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This Easy Grain-free French Bread recipe tastes like French baguettes; no one will believe you when you say it's gluten-free!
What's the first thing you think of when you go gluten-free? It's all about giving up the bread because, well, gluten and bread usually go hand in hand. Sure, they sell "gluten-free" bread at the store, but let's be honest; it's not always good.
I know I've heard the phrase "taste like cardboard" on more than one occasion. I'm sure I've even used the term myself. Don't get me wrong, gluten-free braid has come a long way in the last decade, and there are some good ones available now. I'm not always a fan of the ingredients because many of them use rice and corn flour to make them. When you can't handle corn, this becomes an issue.
Another issue that often occurs with gluten-free bread is that it has nut flours, like almonds. While I can personally handle almonds (not peanuts), a lot of people can't. So that means making delicious almond flour bread is fine, but it still leaves some people out from enjoying a nice hot piece of freshly baked bread. We all know how good bread is.
As many times as I've been told, "I'm missing out on the real deal." Yeah, I'm not because I can always make a batch of this bread and get my fix anytime I want.
Why you will LOVE this grain-free French bread recipe!
I've tried and tested SO many different bread recipes over the years of being gluten-free. Some were good, some were, well, not, and some turn out so well they become staples in my house. That's where this bread fits into.
- It has a beautiful crispy outside crust!
- Two words, soft, chewy insides. It's like you are taking a bite of bread heaven in every bite!
- The flavor of this bread is AMAZING! It's not bland, but it doesn't have that overwhelming after-taste that some gluten-free breads can have.
- This bread is incredibly easy to make! No one wants to spend time making bread that doesn't taste good.
Ingredients in Grain-free French Bread
- Milk or Water
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Eggs
- Arrowroot Starch
- Cassava Flour
- Salt
- Butter or DF Option
Tips and Tricks
Cassava Flour
I get many messages about people not liking the texture or a recipe not acting like it should as written, and here is where the problem probably lies.
How to Measure Cassava Flour
Cassava flour settles A LOT. Here is my trick if you do not want to bring out your kitchen scale to measure it. Whisk, whisk, and whisk some more. What does that mean? When I measure cassava flour, I always do the following steps.
- Whisk the flour in whatever container you are storing it or the bag.
- Spoon the desired amount into a measuring cup to measure. Pour that into a larger bowl or measuring cup and whisk it again. You will notice when you whisk it that the amount increases. This is because the cassava has settled, so you measured more than what you wanted for the recipe.
- If you have more, merely remove the excess and repeat until you have the amount you need.
Making it Dairy-free
The way this recipe is written contains dairy, but I've had a lot of success subbing out the milk and butter in this recipe for dairy-free options.
Making it Nut-free
There is no need; this bread is already nut-free!
Making it Egg-free
I've tried this recipe using Bob's Red Mill egg replacement for equal quantities, and it's worked. The texture seemed a little bit denser, but it was still delicious!
The dough is a little sticky
This bread has a soft, slightly sticky but still moldable dough. If you find it hard to work with, either dust your hands in arrowroot starch lightly or wet them slightly to smooth out the bread into the shape you want.
Shaping the Dough
I like to make this dough into two about 12-inch loaves, and then I will cook them on my loaf pan.
If you do not have a French bread loaf pan, you can place the dough into an uncovered Dutch oven to make it a round loaf or simply shape the dough on a baking sheet.
Note: the pan helps to hold the shape, so if you do not have a pan to do that, it will not puff as much. It will still be delicious, though!
How to Make Grain-free French Bread
- Activate the yeast with the sugar.
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs and butter.
- Shape and let rise.
- Bake and enjoy!
Recipes to Enjoy Your Bread With
- Apple Potato Leek Soup
- Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Classic Italian Meatballs
- Easy Loaded Vegetable Marinara
- Creamy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
📖 Recipe
Easy Grain-Free French Bread
Ingredients
- ½ C Warm Milk or Water
- 2 TBS Sugar
- 1 ½ TBS Yeast
- 3 Large Eggs + 1 Yolk
- 1 ⅓ C Cassava Flour
- 1 ½ C Arrowroot Starch
- 1 TSB Salt
- 1 ½ TSP Garlic Powder
- 5 TBS Butter Soft
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the warm milk or water with the yeast and sugar. Stir to combine and then let it sit for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Measure out the cassava flour, arrowroot starch, and salt into the bowl of a mixer. Mix it on low to add extra air to the flour.
- Add the eggs to the yeast mixture and whisk slightly, then add the mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Cut the butter into the dough until a soft, but pliable dough has been formed.
- Shape the dough into the shape you want. (see notes below on shaping). Using a sharp knife cut some slits on the top of the dough.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm spot for an hour to let it rise.
- Once the dough has risen (it will look puffy), preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the top of the dough lightly with melted butter or olive oil if desired.
- Bake the bread in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees.
- Let cool about 5 minutes, slice and enjoy it warm!
Notes
- Whisk the flour in whatever container you are storing it or the bag.
- Spoon the desired amount into a measuring cup to measure. Pour that into a larger bowl or measuring cup and whisk it again. You will notice when you whisk it, the amount increases. This is because the cassava has settled, so you measured more than what you wanted for the recipe.
- If you have more, merely remove the excess and repeat until you have the amount you need.
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