Oh My Loaf Club

Scan the ingredient list on most gluten-free bread mixes and you'll spot xanthan gum (or guar gum) almost every time.

It's common for a reason — it works. But it's not the only way to get structure into gluten-free bread, and it's not what we use. Here's why, and what we rely on instead.

What Xanthan Gum Actually Does
Xanthan gum is a fermentation-derived thickener that helps gluten-free doughs hold together and trap air, similar to the role gluten normally plays.

It's effective, shelf-stable, and used widely across the food industry — not just in gluten-free baking. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, and plenty of people bake with it happily.

That said, it's also a common source of digestive discomfort for some people, and a fairly divisive ingredient in the gluten-free community —
some bakers notice a slightly slimy or gummy mouthfeel they'd rather avoid, and others are managing sensitivities that make gum-based ingredients unpleasant even in small amounts.

Why We Went a Different Direction
Our approach leans entirely on psyllium husk for structure instead.

As we covered in our psyllium husk deep dive, it's a fiber that gels naturally when hydrated, giving dough enough elasticity to rise and hold its shape — without needing an added gum on top of it. Fewer ingredients doing more work, essentially.

This wasn't a marketing decision so much as a baking one: once we had the psyllium ratio dialed in properly, an additional gum wasn't solving a problem we still had. It just meant one more ingredient on the label that wasn't earning its place.

Does Skipping Gums Change the Texture?
Yes — and that's part of the point. Gum-based gluten-free bread and psyllium-based gluten-free bread aren't identical in texture. Gum-forward loaves often lean slightly more elastic and "stretchy," while psyllium-based bread tends to have a more traditional, tender crumb that's closer to what people expect from bread they grew up eating. Neither is objectively better — it comes down to preference and what you're using the bread for.

If you've tried gluten-free bread before and found the texture a little rubbery or gummy in a way you couldn't place, gum content is worth considering as one possible reason.

Is Xanthan Gum Actually Necessary for Gluten-Free Baking? More on this on my blog:

Gluten-Free Bread Without Xanthan Gum | Oh My Loaf Most gluten-free bread mixes lean on xanthan or guar gum for structure — ours doesn't. Here's what xanthan gum actually does, why we skip it, and how psyllium husk does the job on its own.

I started Oh My Loaf because I wanted something that sounds pretty simple: really good gluten-free bread. 🍞

Not bread that’s “pretty good for gluten-free.” Bread I’d actually look forward to eating.

So we kept working on the formulas until baking a fresh loaf at home could be simple:

Pour. Mix. Bake. 👨‍🍳

Whole-food ingredients. Plant-based. Gluten-free. And no chemistry degree required. 😄

What matters most to you in a gluten-free bread: taste, texture, ingredients, or simplicity?

What’s the hardest part about gluten-free baking for you: texture, flavor, rise, or patience or anything else?