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Gluten Free Oatmeal Millet Bread

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This Gluten Free Oatmeal Millet Bread is a hearty, soft loaf of bread that can be used for everything from sandwiches to toast.


It’s a full-sized loaf of bread, so it’s much larger than any of the pre-made gluten-free loaves you’ll find in stores. The texture on the inside is tender and springy. It’s hard to resist cutting off an end chunk while the bread is still warm and slathering it with ghee!

I make my own oat flour by grinding gluten-free rolled oats in my food processor or high speed blender. If you’re worried about the gluten-free purity of your oats, I highly recommend the GF Harvest brand of oats. You can read all about their purity protocol here.

Why not buy already ground gluten-free oat flour? Plain and simple: it tastes bad. You don’t want to, trust me.

This recipe has been edited as of 01/12/18. The original recipe ingredients are at the bottom of this post.

I originally created this recipe years ago. Since creating it, I’ve learned a thing or two about yeast, and gluten-free bread recipes in general. I feel this new edited version is better, think Gluten-Free Oatmeal Millet Bread 2.0. I hope you all think so too.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Millet Bread Recipe (edited version)

Yeast Ingredients
1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water (between 110 – 115 degrees F)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (NOT instant yeast)

Wet Ingredients
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Dry Ingredients
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup freshly ground oat flour**
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp sea salt

Extra whole rolled oats to sprinkle on top of your loaf.

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the organic cane sugar and the warm water; mix well.  Sprinkle in the yeast and give it a quick stir to combine.  Allow to proof for 10 minutes (set a timer!) – NO more, NO less time.  Make sure you have the other wet and dry ingredients mixed and ready to go when the 10 minutes are up! 

Using a heavy duty mixer, combine the dry ingredients.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar.

When the yeast is done proofing, add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Stir until it’s a little paste-like, then add the yeast mixture.  Using your mixer’s low speed setting, mix for about 30 seconds.  Scrape the sides of the bowl then mix on medium for about 2 minutes or until the dough is smooth.  (You may need to stop your mixer and scrape the sides of your bowl a few more times.)

Pour dough into a well greased 9″ x 5″ bread pan, sprinkle with oats, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour (Check the loaf 30 minutes into rising. When the dough is close to hitting the plastic wrap, remove it; allow the dough to rise the remaining time uncovered.) When the hour of rising is up, preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F).  When the oven is up to temperature, place loaf in oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

Remove loaf from pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack.  The loaf must be completely cooled before being cut into (if you can stand to leave it alone for that long!).

Note: This loaf will keep fresh for 24-48 hours, after that time, I recommend freezing it in slices to pull out and enjoy when needed. 

ORIGINAL RECIPE:

Yeast Ingredients
3 TBSP honey
1 1/4 cup warm water (between 110 – 115 degrees F)
1 TBSP active dry yeast (NOT instant yeast)

Wet Ingredients
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Dry Ingredients
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup freshly ground oat flour**
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup arrowroot starch (or potato starch – it makes my joints swell so I don’t use it)
1 TBSP xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp sea salt

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Reader Interactions

Comments

      • Megan

        Hi Kelly,
        Yes, a mix should work just fine. Just keep in mind some mixes already contain xanthan gum. Try using a mix that doesn’t, so that you can make sure the loaf gets the full 1 TBSP. 😉
        Megan

        Reply

  6. Cathy

    Trying your bread today. Your ratios are a little different than mine (more liquid more flour), but your results look better. I also like your addition of baking powder. Curious to see how that changes the results. Going to try this in my bread machine.

    Reply

  10. Cathy

    It turned out pretty good. I weighted my flours and liquids. I also used rapid rise yeast, which is what my machine calls for when using the gluten free cycle, which is a rapid cycle with very little rise time. The loaf sank a little bit, but not much. I have had this happen where the entire loaf collapses on itself. I think I will play around with the amount of liquid and the amount of xanthan gum and yeast, maybe decreasing each in small amounts individually. It is a beaufitul loaf overall though and a good 4 1/2 to 5 inches. I also made your almond shortbread cookies this morning and subbed maple syrup and they are very good.

