How to substitute gluten free flour in recipes

In order to be successful with gluten free flours it helps to have a little understanding about what you are dealing with. You can buy pre-blended fours or you can blend your own. Here’s what you need to know.

 Gluten in regular flour is basically the binding ingredient, or “glue” that holds everything together. So, when you use gluten free flour, you no longer have that binder. But no worries, you just need to add in a gluten free binder like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk. I have had success with xanthan gum, so that’s what I mostly use.

 If you are going with pre-blended gluten free flour, pay attention as whether or not it has xanthan gum (or some other binding ingredient) already in the mix. I’m not a fan of it already being added for this reason – different baked goods call for different amounts of xanthan gum.

            Cookies:  ¼ tsp per 1 cup gluten free flour

            Cakes:  ½ tsp per 1 cup gluten free flour

            Muffins/Quick Breads:  ¾ tsp per 1 cup gluten free flour

If you are like me and using gluten free flour for several different baked goods, the pre-mix blend with xanthan gum (or other binding ingredient) may not work for everything. But, if you find one that works for you, great!

 If you are making your own blend, then here are some things you need to know. A good gluten free flour blend should basically be 60% starch and 40% grain. Here are some examples. Grain flours: Brown Rice, Millett, Oat. Starch flours: White Rice, Potato, Tapioca. All flours have a distinct taste, some more noticeable than others. I would encourage you to play around with blending them to see what appeals to you.

 A few other things to consider with any GF flour you use. Consistency/density – if it is a lighter blend, like Trader Joe’s GF flour or King Arthur’s GF flour or your own blend of, say, white rice and millet, they can sometimes make the end product a little crumbly, or more “delicate”. Whereas a denser blend like Bob’s Red Mill GF flour or your own blend of, say, America’s Test Kitchen Gluten Free Flour Blend recipe, they may hold together a little better for some things. This leads us into the next consideration – aftertaste. Some GF flours have a stronger aftertaste than others, like Bob’s Red Mill. I still like it, but use it in recipes that have another strong flavor like chocolate, that cuts the flour’s strong taste.

Just a couple last tips about GF flours & xanthan gum. I strongly recommend whisking these together BEFORE adding to other ingredients. Or at least whisk together with other dry ingredients. I didn’t do this when I first started baking with GF flour & found that sometimes the xanthan gum didn’t really get evenly distributed throughout the flour & the texture of the end product wasn’t always consistent. It’s a quick, simple step that can make a big difference in the end product. I actually have a bowl with a spout that I use. I can whisk dry ingredients together & easily “pour” them in to another bowl with the other ingredients. If you haven’t worked with GF flour &/or xanthan gum before, you will quickly learn that the dough can be very sticky - especially when cleaning up. When I’m done with a mixing bowl & utensils, I soak them in water until I’m ready to wash them or put them in the dishwasher. This is not absolutely necessary, but I find it makes clean up much easier!