If you struggle with multiple food allergies including yeast and eggs, finding a good gluten free bread is challenging! My Yeast Free Sandwich Bread is free of all top 8 allergens and is whole grain and great for sandwiches and toast.
It can be tough finding bread that fits a diet with multiple food allergies. While there are lots of alternative breads on the market, there are still a lot with eggs, soy, and yeast in them, all of which can be problematic for many people.
This Yeast Free Gluten Free Sandwich Bread is a great gluten-free and allergy-friendly homemade version that doesn’t require kneading. This sandwich bread is a cross between a plain quick-bread and a soda bread. This recipe is whole grain – no filler starches added!
For this bread, I used a special loaf pan designed for gluten-free breads. This loaf pan is a very sturdy non-stick metal loaf pan made by King Arthur Flour. It is different than a traditional loaf pan in that it is taller and more narrow, making it better suited to gluten-free breads. You can use a regular loaf pan if you like, but it will be shorter and wider than the bread in the photos.
I know it’s tempting to have hot, fresh bread right away, but make sure that you let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Otherwise it will crumble and the inside will still be dense and a little gummy inside. This goes away once the loaf has cooled entirely. In fact, this loaf slices best when chilled.
This gluten free bread stores very well in the fridge and the freezer. If you don’t eat a lot of bread but still want to keep some on hand, chill the bread, slice up the entire loaf, wrap in freezer paper and plastic wrap or a ziploc bag, and freeze.
Whenever you need a piece of bread, you can simply get as much as needed and pop right in the toaster! This is a great way to use your expensive breads without losing any of it to mold.
You can be be creative with this recipe: add some spices or cinnamon to make any flavor you like! Try subbing some of the brown rice flour with other whole grain flours, such as teff flour or oat flour.
Since this is a non-sweet gluten free quickbread, the texture still won’t be exactly like regular yeast bread with wheat and gluten. But, it is still a great alternative that’s great for toast and sandwiches!
If you want this bread to be a bit more firm, you can try adding a bit of xanthan gum if you like (starting with 1/2 teaspoon per loaf). I haven’t done this myself, but it would add more firmness to the bread if you wanted it to be for sandwiches.
Yeast Free Gluten Free Sandwich Bread (Vegan)
MAKES 1 LOAF. Gluten Free, Vegan, Yeast Free; Free of: cane sugar, dairy, soy, eggs, corn, nuts
Ingredients
- 3 cups brown rice flour (or whole sorghum flour)
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cup carton coconut milk
- 5 Tablespoons ground golden flax seed
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
- Liquid Stevia to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray the bottom only of a narrow loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the milk and ground flax seed. Warm in the microwave for @ 30 seconds to help the flax gel.
- Whisk in the vinegar and the Stevia. Mix well.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well. The dough will be a thick and elastic batter.
- Pour the dough/batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 5-10 minutes (65-70 min) until the bread is golden and set completely.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
- Allow bread to COOL COMPLETELY before slicing. This freezes and chills well.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie which she founded in 2011. Sarah is based in Wyoming and has been managing food allergies for herself and her 2 children for over 20 years. Sarah was also a certified personal trainer for 12 years, as well as a group fitness instructor, health coach, running coach, and fitness nutrition specialist.
I followed the recipe to the letter (except omitted the Stevia) and baked for 65 minutes in a metal loaf pan. It turned out gummy and sticky in the middle. I don’t know if I need to cook it longer or lessen the flax meal as that is the binder making it stick together. Please advise. Thanks
Hi Pat! Sorry this didn’t turn out for you, this is one of the recipes I’d like to revisit eventually to improve since people get mixed results. I’m not sure that I’d reduce the flaxseed since it keeps the bread together, but you can try just mixing the flaxseed in with the flour vs warming it up in the microwave since that makes it more sticky. Another option is to try baking it a little bit longer and putting some foil on top of the bread to keep the top from over browning. A third option is reducing the liquid slightly, but this might make it harder to mix. I’d try the first 2 suggestions first then the 3rd. If I end up tweaking this recipe to help make it have more consistent results, I will let you know in the comments as well!
When baking GF (GF/vegan), I’ve found that cooking times vary. Rule of thumb is temp in middle of bread. You need to get the middle to 205F. Lightly cover with foil in the oven if top starts browning too quickly Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove and place on one side for 10 minutes and then turn to the other side for 10 minutes. This makes it so the bread does not squish down as it is cooling. Good luck!
That’s a great tip Deena, thank you!
I don’t know what I did wrong. Followed the recipe to a T, except used almond milk (from a carton) rather than coconut milk. Came out a dense, gooey mess. So sad!