    Reply

  12. Sheri

    I made this yesterday. I just have to tell you it didn't even last 24 hours for me to find out if it would spoil. I always said I never really missed bread either but I sure have been eating a lot of it lately thanks to you 🙂

    Reply

  14. freeeats

    Hi Megan,I just found your blog and it is lovely. This recipe looks wonderful and I plan to try making it this afternoon. I will definitely report back. Thank you for sharing! -Terris

    Reply

  15. Toni

    Megan, thank you so much for this! I just made some today! I didn't have millet flour so I used sweet white rice flour and added about a 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds. I will admit I had to cut into it right after I took it out of the over! I made some honey butter to have on it for a treat with steaks tonight! Keep up the great work! You are amazing!

    Reply

  16. Betty Rocker

    What a wonderful recipe! I’ve been working on a gluten free bread recipe where I”m using chia seeds as a binder. I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe.

    Reply

  17. Jenn

    I don’t have a blender, food processor (of any size) or a mixer (does a small electric egg-beater count?). This hasn’t been an issue in the past but I wonder if it might alter the results when baking GF because the ingredients and processes are so exacting. What are your thoughts on this?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Jenn,
      Great question! You need an electric stand mixer like a KitchenAid or something similar to make gluten free bread. Gluten free bread dough has to be whipped to get air into the dough and to create a perfectly smooth texture. This cannot be achieved by stirring by hand or by using an electric hand mixer.
      🙂 Megan

      Reply

      • Jenn

        Thanks! I guess I’ll have to figure this out. I have neither budget nor space (we’re shedding all items to move onto a boat).

        Reply

  18. cindy

    Hello,
    I made this bread tonight and it looked amazing, until it started to fall as soon as I took it out of the oven 🙁 Just wondering if you have any tips on how to prevent this from happening again or have any idea why this happened.
    Thank you,
    Cindy

    Reply

  19. Anna

    Hi.
    I was just wondering…. (and i’m surprised no one has asked about this yet…),
    When you mention the ‘WET Ingredients’, it says eggs, olive oil and vinegar. But later on, when you say to mix the wet ingredients together, you write: eggs, oil, WATER and vinegar.
    Where does the water come in? Is water supposed to be put in or not?
    I have managed to make this bread and always comes out wonderful, and i add a bit of water, but not sure if i’m supposed to? please clarify.
    Thank you so much!

    Reply

  22. Krista Dolan

    OH MY… I have to Thank you! I’m an avid baker – have been for many years.. and baking bread as always been very cathartic for me. It reminds me of my mom and learning how to cook with her. 🙂
    To bake 6 loaves in a day is nothing for me, but since having to give up gluten in May, I haven’t been able to find any recipe that actually tastes, looks and smells like bread!! I’ve just about given up, this weekend was my last attempt ! Its just is costing too much in time – energy and flour! I happened upon your blog and I”m so happy that I did! I tried the Oatmeal Millet bread and it’s incredible!! It tastes, smells and looks like bread – THANK YOU! I can’t wait to try out the other recipes on your site! You’ve put me back on the wagon to bake again!
    Krista

    Reply

  23. marg

    Hello Megan
    I seen your recipe last month, (of course i did not write the link down) so I am so happy
    that I found it again. I have been searching for almost 2 weeks, the clue was the slicing of your bread on your site.
    So, offer to the health store and purchase some oats GF, the only thing I will change is the amount of millet, I will be putting in some chick pea.
    I will let you know. Thanks for your kindness
    Blessings
    Marg

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Marg,
      I’m so glad you found me! 😉

      Be careful with adding chickpea flour. It can turn the bread grainy, and make it crumbly and dry (you can read more of my bread tips HERE). If you need a substitute for the millet, I would suggest more sorghum flour or millet flour.

      Good luck!
      Megan

      Reply

  24. Jennifer

    Hi everyone! I want to thank you so much for putting this recipe up. I made it today… Total success! I have tried many many many many bread recipes and this is the first one I’ve been able to make work. I made one substitution I used Namaste’s perfect flour blend instead of each of the different flours that you used in this recipe. My bread turned out just a touch on the spongy side but it is still excellent! I can’t thank you enough …my husband will be so happy to have fresh normal, delicious bread when he gets home tonight!

