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). 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.
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!
These incredible gluten-free baguettes are perfect year round to serve with dinner, use for sandwiches, take on picnics, or eat with butter or jam for breakfast!
I love to serve them alongside my Easy Paella Recipe, Healthy Minestrone Soup, Dairy Free Shrimp Scampi, Healthy Zuppa Toscana, and Sautéed Peppers and Onions.
For more gluten-free bread recipes, check out my Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread, Simple Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread, and No Knead Gluten-Free Bread.
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes + Substitutions
This gluten-free french baguette recipe is incredible because it uses only 3 common ingredients, just like true 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
To get a proper gluten-free baguette shape, 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.
If you'd like to make gluten-free yeasted bread without a mold, I recommend checking out my Gluten-Free Artisan Bread recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
These gluten-free baguettes are easy and beginner-friendly, with just 6 simple steps.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix gluten-free flour, yeast, and salt with a whisk.
- 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.
Expert Tips
Get perfect gluten-free french baguettes on the first try with these expert tips!
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 more dense.
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.
Troubleshooting - why is my baguette not crispy?
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.
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 a solid medium 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.
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 on a gluten-free 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!
Related gluten-free bread recipes to consider...
Looking for more delicious gluten-free bread recipes like this gluten-free french baguette recipe? Check these out:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comment field or recipe card below. Thank you!
Gluten-Free French Baguette
Ingredients
- 4 cups gluten-free flour** (I used Pamela’s All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, 500 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix gluten-free flour, yeast, and salt with a whisk.
- 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
** 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).
Donna Fox
Can I bake the bread in an Emile Henry Baguette Baker?
Jamie
Hi Donna! I think it would work very well since it has a nice shape. However, since I haven't used one myself yet, I'm not sure how it would affect the baking times. Please let us know if you try it!
K
These look great! Is it possible to freeze the leftovers? Thank you for this recipe - I can’t wait to try it!
Jamie
Hi K - I haven't tried freezing them yet so I'm not sure. My family usually tears through all three gluten-free baguettes within the first two days! I'll give it a try when I make them again. Let us know if you try it first!
Maureen
I am so curious to try this, I have never seen such a long first rise for a yeasted bread. Would love to understand the science.
Jamie
It's not uncommon to let traditional baguettes rise for a very long time (often over 10 hours). With additional rising time, the fermentation caused by the yeast gives a more acidic, tangier flavor that is traditional for french baguettes. With the gluten-free baguettes, I found that they took even longer to rise and impart that flavor.
The long rise is definitely not the case for most bread types! If you're looking for a more traditional gluten-free bread recipe (that's not a baguette), my gluten-free artisan bread has a shorter rise time.
Kevin
A solid gluten free baguette recipe. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Jamie
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Lura
I’ve made these gluten free baguettes several times with different gluten free flours and it works great every time! Thank you for the recipe.
Jamie
I appreciate it Lura <3
Carleen
Hi Jamie - I tried this for the first time and after an 8hr rise, the mixture is so runny! It’s has air bubbles on the top so I’m guessing the yeast is activating(?) but will it thicken up to rise? I used Bakels GF flour and Bakels yeast as I don’t have access to your suggested brands here in NZ. Any help is appreciated! Thank you 🌻
Jamie
Hi Carleen - How runny is runny? Is it like cake batter or is it very wet but kind of holds shape? Ideally it should *sort of* hold a shape, but it is nothing like regular bread dough. Either way, I'd try baking it! If it's too runny for a baguette pan, you could put it in 2-3 standard loaf pans or even a square brownie pan and see what happens.
I tried a few different flours and sometimes would add an extra 1/4 cup for an ideal texture, but also tested the wetter batter and they still worked. So I'm hoping that's the case with yours!
I'm happy to help you troubleshoot more, either by writing in the comments here or feel free to email me at jamie at vibrantlygfree.com
Kaylen
It is so refreshing to make a gluten-free baguette that tastes like the real thing! I love that you stuck with the traditional French style and just three ingredients. I’ll be making this many more times!
Jamie
I'm so glad you loved it!
Bri
I love this gluten-free baguette recipe. I made a new gluten-free friend and they were blown away by how easy this was. It was very fun to make it together!
Jamie
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing 🙂