The Fluffiest Gluten Free Brioche Loaf

This project was a tough one. (But really when is gluten free bread not an undertaking to figure out?) These bread recipes have been pushing me to my limits. But reaching the finish line is worth it every time.

I really wanted it to look exactly like regular brioche AND taste like regular brioche. I got the texture… to the point that you’ll be in shock when you take a bite. The appearance however isn’t exactly what I was aiming for. The top is not perfectly smooth as I had wanted- but I think Im nitpicking.

What this bread is? SO SOFT. Melt in your mouth buttery soft. A kind of softness that I have never before had in any gluten free bread. A tenderness that is absolutely to die for. Its hard not to eat the whole loaf without even anything on it. It remains soft at room temperature too as long as you keep it sealed up in a bag! You will absolutely love it. Brioche French toast can be back in your life.

Important tips & tricks

Precision precision precision is the only way to go. For this reason I am only including grams for the recipe. I encourage you to go slow- and make sure to get each number exactly as I have called for. Don’t do the whole “Eh this is close enough” thing. Get the numbers exact. The payoff is so worth the effort.

YES, yes, yes you even need to weigh the eggs I know it seems like too much to worry about. But its important. 5-10 grams difference in any ingredient can completely change the recipe.

Give the dough time to really rise to its full height. This is a sweet bread so it could take time to rise fully if your oven isn’t nice and warm.

Use the correct ingredients. PLEASE use what I have called for. This is not a flexible recipe… of course you can experiment but I don’t recommend it.

The hot box method for proofing the dough is essential especially in the winter if you live up north like I do. Otherwise the bread could take a full day to rise. This is a big loaf so it really needs the perfect warm & humid environment to rise to its full potential. The hot box method is simple- I preheat the oven while making the dough, then as soon as the dough is done I turn it off. I place the bread into the warm oven (the pan always covered with a towel) and leave the door a crack for 5-10 minutes so that its not TOO hot. Then I close it for an hour. Gluten free bread needs about 50% more moisture and dries out easily. A dry dough- even if just the outside layer is dry can stop rising completely. This is why I like to also add a bowl of steaming hot water to the oven right before I close the door for the hour of slow proofing. It really makes a BIG difference. When I use the steaming bowl of water added I easily got an extra half inch in height.

IF you want to take the time halfway through the hour of proofing to reheat that water in the microwave and stick it back in the oven to get another nice burst of steam you can. This may be a good idea if you cant resist peaking in and checking on your breads progress.

Bonus (optional) Proofing Tip : If you have a pizza stone I find they work wonders for creating a warm environment to allow bread to rise slow and steady. When using my pizza stone I warm it up in the oven at only 300 degrees. Then when its time to proof the dough I turn off the oven. Place a pot holder on the stone & put the bread pan on top of it. Then when it comes time to bake the bread I remove the stone before preheating the oven again.

Using a stand mixer works best. If you don’t have one or cant get one a hand mixer will work in a pinch. Its important to get the dough really well mixed.

Making the dough in advance. You can totally do this. You can make the dough and place it in a TIGHTLY sealed container and stick it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Then just follow the directions to shape and proof the dough.

How to make the Brioche Dairy Free: The Weigh protein in this recipe was used to add some structure and height. If you wish to make the recipe dairy free you could test out using egg protein (I have not tried this yet) OR omit it entirely and make the falling changes in quantities to ingredients:

90 grams Expandex, 292 Grams Eggs, 144 grams of milk . Follow the recipe directions the same otherwise. These changes still result in a very soft & delicious loaf.

If you haven't used your yeast in awhile: And you would like to make sure its active then I would recommend warming your milk to a Luke warm temperature (no hotter) and mixing in the yeast and a portion of the sugar into it. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. As long as it starts to bubble and froth you know its good to go. I use my yeast often and know its alive and well so I skip this step and throw everything in the mixing bowl all at the same time.

To make the brioche Corn Free: Feel free to use whatever corn free brand you prefer & do not worry about it being double acting. The yeast does the heavy lifting in this recipe.

Parchment: Reynolds sells pre-cut parchment sheets in the 12x16 size. I use them for everything. However if you do not want to purchase them feel free to cut regular parchment to size. I order mine here.

