America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread

By Meaghen Walsh

Published on May 23, 2019

Time

2 hours, plus 1 hour rising and 2 hours cooling

Yield

Makes 1 loaf

Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)2 large eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons honey 11 ½ ounces (326 grams/2⅓ cups plus ¼ cup) America's Test Kitchen All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend 4 ounces (113 grams/¾ cup) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal 1 ½ ounces (43 grams/½ cup) nonfat dry milk powder 3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds

Before You Begin

Do not substitute soy milk powder for the milk powder in this recipe, as it will negatively impact the flavor and structure of the bread. If you don’t eat dairy, you’re better off omitting the milk powder, although the structure of the bread will suffer a bit. Note that this recipe calls for an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan; if using a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, the dough will not rise as high and the bread will not be quite as tall. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal contains four grains: brown rice, corn, sweet white sorghum, and buckwheat. Note that other brands of hot cereal mixes may not work the same in this recipe because they all absorb water differently. Do not omit the powdered psyllium husk; it is crucial to the structure of the bread.

Instructions

  1. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Whisk water, eggs, oil, and honey together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour blend, hot cereal mix, milk powder, psyllium, yeast, baking powder, and salt together on low speed until combined. Slowly add water mixture and let dough come together, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat until sticky and uniform, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add sunflower seeds, and mix until incorporated. (Dough will resemble cookie dough.)
  2. Using rubber spatula, scrape dough into prepared loaf pan and press it gently into corners with wet hands; smooth top of dough and spray with water. Tightly wrap double layer of aluminum foil around pan so that top edge of foil rests at least 1 inch above rim of pan; secure foil collar with staples. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has risen by 50 percent (½ inch above rim of pan), about 1 hour.
  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove plastic and spray loaf with water. Bake until top is golden, crust is firm, and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 1½ hours, rotating pan halfway through baking.
  4. Transfer to wire rack and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Serve. (Once cooled, bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Styling by Marie Piraino.

Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread

Headshot of Meaghen Walsh
By Meaghen Walsh
Save

Time

2 hours, plus 1 hour rising and 2 hours cooling

Yield

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
11 ½ ounces (326 grams/2⅓ cups plus ¼ cup) America's Test Kitchen All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
4 ounces (113 grams/¾ cup) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal
1 ½ ounces (43 grams/½ cup) nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk
1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
11 ½ ounces (326 grams/2⅓ cups plus ¼ cup) America's Test Kitchen All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
4 ounces (113 grams/¾ cup) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal
1 ½ ounces (43 grams/½ cup) nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk
1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
11 ½ ounces (326 grams/2⅓ cups plus ¼ cup) America's Test Kitchen All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
4 ounces (113 grams/¾ cup) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal
1 ½ ounces (43 grams/½ cup) nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk
1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We started with our gluten-free sandwich bread recipe, which calls for 14 ounces of flour blend and 4 ounces of oat flour. The obvious first step was to replace the oat flour with several grains. We tested a variety of whole-grain flours alone and in combinations. The more flours we added, the more we liked this bread, but shopping for small amounts of multiple flours was a hassle. To simplify the recipe, we turned to hot cereal mixes, which contain multiple whole grains in one package. The shopping was now easier, but the whole grains were making the loaf quite dense. Extra yeast and baking powder solved this problem. We also had to change the amount of water, as the cereal mix did not absorb the water as easily as the oat flour did in our classic sandwich bread. Now the only thing missing from our bread was the welcome crunch of seeds. Sunflower seeds distinguished themselves in the loaf and added a nutty richness. Two final tweaks gave this bread even more character: using honey instead of granulated sugar and swapping out the butter for vegetable oil to keep the loaf from overbrowning. (We also reduced the oven temperature from 350 degrees to 325 degrees for the same reason.) 

Before You Begin

Do not substitute soy milk powder for the milk powder in this recipe, as it will negatively impact the flavor and structure of the bread. If you don’t eat dairy, you’re better off omitting the milk powder, although the structure of the bread will suffer a bit. Note that this recipe calls for an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan; if using a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, the dough will not rise as high and the bread will not be quite as tall. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal contains four grains: brown rice, corn, sweet white sorghum, and buckwheat. Note that other brands of hot cereal mixes may not work the same in this recipe because they all absorb water differently. Do not omit the powdered psyllium husk; it is crucial to the structure of the bread.

Instructions

  1. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Whisk water, eggs, oil, and honey together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour blend, hot cereal mix, milk powder, psyllium, yeast, baking powder, and salt together on low speed until combined. Slowly add water mixture and let dough come together, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat until sticky and uniform, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add sunflower seeds, and mix until incorporated. (Dough will resemble cookie dough.)
  2. Using rubber spatula, scrape dough into prepared loaf pan and press it gently into corners with wet hands; smooth top of dough and spray with water. Tightly wrap double layer of aluminum foil around pan so that top edge of foil rests at least 1 inch above rim of pan; secure foil collar with staples. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has risen by 50 percent (½ inch above rim of pan), about 1 hour.
  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove plastic and spray loaf with water. Bake until top is golden, crust is firm, and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 1½ hours, rotating pan halfway through baking.
  4. Transfer to wire rack and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Serve. (Once cooled, bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.