Hi Lindsay! I wonder if it needed some more time in the oven? I know some ovens cook faster or slower than others (if they run a bit hotter or colder than others), so it might have needed to cook a bit longer. Did you check the center with a knife or a cake tester?
This was amazing but now I am curious if I could switch the brown rice flour with almond flour?
Hey Valerie! I don’t think this recipe would work with almond flour in place of brown rice flour since they absorb liquids differently and have different amounts of starch. The almond flour usually needs more binder or eggs to keep it together. You could try replacing some of the brown rice flour in the recipe with almond flour to try it out, but I probably wouldn’t try replacing all of it with almond flour.
Hi.. I have been trying my hand at yeast free breads lately.. this recipe sounds very easy and doable.. Do you think I can replace brown rice flour with white rice flour, or a GF blend which has white and brown rice and xanthan gum? Thank you so much!
Hi Ravneet, I think that you could replace the brown rice flour in this recipe for a blend with xanthan gum! I have made this with sorghum flour and it turned out good. Let us know if you try the flour blend!
Hi Sarah
My wife is gluten and i’m dairy. Trying your recipe for the first time now.
I should note this is my first time baking bread 49 yrs old lol)
Also the bread recipe that calls for 3 cups of four. This was too much ingriedients for 2 loaf pans. But its not mentioned about finished amount for that recipe
Cheers
Dean
Hi Dean! This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread, this is noted in the recipe card next to the number of servings. If this is hard to see, I can add a note above that that is easier to see. Because this bread doesn’t rise as much as a regular loaf of bread, 3 cups of flour (along with the other ingredients) is enough to make 1 full sized loaf of bread. It is a denser bread, and not as fluffy or light as regular bread, but it is tasty and makes great toast 🙂
super excited to try this recipe for someone who is vegan / gluten free / rice free and yeast free! was just wondering if the coconut milk leaves a definite coconut flavour in the bread? if yes, is there any other dairy free substitute you have successfully tried?
will replace the rice flour for sorghum flour as you have suggested above!
Hi Upasana! I don’t find that the coconut milk leaves any coconut taste at all in this bread, but you can use rice milk or almondmilk in place of coconut milk if you like. Let me know how this turns out for you! 🙂
I have yeast, rice, dairy and sugar allergies, what do you suggest to use rather than the brown rice flour??
Hi Alissa! You can use whole grain sorghum flour in place of brown rice flour. I’ve developed a sensitivity to brown rice, and I use sorghum flour instead these days. So far I’ve found that those 2 flours are interchangeable in most recipes 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just recently discovered I’m allergic to just about everything so I found this recipe and I’m so happy! Even my husband, who has no allergies, loves this bread! Thank you thank you!
Thanks Angela, so glad you loved this recipe! 🙂
Dear Sarah,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am going to try this for my son, who I discovered is allergic to eggs and baker’s yeast and perhaps also gluten. I am so happy to find this recipe. Will let you know how the experiment turns out…
So glad you found us, Swati! Keep me posted how this goes for you 🙂
Haven’t tried this yet but wondering if flax seeds could be replaced with chia seeds. Looking forward to trying this after a trip to the grocery store. Thank you for finding an alternative for us high allergy folks. Kitty
Hi Sarah, thanks for the great recipes 🙂
I have a little problem with the measurements; when you say: 2-1/2 cup carton coconut milk, do you mean 2 full cups plus half of a cup or 2 times half?
I’m from the UK and not really familiar with the American measures. Thank you.
Hi Zoe! Yep, it means 2 cups + 1/2 cup (2.5 cups) 🙂
I can’t get the inside of the bread done. I have to make my own baking soda so it is corn free. I used Bob’s brown rice flour and their ground light flax seed and honey for the sweetener. Help I have made 2 loafs and neither loaf was completely done on the inside.
Hi Janet! Sorry the middle hasn’t baked all the way for you. You may try lowering the temp a bit and baking a little longer. Try lowering the temperature to 325 and baking for 1 hour + 20 or 30 minutes, covering the top with foil for the first 45 minutes to prevent over-browning. OR you can divide this recipe into smaller loaf pans for smaller loaves and slices that should cook in the middle.
The second loaf I baked at 325 after reading other comments and did cover with foil. I may try putting it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes and see if that helps.
I would definitely try adding more baking time then, 15-20 minutes is a good place to start
You only require 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour. 2 Tbsp baking powder in addition to soda is very excessive. Try adding 3/4 tsp soda with 1.5 tsp lemon juice. Completely eliminates the need for the baking powder. Plus, most baking powder has corn starch in it, which is terrible for most people.
