Shailah of the Week by Rabbi Zvi Nussbaum
Rabbinic Coordinator, Kosher Hotline Administrator for the Orthodox Union
If the bread contains none of the Five Principal Grains (wheat, oats, rye, spelt and barley), then they are not bread and not Hamotzi.
Made from rice? Mezonot/Borei Nifashot! Other grains? Shehakol! Mixture of rice and other grains? If the main grain (rov) is rice flour, then Mezonot, if the rice flour is not the rov, then Shehakol. (Read: About the Brachot on Food.)
Oat flour?
If oat flour comprises more than 50% of the bread, it is Hamotzi, and according to Mishnah Berurah (453:14) even if one eats one kezayit of the bread, it is Hamotzi.
If it contains 1/3 oat flour to 2/3 other grains, then one must eat three kezeitim of this bread in order to bentch. And the three kezeitim must be eaten in three to four minutes (kdei achilat prat). To recite a bracha on the netilat yadayim, one must eat six kezeitim throughout the meal (but only three kezeitim must be eaten b’chdei achilat prat).
Less than 1/8 or 1/9 oat flour? The bread can still be Hamotzi, but one would never bentch, only recite Borei Nifashot.
If the grains comprise 75% of the bread, and the oats are 33.3% of the grains, one can still view the bread as 33.3% oats as per the minhag cited in MB (208), but it would be better to view the bread as only 25% oats (and eat four kezeitim).
It’s been a few years since you published this article, but if it’s helpful to readers who may be new “inductees” to gluten-free living, I also make my own challah. A professional (Jewish) baker taught me that your g-f dough must comprise more than 50% oat flour for it to be considered hamotzi and thus receive the blessing. I use a blend of potato starch, tapioca flour, and a good g-f flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour (I start with 2 cups oat flour out of 3 1/4 cups of dry ingredients, @ 3/4-1cup of water, 5 TBSP margarine/butter plus 4-5 TBSP sugar, salt and 2 eggs).
To be able to weave the dough, I use 2 TBSP psyllium powder (powder, not husk, at natural food stores) instead of xantham or guar gum, and 2 1/4 tsp of yeast. (And you’ll have to experiment with the portions for the other dry ingredients, but mine usually has at least 1/4 c. potato starch and 1/4 c. tapioca to make it lighter). It’s not as light and airy as gluten challah, but it’s a delight to have braided challah I can enjoy every Shabbos!
I make a small challah of oat flour that is only oat flour, eggs, yeast, oil, sugar, and salt. The recipe came from the web site for Bob’s Red Mill. I have made this recipe for several m months now. It tastes a little sweeter than usual, but is tender and moist, and easily sliceable. Instead of a muffin pan, I use a very small loaf pan. Actually my pan is designed to make eight individual servings in one pan. I do not know where you can get it now. The loaves are not large enough for a sandwich, but are perfect for Hamotzi.
Wow, sounds like you found a winner recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience!