New Year’s Resolutions. Do you make them? Keep them? I know lots of people are cynical about them, but I like the chance to reflect, to think about how I can make my life better and happier – and it’s a very good excuse to take the leap and cross something off your bucket list. For this event, I’ll make a ‘bucket list’ recipe.

The recipe at the top of my bucket list is gluten-free bread. I’ve conquered gluten-free cakes and even pastry, but those areas have always been my comfort zone – bread is way out there. I think I made bread at school, and did it in a bread machine a couple of times, but it was never really something I got into. Then becoming gluten-free knocked any breadmaking ideas out of my head – after all, you can just about get away with no gluten in cake batters, but it’s pretty essential in bread, isn’t it?
Well, thanks to this bucket list challenge, I’ve finally rolled up my sleeves and given it a go. And you know what? It worked! Now, gluten-free bread is never going to be the same as a normal loaf – the gluten-free bread recipe involves quite a few more ingredients and you don’t get the bouncy elasticity of a normal dough.

Also, perhaps simply due to my lack of experience, it is not the most beautiful loaf of bread ever made, but it tastes good and it doesn’t fall apart, which I consider to be a success! The bread tasted lighter. You can pair it with some delicious toast toppings here.
It’s given me the confidence now to experiment, so you can expect a few more bread recipes before long. This is how to make (or bake) gluten-free bread.

Gluten-Free Bread
Ingredients
- 400 g gluten-free bread flour should contain xanthan gum – if not you will need to add about 1 tsp
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 sachet 75g fast-action dried yeast
- 1 egg
- 300 ml warm water
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
Instructions
- Grease a loaf tin and set to one side.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Crack the egg into a measuring jug, then add the water, milk, and oil. Mix lightly.
- Pour onto the flour mixture and stir together until you have a ball of dough. Transfer to the loaf tin, cover with a plastic bag (inflate so that it does not stick to the dough), and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200oC and bake for about 45 mins. Check that the bread is done by tapping the base – it should sound hollow. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Slice and enjoy with your favourite jam while it is still warm!