Spoiler alert: gluten-free French baguettes are not hard to make! In fact, they have only three ingredients and don't require much hands-on time at all (this recipe is no-knead). Here I've been searching the internet for a good gluten-free baguette, and it was in my kitchen the entire time.
If you haven't made these yet, I am so happy you stumbled across this page. They are soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. Plus, I share a trick for getting that golden crust you've grown to love. And I linked the best super-affordable baguette mold to make up for the fact that gluten-free flour rises horizontally (rather than vertically).
Don't trust the non-gluten-free recipes that claim gluten-free flours “will work too”. This is what you really need to get the perfect gluten-free baguette!
Why you'll love these Gluten-Free French Baguettes
Gluten Free Flour
What gluten free flour is best for bread?
The best pre-made gluten-free flours for bread are Pamela's All-Purpose Gluten-free Flour and Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour. These two blends are tried and true for many baking recipes, and especially bread.
I used Pamela's All Purpose Gluten-free flour blend and found that the taste and texture of the gluten-free French baguette was just like the traditional!
Yeast
You cannot get a true baguette flavor without yeast! I promise that with this no-knead recipe, it will also be no fuss. However, if you prefer bread with baking soda, check out our Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread recipe.
I used Red Star Active Dry Yeast.
Is dry yeast gluten-free?
Dry yeast is naturally gluten-free. However, some brands add starch to the final product to prevent clumping. Always check the ingredients list for additives or stick to a known gluten-free yeast brand, like Red Star.
Salt
Without salt, bread is simply flour and yeast. Perhaps salt’s most important role is making bread flavorful and delicious! Of course, we include it in this recipe.
Lukewarm water
You will not find any milk in this recipe. While many gluten-free bread recipes include dairy milk, traditional baguettes are made with four simple ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt.
The French are known to delight in simple pleasures, and I am far from making complicated changes to traditional perfection.
Equipment
Here are the tools and ingredients you need to make these incredible gluten-free french baguettes:
How do you make French baguettes from scratch?
- Mix the dry ingredients. Then add the water incrementally.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 8 hours.
- Use your hands to form loaves.
- Allow for a second rise -- up to two hours.
- Score the loaves with a sharp knife.
- Bake above a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove the water bath and bake for another 30 minutes, or until your loaves have a nice crust.
What do the French put on baguettes?
The French love to layer butter or jam on their baguettes, and rarely eat the bread plain by itself. Other delightful accompaniments include butter with a thin slice of ham, cheese, chocolate spread like Nutella, and honey. French bread is also commonly used to wipe the plate clean at the end of a meal.
What I eat with a french baguette
I almost always make French baguettes with soup or stew. I also love adding coconut butter and a pinch of sea salt (the dairy-free version of ‘salted butter’) or honey. If I make enough, it's also my favorite sandwich bread!
French bread never lasts long in my house, and with this recipe, it won't last long in yours either!
Baking at a high temperature for at least 40 minutes is the most important step for making a french baguette crispy. Adding a water bath of 2 cups of boiling water in a bowl or pan on a rack below the bread for the first 10 minutes of baking will also encourage a crispy crust.
Troubleshooting -- Why is my baguette not crispy?
Here are some reasons why your baguette may not be crispy:
- You did not bake it long enough. Golden-brown is not enough for a crispy baguette crust. You want the bread to have some areas that are darker brown, indicating that it is crisp and baked through.
- You didn't wait for the oven to preheat. For any baked good that needs to rise, the first 5 to 10 minutes of baking are crucial. If you put your bread in while preheating, you get a soft crust and dense texture.
- You didn't include a water bath while baking. According to Lifehacker, the water bath “helps dissolve sugars on the surface of the dough that caramelize during baking and give you a glossy, crisp crust.” Place two cups of boiling water in an oven-safe bowl or deep pan. Then set it on the rack below your bread for the first 10 minutes of baking.
Tips for the perfect gluten-free French baguette
Use a baguette pan.
To get a proper baguette shape using gluten-free flour, you will need to use a mold. This is because gluten is responsible for holding bread together so the bread can rise upwards.
