This Quinoa Bread Recipe is one of the best gluten-free bread options you will find! It is moist and flavorful and is perfect to use for sandwiches or toast. You are going to love the nutty flavor that toasted quinoa flour adds. Say goodbye to boring gluten-free bread - you’ll never miss your favorite avocado toast again!
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One of the hardest things about being gluten free is getting used to the bread. Although I'm happy with some store bought brands, every now and then I crave a fresh, homemade loaf.
I love it smells fresh from the oven.
What I don't love is that making it can be a little tricky.
The recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one of my favorites from my second book, The Gluten Free Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook. I've made it countless times and it has never failed me. (You can read the comments below - others agree!)
For more gluten-free goodies, don't miss my Gluten Free Breakfast Bread Pudding, Gluten Free Banana Bread and Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Bread.
Let's Talk Ingredients
I like using honey or maple syrup, but I’ve tested this with sugar, and it works well. For the yeast, I keep a jar of active dry yeast in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before using.
Quinoa flour gives this bread a nutty flavor, especially if you toast it first—totally optional, but worth it. If you would like to learn how to toast quinoa flour, you can read more about it in this post on Baking with Quinoa.
For the oil, melted coconut, olive, or avocado oil all do the job.
Pro Tip
One thing I have learned is that this recipe works best in a slightly larger bread pan.
I have used my glass pans, but I've found the loaf comes out better when I cook it in my earthenware pans or my KitchenAid metal pan, which are a little deeper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Just Use Quinoa Flour?
You can, but I don’t recommend it if you are looking for the texture of traditional bread. This recipe was intended to be a gluten-free bread that mimics traditional bread as closely as possible.
As such, I’ve added starches to the recipe because they are necessary to achieve the desired results.
Can You Grind Quinoa to Make Flour?
Yes! It takes about ¾ cup of whole quinoa seeds to make a cup of flour. To make quinoa flour, rinse the quinoa well and toast on a parchment lined baking sheet for about an hour at 250 degrees to dry out.
Grind in a clean coffee grinder, pulsing on and off. You can also make quinoa flour in some high speed blenders and food processors.
For best results, make sure you grind the flour long enough so that it is very fine, resembling the texture of regular flour.
Tips for Making Gluten Free Bread
- The dough for this bread will be much wetter than the dough for a traditional bread that has gluten. You will want to use the blending paddle on your stand mixer rather than the dough hook. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.
- This bread is best straight from the oven but may be frozen to keep longer. Make breadcrumb, toast, or croutons from a loaf that is left out longer than a day.
- Use warm water between 105°F and 110°F—any cooler and the dough will rise slowly, any hotter and it can kill the yeast.
Step by Step
Nutty and Light Quinoa Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Small Pan for water
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water 105 to 110 degrees
- 2 ½ tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups toasted quinoa flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 1 cup cornstarch organic/non-GMO
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder OR rice milk powder
- 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
- 1 ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 eggs lightly beaten OR flax eggs 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoons warm water
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut avocado or olive oil
- Sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
- If using flax eggs in place of eggs, combine 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons warm water. Mix well and set aside. (Skip this step if using eggs.)
- In a small bowl combine warm water and honey or maple syrup. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir gently. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until it begins to foam.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, milk powder, xanthan gum and sea salt.
- In a separate bowl combine yeast mixture, beaten eggs and oil. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and beat for 3 minutes at medium speed.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and use a spoon dipped in cold water to smooth the top. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Place a small pan on the bottom rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add 1 cup of water to the pan in the bottom of your oven and then place the loaf in the oven on the middle rack.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out into a wire cooling rack. Best stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tips for Making Quinoa Bread
- The dough for this bread will be much wetter than the dough for a traditional bread that has gluten. You will want to use the blending paddle on your stand mixer rather than the dough hook. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.
- This bread is best straight from the oven but may be frozen to keep longer. Make breadcrumb, toast, or croutons from a loaf that is left out longer than a day.
Serving Suggestions for this Quinoa Bread Recipe
- To make garlic toast, add chopped garlic to melted butter in a small dish. Use a pastry brush to spread on the bread. Broil until golden brown.
- If You have day-old bread that needs using, consider making a bread salad. This is a good one to try.
Nettie says
Hi! I want to try this recipe out asap. Can someone tell me how to replace the milk powder by using plant milk instead eg almond milk? What quantity of plant milk should I use instead of the milk powder. Thank you!
TJ Crawford says
how long is this good for if you do not freeze it or eat it straight away?
I bake my Christmas gifts for my family and this would be great for at least one of the family members but iI wont see them for a couple days after I make this.
Wendy Polisi says
I think it would be fine for a day, but I don't know about a couple of days. All homemade bread goes stale fairly quickly since they don't have preservatives, and gluten-free versions seem to be especially prone to this. That is one reason why companies like Udi's seel their bread frozen.
James A Vogel says
Amazing Bread! I'm new to making bread. I've made this recipe and two others.
This one was the best by far. We took it to Thanksgiving and it was a hit.
Wendy Polisi says
I am so glad that you enjoyed it!
Topoignaz says
Thank you, but why do you need to add a sweetener? Bread doesn't have to be sweet.
Wendy Polisi says
It has nothing to do with sweetness! Sugar provides a quick source of energy for yeast, helping it produce carbon dioxide faster during fermentation. This speeds up the rise of the dough. The sugar "feeds" the yeast!
Linda says
Why would you put a cup of cornstarch in it? Doesn’t that take any of the health benefits away? Just curious I didn’t think cornstarch was good for you.
Wendy Polisi says
The cornstarch keeps the bread light, and like “real” bread, versus dense and not like something you’d want to eat. I wouldn’t advise making the recipe without it.