    Reply

  25. Maria

    Hi, I’m been making several of your bread recipes and want to try this one next. I noticed that the directions (proofing yeast longer and cooking it longer) are different then many of your other ones. Also, the yeast and xanthan gum are more. Just wondering if this is an older or newer recipe and wondering if these small variations do make that much of a difference. I make a few of your recipes so often that I barely need to read them anymore. I wasn’t expecting this one to be much different. Thanks for all the great recipes.

    Reply

    • Megan

      Maria,
      Oohhh… you are good! Yes, this is an older recipe. 😉 You’d be okay proofing the yeast for 7 minutes like the others, along with reducing the yeast to 2 1/4 teaspoons, and the xanthan gum to 2 3/4 teaspoons. Thanks for catching that! I will have to update this recipe when I have the chance!
      😉 Megan

      Reply

  26. Sharon

    I made this bread yesterday and it’s delicious. My mother is an amazing baker and this recipe has everything I love about homemade bread without the gluten. (Thank God!) I was impressed with the ease of the recipe and the troubleshooting post was so helpful. Looking it over before I attempted the recipe helped me avoid any mishaps. You mentioned that the mixer is a must and while I’m sure it’s much easier with one, I was still able to achieve the desired result with quite a bit of vigorous hand mixing and folding. I also whisked the dry ingredients together a lot before combining everything. In the end everything was well incorporated, no falling, baked evenly all the way through, plenty of air pockets, nooks and crannies. Lol So for those of you who don’t have a mixer don’t be discouraged, just put your back into it. Thanks for the awesome recipe! Udi’s won’t be taking any more of my money. *:)

    Reply

    • Meghan

      I’ve learned to also whisk my dry ingredients together before I add anything to them. The mixer doesn’t do this well enough on its own, so I always put the dry stuff in my mixer, whisk it together, and then proceed as directed. 🙂

      Reply

  27. Lisa

    I really would love to try this bread recipe but I can not have any gums in my diet. I use organic India psyllium husk flakes and was wondering if this will work? I had to gluten free as per my doctor and have made many and found many great recipes for pancakes, cookies, pound cake and so on but bread has not been easy! I am now on my 15th bread recipe : (

    Can you help?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Lisa,
      Psyllium will not work well in this recipe. The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen has an GF bread recipe using psyllium and chia seed as binders. You might try that recipe instead! 😉
      Megan

      Reply

  28. Teah

    I’m so excited that I found this recipe. I Have a the same problem with potatoes and it seems like every recipe that is GF calls for it. I’m new the the GF world and so I’m not comfortable with baking to many things yet. I also have not been able to tolerate milk for several months so it was so nice to find a recipe that didn’t have it. Thanks so much for sharing both this recipe and ways to trouble shoot.

    Reply

  29. Meghan

    THANK YOU. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU. I have bread again! I just started on this journey a few weeks ago (going low-FODMAP for Ulcerative Colitis, Fibromyalgia, and Costochondritis) and have thrown out so many loaves of GF bread. I was an avid baker before this, so not being about to turn out a decent loaf that didn’t taste like glue or cardboard had me crying on the floor of my kitchen. You’ve given me back the joy of baking that I thought was gone forever. This recipe is the only one I’ve found that has a real bread-like crumb, wonderful crust, isn’t soggy, doesn’t taste like sawdust, and has NO aftertaste. I could actually cut the heel off one end and eat it on its own without dousing it in butter first. THANK YOU!

    Reply

  30. Lindsey

    I didn’t use xanthan gum (replaced it with ground flax and chia instead), and the results were still great. I was worried at first because the dough I ended up with was more like cake batter and much runnier than the one in the picture, but in the end it turned out great and the whole family loved it.

    Reply

  33. Jeanne

    I love this recipe…..I’m not sure why but I can substitute almost any kind or mix of flour and it still turns out beautiful. The texture is always nice and fluffy, instead of heavy and wet. Finally – a gluten free bread that I will eat untoasted. Thank You!!