In gluten-free bread, you replace gluten with xanthan or guar gums. These gums serve a similar purpose but are not as strong as gluten. You need a baguette mold to encourage vertical rise from the outside.
After a lot of research, I finally settled on this affordable silicon baguette pan. I highly recommend it, and this recipe will make the exact amount of dough needed to fill it.
Pick a good gluten-free flour.
Make sure that your gluten-free flour includes xanthan or guar gum. I recommend Pamela's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour.
Let it rise.
This recipe requires two rises. The first is for 8-20 hours (usually overnight) just after mixing the dough.
The second is after the bread is formed (and before scoring) for 1-2 hours. If you cut rise time short, your baguette will be denser.
Bake with a water bath.
This is a super fun trick I'll be using for all my future crusty bread recipes! Pour two cups of boiling water in an oven-safe bowl or a deep pan.
Make sure there are two racks in the oven. The water bath goes on the lower rack, with the bread loaves on the upper rack. Then you bake for 10 minutes before removing the water bath.
Don't open the oven.
Other than removing the water bath, keep the oven closed for the duration of baking. Releasing heat too soon can prevent the bread from rising or forming a tough crust. You can use the oven light to check on progress.
Let parts of the crust get nice and brown.
I recommend baking past golden brown, when you notice a nice browning crust. This yields the best inner and outer texture.
Perfect Pairings -- recipes you'll love with these baguettes:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comment field or recipe card below. Thank you!
Gluten-Free French Baguette Recipe
PrintPerfect Gluten-Free French Baguette with 3 ingredients
This easy 3-ingredient gluten-free french baguette recipe gives three beautifully crusty loaves that taste just like the real thing! Perfect for a dinner side, sandwiches, or snacking. Vegan.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Baking, Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 grams) gluten-free flour** (I used Pamela’s All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
- 2 ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix gluten-free flour, yeast, and salt with a whisk.
- Mix in the water: Add lukewarm water in ¼-½ cup increments, stirring with a wooden spoon between increments.
- First Rise: Cover with plastic wrap or equivalent and let rise undisturbed for 8-20 hours in a warm location (I usually do overnight by the window in summer, or on the kitchen counter).
- Form Baguettes and second rise: Generously flour your hands and the silicon baking mold. Keep extra flour nearby to re-coat your hands whenever the dough gets sticky. Using your hands, shape the dough into three baguettes of equal size in the silicon mold.* Set the mold on a baking sheet to stabilize. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- Score: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Using a sharp paring knife or kitchen scissors, score the baguettes.
- Bake: Place an oven-safe bowl or deep pan filled with two boiling cups of water on a lower rack in the oven. Place the tray of baguettes on the upper shelf and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the water bath and bake for 30-40 minutes more or until the crust is thick and browning.
Notes
*Using a baguette pan/mold: Without using a baguette pan or mold, the dough will spread horizontally instead of rising vertically. This is because gluten encourages vertical rise. To remedy this with gluten-free baguettes, use a mold or baguette pan. You can also get creative with silpat, a baking dish, and ramekins like I did here: (photo of weird baguette).
** Gluten-Free Flours: I tried both Pamela's All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour and Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flours and this recipe works great with both! The dough is a little more wet with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and the final product is still excellent. Note that King Arthur GF Measure for Measure flour says "Not recommended as 1:1 substitute for yeasted recipes" on the packaging, and will not work with this recipe. For more flour notes please read the comments.
Storage: Store on the counter for up to 3 days, wrapped in a cotton dishtowel. You can also freeze the baguettes for up to 3 months. Allow to cool and wrap in plastic or slice into a ziploc bag before freezing. Reheat frozen baguettes in the oven at 400 degrees F until heated through (about 5-10 minutes).
Keywords: vegan gluten free baguette, gluten free french bread, gluten free baguette
Congratulations!! By making these baguettes, you just leveled up in "Gluten-Free-Living" 😉
xo, Jamie
Canda
The crust is simply incredible and I am so glad this didn’t have any of those weird ingredients that I don’t keep in my pantry. Delicious too!
