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    Home » gluten free

    Lentil Bread Gluten free Yeast-free Vegan Sandwich Bread Recipe

    Published: Feb 18, 2015 · Modified: Mar 21, 2018 by Richa 263 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Urad Dal Lentils made into a batter and baked to make a soft flavorful nutritious Lentil bread. This Lentil Sandwich Bread is Free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten, nut. Can be made corn-free. Can be made grain-free by omitting the rice flour. Paleo Vegan Glutenfree Recipe. 

    Jump to Recipe  

    Urad Dal Lentils made into a batter and baked to make a soft flavorful nutritious Lentil bread. This Lentil Sandwich Bread is Free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten, nut. Can be made corn-free. Can be made grain-free by omitting the rice flour. Paleo Vegan Glutenfree Recipe | Vegan Richa

    The amazing thing about Urad dal (split and dehusked black gram) batter is that it aerates by itself really well. Hence, the dal is the mandatory ingredient in the southern Indian crepes(Dosa) and steamed cakes(idli). Urad dal is also used to make Vadas(fried dumplings) which have just one main ingredient- urad dal.

    Another feature of urad dal is that it keeps the final product moist and soft. All of these properties make it a great candidate to make today’s bread. 

    There really isn’t a substitute for Urad Dal. No other lentil works as the batter will not ferment. You can buy the urad dal lentils online on amazon Urad Dal Matpe Beans, Split or from an Indian store (much cheaper). This bread also obviously has the strong taste of the dal. If you have tried South Indian food, then you might know and its taste.

    This bread might seem like it has a hard crust right after baking but it gets softer as it sits because the dal leaks moisture. The photos do not do justice to how soft and delicious this bread is. There is no gluten or gum or nuts or added yeast in this bread. 

    Welcome to my world of experimentation 🙂

    Lentil Bread gluten free | Vegan Richa

    The lentil batter can also be left at room temperature to ferment for a few hours for a more leavened bread. The dal attracts wild yeast and ferments. I am not sure if that would be technically called yeast-free after fermentation. 

    Things to know before jumping into this recipe, this bread is going to taste like urad dal lentils. This bread is denser than a usual sandwich bread.  /the bread is also very moist. So if you slice it before it has cooled, it will feel like it has not cooked through, but it has. If the bread doesn’t turn out right, just add the chopped bread into any of the indian sauces or sambhar(split pea stew) to soften and serve.

    Or make a mini loaf with 1/2 cup lentils in a mini loaf pan to try first. You can also make fat pancakes with the batter and use them as burger buns.


    This bread is full of protein, so make some grilled sandwiches with this one for a hearty snack! 

    Urad Dal pictured below. 

    Urad Dal

    More gluten-free breads on the blog

    GLUTEN-FREE FLAT-BREAD BURGER BUNS
    GLUTEN-FREE OAT RICE FOCACCIA STYLE PIZZA CRUST 
    GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN WHITE BREAD LOAF Mini
    GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY SANDWICH BREAD

    and more gf breads here

    Urad Dal Lentils made into a batter and baked to make a soft flavorful nutritious Lentil bread. This Lentil Sandwich Bread is Free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten, nut. Can be made corn-free. Can be made grain-free by omitting the rice flour. Paleo Vegan Glutenfree Recipe. | Vegan Richa

     

    Print Recipe
    4.98 from 35 votes

    Lentil Bread - Gluten-free Vegan Sandwich Bread

    Urad Dal Lentils made into a batter and baked to make a soft flavorful nutritious bread. Allergen Information: Free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten, nut. Can be made corn-free. Can be made grain-free by omitting the rice flour. Add 1 tsp xanthan gum for lighter bread. Makes 1 medium bread pan (8.5 by 4.5 inch loaf pan)
    Prep Time8 hrs
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time9 hrs
    Course: Bread
    Cuisine: fusion
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 227kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 cups (300 g) urad dal (split and skinned black gram- Urad Dal Matpe)
    • 3 tbsp rice flour
    • 3 Tbsp corn starch or tapioca starch
    • 1.5 tsp baking powder
    • 2 tsp flaxmeal or psyllium husk
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cumin seeds
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) black pepper
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp oil

