Which Gluten Free Flour Makes the Best Bread?

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This month of bread has been so fun for this food nerd! Today I ask the question: Which off the shelf gluten free one to one flour blend makes the best bread?

Some of the results were exactly what I expected - but there were some real surprises.

These blends are all meant to substitute for wheat flour cup for cup, but their ingredients, formulas, and costs vary wildly.

Will the flours that are best for cookies or muffins (see my prior tests) work for bread?

Is it worth shelling out for the expensive flour or ordering one through the mail?

Lets find out!

I first want to mention that whenever I run these tests I buy all ingredients myself (thank you paid subscribers!) All prices are at the time of writing.

All ingredients lists are from the product listings, always check the package as well, as companies change ingredients and allergen information frequently.

I made 7 loaves of bread, utilizing this recipe from my bread workshop earlier this month. To keep the conditions the same for all of the breads I used my kitchen aid mixer and mixed the dough for the same amount of time, and let each dough rise for 1 hour (although some flours might have done well with 10 more minutes, I didn’t think it was fair!)

I did not have enough rising baskets for all of them, so I let them rise in identical small metal bowls covered with tea towels.

I baked them in my home oven with the water pan steam method described in the recipe.

The flours I tested are:

King Arthur Measure for Measure
Bob’s Red Mill One to One
Krusteaz
Pamela’s
Cup for Cup
Better Batter (Original Blend)
Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Blend (I happened to have this in the house, and while I don’t love the pizza crust when made as directed, I thought testing this here might be interesting)

I will go into detail below about how each flour performed in the bread. What the loaf crust and interior crumb ended up like, and the taste of each.

Below are our tests and taste tests of 7 gluten free flours! I love saving you time and money, and helping you avoid disappointing gluten free products! I think we’ve all experienced that, right?

Next Level Gluten Free product tests are designed to save you time, money, and sadness. I find out which products stack up, and then I let you know! Not only that but I share a lot of recipes around here, Next Level Gluten Free recipes are tested over and over and work. Then I walk you through all the details. I’m like your friend in the kitchen, who’s a gluten free expert. Upgrade to a paid membership so we can hang out more and you get to eat more delicious gluten free food.

Better Batter (Original Blend) $27.95 for 2.5lbs
Ingredients: Rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, pectin (lemon derivative), xanthan gum.

This rice flour based blend mixed up into a golden colored mildly sticky dough, that once baked produced a high dome with good browning and an open crumb. The flavor was pleasant with a neutral grain/bready flavor. We liked it alot.

Cup for Cup $16.56 for 3lbs
Ingredients: Cornstarch, White Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, rBST-Free Milk Powder, Tapioca Flour, Potato Starch, Xanthan Gum