Gluten-free Flour and Recipe Blends

  1. Gluten-free Flour 
  2. Xanthan Gum - a gluten replacer
  3. Four Different Gluten-free Flour Blends
  4. How to Make Gluten-free Self-raising Flour

1. Gluten-Free Flour


Amaranth Flour

This flour is made from the seeds of the Amaranth plant, a leafy vegetable, high in protein and is excellent for gluten-free baking.


Arrowroot

Arrowroot is made from grinding the root of the plant and is very useful as a gluten-free alternative for thickening recipes.  It is a useful alternative to cornflour if you can't tolerate corn.  Being tasteless and translucent when cooked, it is perfect for thickening clearer dessert sauces, or glazes for roast meats.


Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice flour is naturally wheat-free and gluten-free, adds a slightly darker colour to your baked goods and provides a richer, nuttier flavour.  

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat is not, despite its name, a form of wheat and is actually related to the rhubarb plant!  It is great for pancakes and homemade pasta. It has a slightly nutty flavour so use it as part of a flour blend to avoid overpowering your baked goods with buckwheat. A good binding ingredient as when it is soaked in water it becomes gelatinous and jelly-like.  I have found that it helps to retain the moisture in baked goods.

Millet Flour

Millet flour is great for wheat-free and gluten-free pancakes and breads. Many baby foods are made using millet as it is kind to the digestive system. 


Potato Flour

Potato flour is incredibly versatile and can be used as thickener to add a creaminess to soups, gravies and desserts.  It is a heavier flour, but can be used successfully and is good for its binding qualities in pastry.


Sorghum Flour

This flour is ground and milled to a soft, fine flour from the sorghum grain. Similar to millet, this flour is great for making porridge and flatbreads and it has a lovely creamy colour. As an 'incomplete protein' sorghum flour is best used as part of your gluten-free flour blend.


Soya Flour

Soya flour is a lovely pale yellow and comes from grinding the roasted soya bean.  It is rich in protein and has a nutty taste. Best used a s part of your gluten-free flour blend or in combination with other gluten-free flours.  You can use it to thicken sauces.


Tapioca Flour

Tapioca flour is a fine, light and soft flour that is great for home baking or for thickening soups and sauces.


White Rice Flour

Rice flour is one of the world's most popular naturally gluten-free flours.  Although plain in flavour it is creamy in colour and easy on the digestive system.


2. Xanthan Gum - A gluten replacer

Xanthan Gum is my choice of gluten replacer as it is readily available in my local shops.

It is a naturally gluten-free binder for recipes as it mimics the action of gluten. It helps bind together gluten-free bread, improves the crumb structure of your cakes (reducing the notorious excessive crumbling of gluten-free baking)and makes pastry easier to roll out and handle.

Recommended quantities of xanthan gum to add to your gluten free flour blend:

Bread ~ mix 2 level teaspoons of xanthan gum to every 500g flour

Cakes ~ mix 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to every 200g flour

Pastry ~ mix a pinch of xanthan gum to every 100g flour


3. Gluten-Free Flour Recipe Blends

There are many ready-to-use gluten-free flour blends widely sold today but if you want to try to mix your own blend then the following recipes may help you to get started! 

Recipe No.1

Plain Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Ingredients:

4 cups white rice flour
1 cup potato starch flour
1 cup tapioca starch flour

What to do:
  1. Thoroughly mix and sift together all the flours then place in a large airtight container in a cool place.

Recipe No.2

Plain Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This recipe was passed on to me by a good friend, is rich in protein, great for pancakes or breakfast rolls for the kids before they leave for school!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white rice flour
2 1/2 cups tapioca flour
2 cups amaranth flour
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup gluten-free and dairy-free egg white protein powder

What to do:
  1. Thoroughly mix and sift together all the ingredients and store in a large airtight container in a cool place. 

Recipe No.3

Plain Gluten-Free Flour Blend, also corn and potato free

"Gives a wonderfully nutty flavour to bread"

Ingredients:

500g buckwheat flour
500g millet flour
500g brown rice flour
500g white rice flour
500g tapioca flour

What to do:
  1. Thoroughly mix and sift together the flours then store in a large airtight container in a cool place.

Recipe No.4

 Plain gluten-free flour blend, also corn and potato free
Ingredients:

1 kg buckwheat flour (See 'Links' TAB for information on buckwheat being gluten free)
1 kg white rice flour
500g brown rice flour
500g tapioca flour
250g millet flour

What to do:
  1. Thoroughly mix and sift together the flours then store in a large airtight container in a cool place.


4. How to make gluten-free self-raising flour

Add 3 level teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder to every 225g (8 oz) of plain flour

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