    Instructions

    • Soak the urad dal overnight. Drain and add to a food processor. Process the dal until it is just slightly gritty. Process for 30 to 45 seconds then move the dal with a spatula. It will take 3 to 4 minutes to break the lentils down into a batter type consistency. Add just a little water (3 to 6 Tablespoons) to help with the processing. Add the rest of the ingredients and process for a minute to combine. Check the batter for aeration. (drop a half tsp of batter in a cup of water. The batter should float on the top). If not aerated well , transfer the thick batter to a bowl and whip with a large spoon a few times, then check again. the batter should be thick and pasty but also slightly bubbly.
    • Drop batter into parchment lined bread pan. Spray oil on top and even it out using a light hand so the air in the batter is not pressed out.
    • Preheat the oven to 395 degrees F / 200ºc. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the bread with another parchment after first 15 to 20 minutes by placing the parchment on the loaf pan. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees F / 190ºc after 45 minutes, remove parchment and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
    • Cool completely before slicing. (about an hour). The bread slices more easily the next day. Refrigerate the bread for upto 5 days in an airtight container. The bread crust is crusty the first day and gets softer as it sits because of moisture. Moisture in the storage container after a day is normal. I like to use to bread with chutney toppings or simple sandwiches.

    Notes

    Note: For a fermented batter, Make the batter without baking powder and let it sit covered in a warm place to ferment for about 6 hours. You can mix in the baking powder if you like or omit it, and bake.
     
    Nutritional values based on 1 serving (2 slices)

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Lentil Bread - Gluten-free Vegan Sandwich Bread
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 227 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Sodium 392mg17%
    Potassium 593mg17%
    Carbohydrates 36g12%
    Fiber 15g63%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 12.2g24%
    Vitamin A 20IU0%
    Vitamin C 2.5mg3%
    Calcium 84mg8%
    Iron 3.9mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

    Lentil Bread gluten free | Vegan Richa

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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    1. Malini Vittal Rao

      January 30, 2022 at 12:50 am

      Amazing. For last five years I have tried different recipes for making gluten-free bread but this one is the best. I thank you for thinking of using urad dal in this recipe .

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 02, 2022 at 6:31 pm

        thank you Malini

        Reply
    2. Jenny F

      September 26, 2021 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      I used mung daal, it worked perfectly. Thanks for the recipee

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        October 01, 2021 at 1:48 pm

        thanks for popping in

        Reply
    3. Jo

      April 24, 2021 at 7:09 am

      Hi Richa
      Does it have to be the black urad Dahl or will it also work with the white urad dhal too ?
      Thank u

      Reply
    4. Stacy

      April 13, 2021 at 6:03 am

      Hi 🙂

      I’m making this right now, can’t seem to get the batter to aerate ….Iv tried using the spoon as you’ve suggested and even tried whipping with an electric whisk….it’s still won’t float. What am I doing wrong?

      Any help appreciated!

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 13, 2021 at 6:19 am

        Are you using the right kind of lentils ?

        Reply
        • Stacy

          April 13, 2021 at 6:45 am

          Yes Urad Dal 🙂

          Reply
          • Stacy

            April 13, 2021 at 6:46 am

            I pricked the batter with a fork to get air into it…, it’s in the oven now so we’ll see what happens lol

            Reply
      • Neetu

        April 24, 2021 at 7:32 am

        Stacy – whip it only in one direction

        Reply
    5. Vernita

      January 19, 2021 at 7:26 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe, no other home made gluten free recipe is as clean, easy or good as this one! Thank you for this recipe. As a former bread lover/connoisseur now trying to go gluten free, this recipe really helps when I am craving just bread and butter.
      I do have one question is fermentation supposed to make the batter rise even more?

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 19, 2021 at 7:52 pm

        Yes it does make the batter rise more

        Reply
        • Vernita

          January 24, 2021 at 11:47 pm

          Thank you for the info. I do have one more question. Is this a recipe I could add yeast to?

