bread Recipe”
I can’t explain how much I love this gf bread! So easy to make, and the best taste and texture of any gf bread I have made or bought. Stays good for days! Thank you!
★★★★★
So great to hear this, Valerie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali,
Is it necessary to make in 2 bowls? I’m wondering if I can use my cast iron Le Creuset.
Looking forward to making bread.
Regards,
Maureen
Not necessary! The shape will just be different. How large is the Le Creuset?
5 quart. I was hoping to make one larger as opposed to 2.
Thanks so much for replying 😊
That should be great! Just butter it well 🙂
Thank you so much! I will let you know how it turns out.
Hello Ali… I have your “Bread Toast Crumbs” cookbook and absolutely love it. I’ve made everything in the cookbook… except the gf version of the peasant bread. Our neighbor next door has a 10 year old boy that was diagnosed with Top 8 allergies. I would love to make the peasant bread for him since we enjoy it so much. I have all the ingredients I need, but was wondering if I could grease the bowls or bread pan with coconut oil. Have you ever come across this question? I reviewed the comments and didn’t see anything. I am asking because I have had the pleasure of the breads sticking once… bummer! Since the gf ingredients are a bit pricey, I don’t want to waste anything. Thanks for your help!!
Hi Marilyn! Apologies for the delay here. Thank you for your kind words regarding BTC … means a lot. You are too sweet to want to bake for your neighbor. You can use room temperature (as in solid) coconut oil… be generous! Or you can use vegan buttery sticks, which is what my vegan friends use.
Sticking is such a bummer! Good luck with the g-f bread. The ingredients are so pricey. Hope your neighbor loves it 🙂
Excellent, so glad I found this recipe!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Susan!
Hi, I am a “skip right to the recipe” kind of gal, but you have made me want to learn by how successful your recipes are and all the tips you provide. I am NOT a baker at all, but I am considering buying your book just to become more well rounded in the field.
I am making your mothers peasant bread for my family and this gf recipe for me. I opted of for C4C because of the dairy content. I have King Arthur flour but it is a 1:1 ratio. On the package it recommends not to be used for bread making. I also have Bob Mills AP flour. Which one would be a better option?
hi! and thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can you clarify? You do not want to use Cup4Cup, correct? And so you’re deciding between KAF and Bobs Red Mill gluten-free flours? I have use KAF’s gluten-free flour — the blue box. It works great. I haven’t made it in ages, I must confess, bc I usually use Cup4Cup. I’m sure Bob’s would be great, too. With bread baking, gluten free or otherwise, it’s all about experimenting and adapting based on your results. Good luck!
Ali, any suggestions for someone that can’t have gluten dairy or eggs ? Thank You
Hi!
Can you use this recipe to make pizza?
Thanks!
Anne
I have never tried, but I think it’s worth a shot… are you making pan pizza or free-form pizza?
This bread is amazing. I made it today, delicious . Will never use another recipe this will be the go to . Thank you so much .
★★★★★
Great to hear, Pat! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