What Makes These Gluten
When I was writing this blog post, I took into account a few different factors when it comes to determining what makes a gluten-free flour the best. I decided that flavor, texture, the ability to use it in multiple baked goods, accessibility, and cost were the most important to me.
I also looked on Amazon and read reviews from others to see what was popular among reviewers to help determine what was found to be the best and worst parts of each of these options.
Now that weve covered some frequently asked questions relating to gluten-free flour, lets go over these five best gluten-free flour blends on the market.
Make Clean Up Easy Use Parchment Paper To Line Your Baking Pans
I don’t like baking cookies on nonstick pans, since they’re usually darker than simple aluminum baking sheets. They’re also hard to clean well.
To ensure that your cookies don’t stick to the baking surface, line your pans with parchment paper. You can use bleached white paper, or unbleached paper, which is light brown.
I also don’t like baking on Silpats and other nonstick reusable baking mats, as they tend to run hot. That will speed up baking time, and can lead to burned cookies.
Give The Dough A Rest
After you mix the dough altogether its important to give it a 30-minute rest. This gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and really makes a difference. Its key for non-gritty gluten-free cookies!
Luckily just a room temperature 30-minute rest will do and no overnight-in-the-fridge chill is needed. So you can still have chocolate chip cookies shortly after a craving strikes!
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The Best Chewy Gluten
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I dont like to throw the term Best Recipe around casually. But when I want to really get across that Ive tested and tried and adapted a recipe a bunch until I got it PERFECT, then I feel justified in calling it the Best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies ever!
Thats a whole lot of gluten-free cookies eaten for testing purposes so that I could share the best gluten-free cookies!
Back when I used to be able to eat gluten, I worked for years to find a homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe that I loved that reminded me of my favorite mall cookies.
I grew up loving the old Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies. My favorite thing to get at the mall was one of the huge cookies that they sold back in the 1980s. They were the perfect chewy cookie and were about as big as my head as a child! Over the years, the cookie size and quality has gone down, but I did still love those cookies.
I also liked the famed New York Times cookie recipe that was going around about 8-10 years ago pretty well. Just when I finally had a recipe for cookies that I loved, I got diagnosed with celiac and had to start all over with my recipe testing.
Ugh, how am I going to make gf chocolate chip cookies? I had to get trying!
Heres what I wanted in a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie:
What Is Gluten Free
Knowing what foods are gluten free can be a bit challenging. When following a gluten free diet, it’s essential to read the labels and ingredient list to determine if they contain gluten. Processed foods that contain wheat, barley and rye contain large amounts of gluten and should be avoided. While the list of gluten-filled foods is long, there are several naturally gluten free foods that you can enjoy in their place.
Natural gluten free foods include:
- Fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
- Prepared foods that don’t have gluten-containing ingredients
- Food that has not been cross-contaminated with gluten-containing ingredients
When purchasing natural and processed gluten free foods, you must check that they come from a gluten free facility as well. Natural gluten free foods are often processed in the same facility as gluten-filled ones and face cross-contamination during production. This poses a problem, as even a tiny amount of gluten can trigger troubling symptoms for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
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Which Flour Is Best For Cookies
There are many staple ingredients in a fresh batch of cookies, from the leavening agent to the eggs, butter, and sugar. But one of the most prominent ingredients is none other than the flour. Which flour is best for cookies, though?
If youre thinking about whipping up a batch of cookies this weekend, dont settle for your regular flour.
While you cant go wrong with all-purpose flour, you can swap for another top-notch option like cake or bread flour. Yes, the results will change, but not necessarily in a bad way!
Howdy, cookie lovers! Michelle here, and today I want to talk to you about flour. More importantly, which flour should be the go-to for your cookies. Personally, I use AP flour regularly without issue. But there are lots of other great choices, too.
Keep reading to discover which flour ranked!
Contents
How To Measure Grams To Cups Conversion
It is crucial to accurately measure your gluten free flour for baking. Otherwise, your recipes are likely to be dense, hard, or simply fall apart! For the most accurate results, we always recommend using a food scale. However, for easy cooking, download the chart below to make grams to cups conversions a breeze!
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Substitute Chia Eggs For Each Egg To Make Egg
If a cookie recipe has, at most, 2 eggs, you should be able to make it using a chia egg for each. It’s the easiest substitute to make that still has a high chance of success.
To make 1 chia egg, place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mix, and allow the mixture to sit until it becomes gel-like.
Is Flour Gluten Free
Flour is defined as being a fine soft powder. That means that any ingredient that has been ground down into a smooth texture can be considered a flour. However, whole wheat or wheat flour is the only type of flour that can be listed as such on nutrition labels. All other varieties must be specified. For instance, they may read as coconut flour or almond flour but will never be listed as plain flour.
That said, standard wheat flour including cake flour, all-purpose flour, and bread flour can have anywhere between 7-14% gluten. As a result, it is never gluten free. However, there are many gluten free flour alternatives suited for all diet types that yield the same fluffy, tender baked goods we all love!
