How can I mix gluten-free flour myself? More and more people realize that they cannot tolerate gluten and are looking for gluten-free recipes.
On the one hand, these flour mixes are expensive, and, on the other hand, you can be much more creative if you mix the flours yourself.
When I started trying gluten-free recipes, it was a bit overwhelming, especially as a newbie. Knowing where and how each flour is used in recipes can be a daunting task.
This article will expose to you the purpose of each flour and how to make your gluten-free flour mix.
Know all about gluten and foods that have it
Understanding Gluten-free flour mix
It was simply my story when I first started baking gluten-free eight years ago. I was unhappy with the information available for the first six months, so I took matters into my own hands.
I shut myself away in my kitchen until I had grasped the world of gluten-free flours and had developed the trustworthy mix that I could use in any dish.
I’ve been using my mixture for four years and have had good results. Therefore I’d want to educate and encourage others to try some of my suggestions or inspire you to develop a blend that suits your tastes.
In a 2012 study of 579 children and adolescents, 7.4 percent avoided gluten despite not having celiac disease. The study discovered that irritability, a family history of celiac disease, bowel movement abnormalities, diarrhea, and autism were the best predictors of gluten-free diet participation.
I have found that when baking with gluten-free flours, it’s usually best to use a mix of different flours to get the ideal texture and taste.
A standardmixturefor gluten-free flour is a ratio of 1:1 (i.e., cassava flour and Almond flour). This combination gives baked recipes, especially pancakes and flatbread, a light, fluffy consistency and a pleasant taste.
Making homemade gluten-free flour gives better control of your ingredients’ consistency, taste, and freshness because of the variety of flour involved.
Now that we’ve covered some basics, let’s dig deeper into which flours to use, mix, and when.
What is Gluten Flour Mix
A gluten-free flour mix is precisely what it sounds like a combination of a few (or many) different gluten-free flours carefully chosen for the specific qualities they provide. When combined in a recipe, it will work as needed to make the bake successful.
You’d think that going to the store and picking up the pre-mixed bag of ‘gluten-free flour’ off the shelf would be the solution to your prayers, wouldn’t you?
Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case. Each bag, in my experience, yields varied outcomes. Indeed, I have yet to locate a single bag of commercially mixed flour suitable for all recipes.
Sure, some are superior to others in terms of nutritional content and dependability. But, in the almost eight years that I’ve been baking gluten-free, I’ve yet to be completely satisfied with anyone flour mix that I’ve purchased.
Even the finest of them require additional specific flours to make some recipes work. See why it is essential you use gluten-free flour for your baking.
Why Should You Make Your Gluten-Free Flour Mix
It would help if you made your flour mix because you will certainly be dissatisfied with the texture and outcomes of the most commercially available gluten-free flour blends.
I always created my gluten-free flour to fit the demands of each recipe. While specific recipes necessitated specially customized flour blends, I also devised a few standard ‘all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes that I use in almost all of my recipes.
The most significant reason, in my opinion, is that it allows you variety and control over the quality, texture, flavor, and success of the bake, as well as the quality of nutrition in your diet.
Given the number of baked products we consume, it appears critical that we make those foods count. Many flours are excellent providers of protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Check out the most frequently asked gluten-free questions
Comparative Measurements of Gluten-Free Flours And Cassava Flour
Unlike baking with standard wheat flour, where all-purpose flour suffices, gluten-free baking needs a fun scientific combination of at least two flours.
For every 1 cup of cassava flour in recipes, you can substitute with any following, depending on your choice. Let me explain in detail how this substitution is done.
If I want to bake 1 cup of cassava flour and mix it with amaranth flour, I will take 1/2 cup out of the cassava flour of 1 cup and replace it with the 1/2 cup of amaranth flour.
