This 5-Ingredient Teff Bread is hearty, naturally gluten-free, and made with whole teff for a rich, earthy flavor. Blending the cooked teff creates a smooth batter that bakes into a sliceable loaf with a lightly crisp crust. No yeast, no kneading-just simple ingredients and a reliable method.
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🔍 Quick Look: Gluten-Free Teff Bread
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 🎛️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 5 to 6 slices
- 📊 Calories: ~176 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 👩🏽🍳 Flavor Profile: Earthy and slightly nutty with a mild tang. The interior is soft and tender, while the crust turns lightly crisp. The pumpkin seeds add a subtle crunch and depth.
- 💪🏼 Nutrition: 7 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 41mg calcium
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy. No yeast, no kneading, and no rise time. The method is forgiving-just cook, blend, mix, and bake.
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Gluten-Free Teff Bread
- 👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
- 👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- 🌾 Substitutions
- 📝 How to Make Gluten-Free Teff Bread
- ✔️ Storage Tips
- 🍞 More Healthy Bread Recipes
- 🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ More healthy snack ideas...
- 👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
- ⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
- Teff Bread Recipe
- 🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
- 💬 Comments
👩🏽⚕️ Nutritionist's Note
Teff is naturally rich in fiber and iron, making this bread more sustaining than typical gluten-free loaves. The psyllium helps support digestion and gives structure without gluten, while the seeds add healthy fats and minerals. For a more balanced, higher-protein meal, pair with a spread like lentil dip or a tofu cream cheese.
Why You'll Love This Teff Bread:
This loaf is simple to make, deeply nourishing, and holds together beautifully for slicing.
- Customizable with seeds or add-ins
- Made with whole teff for a naturally fiber-rich base
- No yeast or rising time required
- Soft interior with a lightly crisp crust
- Easy to slice and great for toast or spreads
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective.
- Whole teff: This is the base of the bread. Cooking it first and then blending gives a smoother crumb and prevents grittiness. It also adds a naturally earthy, slightly sweet flavor.
- Oat flour: Adds lightness and helps balance the density of teff. Use very finely ground oat flour for the best texture-coarser flour can make the loaf heavy.
- Psyllium husk: Key for structure. It absorbs water and creates a gel that mimics gluten, helping the bread hold together and slice cleanly.
- Baking soda: Provides lift. It reacts with the vinegar to give a modest rise since there is no yeast.
- Apple cider vinegar: Activates the baking soda and adds a slight tang. Add it last to preserve the reaction.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a subtle savory, almost cheesy depth. Optional, but it improves overall flavor.
- Pumpkin seeds: Add texture, healthy fats, and a slight crunch. They also help break up the density of the loaf.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🌾 Substitutions
This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.
- Oat flour: Sorghum flour, finely ground buckwheat, or any gluten-free flour will work.
- Psyllium husk: No direct substitute. Ground flax or chia will not provide the same structure. If replacing, expect a more fragile, crumbly loaf.
- Pumpkin seeds: Sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, or omit.
- Nutritional yeast: Omit or replace with mushroom powder. Keeps some of the richness if you skip it.
- Apple cider vinegar: Substitute with lemon juice. Works similarly for activating baking soda.
📝 How to Make Gluten-Free Teff Bread
The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.
- Use whole teff, not teff flour
This recipe is designed for cooked whole teff, which creates a soft, cohesive dough.
- Cook the teff until thick. It should look like a thick porridge, not watery. Undercooked teff leads to a dense or slightly gummy texture.
- The texture of your bread depends on this step. Blend the cooked teff with water until silky and lump-free. Any graininess will carry through.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl.
- Whisk the oat flour, psyllium, baking soda, salt, and nutritional yeast very well before adding the wet mixture. This ensures even distribution so the bread rises properly and doesn't have dense or uneven spots.
- Add the blended teff to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until fully incorporated into a thick, cohesive dough. Avoid over mixing.
- Fold in the pumpkin seeds, if using. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes to allow the psyllium to hydrate and firm up. Add the vinegar last and mix briefly with your hands just before shaping-do not overmix.
- Keep the loaf low. Shape no thicker than about 1 ½ inches for even baking and to avoid a dense center. Use a lined or ceramic baking sheet. (The baking sheet above is linked here.)
- Bake until fully set. The loaf should feel firm with a lightly crisp crust. If unsure, bake a few extra minutes. Cool completely before slicing. This is essential for the crumb to set. Cutting too early will make it seem gummy.
✔️ Storage Tips
These simple steps help preserve freshness and flavor:
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Slice before storing. Pre-slice once fully cooled so you can grab pieces as needed.
- Freeze for longer storage: Freeze slices in a single layer, then transfer to a container or bag. Keeps well for up to 2 months.
- Reheat by toasting: Toast directly from the fridge or freezer for the best texture.
🍞 More Healthy Bread Recipes
A healthy Buckwheat Banana Bread recipe made with buckwheat flour that's high in fiber and protein.
4-Ingredient Easy Lentil Bread (Vegan), made with red lentils for extra protein.
This foolproof Healthy Vegan Zucchini Bread is moist, wholesome, and naturally sweetened with dates.
Healthy, Gluten-Free Quinoa Bread made using soaked quinoa, oat flour, and psyllium husk.
My Vegan Banana Bread is a complete, healthy, and naturally sweetened breakfast.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Teff is very dense and high in fiber, which can make baked goods heavy if not balanced properly.
Teff bread is a gluten-free bread made from teff grain or teff flour. It tends to be hearty, slightly dense, and rich in flavor, with a soft interior when prepared correctly.
This recipe is designed for whole cooked teff that's blended, which creates a smoother texture. Teff flour will not behave the same way here and may result in a drier, more crumbly loaf.
🍽️ More healthy snack ideas...
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⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
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Teff Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole teff
- 1 ½ cups water plus ½ cup for blending
- ½ cup oat flour or flour
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
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EQUIPMENT
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Baking sheet
- Oven or toaster oven
Instructions
- Cook the teff: Add the teff and 1 ½ cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick like porridge. Remove from heat and cool until just warm.
- Blend: Add the cooked teff and water to a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth and thick.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, psyllium husk, baking soda, salt, and nutritional yeast.
- Combine: Pour the blended teff mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated into a thick dough. Fold in the pumpkin seeds. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes to hydrate and firm up.
- Add vinegar: Add the apple cider vinegar and mix briefly to combine. Do not over mix.
- Shape: Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into an oval loaf, keeping the height no more than 1 ½ inches (4 cm) for even baking.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) on the middle rack for about 50 minutes, or until the loaf is firm and the crust is set.
- Cool: Let cool completely for at 30 minutes before slicing. This step is key for the texture to set properly.
- For serving: Slice and toast.
Notes
-
Skip the salt if needed. The bread will taste plain, so it's best toasted and topped.
- Cool completely before slicing. Slice thin. This bread is hearty. Thin slices improve texture and toast well.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
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