The Different Types Of Gluten
For those of us who suffer from gluten intolerance being able to eat gluten-free bread is a lifesaver. Fortunately, there are lots of different types of gluten-breads out there.
So many in fact that working out which is the best for you can be a time-consuming and costly process.
I personally tried nearly 30 different types and brand combinations before I found one that had a taste and texture that I liked. A fact that has inspired me to write this article.
In it I explain :
- What the different types of gluten-free bread are
- How to choose the right type for your lifestyle
Provide links to resources you can use to buy the best gluten-free bread in your area
Which Gluten Free Flour Can Be Substituted For All Purpose Flour
Theres no denying that all purpose flour is convenient. Just one bag and it bakes up all kinds of breads. Fortunately, you can do the same thing with a good gluten free flour mix. A good mix can make converting all your beloved gluten-recipes super easy. A word of caution though you may need to add a teaspoon of xanthan gum or a gum substitute to mimic the consistency of gluten in breads.
Does Gluten Free Flour Taste Different
About as different as white sugar and honey! Gluten free flours each have a distinct flavor that can sometimes add a lot of flavor to baked goods. One whiff of coconut flour and youll see what I mean! Other flours like rice flours dont add anything as far as taste or smell goes.
Looking for the printable version of the chart? Here it is: Gluten free flour substitutes chart
Check out these delicious gluten free recipes next!
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Does All Purpose Flour Mean Self
Plain,selfrising,and allpurposeflourare such three types of flour. Although many people assume that plainand allpurposeflourare two different types of flour,this is not the case. They refer to the same type of flour. Selfrisingflouror selfraisingflour,however,refers to a type of flourthat contains leavening agents.
Choose Your Alternative Flours Carefully
While these alternative flours are usually gluten-free, they’re not always safe on a gluten-free diet due to gluten cross-contamination in processing. The equipment to harvest and mill coarse grains or seeds into flour is pretty expensive, and so farmers and manufacturers frequently use the same equipment to process both gluten-containing and gluten-free ingredients.
When that occurs, naturally gluten-free ingredients can be cross-contaminated with gluten during harvesting or processing. That may mean they will contain enough gluten to make them unsafe for someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity to consume.
Also, some products that use alternative flours as ingredients also include gluten as another ingredientto eat gluten-free, you always need to check ingredients carefully.
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Gluten Free Baking 101
Long before gluten free baking became a craze, European, Middle-Eastern and African cultures have used gluten free flours in their traditional cooking. From desserts , to breads , rice flours in Japanese desserts and many many more.
Why? Simply because gluten free flours lend great flavors and interesting textures to the mix.
Wheat aint all that. ??
You also might not have realized that gluten is not always a friend in baking . Think muffins and cakes, where instructions state to not over-mix. They are essentially asking you not over-develop the gluten, or youll risk ending up with a tough crumb.
So gluten free flours are actually particularly good in any baked good which is not meant to be hard as a rock. I.e. in most sweet treats if you think about it.
Bread, pizza and pastas pose the biggest hurdles for the gluten free baker, but as they say: there aint no mountain high enough. And here is where binding agents and flours such as teff, sorghum and garbanzo come in. Their flavor profiles and varying hardness do a killer job in yeasted loafs to achieve rise, texture and proper browning.
What Happens To Bread Without Gluten
When theres no gluten in the loaf, it lacks the elastic structure that holds the loaf together. Secondly, it cannot trap gases released by the rising agents due to the dense characteristic. Thirdly, the bread has a crumby structure and stales quickly.
Apart from adding texture, gluten-free flour has additional flavor.
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Tips For Going Gluten
- Look for foods that are already gluten-free. Really, it’s easier to just make some quinoa than trying to create gluten-free couscous.
- Experiment. There may be one particular gluten-free substitute you like for cookies, and another for bread. The only way to find out is by baking some up. So have fun and eat!
