Gluten Freedom - Flours 101

Good-bye gluten-filled flours. Adios all-purpose white. Hasta la vista whole wheat.

Gone are the days when a single flour can create a masterpiece in your kitchen… but that doesn’t mean your days of baking are over.

Since a single gluten-free flour can’t substitute one-for-one for conventional flours, many gluten-free companies sell an all-purpose mix. However, I prefer to create my own combinations specifically designed for the recipe at hand. This gives me more input on the outcome of the recipe, as well as up protein, fibre, and other essential nutrients.

When building your own flour combination, combine a neutral flour, with a higher protein flour, and a starch, as well as a bit of xanthan gum to hold it all together.

What’s xanthan gum? It’s essentially a direct substitute for the “gluten”… without the gluten. To use, add 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of gluten-free flour in yeast-based baked goods, and ½ teaspoon per 1 cup gluten-free flour in everything else… as a starting point. Just keep this in mind: if you use too little, the result might be crumbly. If you use too much, it will likely be gummy.

Looks like a lot to take in, doesn’t it? To make it easy, think of it this way: if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, first test-drive a combination of 2 parts neutral, 1 part starch, 1 part higher protein, with xanthan gum as indicated above.

Check out this fantastic one-stop-shop list of common gluten-free flours and what they’re best used for. Print and post it in your kitchen for easy access.

And as for the other baking supplies? We’ll cover those next.

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Laurie Sadowski is a freelance writer and vegan who really loves food. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, and hearing the words, "what DO you eat?" one too many times, she decided to author a series of cookbooks entitled The Allergy-Free Cook. Visit her at lauriesadowski.com and theallergyfreecook.com.