★★★★★
Greg Capello
If adding other an extra cup to the 4 cup mix, being GF grains like Flaxseed, Hemp and seeds like Pepitas, would the equivalent amounts of yeast, salt and water be advised? I'm looking to make a Euro style Cereal Bread baguette.
Jamie
Hi Greg, I haven't tried it myself so I can't be sure. But if I were trialing seeds I would keep the amounts the same. Good luck and please let us know how it goes!
Holly Nelson
The dough was very wet but rose nicely. Id idn't have a silicon baking pan but used a metal one that I've had for years. The crust was amazing, but the inside didn't finish cooking. I gave ita n additional 15 minutes in the oven and it was still gummy. Not sure what I did wrong - the over was well preheated and I followed the recipe very closely I'd like to try it again but would appreciate suggestions on what I did wrong. THX.
Jamie
Hi Holly! I wonder if the baguettes were thicker in the metal pan than in my silicone one? In that case, they will need to be baked a little longer. It takes quite a bit of extra baking for the outside to get too crusty, but the 15 minutes you already added is probably a good amount. If you wanted to bake it longer, I would suggest putting aluminum foil loosely over the pan for any additional baking time beyond what you've already done. Alternatively, you could add a little more flour - up to 1/4 cup if the gummy center was nickel-sized or larger. And less flour if the gummy center was smaller. Good luck!
Henriete
Hello, i ve bought the ingredienta and i want to make the baguettes but i am having a problem understanding the quantities since i am from Europe and we measure differently grams/milliliters.
Can you please tell me how much water i need in ml and how many grams of yeast.i would really apreciate it. Thank you!
Jamie
Hi Henriete! Its 530 ml of water, adding it in at 60-120 ml increments. I just tried to measure the yeast in my kitchen, and 1 1/2 teaspoons is significantly lighter than 1 gram so it wouldn't register on my scale. By volume, the yeast is 7 1/2 ml. I hope that helps!
Cari
Thank you for this! First bread I've had since giving up wheat flour over 6 months ago. I used it to make Muffaletta's for Mardi Gras. This is the closest to "real" bread I've tasted and it will definitely be a made again. Used Bob's 1:1 and followed the recipe and they came out perfect. I even found the same mold online at Amazon. Yummy!
★★★★★
Jamie
Amazing to hear Cari! I am so glad you enjoyed these 🙂
Fatima QUENNEVILLE
Hi Jamie!
Red mill 1to1 says : to not use on yeast bread .
I have it . I’m making sure
And you use instant yeast , right ?
Thanks Fatima
Jamie
Hi Fatima! The Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 flour bag that I have does not say to not use it for yeast bread. If yours does, I would not use it for this recipe. The same issue came up with King Arthur measure-for-measure flour in a previous comment (it says do not use on yeasted breads on the package). That experiment turned out rock hard and inedible.
My favorite flour for this recipe is the Pamela's All Purpose 1-to-1 flour mix. Bob's Red Mill worked great for me in the past, but again, mine does not have that warning about yeast. If you want to send me a photo of your mix or chat more about options if you can't find Pamela's, feel free to email me: jamie at vibrantlygfree.com
Meg
If you use bob's red mill flour is there less fat in the recipe?
Jamie
Hi Meg -- thank you for your question! With Bob's Red Mill, the fat is 0.1 gram (0%) per serving.
Ana
Hi, I just made them today. They were good except the outside was a bit hart so not sure what I did wrong. I'm definitely trying it again.
Jamie
Hi Ana and thank you for your review! How was the inside? You could try baking them for a little less time or adding a little more water as long as it was fully baked through.
Jessica
Hello! Can I use the 3 mold pan but only put 1 loaf on to bake? I had to half the 1x recipe because I ran out of flour.
Jamie
Hi Jessica! That should work out fine. You'll have to watch the cook time carefully. It would bake more quickly with only one loaf, but it is also a bigger loaf so it could actually take longer... I'd love to know how the timing works out if you get the chance to update us!
