Non-Wheat Flours

One of the primary characteristics of wheat is that it contains gluten, and thus gives baked goods the texture we expect. Barley and rye are closely related to wheat, and also contain gluten. These flours make good substitutions in recipes that call for all-purpose wheat flour if you want to expand your baking repertoire, but keep in mind that barley and rye are not gluten-free. Because they contain gluten, barley and rye behave in a similar way to wheat and should be substituted cup for cup with whole wheat flour, assuming the rye and barley flour you buy is also whole grain.

Since gluten gives baked goods the texture we desire, using gluten-free flours can be a little tricky. On their own, they often lack the characteristics we expect in baked goods, resulting in heavy, crumbly products. There are a few tricks to overcoming the heaviness and crumbliness of baked goods that are made without wheat. To do this, there must be some other ingredient that gives the baked good structure so that when pockets are created by the leavening agent, a structure remains in the mixture that will hold that space once the ingredient holding that space had evaporated or melted.

Typically, starches are used to give this result. Gluten-free flour mixes should contain some starch, like potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch. Additionally, there needs to be a stronger binding agent, like guar gum, psyillium seed husk, or xanthum gum, to help it really hold the structure. Lastly, you can add flours or meals to add the rest of the bulk.

I've discovered issues with some of the all-purpose gluten-free flour mixes off the shelf. Many are primarily made with garbanzo bean flour, which results in heavy, dense baked goods. Others contain dairy products like evaporated milk powder or whey. I find making my own mix produces the best result.

I typically use the following as my guide for all-purpose gluten-free flour:

• 1 part starch (potato, tapioca, or arrowroot)
• 1 part gluten-free whole grain flour (quinoa, amaranth, brown rice, or teff)
• 1 part legume or tree nut flour (garbanzo bean flour, almond meal, coconut flour)
• For every cup flour, I use 1 tsp. guar gum or xanthum gum, whisked in thouroughly
• (I haven't used psyllium seed husk yet, but when I do, I'll post the results)

Mix the ingredients well and use for a substitute for recipes that call for all-purpose wheat flour.

I have been experimenting with gluten free flours for a while, and had many different kinds of these flours around, so I mixed them all together based on the specific ratios, and it works quite well. If you would like a paleo version, just use arrowroot, almond meal, and coconut flour.

One gem of a tip I got from one of my favorite cook books, Welcoming Kitchen, is that whole oat flour replaces all-purpose wheat flour cup for cup with none of the other starches or gums. If you need a gluten-free option, make sure you check the label and that it's specifically labeled gluten free, otherwise it's likely been contaminated with a glutenous flour. Oat flour can be expensive, so a cheaper alternative is to buy rolled oats, also labeled as old fashioned oats, and grind them (you'll also want to check the label on rolled oats). It took me a while to figure out how to grind rolled oats, but I finally found the right trick!

My blender nor my food processor ground the oats finely enough to be used in baking, but today I found a tip online that changed everything. A spice or coffee grinder works like a charm! You can only grind about 1/2 cup at a time, but it didn't really take me that long to grind a whole container. I just set it to the espresso setting, put 1/2 a cup in, and let it go.

Voila! It's magic!

One last caveat, I would not use this baking mix for yeasted recipes like traditional bread because the leavening agents will be different, as will the way the structure needs to form.

If you test out any of these tips, let me know how they worked for you!