Gluten Free Oat and Honey Loaf

If you’ve been wanting to dive into the world of baking gluten free bread but feel intimidated, this is the loaf for you! It’s super easy to make and has that rustic sourdough look, but without the time constraint of making sourdough.

When it comes to gluten free bread making, getting the texture right means using multiple flours. So if you take one look at this recipe and think “there’s no way I’m buying all those flours” – yes you are! 😉

You’ll make this bread more than once (promise) so it’s worth splurging on all the flours. The reality is, many of these flours are under $8 a bag, so it’s totally worth it.

This bread smells just as you imagine when you hear the words “oats and honey.” Your kitchen is going to smell divine! I love having it for breakfast with a smear of ghee and fried eggs and between my husband and I, it does not last long in our house.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do 🙂

*Keep in mind I include the gram measurements below and highly recommend you measure everything in grams to get the right amount of flour. It can be easy to add more flour than necessary when not weighing/measuring.

Oat and Honey Loaf

Samantha Gladish

2 cups Milk (450g) oat milk, almond, 2% or whole, heated on the stove. (NOT boiling, you want the temp to be somewhere between warm-hot)
3 tbsp honey (30 g)
2 tsp active dry yeast (8 g)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (55 g)
3 tbsp psyllium husk powder (30 g)
1 cup sorghum flour (140 g)
1 cup gluten-free oat flour, plus more for dusting (100 g)
1/2 cup tapioca starch (120 g)
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (75 g)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, and yeast. Proof until the yeast bubbles and a thin layer of foam forms on top, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar and psyllium powder and let it gel for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine both flours, tapioca starch, oats, and salt. Add the psyllium gel and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. it can take a bit of time for it to come together. Be patient and keep mixing. Alternatively, you can mix the dough by hand in a large bowl, but I find this isn’t the best method.
Once the dough has come together, dust a work surface with oat flour. Scrape the dough onto the surface and shape it into a ball, dusting with more flour if needed. Because it’s gluten free, you might find it doesn’t come together as perfectly as you’d like. There may be slight cracks and that’s ok.
Dust a proofing basket or bowl with oat flour and place the dough in it. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough proof for 30 to 40 minutes, or until nearly doubled. Truthfully, mine never doubles, but depending on your temperature/climate, this may happen for you.
Meanwhile, put a Dutch oven (regular or cast-iron) in the oven and preheat to 450°F. Leave this in the oven for a good 30-45 minutes. When the dough is ready, invert it onto a piece of parchment paper and gently place it inside the heated Dutch oven.
Cover the pot with its lid and bake for 30 minutes at 450F. Then, remove the lid after 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F, and continue baking for another 22-25 minutes, until golden brown. The crust will be thin and crispy, and the interior moist. When you first take it out of the oven you’ll find it’s quite crispy – this is normal. Make sure to transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool completely before cutting, at least 1-2 hours.
It’s very important to allow all the steam to evaporate and the crumb to set, so as tempting as it is to take a bite, wait. I like to bake this in the evening and leave it on the counter all night. Then I enjoy it in the morning. Store the bread at room temperature wrapped in parchment paper or a brown paper bag for 2 days, or simply cover with a cloth and leave on the counter for 1-2 days. I slice my entire loaf and freeze half. I leave the other half in the fridge and use this up within 2-3 days.