The Gluten Free bread pan that I used makes or breaks the recipe. A soft and tall gluten free bread like this one absolutely needs tall walls to climb in order to actually end up tall. A regular bread pan just won’t do.. I wouldn't even bother. What makes this recipe so special is its height and the gorgeous air bubbles that develop in the process, A Pullman loaf pan would be the second best option. But I would order this pan immediately. I will use them in future bread recipes as well. (My next project is a cinnamon swirl bread!) PLEASE consider buying this pan before making this bread. Your results will not be the same without it.

Ingredients (Some of these are affiliate links that earn me a few cents if you shop using them! :)

Better Batter Gluten Free Orginal Blend

This flour blend continues to amaze me. It can do so many things better than most other blends that I have tried. As a result its extremely popular. Around the holidays it tends to sell out everywhere and so they are in the process of restocking right now. Usually its available on Amazon and at Walmart. Lately I have been ordering it from the Better Batter website directly. When they sell out- they tend to restock pretty quickly. Check back within a day or two if they are sold out when you look. I buy it in bulk now (20 lbs at a time) as I cant risk running out. I use it in too many recipes that we love.

What if you cant get your hands on it? This may be the case if you live outside the US. My friend Nichole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring has figured out a mock recipe for better batter. Her version should work great in this recipe! The owner (Naomi) of better batter has confirmed that the mix is similar to the official version.

Expandex

This bread is truly only possible because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.

Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.

Whey Protein Isolate: When it comes to baking with whey protein there are big differences in results when using different types. The magic word here is ISOLATE and it absolutely needs to be unsweetened. I use Now Sport Whey Protein Isolate.

Yeast: I recently learned about a special yeast made for sweet breads. Breads with sugar that are higher in fat have a harder time rising and typically take much longer to do so. Which means that this yeast has some extra oomph to it. Which gives me confidence that it could really benefit gluten free bread recipes. This is a sweet bread recipe- so it will benefit this bread in particular. https://amzn.to/3AQPMsZ

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of getting that specific bag- any brand will do. Just make sure that its fast acting or listed as instant.

Xanthan gum: I recently read somewhere that all brands of xanthan don’t work the same. I didn’t know this as I have always just purchased bobs. So- I would stick with bobs for this recipe and all of my recipes.

Milk - While I think that most dairy free unsweetened milks will work just fine, the only thing I tested was oat milk so far. I used both full fat and original from oatly and had the same results. If you are not dairy free i’m guessing regular milk would work just fine as well.

Sugar- REAL Sugar is important. Its what feeds the yeast and makes this bread possible. I do not recommend swapping in a liquid sweetener as that could throw off the recipe. Please don’t use any keto sugars or even coconut palm sugar. It may not work as well. Organic cane sugar tends to be ground a different size than non organic. Which can also make a difference in how the recipe turns out.

This clip will show you how to fold your parchment & what the bread should look like before it heads into the oven. I totally forgot about flipping my camera to film so that the full screen is used! My apologies.

Gluten Free Fluffy Brioche

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Yield: - 1 Full Sized Loaf +

Author: Brittany Angell

( 0 reviews )

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 50 MinInactive time: 120 MinTotal time: 3 H & 5 M

The texture of this incredibly soft & fluffy brioche will take you by surprise. While the look of the bread is not exactly the same as traditional I promise that the texture is absolutely spot on. Tender buttery melt in your mouth bread that remains soft at room temperature. Its so good that you don't even need to put anything on it.