    Reply

  34. Jackie

    Oh my! This bread is wonderful! I always make the Rice-free Multigrain bread from your site. I decided to explore a bit more. Your GF breads are excellent. Your tips are very helpful. My bread improved when I didn’t let it rise so much. The edges didn’t crumble away in the high part of the loaf. Thanks for the tasty, healthy GF bread recipes. Happy New Year!

    Reply

  35. Rosemary

    Do you have a substitute for the oats as I cannot even tolerate gf oats. What is the difference between active dried yeast and instant yeast? Thanks

    Reply

    • J. C.

      I have successfully made this bread by using chia seed as an egg relpacer. I may have also used Energy egg replacer for one of the eggs.

      Reply

    • Megan

      You could try substituting 1/2 cup of brown rice flour and half cup of sorghum flour to sub for the 1 cup of millet flour. I haven’t tried this myself. I’m sure it will work, but I’m not sure if the blend will be as tasty.

      Reply

  39. Patrícia Barbosa

    Where I live its hard to find sorghum flour, would spelt work?
    What can substitute xantham gum with? Dont know where to find?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Patricia,
      Spelt is NOT gluten-free, so I’ve never worked with it and don’t know if it would work in this recipe. I would use more brown rice flour to replace the sorghum flour. You can substitute xanthan gum with guar gum. All of these products you can find online via Amazon.

      Reply

  40. Arlene

    Hi Megan: I have a 4 /12 or 5 qt kitchen aid stand mixer but it is not heavy duty… can I still make this bread or will it burn out my mixer.

    Reply

  41. Lori

    This bread is AMAZING!! My non-Celiac kids refer to it is “real” bread. Best compliment ever! I sub Teff for the brown rice and also use instant yeast and I have had perfect results every single time. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  42. Anne Jeltema

    I stumbled across your website while searching for a decent GF bread recipe. I absolutely love honey oatmeal bread. I made your GF version. Not being able to wait until morning for a slice, I cut a piece late afternoon. I handed my husband a bite with butter on it, and he said, what’s the big deal? It tastes like bread. I smiled and said yes, it does!

    Thank you so much Megan!

    Reply

  43. Mabel

    Your bread is wonderful. I use black rice flour instead of brown rice flour. Can you tell me if I can use less honey. Thanks for the recipe

    Reply

  44. Wendy

    Have you come up with a recipe that does not have eggs. My baby boy is sensitive to eggs as it causes his eczema to flare up!

    I just discovered your blog today! Looking forward to trying your allergy free recipes!

    Reply

  45. Rebecca

    I love this recipe! I made it on Saturday and everyone loved it. We are currently working on taking our family gluten and dairy free due to health issues and I have been searching for a bread that my family would love. My husband and son are super picky when it comes to their breads so to find a gluten free one they loved is so great! Thank you!

    Reply

  46. Tammy

    Has anyone tried this with flax eggs? I have failed so many times and have wasted a lot of money, so any help is appreciated, Thank You!

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Tammy, I wouldn’t try this recipe using flax eggs (it will make the loaf too gummy). Instead, you might just try omitting them altogether, and then substituting in more warm water. Maybe start with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water? Water is thinner than a beaten egg, so you’d have to take that into consideration, that’s why I suggest starting with 1/4 to 1/3 cup. 😉 Hope that helps!

      Reply

  47. Jenn

    Have you ever attempted to make this recipe in a bread maker? I wonder if anything would need to be adjusted if attempted…..

    Reply

  48. Namrata Shastri

    Hi! Thanks for this lovely recipe made it with a gf mix and used ragi flour in place of oats turned out really yummy and soft . Today am trying it without eggs with chia eggs .. will keep you updated ..

    Reply

  49. Georgie

    Have you tried proofing the loaf over night? Or would over proofing compromise the structure? Thinking it would be great to throw it in the oven first thing in the morning 🙂 I know with glutenous breads slow proofing can increase the flavour and make a stronger structure, i wonder if its the same for GF breads…

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Georgie,
      I have not tried proofing this overnight, because (with this specific recipe) it would overproof and collapse. If you were to attempt to proof overnight, you’d drastically have to reduce the amount of yeast used. As written, it wouldn’t work. High protein (like eggs, or milk powder) are what I’ve found to produce a stronger structure in GF bread.

