Gluten-free flour is flour that doesn’t comprise gluten, a protein present in grains like wheat, barley, and rye.
In baking, gluten acts as a binder that helps meals maintain their form, provides elasticity, and helps dough rise.
Think about a baguette, with an oven-crisp crust on the skin and a chewy, craggy center.
Gluten traps fuel bubbles throughout fermentation, which provides that baguette its distinctive texture. With out gluten, bakers typically depend on a mix of various gluten-free flours to attain the identical outcomes.
Do you want gluten-free flour in your eating regimen? It relies upon.
“Until you’ve got celiac illness or a real gluten sensitivity, there is probably not profit in eliminating it,” says Frances Arnold, R.D., proprietor of Namaste Nutritionist.
Maintain studying for all of the need-to-know particulars about gluten-free flours.
1. Rice flour
One of the vital widespread gluten-free flour substitutes, brown rice or white rice flour is gluten-free naturally.
This delicate, neutral-tasting flour is right for baking, in pancakes, and as a coating for hen or fish.
Mix rice flour with one of many higher-protein flours listed right here so as to add construction.
2. Bean flour
Dense, sturdy, and full of fiber, bean flours are widespread in gluten-free pastas. Use chickpea flour in baked items like gluten-free pumpkin spice donuts, tortillas, or pizza.
Black beans pair surprisingly properly with chocolate and the bitter notes of espresso.
3. Lentil flour
Milled from sprouted or unsprouted pink, yellow, inexperienced, or brown lentils, this gluten-free flour imparts a gentle, nutty taste.
It’s additionally a superb supply of protein (26 grams per 100-gram serving) and iron (6 mg), in addition to a very good supply of potassium, with 686 milligrams of that important mineral.
When baked, it could possibly add a nice crispy-crackle perfect for gluten-free crackers.
4. Pea flours
Inexperienced pea flour and pea flour are excessive in protein and just like bean flour in how they carry out and style.
The protein content material provides construction, however utilizing an excessive amount of might give your masterpiece a inexperienced hue — good for Frankenstein or shamrock cookies however not a lot on a regular basis breads and cookies.
5. Corn flour and starch
Corn is unbelievable in tortillas, cornbread, pizza crusts, corn muffins, and Johnny desserts.
You can even use cornstarch as a thickener in gravy, soup, or stir-fry sauces rather than flour. Go for positive cornmeal for baking, and save the coarser grits and polenta for a gluten-free facet dish.
6. Millet and quinoa flours
These powerhouses add construction, so that you would possibly be capable to skip different binding components.
Millet has a extra impartial taste than quinoa, which might style a little bit bitter to some palates. The answer? Toast the quinoa earlier than you grind it, suggests Alyssa Rimmer, a meals blogger at Merely Quinoa.
7. Oat flour
Oats and oat flour make the enduring cookie with raisins and a kiss of cinnamon, and it’s straightforward to grind your personal at house.
You merely grind oats right into a powder in a blender or meals processor. Oat flour is fluffy, so combine it with a few of the heavier flours for a extra balanced texture.
Word when shopping for oat flour: Whereas oats are naturally gluten-free, they’re typically uncovered to gluten-containing grains throughout processing.
Search for licensed gluten-free oats if that’s a priority.
8. Teff flour
A staple in Ethiopian diets, teff is a grain that’s a superb supply of protein (13 grams per 10-gram serving!), fiber (8 grams), and calcium (180 milligrams).
It provides a nutty observe to cookies, biscotti, desserts, fast breads, and injera, an Ethiopian spongy fermented flatbread.
9. Nut flours
Coconut and almond flours are the preferred flours on this class, they usually’re keto-friendly.
You need to use 100% nut flours when baking, however the larger fats and protein content material can yield dense outcomes. Mix small quantities nut flours with different flours.
Almond flour is likely one of the components in our favourite gluten-free banana bread.
10. Sorghum flour
Much like wheat, this flour is dense in protein and is available in pink and white varieties. Use in pancakes, breads, muffins, cookies, or spice cake.
11. Cassava flour
All the fashion in paleo merchandise, cassava flour is gluten-, grain-, and nut-free and comprised of the cassava root.
It’s a higher-carb flour, so it wouldn’t be perfect for keto recipes. Mix with almond flour to make killer grain-free tortillas.
12. Potato flour and starch
Potato flour is a positive powder comprised of dehydrated potatoes that may substitute gums in gluten-free baking.
Don’t overdo it although — add 2–4 tablespoons per recipe to keep away from gumminess. Potato starch can be utilized as a 1:1 substitution for cornstarch.
13. Seed flours
Flaxseed, chia seed, and hemp seed make nutrient-dense flour and thickener choices.
Chia bloats when suspended in liquid, which is why it makes an amazing gum-free binder.
Hemp comprises all important amino acids, however remember the fact that the flour will be gritty.
Gluten-Free Baking Ideas
Gluten-free baking requires extra precision than baking with wheat flour. Gluten-free flours and mixes typically comprise a combo of various sorts.
Increased-protein ones add construction however can yield a dense product. Beans, starches, and oats contribute totally different tastes and textures.
Nut flours are larger in protein and fats, so that they burn extra simply. When utilizing them, scale back the temperature by 25–50 levels Fahrenheit.
Arnold additionally recommends protecting with aluminum foil till the ultimate 10 minutes to keep away from over-browning.
Gluten-free flours may additionally require using a binding agent — the most typical being xanthan gum.
To keep away from gums, substitute psyllium husk, floor flax, or chia.
The following tips also can assist:
- Measure gluten-free flour rigorously. Many sorts of gluten-free flour can get dense. Attempt a meals scale for extra precision.
- Combine your dough and batters totally and allow them to relaxation. After mixing, cowl the bowl with a clear towel and let it relaxation for half-hour to thicken.
- Depend on advised bake or prepare dinner time vs. the toothpick methodology. Let baked items relaxation earlier than slicing to offer the starches time to set and agency.