Laura
Hi Jamie, Do I need to let the baguettes cool for awhile before slicing? I sliced them a few minutes after they came out of the oven and they didn’t seem fully cooked. I followed the directions, baking for 10 minutes with a bowl of boiling water and then for another 40 minutes. Thanks, Laura
Jamie
Hi Laura! Letting them cool would allow the inside to continue to cook. But if the inside was still quite soft, I would recommend another 5-15 minutes in the oven next time (just watch the crust to make sure it doesn't brown too much).
Helen
Hello,
Can i just check, you have yeast, but there is no sugar to feed it?
Just checking before i try.
Jamie
No sugar needed. Happy Baking Helen!
Rosie
Just made these and they are rising now.
Do you have a better picture or comment on how wet dough should be- in picture you have looks more like a cake mix then dough . I added enough water so it’s a sticky dough ball which seemed way more than 2 1/4 cups - Bob’s red mill 1:1 . Also have you ever tried this recipe with Caputo gluten free dough. I have had amazing results with it for bagels but not so great for pizza dough. It is a very starch heavy dough .
Jamie
Hi Rosie -- The dough is very wet for a bread dough. I would say it is similar to a drop biscuit. It will seem way too wet if you are accustomed to regular wheat flour. I can add more photos in the future and a video too. Thank you for the suggestion!
With Bob's Red Mill 1:1 specifically, I use the full 4 cups as listed plus an extra 1/4 cup (but it's not necessary -- I usually use Pamela's and BRM is a little less dense).
I have not tried Caputo flour yet but it would make for a fun experiment. It looks like a great product.
Dori Healey
I used heavy duty tinfoil as a mold and placed them on a thin cookie sheet. They held up great and turned out beautifully. I sprayed the tinfoil with nonstick spray.
Followed the rest of the recipe as written.
Jamie
That's a great idea! Thanks for adding your notes Dori!
Dena
Fantastic, I have made these three times and they keep getting better. Thoughts on taking the dough and instead of baguette making a loaf of bread??
Thanks
★★★★★
Jamie
Hi Dena! While I haven't tried it, I *think* it would work out in several different configurations. I've been planning to do some trials in different shapes soon and can weigh back in with the results. In the meantime, if you decide to try it, please let us know how it goes!
Lynne
I have struggled to find a good GF baguette, never mind a recipe for one, and this recipe is the BEST! I have to confess that I ate one whole loaf within an hour of taking them out of the oven:-(. They are a teeny bit dense/wet inside (although the crust is PERFECT )but I have reviewed the comments, and think I have tweaks to make that will fix that problem. Do you know if there is a silicon baguette pan that makes a longer loaf?
And, big stretch here, what do you think of adding GF rye flavoring, caraway seeds, a drop of two of Kitchen Bouquet for coloring, and baking in a larger round pan to mimic a rye loaf? Just wondering. . . .
Thanks for a game changer in the GF recipe department!
★★★★★
Jamie
Thank you so much for your kind review Lynne! I am so glad this recipe worked well for you and I’m inspired by your creativity for future versions.
To answer your questions, I unfortunately do not know a full-length silicone pan that would work for gluten-free. The one I linked took a lot of research since most baguette pans are either missing the ends or have small holes in them and I don’t think that style would be a good fit for the super wet gluten-free dough. The only other pan I’ve considered for this recipe is the Emile Henry French Ceramic Baguette Baker because it has a great shape, but the baguettes are only 2 inches longer and it’s an expensive piece. If you find something, please do let us know!
I think adding GF rye flavoring, caraway seeds, and Kitchen Bouquet would work out well, though I couldn’t tell you for sure since I haven’t tried it myself.
I believe the recipe would turn out well if baked in a round pan too. I’ve been meaning to try it myself and just bought a dutch oven baker to try it. I’ll definitely post about it if it’s a success. I’m hoping you’ll update us on your experiments! I’d love to hear how they go.
Marina
Please, if I want to use sourdough starter yeast instead active dry yeast in this recipes, what is the equivalent?
Jamie
Hi Marina - Unfortunately I have not tried this with sourdough starter yeast yet so I can't weigh in. Maybe someone else here has tried it? I'll definitely chime back in if I get the chance to experiment (I don't have a starter going right now) and please let us know how it goes if you do decide to experiment!