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What Binders To Use In Gluten
Binders are the so-called gluten replacements that help with elasticity, texture and make sure your bake doesn’t fall apart. Let’s look at the most popular ones you would often see in baking recipes.
- Xanthan Gum – a natural gum from fermented sugar and ‘friendly bacteria.’ It adds no nutritional value but can add a thick sticky consistency to the dough. Some people don’t process xanthan gum well, so try carefully.
- Psyllium Husk – a top-rated fiber supplement in general, also rich in calcium. It is a real gem for gluten-free bakers, especially for savory baked goods, pasta, and doughs with yeast.
- Ground Chia Seeds – a known superfood packed with the best nature can provide. Chia seeds are rich in protein, omega 3, fiber, and many vitamins and minerals. When mixed with water, it becomes an amazing binding agent for baking and is referred to as a ‘chia egg. An excellent alternative to xanthan gum.
- Ground Flax Seed – another healthy superfood binding option. Similar to chia, flaxseed mix with water can easily replace eggs. And will make your bake not only gluten-free but vegan as well.
Choose The Right Gluten Free Flour
When searching for gluten free flour, you’ll likely find a lot of options. Unfortunately, when it comes to gluten free flours, no two flours are the same. While one flour may work well when used in a baked good recipe, another may crumble. Choosing a flour-based on the type of bread you’re making is crucial to its success. This remains true when working with pre-made gluten free flour blends as well. No two blends contain the same ingredients, so you’ll want to ensure that it’s intended for the type of recipe you’d like to create.
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Is Buckwheat Flour Gluten
Despite its name, buckwheat flour is not a form of wheat buckwheat flour is gluten-free and related to rhubarb. The small seeds of the plant are ground to make flour. It is not generally used on its own in a recipe, as its strong nutty taste can leave the finished product overpowering, and a little bitter.Storage: You can store buckwheat flour in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 months and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Chia FlourMade from ground chia seeds. Highly nutritious, chia seeds have been labelled a ââ¬Åsuperfoodââ¬ï¿½ containing Omega 3, fiber, calcium, and protein, all packed into tiny seeds.
Tip: If chia flour isn’t readily available then put chia seeds in a food processor and make some at home. If used in baking, liquid levels and baking time may need to be increased slightly.
Storage: You can store chia seeds or chia seed flour in a sealed container in a dark cool place for several months.
Chickpea Flour This is ground from chick peas and has a slightly nutty taste. It is not generally used on its own. Chickpea flour is high in protein and is especially good for gluten-free baking. It can also be used to thicken soups, sauces, or gravies.
Storage: You can store chickpea flour in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 months and up to 6 months in the freezer.
Storage: You can store corn flour in a sealed container in cool, dark place for up to one year and longer in the freezer.
Oat FlourI have a post on How to make Oat Flour.
Best Overall Blend: King Arthur Flour Measure For Measure Gluten
King Arthur is known for their all-purpose flour, and they brought the same quality to this gluten-free blend. Made using a mix of rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca and potato starch, plus a dash of xanthan gum to bind, this flour blend works with baking recipes from scones to quick breads to cookiesno fancy math or additional ingredients required.
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Tapioca Starch Or Flour
Tapioca starch and flour are the same product, starch and flour are used interchangeably.
I use tapioca flour in my gluten free flour blend. It lightens up the rice flour and help to bind and glue everything together.
Tapioca Flour/Starch is also a stand-alone ingredient in several of my favorite recipes. I use it in my dairy free brazilian cheese breads and gluten free blue corn muffins.
I usually use Bob’s Red Mill’s Tapioca Flour.
What Is A Gluten
A gluten-free flour blend is a combination of different gluten-free flours that have been mixed together to make a flour that resembles and acts the way traditional all-purpose flour would in most baking recipes. Blends can be made from just a few ingredients to more than a dozen.
You can find gluten-free flour blends for specific baked goods or general gluten-free all-purpose flours that are meant to be used for a variety of different baked goods.
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Let’s Talk Gluten Free Flours
The gluten-free flour world is a complicated one. Gluten-Free flours are 99% always a blend made up of a variety of products. And not every blend will work for every application
Almost every blend though is made up of ingredients with those components: starchy, structural, and binding. Let’s talk about the most common ones.White Rice Flour: This has a very neutral taste and is made from finely milled white rice. It is cheap and easy to digest. Brown Rice Flour: More fiber, fat, and protein than white rice flour. Good structure but can be gritty.Sweet Rice Flour: Made from ground glutinous rice . It is sticky with a high starch quality, and works great in gluten-free baking because it helps bind things together.
Sorghum Flour: High in protein, soft flour with light color. Makes bakes light and tender. Mild, sweet flavor.
