The Gluten-Free Quick Breads Cookbook
A focused collection of no-knead, no-yeast loaves that are free of both gluten and dairy, built around one flour blend so allergy-friendly baking feels routine rather than risky.
What It's About
This is a single-purpose baking book: quick breads, the batter-based loaves leavened with baking soda or powder instead of yeast, adapted so they contain no wheat and no dairy. Sharon Lachendro builds the recipes around her own gluten-free flour blend. That is the book's main practical idea. You mix one blend, keep it on hand, and use it across the whole collection instead of juggling different specialty flours for each recipe.
Judging by the recipes it highlights, the collection leans heavily toward sweet, dessert-adjacent loaves. Think banana bread variations, citrus and poppy seed breads, fruit-studded loaves, and novelty flavors like s'mores or mint chocolate. Honey cornbread and a few holiday-style breads round things out. The recipes are pitched as suitable for brunches, gatherings and potlucks, where one person's dietary needs often mean everyone eats the same safe dish.
Using it should feel low-pressure. Quick breads skip kneading and rising, so most recipes come down to mixing wet and dry ingredients, pouring the batter into a loaf pan and baking. For anyone who has struggled with dense or crumbly gluten-free results, the appeal is a tested system from someone who has worked out the ratios. Expect a narrow but deep book rather than a general guide to gluten-free baking.
Read this if you…
- bake for someone who avoids both gluten and dairy and want reliable, crowd-pleasing loaves
- prefer simple stir-and-bake recipes over kneading and proofing
- want a dependable flour blend you can mix once and reuse
Skip it if you…
- are looking for gluten-free yeast breads, sandwich loaves or sourdough
- want mostly savory or low-sugar everyday breads
Key Ideas
- 1
One house flour blend does the work
Rather than calling for a different mix of rice, starch and other flours in every recipe, the book relies on the author's own blend. This makes results more consistent and shopping simpler. It also means the recipes are tuned to that blend, so substituting a store-bought mix may change texture. Following her formula is the safest path.
- 2
Quick breads suit gluten-free baking
Yeast breads depend heavily on gluten structure, which is why gluten-free sandwich loaves are notoriously tricky. Quick breads rely on chemical leavening and a tender crumb, so they adapt far more gracefully. The book takes advantage of that, offering loaves that don't need kneading, proofing or special techniques to turn out well.
- 3
Dairy-free as well as gluten-free
Every recipe also avoids dairy, which widens the audience to households managing several sensitivities at once. Readers baking for someone with both restrictions get recipes already adapted, so they don't have to convert them on the fly. Those who only avoid gluten can still use the recipes as written without losing anything.
- 4
Flavor variety over basic staples
The collection emphasizes fun, flavor-forward loaves such as chocolate swirls, frosted gingerbread, fruit breads and nut breads, closer to treats than everyday bread. The goal seems to be baking things people actively crave and would happily share, so nobody at the table feels they're eating a lesser substitute.
Limitations
The book's scope is narrow by design. It covers quick breads only, so readers hoping for yeasted gluten-free bread, pizza dough or a broad baking primer will need another source. The recipe lineup leans sweet, which suits treats and gatherings more than daily bread. Because everything depends on the author's flour blend, swapping in a commercial mix may give uneven results. Some readers may also find the health framing optimistic. Gluten- and dairy-free sweet loaves are still sweet loaves, and the book's value lies in accessibility and flavor rather than nutrition.
Questions Readers Ask
- Do I need special equipment or experience to use this book?
- Probably not. Quick breads are among the easiest things to bake, needing mostly bowls, a whisk or spoon and a loaf pan. The main extra step is mixing the author's flour blend ahead of time, which mostly means measuring a few flours and starches carefully.
- Is this book useful if I only avoid gluten, not dairy?
- Yes. The dairy-free adaptation doesn't stop the recipes from working for gluten-only bakers, and you can make them as written. If you'd rather use regular butter or milk, you could experiment, but swaps may affect texture, so try the original version first.
- Does it include gluten-free sandwich bread?
- Based on its focus, no. The book centers on yeast-free quick breads, mostly sweet loaves plus items like cornbread. If you want yeasted sandwich bread or artisan-style loaves, look for a broader gluten-free bread baking book.
- Published
- 2019
- ISBN
- 9781624147579
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Category
- Cooking
Book details and cover from Google Books.
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