Gluten-Free Baking: 2 All-Purpose Flours You Can Make At Home!
Gluten-free baking is easy if you’ve got the right ingredients. Non-wheat flours can be purchased at grocery stores across the country now. But are the pre-made varieties good for your budget? Try our two homemade flour blends for to enjoy gluten-free baking without breaking the bank!
A cup of gluten-free flour is about 140 grams in weight. To use these flour recipes, multiply the percentage of the ingredient by 140 to get the amount of grams for that ingredient.
Before going on a gluten-free baking sprees, I usually make between five and 10 cups of my favorite blend, so multiply all your ingredients by five or 10 to make a big batch of flour! The largest ingredient amounts will be listed first. Fiddle with the composition until you get a flour that works best for you!
(Note: My favorite commercial gluten-free flour is Better Batter Seasoned Flour Mix. There are many other brands that are absolutely wonderful. But as far as a cup-for-cup replacement for white wheat flour, I have experimented a bit and like the results of this one the best. Your opinion may differ from mine and that’s OK!)
1. DIY Flour for Gluten-Free Baking
This is a great flour mix made primarily of rice flour: 30 percent each of brown rice and white rice flours. Then add 15 percent each of tapioca starch and potato starch. The remaining 10 percent is divided among potato flour (5 percent), xanthan gum (3 percent) and pectin (2 percent).
So, if you were to make five cups, you’d need:
- 210 grams brown rice flour
- 210 grams white rice flour
- 105 grams tapioca starch
- 105 grams potato starch
- 35 grams potato flour
- 21 grams xanthan gum
- 14 grams pectin
A 20 ounce box of this flour in the store will cost about $7.50, about $1.50 per cup. This homemade version will set you back about $1.25 per cup.
2. Gum-Free Flour for Gluten-Free Baking
Many gluten intolerant folks also have trouble digesting xanthan gum. Myself, I just have trouble affording it! It runs about $14 for a tiny 8-ounce bag!
This recipe is gum-free for those who are intolerant of the ingredient’s price or digestion. It’s comprised of about 66 percent white rice flour, 22 percent potato starch and 12 percent tapioca starch. That means you’ll need 92.4 grams of white rice flour, 30.8 grams of potato starch and 16.8 grams of tapioca starch for each cup of flour. This version of flour only costs about $1 per cup for the ingredients.
Don’t Believe the Hype
Although gluten-free baking is much more rewarding with these recipes, there really is no such thing as a definite flour replacement, particularly for wheat flour. You’ll never be able to make bread exactly like you used to make. But what you WILL be able to make is bread that tastes great and doesn’t destroy your gut! I tell my husband the same thing about meat replacements. Once you get over your need for it to really taste like the original, it will taste good on its own merit. You’re welcome to experiment with your own recipes, but when you’re starting out, use gluten-free baking recipes to get the best results!
Related on Organic Authority:
Guide to Holiday Baking with Gluten-Free Flours
9 Easy Gluten-Free After-School Snacks
Grind, Baby Grind: Make Your Own Flours
Sources:
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-recipes/
http://glutenfreegirl.com/2012/07/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix/
