What is the Beracha for Gluten-Free Bread?

Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 208:7-9) writes that on bread made from beans, corn, and/or millet flour, one recites Shehakol before eating and Borei Nefashos after. However, if one bakes bread using rice flour, one would recite Mezonos beforehand and Borei Nefashos after. If bread is made from a mixture of rice and corn flour, then one follows the majority: If there is more rice flour, the beracha would be mezonos. If there is more corn flour, the beracha would be shehakol. If one adds gluten-free oat flour for taste, (and not just for consistency), then the Beracha becomes Hamotzi, since oats are one of the five special grains which require Hamotzi. However, in order to be able to recite the full Bentching afterwards, one must eat a kezayis of oats. For example, if the bread is made with two cups of corn flour and one cup of oat flour, it would not be enough to eat one kezayis of bread in order to Bentch. Instead, one would need to eat three kezaysim (the volume of one and a half eggs) of bread, lechatchila in under 3 minutes (see Igros Moshe Orach Chaim 4:41).

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.