By Irene Hayton

A few of our patients have asked for a recipe for a yeast-free gluten-free bread that they can make themselves, so after a lot of research and testing, this is what I’ve come up with. Keep in mind that when making yeast-free breads, especially if they’re also gluten-free, you will not end up with light fluffy bread that resembles the store-bought varieties; yeast is what causes the bread to rise and gluten provides elasticity. If you’re not familiar with gluten-free baking, be sure to read this month’s Health Tip.

This bread is good eaten warm, right out of the oven, with butter or nut butter on it. It’s also good toasted. See the list below for substitutions.

  • ¼ cup (50 ml) melted coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • ·2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
  • ¾ cup (175 ml) sorghum flour
  • ¾ cup (175 ml) brown rice flour
  • ½ cup (125 ml) tapioca starch flour
  • ½ cup (125 ml) millet flour
  • ½ cup (125 ml) buckwheat flour
  • 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) guar gum or xanthan gum
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) alum-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) unprocessed sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Lightly grease a metal loaf pan with butter or coconut oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut oil, eggs, milk, vinegar, and honey. (If possible, bring the eggs, milk, and coconut oil to room temperature before mixing; this will prevent the coconut oil from solidifying when you mix the wet ingredients.)

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and stir just until combined—be careful not to over mix as this destroys the delicate air bubbles in the mixture and will result in a heavier bread.

Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth down the top. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Substitutions:

  • You can use melted butter instead of coconut oil.
  • I used vanilla flavored unsweetened almond milk. You can substitute rice milk or oat milk or, if you’re okay with dairy, you can use low-fat milk or buttermilk. If using buttermilk, omit the vinegar.
  • Instead of millet and buckwheat flours, you can try other gluten-free flours (see this month’s Health Tip). I’ve made this bread with quinoa flour instead of buckwheat and it passed the taste test with 3 out of 4 of my family members. If you don’t like the taste of quinoa, don’t use it as it has its own distinctive flavor and aroma. If gluten is not a problem for you, feel free to use spelt, kamut, or wheat flour instead of the millet and/or buckwheat.
  • Instead of the flours listed in this recipe, you can substitute 3 cups of a commercial gluten-free flour blend. Just be sure to check the ingredient list—if it already contains salt and/or guar gum or xanthan gum, don’t add any more.
  • Spoon the flours into measuring cups designed for dry measures and level off with a knife, rather than packing them down.