God bless you for creating this sandwich bread! I made it this afternoon and it turned out beautiful and is delicious! I did make a couple of changes and that turned out wonderful!
Since I make my own baking powder, I used 3 Tablespoons baking powder, and reduced the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon to avoid bitter taste. Instead of 1 teaspoon salt, I used 1/2 teaspoon salt. I did not have coconut milk, so I used soy milk instead. Neither did I have Stevia, so I used a little less than 1 Tablespoon Agave nectar. By the way, the rice flour that I have is sprouted and it made this bread taste like bread, not gritty at all! I ordered the King Arthur Flour bread pan and used it for this bread. I cooked in 350 degrees in a convection oven for exactly one hour and came out perfect! The toothpick came out clean and dry! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you loved this!! It always makes my day when I hear my recipes turned out great for them and blessed them 🙂
Hey Sarah,
I’m looking for a gluten and yeast free bread but dairy isn’t an issue. Can I use buttermilk instead of coconut milk and vinegar?
Hi Elise, you can definitely try using buttermilk in this recipe! Since it is pretty thick, just check to make sure your batter isn’t too dry. If you need to add 1-2 more Tablespoons, you can. Since I’ve never made this recipe with buttermilk, I’m not sure how it will turn out, but if you try it, let me know how it goes!
Can you substitute almond flour or coconut flour for the brown rice flour or a combination of the coconut and almond flour in this recipe? If so would you still use 3 cups?
Hi Lisa, I actually have know idea if this recipe would turn out with using coconut or almond flour in place of brown rice flour. You can give it a try and report back, but I can’t guarantee the results since I haven’t done that myself
Coconut flour absorbs 6 times the amount of liquid as any other kind of flour. You would have to add a substantial amount of liquid in order for this to turn out.
I am so sorry to say this – but I tried this recipe and it has WAY too much stevia. It’s disgustingly sweet. I would do 1/2 or 1/3 of the amount if I were to ever try this recipe again. So sad to waste all the ingredients 🙁
Hi Kenny, sorry this was too sweet for you! I can definitely adjust that part of the written recipe to say “to taste”. It’s possible the Stevia you chose was more concentrated than the kind I used, we didn’t have any issues with it being too sweet
I did the complete opposite Kenny! I forgot the stevia. I am letting it cool as I type. Hope it turns out ok.
Let me know how it turns out Megan!
I do not have 2-1/2 cup carton coconut milk. May I replace vegetable oil ? How many vegetable
oil? 30ml or 50ml? or ?
Thank you
Hi May, if you don’t have coconut milk then use another non-dairy milk like rice milk or even water, but I wouldn’t replace the coconut milk with oil or the recipe won’t turn out.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I am in awe of those who can figure out the right mixture of ingredients while eliminating allergens. The texture was excellent and it looks perfect.
Mine tastes extremely bitter like the baking powder. I have to use the Hain’s brand because of my corn allergy. Do you think this may have caused the bitterness?
Thank you so much for your recipe.
Hi Anna, sorry this turned out bitter! I need to revisit this recipe and see if I can adjust a few things to help that. I think the bitterness might have to do more with the baking soda than the baking powder. I would try keeping the baking powder the same but cutting down the baking soda. I usually find that too much baking soda can make things bitter, but I haven’t had to much of that from baking powder. I will try to make this loaf again to see if there are some adjustments I can make to change that 🙂
Thank you for your reply. I really liked the texture so I’m going to try it again and adjust the baking soda. My Mom and I both have over 20 food allergies, and I am dying for something to spread my apple butter on.
Sincerely,
Anna
Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out for you again 🙂
Just found out last week that my husband has a wheat and yeast allergy, so I’ve been combing the web for recipes. I tried yours tonight and it browned too fast and so the middle didn’t get done all the way. Any suggestions? I baked it on the right heat and used a nonstick light metal pan.
Hi Becky! Differences in individual ovens may account for your bread turning out that way, your oven may run a little hot. You can try lowering the temperature a bit to 325, then baking a bit longer: add 15 minutes to the cooking time and check your bread after that. You can use a cake tester to see if the bread is getting cooked inside. If it’s not getting cooked through, add 10 minutes and check after each 10 minutes.
You can also prevent over-browning by lining the loaf pan with some parchment paper, and laying a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the loaf pan for the first 30 minutes of cooking. Don’t forget to let the bread cool completely before cutting into it.
Hopefully that helps! Let me know if you try it again and how it goes 🙂
Could honey or maple syrup be used in place of the liquid stevia?
You could use a little honey or maple syrup, maybe just 1 or 2 Tablespoons. It doesn’t take very much liquid stevia to sweeten things so you wouldn’t want to add too much honey or maple syrup to replace it
Baking power needs to be omitted to be truly corn free. Cream of tartar and baking soda work great for that.
