Gluten-Free Dark Molasses Buckwheat Loaf
BY Brimly.September 20, 2026
Photo By Editors @ the Brimly Test Kitchen
Bake: 120 MinPREP: 20 minGluten-freeServes: 12 Now, Why This Recipe and What Makes It Special?
I set out to make a caraway bread. I want that on the record. Dark molasses caraway was the plan, right up until I got home from the store, unpacked every bag, and understood with total clarity that the caraway seeds were still sitting on a shelf somewhere across town. So I did what you do when the bread machine is already open on the counter. I improvised.
That improvisation turned into the best loaf of this entire Back to Basics month, and I am not being modest about it. It looks like a rye. It is not a rye. It is buckwheat, which was my first time baking with it, and which turned out to be the star of the whole show. Buckwheat has nothing to do with wheat, by the way. It is naturally gluten-free, and it works here with no gums and no soy, delivering a lofty, high-rising loaf with a genuinely beautiful crumb.
Since I could not lean on caraway, I leaned on fall. In went ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a good amount of cocoa powder, because I wanted to see how far I could push this loaf. A little more nutmeg than I would usually dare. A real hit of ginger. I used Dutch-processed, dark cocoa, which gives the loaf that deep chocolatey color, though I will say the chocolate reads more in the look than the taste. There is a lot else going on in there. The blackstrap molasses brings a hint of bitterness that keeps everything bright rather than sweet, and the whole thing smells like the season arrived early.
We ate it the day it was baked. Nash made brunch at the test kitchen, our family meal, and he put together open-faced sardine sandwiches on toasted slices of this loaf: cream cheese, sardines, onion, tomato, a squeeze of lemon, torn basil. It blew my socks off. That combination is the reason I will keep making this bread through the fall.
Lessons Learned
The yeast, again, and I will keep saying it until it is tattooed somewhere. Use bread machine yeast, or rapid rise plus with dough enhancer. On an earlier loaf this month I fought the rise for days. Not enough spring, not enough height, a little dip where there should have been a dome. Once I sorted out the yeast, the trouble ended entirely. I bake in a bread machine constantly, but baking loaf after loaf back to back is what finally taught me that the machine needs a yeast built for its rhythm.
A darker crust suits this bread. I set mine darker on purpose and I would do it again. It matches the attitude the loaf is already carrying. This is a deep, spiced, molasses-heavy bread, and a pale crust would undersell it.
Choose your cocoa with your eyes open. Regular cocoa powder works perfectly fine. I reached for the Dutch-processed, extra dark version and loved what it did, mostly to the color. If you are expecting a chocolate bread, adjust that expectation now. What you get is a rich, dark, spiced loaf with cocoa in the background, and it is better for it.
How to Make It Your Own
You can always go where I meant to go in the first place and add caraway seeds. That was the original vision, and I still think about it. You can also reduce the cocoa powder, dial the spices down, or leave them out completely if you want the molasses and buckwheat standing on their own.
Now, my usual caution. Gluten-free baking is precise, and I take a lot of time building these recipes so they actually work when you make them at home. That is why I keep this section short. I am not going to send you off with a list of swaps I have never tested myself. Make it as written the first time. It is tried and true, we have eaten it happily here at the test kitchen, and you will not regret it. Then, if you want to nudge the sweetness up or down or throw in the caraway, be my guest.
Pro Tip: Buy the right yeast for your bread machine. Bread machine yeast or rapid rise plus with dough enhancer, one packet. It saves you the stress, the crater, and the sad second attempt.
Summary Notes:
This is a gluten-free, gum-free, soy-free buckwheat loaf built on blackstrap molasses, warm fall spice, and dark cocoa. It rises tall, slices clean, and looks far more complicated than it is, since the bread machine does all the work. Toast it, top it with something briny and sharp, and let it carry you into the season.
Tried it? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
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Ingredients
2 cups (250 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour (no xanthan gum) [BUY]
1 cup (110 g) buckwheat flour [BUY]
½ cup (70 g) potato starch [BUY]
½ cup (70 g) cornstarch [BUY]
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal [BUY]
2 Tbsp milk powder [BUY]
1½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder [BUY]
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp fine sea salt
1½ cups (360 mL) whole milk, room temp
3 extra large eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or neutral cooking oil
2 Tbsp plain yogurt, heaping
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet rapid rise plus or bread machine yeast (2¼ tsp or 7 g)
Recipe Steps
Step 1
Place the bread machine pan into your bread machine. Add the whole milk, beaten eggs, corn oil, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, blackstrap molasses, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, buckwheat flour, potato starch, cornstarch, flaxseed meal, milk powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk thoroughly so that the cocoa and spices are evenly distributed.
Step 3
Pour the dry mixture evenly over the wet ingredients in the bread machine pan. Do not mix.
Step 4
Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients, being careful not to dig down into the liquid. Pour the yeast into the well.
Step 5
Close the lid and select the gluten-free setting. Start the machine and allow it to run through its complete cycle. There are no additional mix-ins for this loaf, so you don't need to add anything when the machine gives its add-in signal.
Step 6
Once the cycle has completely finished, carefully remove the bread pan from the machine. Let the loaf sit in the pan for about 5 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least 1 hour, preferably 1½ hours, before slicing. Because of the buckwheat and molasses, the interior will continue setting as it cools.
Storage:
Once completely cooled, store the loaf in an airtight container or sealed bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze the bread. Individual slices can then be toasted or gently reheated as needed.
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