      Reply

  50. Lani

    I’m new to making gluten free bread. The batter looks very wet. Not like regular bread at all. More like crepe batter. Is this what it’s supposed to look like?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Yes, it will much more wet than a gluten-full bread dough. I’ve never made crepes before, so the consistency I link it too is like a thick cake batter. 😉

      Reply

  51. L.

    I made this (edited version) and can say it’s honestly the best GF bread recipe I’ve tried in the past 2 years of experimenting!

    Reply

  52. Janelle

    I have been making this loaf for years and love it. I am curious why you omitted the arrowroot from the updated recipe? Is it a cost reduction, or does it do something to improve the overall flour blend?

    Reply

    • Megan

      Hi Janelle, that’s a great question! I’ve made several GF loaves since creating this recipe, and never noticed much of a difference when using tapioca + arrowroot vs. just tapioca. I thought, might as well only use 1 starch for the sake of convenience/cost, and not call for 2!

      Reply

  53. Isaac O

    Hello, this is Isaac, This is the best gluten free bread recipe I’ve tried yet!!! I like how you’ve used oat flour which gives a very similar texture to wheat. I also like how you have omitted the baking powder in the revised recipe, because baking powder is not necessary, as the yeast provides enough lift. I would also like to praise this recipe, because of the usage of standard millet flour (i.e. pearl millet) which can be replaced with finger millet (i.e. Ragi) to create a wholemeal version of this recipe. Furthermore, because your recipe only requires an hour of proving; it works perfectly in my Panasonic (SD 2511) bread maker on cycle two.

    This recipe can also be made vegan by using thick homemade soy milk made with 200grams of soy beans and 1 litre of water; I’ve found chia and flaxseed meals to provide stodgy, dense textures due to the absence of structural proteins in them; whereas thick soy milk (I call it soy cream) replaces the egg perfectly, I usually use 60g of thick soy milk per egg. Thank you!!!!

    Reply

  54. Luo Bing

    I love love love this bread. I have been seeking a good gf pizza crust that can satisfy my gluten-eating family, and since this bread is so yummy as bread, I tried using it. I mixed it as the instructions require, but I flattened it out into a pan like a pizza crust. (It can’t be rolled out. I just flattened it with my spatula.) I let it rise for a short bit and baked it. I sprinkled some oregano on it to give it that “pizza” feel. It was PERFECT. This is my favorite recipe for bread, and now it is my favorite recipe for pizza crust too.

    Reply

  56. Austin

    Thank you so much for this ! My daughter (21) was just diagnosed with Celiac, and I’ve been struggling to adapt an old family recipe for an oatmeal bread (Canadian brown bread). It’s deeply rooted in our family’s food history, so eliminating it was scary. This looks like just the recipe to start with, to try to get close to the original in flavor and texture. THANK YOU !!

    Reply

  57. Wendy W

    I am really enjoying your rice-free bread as well as this oat-millet bread. I have celiac disease as well as many secondary allergies/intolerances. What works best for me is to rotate my foods at least 4 days apart. I know you have mentioned substituting arrowroot for tapioca, but have you (or anyone you know) ever tried an all arrowroot version of either of these two breads? If so, did it work as well?
    Thanks for your help.

    Reply

  58. Indi

    I made the bread last night and it was so difficult waiting until the morning to eat it. The bread is delicious and beautiful to look at it lol but I wish it wasn’t so high in calories.

    Reply

  59. Elaine

    I’ve been trying various gf bread recipes for years and this is the first one I’ve found that consistently produces a tasty loaf that looks like regular bread. For my purposes, I converted all the dry ingredients from volume to weight measurements to make it easier to be consistent. Thank you so much for taking the time to get this one JUST RIGHT! I only wish I had found it sooner.

    Reply

    • Mēgan

      I’m so happy to hear you enjoy it! 🙂 Thanks for coming back here and leaving me a comment with your thoughts!

      Reply

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