Gluten-Free Baking Tips

If you are gluten intolerant, switching to a gluten-free diet is a big adjustment. There are foods that contain gluten; preparing foods and baking will become a challenge. It will take time to find the right combination of ingredients for baking so you’ll have many trials and errors.

Some people think gluten-free baking is bland, has a gritty texture and is noticeably different. It doesn’t have to be any of those things mentioned. You can make some tasty and delicious baked goods that aren’t gummy or tasteless.

Gluten-Free Ingredients you Will Want in your Pantry for Baking

You can find these in any natural health food store. You can also buy pre-mixed blended flours.

Grain Flours:

White Rice Flour
Is a basic ingredient that can be used with other flours. Good for making roux.

Brown Rice Flour
This is more nutritious than rice flour. It’s gritty with a nutty flavor.

Sorghum Flour
It’s mildly sweet and is good for many foods.

Quinoa Flour
It’s a healthy, high protein and mildly nutty flour. Good for cookies, cakes and breads.

Potato Flour
A heavy, but smooth white, mild flavored flour. Good for breads. Mixes well with stronger flavored flours.

Millet Flour
A delicate sweet flavor that is good to use for muffins. It digests well. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Buckwheat Flour
High protein flour with a strong nutty flavor. It can be used in pancakes or yeast breads.

Coconut Flour
Good fiber content; mildly sweet coconut flavor for sweet recipes. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Tapioca Flour
Sweet. Adds a chewy texture to breads.

Starches – For thickening:

* Cornstarch
* Potato Starch
* Arrowroot Powder
* Tapioca Starch

* Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum – Give baked goods a chewy texture, and it helps make the dough stick together.

More Gluten Free Baking Tips:

* You should use more than one type of flour for baking. Doing so will balance out the flavors and it’ll be more nutritious.

* It’s recommended ingredients should be room temperature.

* To increase moisture use gelatin, oil, honey or extra egg in the recipe. You can also add applesauce, yogurt, or sour cream. Brown sugar adds more moisture than white sugar.

* To add more flavors add more spices. Add chocolate chips, dried fruits, or nuts.

* For good structure, substitute regular milk with evaporated milk or coconut milk.

* For good texture, sift flours and starches before measuring and sift again when you mix them together.

* Bake in smaller pans at a lower temperature and for a longer time. Baked items stick more to the pan; line with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter and then sprinkle a light dusting of rice flour.

* Wrap gluten-free baked goods well because they lose moisture quickly. Store in the freezer or fridge for longer shelf life.

* When making bread, use a mixer instead of kneading. Warm up the bread before eating so it won’t be as crumbly.

Read MORE from our Gluten Free Section!

Here is a helpful link as well.

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved