In general a good gluten free bread recipe follows this basic formula:
Gluten Free Bread Recipe = Gluten Free Flour Blend + Binder + Fat + Protein + Liquid
Your flour blend should have a mix of higher protein flour and starches. Buckwheat and Oat flour are higher in protein in comparison to the Rice flour and together they give the bread structure. The starches help to keep the bread somewhat light and should account for at least 10% of your flour blend.
In this recipe psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum does the binding, the oil is the main source of the fat, the non gluten protein is contributed mainly by the flour or milk if used and liquid is the water or milk.
If you want to make your own special bread, start with the recipe below and see what results you get. Once you’ve mastered the recipe as is, you can begin to manipulate the ingredients, preferably one at a time. Substitute ingredients that are similar in composition and similar based on what they do in the recipe. There are also ingredients that cannot be substituted 1:1, so do some research before making a decision. For example, can ground chia seeds be used as a 1 to 1 substitute for flaxmeal? The answer is, not all the time, chia is more gelatinous in water than flax and therefore stronger as a binding agent.
Troubleshoot and tweak the recipe until it works for you. Here are some tips (more in the link below):
Dense loaf- may need more liquid (the dough will usually be wetter than regular wheat flour dough)
Gummy on the inside- bake for a longer time ( an hour or more is not uncommon)
Loaf sinks in the middle while baking- dough was proofed for too long (it does not get better the more you let it rise in the tin)
Baking tin is too big- the bread will spread out not up and the result may be a dense loaf
Baking tin is too small- the loaf will also be dense because the bread cannot rise over the tin without support
Generally unappealing after baking- use an oven thermometer to verify if your oven’s temperature is calibrated correctly
Making good gluten free bread takes practice. In time, you will begin to discover what flour or what brand you like and why. You will also master swapping out ingredients to your preference.
I've shared a few more resources that can help you on your baking journey, take a look at these links:
Wholesome Gluten Free and Vegan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
1¼ cup brown rice flour
½ cups buckwheat flour
½ cup oat flour
¼ cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp psyllium husk powder
OR
1¼ tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp ground flaxmeal
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tbsp baking powder
2½ tsp instant yeast
½ tsp salt
¼ cup vegetable oil (I use coconut)
1¼ - 1½ cup warm water (105-115°F)* ½ tbsp vinegar
*You can use milk e.g. coconut milk instead of water
Making the Bread
In a bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients including the flaxmeal, use only 1/2 tsp of the yeast and none of the baking powder. Set aside
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients (except the vinegar), kneading or mixing until thoroughly combined. The dough should be slightly sticky but holding together and fairly easy to work with
Cover the bowl with cling wrap or other and set aside in a cool place to rest for about an hour. Resting the dough improves the texture of the finished loaf
At the end of the rest period add the rest of the yeast (2 tsp), the baking powder and mix or knead well. Add the vinegar and mix or knead again. The dough should be slightly sticky or shaggy but holding together (like a thick brownie batter, scoopable not pourable). Add more water or milk a little at a time if needed
Scoop the dough into a baking tin (approx 7 1/2"l x 4"w x 4.5"h internal measurements). You can smooth the top of the dough with the back of a spoon. Wet the spoon, it will be easier to work with
Allow the dough to rise to about 3/4 the height of the tin if you're using the size I suggested. If you are using a shallower tin let the dough rise just over the rim of the tin and no more (the bread can collapse if it rises too much)
Once the dough is in the tin, preheat oven to 350°F. When it is ready place the dough in the oven and bake for 50 minutes
After 50 minutes, lower the heat to 275 and bake for another 15 mins. After the 15 mins, turn your oven off and leave the bread there for another 15 mins, you can take the loaf out of the pan for this (if the bread feels really firm on all sides, especially the bottom of the loaf you can skip this step)
Cut the bread when it's completely cool. Store in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for an extended period of time