- Make your own mix. You can buy a gluten-free baking mix, but then that’s the only one you’ve got. Make little batches according to the simple ratio above and make sure you’re using the one you like the most.
- Add to your diet. Dropping wheat often means dropping fiber. So make sure you add extra fruits, veggies, and beans to your diet, including some leafy greens for extra iron.
Check out our complete collection of Gluten-Free Recipes.
Wheat Free And Gluten Free Alternative Flours
Wheat flour contains glutenthe protein that strengthens and binds dough in baking. Because of this, when baking with wheat free flours you will usually need to source alternative binding agents. Refer to What are the alternatives to xanthan gum or guar gum? for suggestions.
If you’re following a specific wheat free or gluten free recipe it will have been carefully formulated to get the best possible result using the flour substitutes listed. If you are substituting other alternative flours to those listed you need to be aware that you may get a failure, so don’t do it for the first time if cooking for an important occasion.
A good tip if you do need to substitute a gluten free flour is to use a flour of similar properties and weight. For example, tapioca flour may substitute okay for arrowroot flour.
The flours listed below are alternatives to wheat, barley, or rye flours. However it is important to be aware that there is no exact substitute for gluten containing flour, and recipes made with wheat and gluten free alternative flours will be different from those containing wheat or gluten.
It’s always best to store flours in airtight containers in a dark cool place to avoid them turning rancid. In the wheat-free.org kitchen I store all my wheat/gluten free flours double-bagged in the freezer to maintain their freshness. It’s best to use them at room temperature though, so measure out what you need and let them warm up slightly.
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Is All Flour Gluten Free
No, not all flour is gluten free which is why its key to understand which types of flour do and dont contain gluten especially for those with an intolerance or allergy.
The most common type of flour that contains gluten and is often used in lots of commercial baked goods, is wheat flour. However, it can also be found in flours that use rye, barely, spelt and triticale.2
Almond Flour / Almond Meal
Almond flour and almond meal are both popular gluten-free substitutes for baking and cooking in general. The main difference between almond flour / almond meal is the way the almonds are processed. For almond flour, the almonds are typically blanched with the skins removed and ground very finely. Almond meal is typically made from almonds that still contain the skins and is also more coarsely ground.
Both are great when cooking, but typically for different purposes. For delicate, softer goods with a lighter texture youll want to go with the almond flour. For breading meat, quick breads, and a more coarse/heavy texture in your food, youll want to go with the almond meal.
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Guide To Gluten Free Flour Substitutes
Your ultimate guide to gluten free flour substitutes and what to expect from each type of flour.
How often have you scanned a recipe only to find you have everything you need except for a few gluten free flours. Millet flour Sorghum flour Sweet rice flour Yikes
So you start playing the guessing game of what flours do I have and will they work for this recipe. After googling for what seems like forever, trying to find out if tapioca starch can be substituted for cornstarch, you almost give up.
Sound familiar?
Well this guide is the answer to your gluten free flour substitutes dilemma. Well look at all the most common flours and starches and offer an easy guide for substituting gluten free flour successfully.
Gluten Free Flour Substitutes
Buckwheat flour
Notwithstanding the name itself, the use if this is helpful as an alternative to wheat. It is made from ground buckwheat seeds, which are rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, and calcium. It is commonly used in baking cookies, pancakes, and recipes that do not need the mixture to boil up. As everything must be used with caution, it is best to be used in combination with lighter flours and replace up to half of the flour called for in cake recipes.
Almond Flour
Known for being the most common grain and gluten-free flour, the main ingredient came from the ground and blanched almonds, peeling off the skin for richer protein. Its commonly used in baked goods and can be a grain-free alternative to breadcrumbs. Not only it is gluten-free, but also, Almond flour is much recognized for its minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Amaranth Flour
Like buckwheat, Amaranth flour is a gluten-free, protein-rich flour of which this healthy and earthy nutty flavor is used during Aztec and Inca civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. Individuals who experience allergic reactions to foods containing gluten can avoid or minimize these unpleasant symptoms.
