This easy no knead gluten-free bread recipe is a quick and easy yeast bread that's perfect to serve with meals or to make sandwiches. It uses only six simple ingredients and very little hands-on time. You can use most gluten-free all purpose flours and I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour, which is a popular brand around the world.
This no knead gluten-free bread recipe is perfect year round and for a variety of occasions. Serve it alongside soups and stews, with jam or butter, or with sandwiches.
This recipe is heavily inspired by Minimalist Baker's no knead gluten-free bread recipe, with some tweaks to make it friendly with whatever all-purpose gluten-free flour you're using. If you want to make your own gluten-free flour blend and use oat flour, I recommend checking out her recipe.
For more delicious no knead bread recipes, my gluten-free french baguettes and Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread are well-loved recipes on this gluten-free recipe blog.
If you're looking for the best gluten-free bread for sandwiches and are ready to give kneading a try, check out my gluten-free white sandwich bread! Or my gluten-free artisan bread if you're looking for the best soup companion.
I love this no knead gluten-free bread alongside Vegan Minestrone Soup, Savory Pumpkin Stew, Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana, Gluten-Free Chili, Golden Beet Soup, and our favorite Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe.
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes + Substitutions
You need only 5 ingredients to make this super easy gluten-free no knead bread recipe.
Ground Chia Seeds
I used whole chia seeds and ground them into a fine powder using a clean coffee grinder. Ground chia seeds add moisture to this recipe and act as a binder, similarly to what gluten does in regular flour.
I did not get the same results when using any of the internet's "recommended chia seed replacements." The two I tried were ground flaxseed and psyllium husk fiber. In general, I did not think flaxseed was a good addition to gluten-free bread at all.
If you would like to make gluten-free bread with psyllium husk powder instead of chia seeds, I recommend this gluten-free artisan bread or gluten-free white sandwich bread.
All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Although this blend lists "not for use with yeasted recipes", I found that it worked just fine for this and my other yeasted recipes.
I expect this recipe will work well with most gluten-free all purpose flour blends, but do check the package for any notes on using with yeast. I cannot guarantee another flour with that claim will work also.
More Ingredient Notes:
- sugar - A small amount of sugar is necessary to feed the yeast. White sugar has the most neutral flavor, but you can also use brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup in equal quantity.
- active dry yeast - Active dry yeast (I used Red Star) gave the best rise in my recipe trials. I also tried instant yeast in the same quantity, but the gluten-free bread was a little more dense after baking.
You also need water and salt to make this recipe.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This no knead gluten-free bread recipe is as easy as mix, rise, and bake!
- Yeast + chia: Warm the water to 105 degrees F (lukewarm). Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Then add the yeast and stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until you notice that the yeast is frothing. If it doesn't froth, start over using new yeast (your yeast is bad). Once frothed, stir in the ground chia seeds. Let sit for a minute, then stir again. Let sit for one more minute, then stir one more time. Allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes so that the chia seeds can gel.
- Flour + salt: Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Lightly grease a loaf pan with oil.
- Dough: When the liquid mixture has gelled, make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the liquids. Stir until mixing becomes difficult, then use lightly floured hands to continue mixing if needed. The dough will be very sticky.
- Let rise: Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Then cover loosely with a kitchen towel and place in a warm location in the kitchen for 1 hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
- Bake + cool: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake on a middle oven rack for 35 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until a thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Hint: If the temperature of your home is too cool for a good bread rise, try using your oven! Set the oven to 100 degrees F and then turn it off when it gets to temperature. Then place your covered dough in the oven to rise. Do not turn the oven back on while your dough is inside, and be sure to remove it from the oven before preheating.
Expert Tips
Get perfect gluten-free no knead bread on the first try with these expert tips.
Mix the dough with your hands.
After mixing with a wooden spoon, I found that using my hands to make sure the dough was well-mixed and uniform was most effective in creating a consistent gluten-free bread loaf.
Measure the chia seeds after grinding.
You can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder (often they are the same thing) to grind chia seeds. It's best to measure the chia seeds after they are ground, since the volume will change.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this gluten-free no knead bread. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover gluten-free no knead bread in an airtight container or resealable storage bag at a cool room temperature for up to 5 days. Allow the bread to cool completely before storing.
I do not recommend substitutes for the ground chia seeds in this recipe. I tried the internet recommendations (ground flaxseed and psyllium husk) and neither had results that I recommend.
If you don't have chia seeds, see my gluten-free bread recipe recommendations in the section below. None of the other breads on this site use chia seeds.
It's best to think of kneaded bread and no knead bread as two different things, even though the outcome is similar. Neither is better than the other, it's simply a different method of bread making with different taste and texture properties.
However, if the recipe recommends kneading and you do not knead the bread dough, you will likely get a harder, denser loaf. No knead bread recipes are specifically formulated to rise well without kneading.
Related gluten-free bread recipes to consider...
Looking for more delicious gluten-free bread recipes like this no knead gluten-free bread? Check these out:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups water (473 ml)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 pack)
- ⅓ cup ground chia seeds (measured after grinding)
- 3 ½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, (480 grams)
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Yeast + chia: Warm the water to 105 degrees F (lukewarm). Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Then add the yeast and stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until you notice that the yeast is frothing. If it doesn't froth, start over using new yeast (your yeast is bad). Once frothed, stir in the ground chia seeds. Let sit for a minute, then stir again. Let sit for one more minute, then stir one more time. Allow to sit for an additional 10 minutes so that the chia seeds can gel.
- Flour + salt: Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Lightly grease a loaf pan with oil.
- Dough: When the liquid mixture has gelled, make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the liquids. Stir until mixing becomes difficult, then use lightly floured hands to continue mixing if needed. The dough will be very sticky.
- Let rise: Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Then cover loosely with a kitchen towel and place in a warm location in the kitchen for 1 hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
- Bake + cool: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake on a middle oven rack for 35 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until a thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees F. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Rachel says
What is meant by 1 to 1 when baking. I am new to this. Thank you,Rachel
Jamie says
Hi Rachel! 1-to-1 refers to a gluten-free flour blend that is usually rice flour based and intended to replace regular flour cup for cup. It's sometimes referred to as a 1-to-1, measure-for-measure, or cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 GF flour blend. Happy GF Baking!
saidah branch says
Do you have to grind the chia seeds? I never did that.
Jamie says
I've only made this recipe by grinding the chia seeds. If left unground, I worry that the loaf would sink since their gelling properties wouldn't be properly spread throughout the dough. I use my coffee grinder to grind them.
Jan says
This no knead gluten-free bread recipe is so easy! I was able to pull it together on a Thursday night. I appreciated the simple instructions and the photos so I knew that everything looked correct along the way. I’m looking forward to trying the other gluten-free bread recipes on this site!