IngredientsUSMetric

• 300 grams Large Eggs (This will be between 5-6 eggs)
• 161 grams milk (Dairy or nondairy) I used oat milk.
• 128 grams Organic Cane Sugar
• 2 1/2 Tsp Instant/fast acting yeast.
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 363 grams Gluten Free Better Batter Original Blend
• 100 grams Expandex
• 2.5 Tbsp (13 grams) Weigh Protein Powder. (See details in the post- only a specific type can be used.)
• 1 1/4 Tsp Xanthan Gum
• 2 Tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
• 12 Tbsp Softened Butter (regular or vegan)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Take a 12x 16 inch sheet of parchment paper and fold it 3 times (see photo/ video for clarification) and place it into the gluten free bread pan- allowing the two end pieces to come up over the sides. Folding it this way is essential and important. It allows the bread to stick to the pan enough that it rises to its full potential- but also will help get the loaf out of the pan without it breaking.
2. Place the mixing bowl on a baking scale. 6 large eggs. Whisk liberally and then remove however much egg as needed to make sure you have exactly 300 grams. (whisking the eggs first makes it easier to spoon out the amount not needed.)
3. Add in all the remaining ingredients -except the butter. Making sure to measure each one very carefully and accurately. Mix the ingredients on low then high until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the sides of the dough down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add in the softened butter. Beat on high for 40-60 seconds. Scrape down the sides and beat once more for 10 seconds.
5. Scoop the super sticky dough into the base of the prepared parchment lined gluten free pan. Wet your spatula with water and press the dough down evenly into the pan. Wet your hands and smooth out the surface out completely.
6. Place the top piece of the gluten free pan over the parchment. We don't want parchment getting in the way of the dough sticking to the top section. Place a kitchen towel over the pan.
7. Turn off the oven and place the pan with the towel in. Leaving the door open a crack. Place a glass bowl filled with several cups of water into the microwave for 5-6 minutes until it comes to a rapid boil. Place the bowl of boiling water into the oven next to the bread. Close the oven door and set the timer for 1.5- 2 hours. Keep the door shut for this period of time allowing the bread to slowly rise at a gentle heat. Bread dough with a higher quantity of sugar and fat requires a longer rising period. Its important to be patient.
8. After the 2 hours the dough should have come all the way to the top of the pan- potentially above the top. Remove from the oven. Place on top of the stove- and turn the oven on to 350 degrees. The dough may get bigger during this time. (unlike my other bread recipes- do not brush the top with water several times. This deflates the dough and will make the to of the bread less pretty.). You want to leave it be. IF your dough is big enough that its sticking to your towel a little bit instead you may spray a piece of ceran wrap with oil and gently place that on top of the dough.
9. Brush gently with with melted butter before it goes into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then turn down the heat to 325 degrees and bake another 25-30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the bread to cool inside for 45 minutes. This bread will deflate some when the oven is turned off. * A cool trick is to carefully lay the bread pan on its side- this prevents the top from sinking as it cool and keeps the loaf nice and tall. I did find in doing this that the sides collapse in a little bit- but the height of the bread remained incredibly tall!
10. Brush the bread with another round of melted butter when you remove it from the oven. Once cool- carefully cut around the top of the pan- and press the breads edges through it to lift it off. Then cut around the sides of the pan that do not have parchment- being sure to get into the corners. Use the parchment to lift the loosened bread out of the pan.
11. Store at room temperature in a sealed bag (to keep it from drying out) for 3-5 days. Or freeze for up to 30 days.

Notes

How to make the Brioche Dairy Free:

The Weigh protein in this recipe was used to add some structure and height. If you wish to make the recipe dairy free you could test out using egg protein (I have not tried this yet) OR omit it entirely and make the falling changes in quantities to ingredients:

90 grams Expandex, 292 Grams Eggs, 144 grams of milk . Follow the recipe directions the same otherwise. These changes still result in a very soft & delicious loaf.

Bonus (optional) Proofing Tip : If you have a pizza stone I find they work wonders for creating a warm environment to allow bread to rise slow and steady. When using my pizza stone I warm it up in the oven at only 300 degrees. Then when its time to proof the dough I turn off the oven. Place a pot holder on the stone & put the bread pan on top of it. Then when it comes time to bake the bread I remove the stone before preheating the oven again.

If you haven't used your yeast in awhile:

And you would like to make sure its active then I would recommend warming your milk to a Luke warm temperature (no hotter) and mixing in the yeast and a portion of the sugar into it. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. As long as it starts to bubble and froth you know its good to go. I use my yeast often and know its alive and well so I skip this step and throw everything in the mixing bowl all at the same time.

Please measure the eggs. This recipe needs absolute precision. I recommend whisking egg whites from 3 large eggs in a bowl to break them up. Then measuring them into a small bowl to get the amount right.

To make the brioche Corn Free: Feel free to use whatever corn free brand you prefer & do not worry about it being double acting. The yeast does the heavy lifting in this recipe.

Parchment: Reynolds sells pre-cut parchment sheets in the 12x16 size. I use them for everything. However if you do not want to purchase them feel free to cut regular parchment to size.

Did you make this recipe?

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