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Home » Recipes by Course » Breads

Modified: May 16, 2025 Published: Nov 2, 2017· Cathy Brak · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Home » Recipes by Course » Breads

Simple Crusty Artisanal Gluten Free Bread

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This Simple Crusty Artisanal Gluten Free Bread is easy to mix up. Let the batter rest overnight and  bake it in cast iron at a high temperature. The resulting texture is hardy and the taste slightly reminiscent of sourdough, depending on how long you have let the dough rest. If you don't have an enamelled French oven, you can use two cast iron skillets. The recipe was inspired when Lynne Knowlton posted the Homemade Bread Recipe that Tastes Like Life at 10 Years Old on her website, Design the Life You Want to Live. She reminded me of the delicious, fresh, crusty bread I had made years ago - before my gluten free days.

Gluten Free Artisanal Round Loaf CathysGlutenFree.com
It's hard to wait until this loaf is cool enough to slice!

This is not your usual homemade bread. The preparation method is different, omitting the laborious kneading stage. I remembered it being easy to make and amazing to eat!

Then on Instagram, there was a little tossing back and forth of the idea of a gluten free version. I just couldn't let it go! It has taken me awhile, but I'm finally happy with the result!

round loaf of crusty bread
Simple Crusty Artisanal Gluten Free Bread

Enameled Cast Iron Pots

Now if you don't own a beautiful enameled cast iron pot with a lid, don't despair. I made mine with two cast iron frying pans. You'll see the second one in the video below.

round loaf of bread in a black cast iron skillet
Gluten Free Crusty Artisanal Bread can be made in two cast iron skillets.

Gluten Free Bread

Naturally, our gluten free version takes more ingredients than the wheat one. Gluten free flours are just like that. It takes a special combination to make your bread good. Believe me, I tried many! These are the ones that I feel make the best bread with the fewest ingredients.

banner with blueberry muffins to the left and text in remaining white space

Yeast

I used instant yeast in my trials. To learn more about working with yeast, read Gluten Free Yeast Bread Tips.

Water Temperature

Water temperature is important when you're working with yeast. You should be able to dip the inside of your wrist into it and barely feel it. If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it's too cold, the yeast won't do its best work.

round loaf of crusty bread inside an enameled pot
Use an enamaled dutch oven for baking your crusty loaf, if you have one.

Kneading or Not?

This recipe is long on sitting and short on working. Doesn't that sound good! I found that my KitchenAid stand mixer did the work for me, but if you don't have one, you can make the bread by hand. I think the gluten free bread likes a little more kneading (mixing) than its wheaty cousin requires. Either way, you don't have to knead this one as much as you would other homemade breads.

Plan ahead to make this. Mix up your ingredients, let the batter sit overnight, and enjoy your amazing creation the next day!

You might also enjoy this easy gluten free sorghum bread, Gluten Free Brioche, Gluten Free Bagels, or a completely grain free loaf of white sandwich bread. Gluten Free Garlic Bread Sticks are fun and well-loved! 

Crusty Artisanal Gluten Free Bread Video

Recipe

round loaf of crusty bread

Gluten Free Artisanal Bread

Bake this hearty loaf in a cast iron pot in a very hot oven.
4.72 from 7 votes
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Course: Bread
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: gluten free, gluten free bread
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories: 198kcal
Author: Cathy

Equipment

  • Cast iron pot
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup organic sorghum flour
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • ½ cup teff flour
  • ½ cup millet flour
  • ⅓ cup organic cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 ½ cup warm water 105 - 110 degrees Fahrenheit

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients. A stand mixer will do this job with ease. The dough doesn't need to be kneaded, though, just well combined. Cover with plastic, and let sit overnight at room temperature.
  • Stir dough down and shape into a round loaf. Set it in a floured towel, and allow to rise 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 450 F with a cast iron pot and lid inside.
  • Remove the hot pot from the oven. Gently roll the dough into it. Cover with the hot lid and bake 30 minutes.
  • Uncover. Continue baking for another 30 minutes.
  • Remove to cool. Then slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 533mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g
round loaf of artisan bread on wooden board
Artisan Bread for Restricted Diets
Gluten Free Crusty Bread Recipe | CathysGlutenFree.com
Gluten Free Crusty Bread Recipe
sliced round loaf of dark gluten free bread
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round loaf on wooden board
sliced bread on cutting board

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MC says

    January 11, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    Dying to try this recipe but don't have cast iron pot or frying pan. Would a preheated pizza stone work?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      January 12, 2020 at 8:01 am

      I haven't tried making this bread with a pizza stone, but I think it should work fine as the bottom for the bread to sit on. You need to be able to cover the bread for the first half of baking, though. Perhaps a casserole dish turned upside down over it would work. Let me know how it turns out for you.

      Reply
  2. Cathy says

    September 20, 2019 at 11:39 pm

    Yes, the xanthan gum is important for proper texture.

    While you don't need to be extremely precise with rising time, you wouldn't want to leave it for several extra hours, especially for the second rising.

    Reply
  3. Tina Jordan says

    September 20, 2019 at 7:59 pm

    Hi Cathy,

    This looks so tasty! Great job!

    I suppose the Xanthan Gum is important?!
    🙂
    I tried without it and failed miserably haha. Is there such a thing as letting it rise for too long? I want to get it right.:-D

    Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Nicole says

    December 29, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    Damn, Cathy, you nailed this! Big props to you! Gluten free bread is always a lengthy experiment, but you make it look easy. Truly awesome job! Great recipe!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      December 29, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      Thank you, Nicole! It was a lengthy experiment, but I'm happy to share the results for those who will benefit.

      Reply
  5. Shareba says

    December 29, 2017 at 11:33 am

    I haven't had much luck with gluten-free baking, but this loaf looks so good! The fact that it can be made in the mixer without much kneading is a bonus!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      December 29, 2017 at 11:57 am

      For sure! This bread takes time, but it's not very labour-intensive.

      Reply
      • Karen M Budd says

        March 17, 2020 at 2:22 pm

        5 stars
        I made this recipe and the crust came out great, I love the sourdough taste, the only thing that could be improved is the texture of the middle. It is rather dense, not much air holes. Any suggestions on how to change that?
        Thanks
        Karen

        Reply
        • Cathy says

          March 17, 2020 at 5:50 pm

          I'm so happy that the crust and taste of your bread turned out well! For the texture in the middle, maybe your dough needs to be mixed more. While this method doesn't require several minutes of kneading as a traditional yeast bread would, the batter does need to be completely mixed, so that it's smooth. A warmer place for the two-hour rising period might help, too. Also, be very careful when you transfer the dough to the pan that it doesn't get flattened at all. I hope that at least one of these tips solves your problem.

          Reply
          • Karen Budd says

            March 19, 2020 at 4:51 pm

            5 stars
            I also wonder what the difference is between letting is sit out overnight and then letting it rise for 2 hours the next day? It all seems the same to me. Let me know of any differences between the two.
            Thanks!

          • Cathy says

            March 19, 2020 at 8:29 pm

            Thank you for your question. I can see now that the instructions were confusing. The overnight resting period is for the dough, presumably still in the mixing bowl. Then, it gets shaped into a loaf for the second, two-hour rising period. The dough is punched down between the two risings. I've edited the recipe to hopefully make this clearer.

          • Karen Budd says

            March 20, 2020 at 8:13 am

            5 stars
            That is good to know about the rising. I guess the issue for me is that it's not rising at all.... any tips?

4.72 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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