          Reply
    6. Affia Wahab

      December 19, 2020 at 4:41 am

      5 stars
      Hello, wonderful recipe I tried it, firstly got a bit confused with the cup measurement i used 1 & 1/2 cup of lentil but it didnt rice much. Batter dod float on water and sounds hollow upon knocking.

      But not has high as yours

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        December 23, 2020 at 6:36 pm

        sorry it didn’t turn out for you – maybe the lentils were a little old. also, If not aerated well , transfer the thick batter to a bowl and whip with a large spoon a few times, to incorporate air in the batter then check again.

        Reply
    7. Meghna

      October 23, 2020 at 9:39 am

      Dear Richa ,
      Thanks for this great recipe.
      I made the bread but with split black urad dal instead . It was a little moist and pretty crusty .
      I used tapioca flour instead of rice flour .
      Is that alright to use?

      I didn’t cover it with parchment paper , as I didn’t have one.
      If you could please let me know the reason why we need to cover it and then bake ?

      Thanks much

      Reply
      • Richa

        October 23, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        Covering keeps the moisture in and reduces the drying out of the top crust. The crusty top should soften as the bread sits.

        Reply
        • Meghna

          October 24, 2020 at 1:08 am

          Thanks for your prompt reply and clarifying this for me .

          Instead of parchment paper is it possible to cover it with a steel lid ?

          Reply
          • Aly

            September 13, 2022 at 1:13 pm

            I have to be honest, I was a little nervous after initially smelling the batter. It was very sour and potent smelling. But the final baked bread is incredible, tastes like regular white bread but just a little denser. Mine passed the float test, but did not rise at all so I need practice. Going to try again tomorrow. But I just had to say thank you for this, you deserve a medal!!

            Reply
            • Vegan Richa Support

              September 19, 2022 at 9:05 am

              How did it turn out the 2nd time?

        • Rani

          March 22, 2022 at 3:11 pm

          Hi Richa.

          lovely recipe I been looking for gf bread recipe. If I reduce urad dhal quantity what shall l replace it with, rice or something else guide me thanks a lot..
          Rani

          Reply
          • Richa

            March 22, 2022 at 8:12 pm

            Rice makes it dryer so I’d stick with Urad dal. Don’t reduce it

            Reply
    8. Lu

      September 20, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      I have whole black gram – can I just bliz them in my thermomix and then use that for the bread?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        September 21, 2020 at 7:39 pm

        It’s not recommended in this recipe.

        Reply
    9. manvi

      September 09, 2020 at 7:54 am

      Thank you for wonderful recipe. A clarity on fermentation of the batter, like dosa/idli batter should the dal be fermented and then other ingredients are added or fermentation is done with everything mixed.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        September 09, 2020 at 9:53 pm

        no just Soak the urad dal overnight. For a fermented batter, Make the batter without baking powder and let it sit covered in a warm place to ferment for about 6 hours. You can mix in the baking powder if you like or omit it, and bake.

        Reply
    10. Chase

      June 11, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      Hi,

      I followed he recipe as written, but substituted the urad dal for what I had on hand (chana dal). My loaf never rose much and looks much shorter than the pictures of your loaf, is it not supposed to rise at all?

      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 11, 2020 at 2:54 pm

        Urad Dal is necessary as it aerates on its own as the chana dal doesn’t. There really isn’t a substitute for Urad Dal. No other lentil works as the batter will not ferment. You can buy the urad dal lentils online on amazon Urad Dal Matpe Beans, Split or from an Indian store (much cheaper).

        Reply
      • Richa

        June 11, 2020 at 2:54 pm

        I mention on the post that other lentils /beans don’t work as they don’t ferment 🙂 . You can probably slice up the loaf and pan fry into lentil fries to use it up

        Reply
    11. Gayle

      June 06, 2020 at 11:48 am

      We don’t have a grinder and want to use dry store bought swad flour. How do you convert the recipe to use milled flour ingredients.

      Reply
      • Richa

        June 06, 2020 at 12:30 pm

        Flour doesn’t ferment as well. You can use a regular blender. The soaked lentils blend well even in my tiny nutribullet. You might need to add a few tsp more water. Transfer to a bowl and Adjust rice flour so the batter is really thick

        Reply
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