Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread

A focused guide to the single hardest challenge in gluten-free baking: bread. Nicole Hunn delivers more than 100 recipes for loaves, biscuits, bagels, flatbreads, rolls, and enriched doughs, all designed to be affordable and approachable for home bakers.

Why Start Here

Bread is where most gluten-free bakers struggle the most. Gluten is the protein network that gives bread its structure, chew, and rise, so removing it creates problems that do not exist in cakes or cookies. Hunn dedicates an entire book to solving those problems. She covers four different flour blends (bread flour, all-purpose, whole-grain, and pastry), explains the key techniques for working with gluten-free dough, and includes a troubleshooting section for when things go wrong.

The recipes range from lean crusty white bread and hearty whole-grain loaves to fragrant cinnamon swirl bread, cheese bread, and a wild yeast starter for making gluten-free sourdough. The book is organized practically, with chapters on shaped breads, flatbreads, biscuits, scones, and muffins. Each recipe is written with the assumption that you have not done this before, so the instructions are thorough without being patronizing.

What makes this book especially valuable is its budget-conscious approach. Gluten-free ingredients are expensive, and Hunn is practical about cost. She teaches you to make your own flour blends rather than buying premium pre-mixed versions, and the recipes avoid expensive specialty ingredients when simpler alternatives work just as well.

What to Expect

A 304-page paperback focused entirely on bread and bread-adjacent baking. The tone is warm and encouraging, written by someone who understands the frustration of failed gluten-free loaves. Best suited for bakers who have tried gluten-free bread, been disappointed, and want a dedicated guide to getting it right.