I’ll begin with a list of common wheat flour alternatives, then explain key ingredients used for gluten substitution with these flour alternatives, then move on to detail several great recipes for gluten free flour blends. If you like, you can skip down to the recipes by clicking here.
If you’re looking for a quick, pre-made gluten-free flour mix, I strongly recommend this mix from Bob’s Red Mill:
Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Note that at Amazon you can buy this in bulk and get free shipping!
Bean flour
Bean flour is produced from pulverized dried or ripe beans. By using this flour you can increase nutritional value without adding fat. You can replace up to 1/4 the amount of wheat flour with bean flour.
Brown Rice Flour
Brown rice flour comes from unpolished brown rice. It has more food value than white rice flour because it contains bran, the outer layers of the grain that contains more nutrients and fiber. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies.
Corn Flour
Corn flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes.
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is ground corn that comes from either yellow, white or blue cornmeal. This is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or simple white cakes.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is a refined starch that comes from corn. It is mostly used as a clear thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking.
Nut Flours
Nut flours are grated from oily nuts–most commonly almonds and hazelnuts–and are used instead of or in addition to wheat flour to produce more dry and flavorful pastries and cakes. Tortes are often made with nut flours. Just be sure the nut flours weren’t processed in a facility that also produces wheat flour — there could be cross contamination.
Potato Starch Flour
Potato starch flour is a gluten-free thickening agent that is perfect for cream-based soups and sauces. Mix a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but cut the amount in half.
Soy Flour
Soy flour is a nutty tasting flour high in protein and fat content. It is best when used in combination with other flours and for baking brownies, or any baked goods with nuts or fruit.
Tapioca Flour
Tapioca Flour is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root. It makes baked goods impart a nice chewy taste. Use it in recipes where a chewy texture would be desirable. It would work nicely in bread recipes such as white bread or French bread. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour.
White Rice Flour
White rice flour is an excellent basic flour for gluten-free baking. It’s milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor it’s perfect for baking because it doesn’t impart any flavors. It also works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, but also in Asian markets. At Asian markets it’s sold in different textures. The one that works the best is called fine textured white rice flour.
Substituting Gluten
Wheat flour contains gluten, which keeps cookies, cakes and pies from getting crumbly and falling apart. It’s what provides a good texture in baked goods because it traps pockets of air. This creates a nice airy quality that most baked goods possess when baked with traditional wheat flour. Gluten gives dough its elasticity, and it also helps instantly thicken sauces. In order to help retain this structure when using gluten-free flours, gluten substitutes must be added to the gluten-free flour mixture. For each cup of gluten-free flour mix, add at least 1 teaspoon of gluten substitute. Here are three very good substitutes for gluten:
Xanthum Gum
Xanthum gum comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas campestris. Xanthum gum is created in a laboratory setting. This works well as a gluten substitution in yeast breads along with other baked goods. You can purchase it in health food stores or online.
Guar Gum
Guar gum is a powder that comes from the seed of the Cyamopsis tetragonolobus plant. It’s an excellent gluten substitute that’s available in health food stores or online.
Pre-gel Starch
Pre-gel Starch is an acceptable gluten substitute, but not as popular as xanthum gum or guar gum. It helps keep baked goods from being too crumbly. This too can be purchased at most health food stores or online.
If you are ready to try some recipes, start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of wheat flour like brownies or pancakes. These generally turn out very nice and the difference in taste is minimal. Here are a few gluten-free flour mixes that can be used as a cup for cup substitute for wheat flour.
Gluten-Free Flour Mixture I
- 1/4 cup soy flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
Gluten-Free Flour Mixture II
- 6 cups white rice flour
- 2 cups potato starch
- 1 cup tapioca flour
Gluten-Free Flour Mixture III
- 3 parts soy flour - low fat is best
- 3 parts potato starch
- 2 parts rice flour - brown or white
- 1 part cornstarch or corn flour (not cornmeal)
Gluten-Free Flour Mixture IV
- 1 cup brown rice or white rice flour
- 2/3 cup garbanzo bean/chickpea flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
These mixtures, of course, can be doubled or cut in half depending on what you need. Keep these flour mixes stored in air tight containers at room temperature and keep them on hand to simplify your baking routine.
Another option is to purchase a gluten-free flour mixture to avoid the guesswork involved in substitutions. The store bought gluten-free flour mixes are usually a cup for cup substitute for wheat flour, but read the package directions to be sure. As I indicated before, my favorite is this mix from Bob’s Red Mill:
Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Keeping these ingredients stocked in your gluten free pantry and keeping gluten free flour blends on hand will allow you to whip up just about any gluten free recipe in a moment’s notice. Thank you for visiting gluten intolerance symptoms and Happy Baking!