There are corn-free baking powders available, like the one from Hain Foods (http://www.hainpurefoods.com/products/product.php?prod_id=1842) that uses potato starch instead of corn starch. I would be careful about replacing baking powder with baking soda as too much baking soda has a terrible taste in baked goods
Homemade baking powder recipe:
In a storage container, add:
2 Tbsp Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Cream of Tartar
2 Tbsp Arrowroot Flour
Put the lid on and shake well.
Thank you Sarah!
Finally, a TRULY DAIRY FREE RECIPE. How can a recipe be called Dairy Free when it still contains eggs? *Scratches head* Thank you for posting this. Other recipes I had found contained Millet, Amaranth, or Oat Flours, all of which I am allergic to. I have 53 food allergies plue 5 others thus toalling 58. So, as you can imagine it has been quite challenging. Excited to try something that will hopefully travel as well.
I’m glad you found this recipe! Come back and let me know what you think of it 🙂
Because eggs aren’t dairy. Dairy comes from a boob, and eggs from a hoo-ha of a chicken!
Dairy is from cows. Eggs are from chickens, they are not dairy.
I’m allergic to both baking soda and baking powder. I’ve been trying to find a yeast-free, gluten-free, vegan bread without them but I can’t. Is there anything I could sub for them? Could I just leave them out? Also, I’m allergic to flax and the substitutions you suggested in the comments. Could I use arrowroot powder instead of flax? Thanks!
Hi Ashley! The only thing I can think of that might work to add lift to the bread without yeast, baking soda, or baking powder would be seltzer water in place of the milk in this recipe. As far as the binder/egg replacer goes, the only thing that might work would be agar agar powder if gelatin powder won’t work for you. I haven’t used this before, so you might need to experiment a bit to get the amounts right for the bread. Let me know if these work for you!
Thanks for your reply! I can’t have agar agar either, unfortunately. I actually ended up making it out of brown rice flour and water alone. It’s not exactly “bread” and the taste is something I’ll have to get used to since it’s kind of grainy, but it has the consistency I was looking for. Thanks for your help! Your blog has wonderful recipes!
Glad to hear you were able to make something! The seltzer water trick could work for other things like pancakes, too, if it’s something you can have.
Hi,
Would Sorghum or white rice flour or tapioca work instead of brown rice flour?
Thanks,
Hamel
Sorghum or white rice flour should work fine in this recipe. I wouldn’t replace all of the flour with tapioca flour (it’s almost pure starch), but you can mix some tapioca flour with white rice flour or sorghum flour to help with texture
I’m SO happy I found this recipe today. I have multiple food allergies as well, but have been really wanting to make some type of bread for myself lately. I can’t wait to get home and give this a try. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you found us! Let me know how you like this one. I posted another bread recipe on my fitness blog that is really good, too: http://fitbetty.com/live-love-nourish/ P.S. I love your blog design! 🙂
Hi,
I just wanted to thank you for posting your recipe. I was looking for something that was gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. I made a couple of substitutions and am happy with the result. Instead of brown rice flour, I used millet and buckwheat flour in equal parts. I used coconut milk in a can, and honey instead of liquid stevia. I mixed all the ingredients as you suggested and then put it in my bread maker for an hour to cook and I let it cool there as well. The only thing is my bread crumbles at the bottom of the bread when sliced….but this is no big deal to me. Again thank you, its delicious!
I’m so glad this worked out for you, Anna! I recently posted another bread recipe on my fitness blog that is dairy, egg, and yeast free and can be easily made gluten free. Here’s the link to the Nut and Seed Bread if you want to try that one, too (it’s delicious!): http://fitbetty.com/live-love-nourish/
Just tried this today, and it is the best rice bread I have tried. The one thing I didn’t like is that it tastes like baking powder. Could I use less baking powder, and more baking soda? Or use yeast instead of baking soda and baking powder?
Hi Connie! You can certainly use less baking powder and soda and use yeast instead. The only reason I didn’t use yeast in my recipe is because I have a yeast intolerance, but you can certainly add it in! Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂
My children have an allergy to flax. What can I use in place of it?
The flax seed works as a binder in this recipe (instead of eggs or gluten), so ground chia seeds or ground psyllium seed will work well to replace the flax if you can tolerate those seeds. Xanthan gum, guar gum, or powdered gelatin can also work as binders in this recipe, too, if you prefer. Just use a smaller amount (probably 1/2 to 1 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum).
hi, i made this bread yesterday. it tastes delicious but it doesn’t slice well. it crumbles and falls into pieces. i can eat the pieces but can’t make sandwiches out of it. oy.
Hello! Sorry to hear that the bread fell apart! The bread slices best when cool completely or even chilled, but if the bread is still crumbly, you can try adding about 1 teaspoon of xanthan or guar gum to the recipe to help it hold together better. If you don’t have xanthan or guar gum available, try using 2 teaspoons plain powdered gelatin (if you are not vegan) in it’s place. Just make sure you don’t use too much gum or gelatin or it will be too dense and gummy textured. if you make this again, let me know how it turns out for you! I love to get feedback so I can tweak my recipes when needed 🙂
Ok..so I tried making it today and sadly it didn’t turn out. Not sure why. I followed the recipe but after almost 2hr in the oven I had to take it out and it still wasn’t done! I used parchment paper and a pampered cheff stoneware to bake it in. Any ideas why it didn’t turn out? =)
Hi Steph! I am not 100% sure, but I suspect the bread may not have cooked through entirely because of the stoneware pan with the parchment paper. I use stoneware a lot, but I have noticed that metal pans bake things faster than stoneware, and adding parchment also changes the baking dynamic a bit as well. With this recipe, I used the metal loaf pan without parchment and have never tried this recipe with a stoneware pan, so I can’t say for sure if this is the true cause. But, I would suggest trying this recipe again using a metal pan and no parchment paper, just a spritz of oil on the bottom only. If you try this again, let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
Just wondering if I can leave the flax seed out? Thanks!
Hi Steph, the flaxseed helps to bind the flour together instead of egg or gluten. You can use ground chia seeds or some xanthan gum, powdered plain gelatin, or guar gum instead. For xanthan or guar gum, you would use 1/2-1 teaspoon per cup of flour. So this recipe would use about 1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons xanthan or guar gum. I can’t guarantee the results with these substitutions, but they should work good. Just keep an eye on how much gum or gelatin you add to keep your bread from being too gummy in texture. If you have any other questions, let me know 🙂
Ok. Thank you so much! We have been off grains and starches for about 6 months so I am slowly introducing them again. It’s so hard to find a recipe with one type of flour! I am excited to try this! Thank you!
Hello. Can one use white flour instead? I’m a poor vegan just looking for a simple bread recipe without buying extra ingredients I don’t have. (Replacing stevia with 2 cups sugar). I’m sure the taste will be different…
Thanks.
Hi Hillery! I am sure you can use all-purpose white flour in this recipe if you like, but I can’t guarantee the results. Whole wheat flour would be a healthier choice if you have it around. Also, if you don’t have Stevia, you can add a little sugar (maybe 2 Tablespoons), or none at all, but I would avoid using 2 cups of sugar in this recipe otherwise it will be too sweet and it won’t turn out right. Let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
Hey. Thank you! I am so glad I checked this befote dumping 2 cups of sugar in. Lol. It sounded like a lot, but that’s the replacement I had found on the internet for 1/2 tsp liquid stevia. Gonna try to try it today. I’ll let you know how it is.
Thanks!
Ｈｅｙ I keep forgetting to get back to you on how this turned out… Well, I only had one cup of white flour, so I mixed it with two cups of homemade white rice flour… (You can tell already this doesn’t end well). And, I replaced the stevia with 2Tbs sugar. It had to cook for a long time, if I remember correctly. It didn’t really make a sandwich bread, but more of a quick-bread sandwich-bread mix, if that makes sense. It was dry and crumbly. And I couldn’t make sandwiches with it… I almost always have tons of white rice… but, it’s not quite the same as brown rice and making flour with it (or trying to)… when you have to wash it first, oi, what a daunting task… “Do Not Try This At Home… lol. Anyway… Hopefully I can try it sometime with the brown rice flour (and not homemade flour… haha), and it will turn out.
Did you measure your flax before or after grinding? I know, probably a nitpicky question. Your bread looks great, though!
Hi Rachel! That’s a great question: I measure my flax after it is ground. I actually buy bags of golden flax meal. The golden flax keeps baked goods light colored.
Thanks!
After trying this, I have another question. Can you give any other “clues” to recognize when the bread is done? I made mine with regular (cows’) milk, and I’m pretty sure it was done by about 40 minutes. That was SO early I was afraid to trust my judgment, and left it in – and it was REALLY dry and hard. Bummer, ’cause it looked like it would’ve been good if I’d just not overcooked it! Can I check it with a toothpick or something?
Hi Rachel! You can use a toothpick or a thin knife to check the middle. Altitude may also make a difference in how quickly it cooks – I am at 5000 ft elevation, so if you are closer to sea level your bread might bake faster.