That is the expected ratio of 1:1
Here are for other flours in comparism to cassava flour
- Corn Flour = 1 cup
- Amaranth = 1 cup
- Bean Flour = 1 cup
- Cornmeal = 3/4 cup
- Finely Ground Nuts = 1/2 cup
- Millet Flour = 1 cup
- Oat Flour = 1-1/3 cups
- Potato Starch = 3/4 cup
- Potato Flour = 5/8 cup
- Quinoa Flour = 1 cup
- Soy Flour = 3/4 cup
- Sorghum Flour = 1 cup
- Sweet Rice Flour = 7/8 cup
- White / Brown Rice Flour = 7/8 cup
- Tapioca Flour/Starch = 1 cup
Each flour is divided into three categories depending on how rich and nutritious it is and how simple it is to utilize alone in a blend.
Here are 34 gluten-free flours suitable for the flour mix
DIY Gluten-Free Flour Mix
I have found that cassava flour is a versatile flour and the best substitute for all-purpose unbleached flour or whole-wheat pastry flour.
This mixture has worked wonders in recipes like muffins, cakes, quick bread, gingerbread cookies, cornbread, waffles, crepes, and more.
It is made with brown cassava flour, potato starch, white rice flour, and tapioca flour. Xanthan gum can be added for extra binding, but in most cases, it is not required.
Here is a cassava flour mix that can be used in place of all-purpose flour in most recipes.
In a large mixing basin, whisk together the flour and baking powder. And preserve it in an airtight container in a dry place.
Gluten-free flours can be tricky as they react differently in almost every recipe. So use this mixture instead of all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
TIP: I’ve found that replacing all-purpose flour with cassava flour in a 1: 1 ratio doesn’t always give the best results.
For this reason, I recommend using additional ingredients like almond flour, oat flour, and oatmeal to the cassava flour mixture for a more desirable texture.
EXAMPLE: If 1 cup (136 g) all-purpose flour is required in a recipe, I generally substitute ½ cup of cassava flour mix (80 g), ¼ cup of almond flour (27.5 g), and ¼ cup of gluten-free oat flour (23 g), depending from the recipe.
* This mixture has worked wonders for muffins, cakes, flatbreads, cornbread, waffles, gluten-free crêpes, and more.
* This mixture makes a total of 2½ cups or 406 grams (~ 40 g per ¼ cup).
What Is the Ratio Of Gluten-Free Flour To Regular Flour
Wheat, rye, or spelled flour can unfortunately not be replaced 1: 1 by a single gluten-free flour type – among other things. Because a gluten-free flour mixture has to be mixed with a binding agent.
In general, the following applies:
The optimal ratio for an all-purpose flour mixture is 2 parts of gluten-free flours (sometimes 1 part is enough) plus 1 part of gluten-free cornstarch and 1 binding agent.
Such a mixture corresponds to conventional all-purpose flour and can be used for baking cakes, muffins, or biscuits without any problems.
What Is The Healthiest Gluten-Free Flour Mix
If you’re looking for gluten-free flour, you’re probably preparing more meals at home, which is an excellent habit to develop if you want to live a healthy lifestyle. There are several choices on the market, each with its flavor, texture, cooking characteristics, and nutrient makeup.
I recommend cassava flour because of its numerous health and nutritious advantages, and I have stuck to using it for around 8years
Choose flours with a single or few ingredients that are high in fiber and protein. Keep in mind that different gluten-free types may perform better in particular recipes, and it may take some trial and error with your favorite dishes to get them exactly right.
What Is The Best Gluten-Free Flour For Baking Cakes
My simple answer is Cassava Flour.
It’s also light and powdery in texture, rather than grainy or gritty.
These characteristics, together with the fact that it can be substituted for wheat flour in many recipes, make cassava flour a popular flour for gluten-free, grain-free baking and cooking. It’s also an excellent nut-free flour.
Cassava flour has an earthy, mildly nutty flavor, which isn’t surprising given that it’s formed from a ground-up root vegetable. But it’s worth noting when tasting your completed dish.
If you’re controlling your weight, cassava flour is a smart choice because it has fewer calories than other flours. It’s also strong in vitamin C, which serves as an antioxidant to help alleviate stress, activate your immune system while boosting your skin’s health.