Potato Flour: Made from whole peeled and trimmed potatoes. The starch in potatoes attracts and holds water, and helps to increase the moisture content in baked goods.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a dense powder made from the endosperm portion of the corn kernel. Combined with other flours it can help create a lighter and chewy dessert. Does not absorb liquid as well as potato or tapioca starch
Potato Starch: Made from root tubers of the potato plants. High in starch and therefore binds and thickens well. Adds good moisture and soft texture to bakes. Lightens the crumb of baked goods
Gluten Free Nilla Wafers
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding is heaven in a bowl. Its creamy, luscious, sweet, and impossible to resist.
Its also effortless to make at home, with two of the main ingredients being Nilla Wafers and box vanilla instant pudding mix.
If you love the idea of creamy banana pudding but cant eat gluten, these gluten-free Nilla Wafers are for you.
Samoas have three critical components: a buttery shortbread base, a chewy caramel and coconut topping, and a dark chocolate coating.
The last two are already gluten-free, so its just the cookie you need to worry about.
Luckily, with almond flour and arrowroot powder, you can easily make a light and tinder base.
I know the donut shape is standard, but I usually just keep these as discs. Youll get more that way, and theyre not as fussy to make.
Also known as Mexican wedding cookies, these little shortbread bites are already loaded with chopped nuts, so adding them here to keep the dough moist wont change the flavor at all.
The recipe calls for gluten-free flour with rice flour plus xantham gum.
Since youll add chopped nuts, you dont need to worry as much about grainy mouthfeel.
Since there are no eggs in the dough, you can easily make this vegan with dairy-free butter.
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The Best Gluten Free Flour Mix
Now lets get something clear right off the bat: there is no such thing as the best gluten free flour mix. There is simply no all purpose gluten free flour mix out there which will work great for every single occasion. Rather, you will use a gluten free flour mix as the base for most your recipes, adding harder or softer flours depending on the recipe for best results.
Having said that, there are some killer gluten free mixes out there. We are fans of the following:
If you are bringing in your own gluten free flour mix to the table, make sure you read up on the ingredients. Our recipes are developed around gluten free flour mixes with 60-80% medium and hard flours, and 40-20% starches or soft flours.
What we are essentially doing here at Gnom-Gnom, is developing gluten free recipes which attempt to maximize the harder flours with higher nutrition density profiles, while limiting the use of starches. No one likes empty calories after all.
So read through below for a comprehensive list of the most popular gluten free flours currently out there. ??
Best For Bread: Judees All
Gluten-free bread bakers rave about Judees Gluten-Free Bread Flour, which is specifically formulated for baking gluten-free bread recipes, as well as bagels, pizza dough and pretzels. The blend includes two kinds of binding agentsguar gum and xanthan gumwhich mimic the structure and strength of gluten for a lofty, chewy crumb. They also add dried egg whites, which boost the protein in the dough. The blend of tapioca, potato and corn starch, plus rice and corn flour, has a neutral flavor. The dough also has sugar and salt added, so most recipes require only adding yeast, oil and water.
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Can You Make Gluten
If you would like to make this recipe ahead of time, you can chill the dough up to 24 hours in advance. If you would like to make the recipe even further in advance, you can freeze the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag. This will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
My Updated Favourite Gluten Free Flour Blend
- 1¾ cups superfine white rice flour* or 1¼ cups regular white rice flour
- 1 cup sweet rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour/starch
- ¾ cup sorghum flour
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- 3 tablespoons potato flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
Measure all the ingredients into a big bowl and whisk well to combine, or measure into a large tub with a tight seal and shake, shake, shake!
Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Will keep as long as the flours are recommended for freshness , longer if refrigerated or frozen.
Use this gluten free flour mix cup-for-cup or gram-for-gram, or measure 140 grams per cup to substitute for each cup of regular flour in recipes. Weighing the flour is always your most consistent option.
Makes 4½ to 5 cups .
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What Is Gluten Free Flour
In essence, gluten free flour is flour made from plants and grains other than wheat , rye, barley, and triticale which contain gluten protein.
Its this gluten protein that gives dough its elasticity and helps it to rise, so a gluten free flour mix typically contains a mix of various alternatives such as rice flour, buckwheat flour, teff flour, amaranth flour, almond flour, quinoa, garbanzo, or tapioca flours, or potato starch amongst others.
These flours are usually then blended with a binder such as a xanthan or guar gum, or ground seeds like psyllium husk, flax, or chia, to replace the gluten and give the gluten free flour blend the necessary elastic quality, so it holds its shape when water is added to form a dough.
Single grain gluten free flours are trickier to use as they are a little runnier and are best reserved for sweet treats like cookies or pancakes.
A ready-made gluten free flour mix is ideal for most applications, or you can make your own mix from 2 or 3 different flours to suit your tastes.
Heres a great video guide on how to make your own:
Gluten free flour behaves slightly differently than regular flour, so using it for home baking requires a slightly different method.
If you choose gluten free flour without a binder, the dough wont retain its shape, so your dough will need to be placed into a container, such as a loaf pan, for baking.
