Golden brown, gluten free French Bread that tastes as good as it looks? Yes, please!

You’ve seen those loaves of French Bread at the grocery store – the ones that are right by the check-out and fresh baked so the smell just carries throughout the entire store?

Well these are those loaves! And they just happen to be gluten free AND dairy free. So that makes them even better.

These mouthwatering loaves are the real deal – they ARE traditional French Bread loaves. With a golden, crispy exterior and an interior you can just pull apart and enjoy, they have the absolute best texture of any French Bread. And that’s a strong statement, but I stand by it.

See that gorgeous crust? It gets that lovely shade from the baking process. These loaves are baked in French Bread pans. These pans have tiny holes throughout the curved bottom so they bake the loaves the way they are supposed to be baked…

French bread pans allow steam to escape through the tiny holes to allow the crust to get crispy and deep golden brown.

This is the pan I use and I highly recommend it: Commercial Non-Stick Perforated French Bread Pan

Besides the pans, here are a few tips to ensure the very best Gluten Free French Bread:

No bumpy bread

When you spoon the dough onto the French Bread pan, make sure to smooth the tops with a spatula, as it will keep the exact same shape, even after rising. So if you leave it lumpy, the loaf will be lumpy when baked.

Rising time

Make sure to let the loaves rise for the complete time. The bread needs the time to develop into a nicely shaped loaf.

The dough / batter

I often call gluten free bread dough, batter, because it truly resembles more of a batter than a stretchy dough. After many years of baking gluten free breads, I’ve finally gotten over the temptation of wanting it to be stretchy. It’s not going to happen. But it does turn out to be a delicious loaf of bread!

Golden Gluten Free French Bread (Dairy Free Too!)

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

2 Tbls. granulated sugar
1 ½ cups water (70° – 80° F)
2 Tbls. quick rise yeast
2 cups white rice flour (tip: buy it in bulk and you’ll save ALOT of money)
1 cup tapioca flour
2 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. psyllium husk powder
2 Tbls. Earth Balance butter substitute (regular butter can be used), melted
3 egg whites
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Cornmeal for dusting the pan

Directions

1. Prepare a French Bread pan (this is the one that works really well) by spraying lightly with cooking spray and dusting it with cornmeal. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and water. Add in the yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl for a hand held mixer, add the rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt and psyllium husk powder. Stir with a spoon or mix to combine.

4. Add the melted Earth Balance, egg whites and vinegar to the dry ingredients. Add in the yeast mixture.

5. Blend to mix. Stop the machine and scrape the sides down. Beat the mixture on high for 3 minutes.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the tops.

7. Using a sharp knife, cut four, 2-inch diagonal cuts in the top of each loaf.

8. Cover the pan with a light towel and let the loaves rise for 30 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 400° F and bake the loaves for 45 minutes. (You might need to tent them with foil after 30 minutes)

10. Cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Next check out: Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Gum Free Dinner Rolls