How Do You Get Gluten-Free Flour To Stick Together
Gluten-free baking needs assistance to stick together and not crumble. Xanthan gum is a common ingredient. It aids in the rise and adhesion of the cookies or muffins.
For each cup of flour in your recipe, add 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum. Also, Tapioca flour aids in the binding of the flour and can be used as well.
It is possible to make gluten-free dough stretchy as well as gums like xanthan gum and guar gum are essential ingredients in gluten-free baking from scratch. These gums keep baked goods from disintegrating and offer the stretch and elastic quality that gluten-containing items are known for.
What To Add To Gluten-Free Flour To Make It Rise
Gluten-free flours are thick and weighty. If you use enough gluten-free flour to produce a dry bread dough, the dough will be excessively heavy and dense. The bread will not rise.
To do this, lightly cover the loaf pan in a wet cloth and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the dough rises to the top of the loaf pan. This approach significantly reduces the time it takes for gluten-free bread to rise.
How Do Gluten-Free Flours Impact Baking Results
Because gluten is a structural protein, the goods are typically highly delicate and even crumbly if the wheat in the recipe is replaced with gluten-free flour. However, with some baked goods, such as muffins or cookies, that easy replacement is possible.
Why Is Gluten-Free Bread So Dense
Gumminess is a problem that makes gluten-free loaves nearly hard to consume. It may happen to any bread, including rolls, muffins, loaves, scones, and even pancakes. It’s that awful gummy texture that you don’t notice until you bite or rip into that roll.
Gluten-free bread can have a gummy taste or look due to a variety of factors. It frequently occurs due to an unbalanced flour-to-starch ratio, a problem that is more difficult to resolve. But, more often than not, it’s a simpler issue, such as baking or mixing time.
Solution to Gluten Free Flour Gumming together
If you’re looking for non-gummy bread or gluten-free baked goods that have a wonderful texture, start with the recipe and maintain the cooling process as well.
Depending on the starch-to-flour ratio provided in the recipe, the final product may be gummy if you use a recipe that has more than 50% starch.
Your recipe requires a 100 percent mix of flour and starch. Each form of carbohydrate should make up no more than 20 to 25 percent of the recipe.
Tapioca, cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot starch are all examples of starches. So, if the recipe requires 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour, and 1/2 cup millet flour, the starch might be 1/2 cup potato starch and 1/2 cup tapioca starch.
Tapioca starch can occasionally result in a sticky loaf even if it is within the 20% range. What’s the reason? The flours are lighter.
To prevent the tapioca starch from making the bread sticky, a lighter flour like sorghum flour or white rice flour must be balanced with a heavier flour like millet.
Then, while mixing the batter, mix it well to make a lighter, air-pocked batter. Gluten-free bread dough, like regular bread dough, benefits from being thoroughly combined. Three minutes is not unusual.
Tips for Avoiding Gluten Free Flour Stickiness
The size of a pan also matters when it comes to gluten-free baking. Even the smallest change in the pan – an 8 x 4 for a 9 x 5 – may make a huge impact.
Turn off the oven, open the oven door, and let the bread cool for some minutes before transferring it to a wire rack after testing it with a thermometer (between 205 and 210 F).
Ensure the bread remains in the oven for a few minutes to firm up and avoid a sticky texture could be all it takes.
When it’s time to take it out of the pan, lay it aside to cool completely; after which you can cut it. If you bring the bread out immediately out of the oven, it will be sticky. Wait for some time to cool completely before slicing.
Regardless of the difference between gluten-free bread and regular bread, gluten-free bread should not be gummy or have an overcooked core.
It is possible to make a delicious loaf; all it takes is some troubleshooting. In the following piece, we’ll look at xanthan gum and how to avoid it in gluten-free bread.
Final Thought
Going gluten-free necessitates eliminating all forms of wheat, common grain and other known grains such as barley and rye.
Being gluten-free does NOT mean a lack of flavor. Gluten-free flours have a learning curve, but they can work wonders!
There are so many fantastic gluten-free flour mix recipes you can enjoy while staying healthy and gluten-free.