Cassava Flour
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Important Facts To Know When Baking With Gluten
Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. When using a small amount for sautéing or cooking, these flours can be used in single use form. However, when it comes to baking, a mix of gluten-free flours is typically recommended because using a single flour does not have the same properties as white flour or other gluten-free flours. For example, if a recipe calls for one cup of almond flour, you cannot simply replace it with one cup of coconut flour and get the same result.
Protein is an important property of gluten that needs to be considered when using gluten-free flours. If youre making your own homemade gluten-free baking mix and using a lower protein flour such as rice flour, combine it with a starch, such as tapioca or arrowroot, which adds thickening and bulk to recipes.
Gluten also acts as a binder in recipes and is important to add to gluten-free flour mixes. Some binders you can use are guar gum or xanthan gum to replicate the properties of gluten. Add 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour used.
A great place to start when switching to gluten-free flours is to buy a 1-to-1 baking mix. This means it can be interchangeably used in recipes that call for white flour. We love to use Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour Mix, which saves time by taking the guess work out of gluten-free baking.
Gluten Free Flours And Their Substitutes
So using almond flour as an example, if it has a protein content of 21.4% and fiber content of 10.7%, what would a good substitute be?
If you picked oat flour, youd be correct!
What about with potato flour? Arrowroot starch is actually the closest.
In most of the recipes you find on Gluten Free Bread, starches can be substituted cup for cup.
Ive never run into a recipe where cornstarch doesnt work but tapioca starch does. It may be different when cooking, but baking is an even swap.
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How Do You Measure Gluten Free Flour
Lastlywhen you are measuring gluten-free flour REMEMBER to take a large spoon and gently dump the flour into the measuring cup. Then, once its overflowing, take a knife and scrape off the excess, so you have a nice, clean, and even line with the measuring cup. You do not want to scoop or pack in the flour, as this will make the flour the wrong ratio and you wont get the soft, just-like-wheat texture.
I hope this helps you enjoy some of your old favorites and get back to baking!
**PLEASE NOTE: Gluten-free flour does not rise like regular flour. So, youll notice all of my recipes call for an ingredient, xanthan gum, which helps give the rise and airy-ness that regular flour typically has. I prefer to not include this in my blend, as each type of recipe needs its own amount and to ensure Im getting the proper amount.**
/11best Gluten Free Flours
Flour is a common ingredient that is used in everyday foods like cookies, bread, noodles and desserts. Gluten is mixture of protein found in wheat, oat, rye, kamut and barley. There are so many types of gluten-free flour available and when it comes to cooking and baking. If you have Celiac disease or gluten sensitive, heres good news for you!
Also Check: How To Tell If You Have A Gluten Allergy
The Best Homemade Gluten
One of the easiest and cheapest gluten-free flour mixes you can make. Homemade so you can make large batches, this is a fabulous all-purpose flour you can use in any baked good. I substitute it 1:1 for regular wheat flour and it turns out beautifully every time.
This post contains affiliate links.
Its almost baking season! With the holidays coming up my baking is ramping up and so I feel its best we start with the basics and make sure you have an allergy-friendly, all-purpose, gluten-free baking flour to get you through this busy baking season!
I feel like gluten-free has such a bad rep. People tried eating something gluten-free ten years ago and had a bad experience and now they assume all things gluten-free are dense, dried out shells of baked goods.
I think people tend to forget that baking with wheat probably had its own learning curve toowe just werent around for it! And, thankfullygluten-free baking is getting better and better every day.
I have been using this gluten-free flour blend for over six years now, and I have ZERO reason to stray. It performs every single timewhether in bars, brownies, cookies or cakes. Its moist, its not gritty and best of all, I can substitute it 1:1 for regular flour. Meaning, that if the regular recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, I simply measure out 1 cup of my flour blend.
I keep my flours in glass jars with lids in my fridge . I feel this helps them last longer.
