How to substitute Gluten-Free Bread Flour for regular flour

While our Measure for Measure has long been the ideal gluten-free replacement flour — perfect for subbing into cakes, cookies, and more — it has just one caveat: It’s not meant for yeasted recipes. If you wanted to turn a conventional bread recipe gluten-free, there was nowhere to turn. Until now. 

After years of diligent work, our Research & Development team cracked the code, creating a Gluten-Free Bread Flour that’s specifically designed for yeast baking. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? The era of delicious, beautiful gluten-free breads — from buttery sandwich loaves to chewy bagels to crisp-crusted, open-crumbed baguettes has arrived! The R&D team has developed plenty of gluten-free bread recipes that put this exceptional flour to use, like Gluten-Free Artisan Bread and Chewy Gluten-Free Bagels. But should you want to do your own experimentation, there’s more great news. This flour is also a gluten-free substitute for both bread flour and all-purpose flour — simply swap 1:1 by weight or volume.

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Liz Neily

How to substitute Gluten-Free Bread Flour for regular flour

Gluten-Free Bread Flour can be swapped 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.

To start, Jonathan Brasil, a member of our Research & Development team, recommends trying one of our gluten-free bread recipes to get a feel for what the gluten-free version of that dough should feel like and how to knead it. For example, bake Buttery Gluten-Free Bread to experience dough for a sandwich loaf before swapping Gluten-Free Bread Flour into your favorite sandwich bread recipe.

But once you have your sea legs, you can feel free to substitute Gluten-Free Bread Flour into any bread recipe that calls for traditional bread (or all-purpose) flour; you’ll just need to make a few tweaks to the recipe using the tips below, which can also be found on the product page.

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne; prop styling by Brooke Deonarine

Tip 1: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons more liquid per cup of flour

Because Gluten-Free Bread Flour is more absorbent than conventional wheat flour, your recipes will need slightly more liquid. The exact amount will vary, but start with 2 to 3 tablespoons per cup of flour.

And keep in mind that the dough itself will look and feel different when made with Gluten-Free Bread Flour. Jonathan explains that most gluten-free bread doughs should initially look more like a batter, ranging anywhere from a thick paste to a cake batter texture, depending on bread types. “A sturdy braided bread like challah will be thicker, while sandwich bread dough will be thinner,” he says.

Tip 2: Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before kneading

These batter-like doughs need time to rest before they’re kneaded. The rest gives the Gluten-Free Bread Flour time to absorb the liquid in the recipe, at which point it will be easier to handle. “While Gluten-Free Bread Flour is more absorbent than conventional flour, it’s slower on the uptake than gluten is,” explains Jonathan. Hence the added rest to give it time to absorb liquid. “After twenty minutes, it will transform from a batter to a dough.”

Because Gluten-Free Bread Flour is so absorbent, the dough will continue to tighten and strengthen as you work it and knead it. “But if you try to knead the dough without the rest it will be very sticky and difficult to handle,” cautions Jonathan.

Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Liz Neily

Tip 3: Dough will rise about 50% faster, so preheat your oven early

“During bulk fermentation, the dough really only needs around 40 minutes to an hour,” says Jonathan. This is partly because the gluten-free dough isn’t as strong as conventional dough, and also because the gluten-free flour’s slower absorption of water leaves more available for the yeast.

During the final rise after shaping, watch the dough closely, as it will proof more quickly. It should be nice and puffy. “Err on the side of a little bit of underproofed instead of overproofed,” Jonathan recommends. “These loaves get good oven spring.” If the dough overproofs, it will start to shred on the surface. It might not be the prettiest loaf, but Jonathan says “it will still taste good, so definitely bake it.” 

Tip 4: Bake for an extra 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the bread

These breads take longer to bake because the gums and fiber in Gluten-Free Bread Flour hold onto water more than gluten (which is typical of gluten-free flour), so they take longer to fully bake and “dry out.”

If you have a digital thermometer, the internal temperature should be between 208°F to 212°F. Another good indicator of doneness is crust color; a fully baked loaf should be deep golden brown. To get a feel for the color you’re going for, try baking one of our existing gluten-free bread recipes before you start experimenting.

Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne

What types of bread are good for subbing in Gluten-Free Bread Flour?

Plenty! Jonathan recommends buns, rolls, and even artisan breads as good places to start. (For the latter, using brotforms and steam are helpful to achieve great shape and crust.) “Rolls and hamburger buns made with Gluten-Free Bread Flour have a soft exterior with a sturdy crumb that won’t fall apart,” says Jonathan. You can even make gluten-free baguettes with this flour that rival traditional baguettes, with an open crumb and a crisp crust. (Watch our Baking Ambassador Martin Philip walk you through how to bake gluten-free baguettes.)

Note: If you’re using Gluten-Free Bread Flour in an artisan bread recipe that requires folding, you’ll still want to keep this step, though you may find you don’t have to do as many folds as the original recipe calls for.

What types of bread can’t you sub in Gluten-Free Bread Flour?

In short: None! “I haven’t found one that’s ever failed,” says Jonathan. He mentions that when making sandwich bread, it’s difficult to achieve a characteristic domed top without the elasticity of gluten, but the gluten-free version still turns out great. And an enriched bread like challah won’t have the same feathery crumb you get with conventional flour (that all comes from gluten development), but will still have a soft crumb, and the dough is firm enough that you can braid it.

If you have a particularly difficult or complicated artisan bread recipe, Jonathan also suggests starting with our simple Gluten-Free Artisan Bread to get a feel for the process we prefer when using Gluten-Free Bread Flour and then applying those techniques to another recipe.

Ready for a whole new era of gluten-free bread? Pick up a bag of Gluten-Free Bread Flour and get baking, then let us know what you think! (And if you need help, our Baker’s Hotline is always a phone call or email away.)

Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne; prop styling by Brook Deonarine.